Ellsworth County, Kansas

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Ellsworth County, Kansas
Ellsworth County Courthouse in Ellsworth
Location in the state of Kansas
Kansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 26, 1867
Seat	Ellsworth
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	723.44 sq mi (1,874 km²) 715.91 sq mi (1,854 km²) 7.54 sq mi (20 km²), 1.04%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	6,497 8.8/sq mi (3.4/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	EllsworthCounty.org

Ellsworth County (county code EW) is a county located in Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 6,497. Its county seat and most populous city is Ellsworth.

History

19th century

Ellsworth County was established February 26, 1867. The county was named after the old Fort Ellsworth, which was named in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Allen Ellsworth of the 7th Iowa Cavalry (Company H), who supervised construction of the fort in 1864. On November 17, 1866, the fort was renamed Fort Harker in honor of General Charles Garrison Harker who had died on June 27, 1864, from wounds received in an abortive offensive action in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. The fort was subsequently moved to a new site about one mile to the northeast, and the old fort's remaining buildings were ordered torn down in June 1867.

Law and government

Ellsworth County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 723.44 square miles (1,873.7 km²), of which 715.91 square miles (1,854.2 km²) (or 98.96%) is land and 7.54 square miles (19.5 km²) (or 1.04%) is water. It is intersected by the Smoky Hill River.

Adjacent counties

• Lincoln County (north)
• Saline County (east)
• McPherson County (southeast)
• Rice County (south)
• Barton County (southwest)
• Russell County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,185		—
1880	8,494		616.8%
1890	9,272		9.2%
1900	9,626		3.8%
1910	10,444		8.5%
1920	10,379		−0.6%
1930	10,132		−2.4%
1940	9,855		−2.7%
1950	8,465		−14.1%
1960	7,677		−9.3%
1970	6,146		−19.9%
1980	6,640		8.0%
1990	6,586		−0.8%
2000	6,525		−0.9%
2010	6,497		−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

Population pyramid

Ellsworth County's population was estimated to be 6,332 in the year 2006, a decrease of 199, or -3.0%, over the previous six years.

As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 6,525 people, 2,481 households, and 1,639 families residing in the county. The population density was 9 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 3,228 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.67% White, 3.56% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.59% of the population.

There were 2,481 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.90% were non-families. 31.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.40% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 20.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 111.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,772, and the median income for a family was $44,360. Males had a median income of $30,110 versus $20,486 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,569. About 4.00% of families and 7.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 11.10% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Incorporated cities

2005 KDOT Map of Ellsworth County (map legend)

Name and population (2004 estimate):

• Ellsworth, 2,883 (county seat)
• Wilson, 766
• Kanopolis, 522
• Holyrood, 453
• Lorraine, 133

Unincorporated places

• Arcola
• Black Wolf
• Carnelro
• Langley
• Terra Cotta
• Venango
• Yankee Run

Townships

Ellsworth County is divided into nineteen townships. The city of Ellsworth is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.

Township	FIPS	Population center	Population	Population density /km² (/sq mi)	Land area km² (sq mi)	Water area km² (sq mi)	Water %	Geographic coordinates
Ash Creek	02575		58	1 (2)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.51%	38°39′17″N 98°12′47″W
Black Wolf	07025		87	1 (2)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.10%	38°44′40″N 98°19′33″W
Carneiro	10800		57	1 (2)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.36%	38°45′2″N 97°59′46″W
Clear Creek	13725		91	1 (3)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.17%	38°44′10″N 98°6′16″W
Columbia	15025		60	1 (2)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.04%	38°50′5″N 98°18′50″W
Ellsworth	20525		797	9 (23)	88 (34)	0 (0)	0.23%	38°43′6″N 98°10′58″W
Empire	21150		174	1 (3)	171 (66)	14 (6)	7.79%	38°39′6″N 98°1′7″W
Garfield	25575		27	0 (1)	92 (36)	0 (0)	0.30%	38°50′9″N 98°6′42″W
Green Garden	28600		211	2 (6)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.22%	38°33′30″N 98°19′19″W
Langley	38600		76	1 (2)	92 (35)	2 (1)	1.86%	38°35′33″N 97°58′15″W
Lincoln	40675		62	1 (2)	95 (37)	0 (0)	0.22%	38°39′8″N 98°18′0″W
Mulberry	49050		44	0 (1)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.24%	38°50′5″N 97°58′28″W
Noble	50825		90	1 (3)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.04%	38°44′51″N 98°25′33″W
Palacky	54100		63	1 (2)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.08%	38°38′51″N 98°25′56″W
Sherman	64950		65	1 (2)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.22%	38°49′21″N 98°13′7″W
Thomas	70450		72	1 (2)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.21%	38°33′56″N 98°11′33″W
Trivoli	71525		55	1 (2)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.38%	38°35′7″N 98°4′23″W
Valley	72800		577	6 (16)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.14%	38°34′22″N 98°24′56″W
Wilson	79700	Wilson	894	10 (25)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.06%	38°49′34″N 98°27′23″W
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/places2k.html.

Education

Unified school districts

• Ellsworth USD 327
• Lorraine USD 328

See also

• Kanopolis State Park
• Mushroom Rock State Park
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ellsworth County, Kansas

Information on this and other counties in Kansas

• List of counties in Kansas
• List of Kansas county name etymologies
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kansas
• Kansas locations by per capita income

Other information for Kansas

• List of cities in Kansas
• List of unified school districts in Kansas
• List of colleges and universities in Kansas

Further reading

• History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook)
• Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ellsworth County, Kansas

Official sites

• Ellsworth County
• Ellsworth County - Directory of Public Officials
• Ellsworth County Independent Reporter (local newspaper)

Additional information

• Ellsworth County
• Kansas Statistical Abstract

Maps

• Ellsworth County Map, KDOT
• Kansas Highway Map, KDOT
• Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT
• Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE