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Jefferson County, Kansas
Jefferson county courthouse kansas
Jefferson County Courthouse in Oskaloosa (1971)
Map of Kansas highlighting Jefferson County
Location in the state of Kansas
Map of the U.S
Kansas's location in the U.S.
Founded August 25, 1855
Named for Thomas Jefferson
Seat Oskaloosa
Largest city Valley Falls
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

557 sq mi (1,443 km²)
533 sq mi (1,380 km²)
24 sq mi (62 km²), 4.3%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

18,368
Congressional district 2nd
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5

Jefferson County (county code JF) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. At the 2020 census, the county population was 18,368.[1] Its county seat is Oskaloosa,[2] and its most populous city is Valley Falls.

History[]

Early history[]

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century[]

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Jefferson County was established, and was named for President Thomas Jefferson.[3] Settlement of the county was slowed by events prior to and during the Civil War, but the present day unincorporated community of Thompsonville (3 miles northwest of Perry on the Delaware River) was the first established in 1851 by Mormon settlers who initially refused to accompany the main group led by Brigham Young to the Salt Lake Valley. The settlement was first abandoned due to the violence resulting from the border wars, but was re-established when the Civil War ended.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 557 square miles (1,440 km2), of which 533 square miles (1,380 km2) is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) (4.3%) is water.[4]

Adjacent counties[]

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1860 4,459
1870 12,526 180.9%
1880 15,563 24.2%
1890 16,620 6.8%
1900 17,533 5.5%
1910 15,826 −9.7%
1920 14,750 −6.8%
1930 14,129 −4.2%
1940 12,718 −10.0%
1950 11,084 −12.8%
1960 11,252 1.5%
1970 11,945 6.2%
1980 15,207 27.3%
1990 15,905 4.6%
2000 18,426 15.9%
2010 19,126 3.8%
Est. 2021 18,411 [5] −0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[1]
USA Jefferson County, Kansas age pyramid

Population pyramid

Jefferson County is included in the Topeka, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

At the 2000 Census, there were 18,426 people, 6,830 households and 5,190 families residing in the county. The population density was 34 per square mile (13/km2). There were 7,491 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.70% White, 0.92% Native American, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population.

There were 6,830 households, of which 35.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.20% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 20.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07.

27.40% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.90 males.

The median household income was $45,535 and the median family income was $50,557. Males had a median income of $36,174 compared with $25,468 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,373. About 5.30% of families and 6.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.90% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government[]

Presidential elections[]

United States presidential election results for Jefferson County, Kansas[10]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 6,334 64.75% 3,194 32.65% 254 2.60%
2016 5,213 61.77% 2,518 29.83% 709 8.40%
2012 4,827 60.24% 2,977 37.15% 209 2.61%
2008 5,220 58.32% 3,542 39.58% 188 2.10%
2004 5,408 61.50% 3,253 37.00% 132 1.50%
2000 4,423 56.15% 3,000 38.09% 454 5.76%
1996 3,781 49.31% 2,757 35.95% 1,130 14.74%
1992 2,569 33.02% 2,538 32.62% 2,673 34.36%
1988 3,605 55.53% 2,810 43.28% 77 1.19%
1984 4,524 68.93% 1,990 30.32% 49 0.75%
1980 4,046 64.60% 1,776 28.36% 441 7.04%
1976 3,225 55.12% 2,470 42.22% 156 2.67%
1972 3,679 72.69% 1,237 24.44% 145 2.87%
1968 2,781 56.58% 1,355 27.57% 779 15.85%
1964 2,380 53.07% 2,066 46.06% 39 0.87%
1960 3,353 65.73% 1,739 34.09% 9 0.18%
1956 3,677 70.24% 1,536 29.34% 22 0.42%
1952 3,980 73.47% 1,411 26.05% 26 0.48%
1948 2,986 59.04% 2,010 39.74% 62 1.23%
1944 3,504 68.73% 1,575 30.89% 19 0.37%
1940 4,330 65.81% 2,212 33.62% 38 0.58%
1936 3,711 54.25% 3,105 45.39% 25 0.37%
1932 2,974 47.42% 3,185 50.79% 112 1.79%
1928 4,810 74.77% 1,601 24.89% 22 0.34%
1924 4,422 72.71% 1,320 21.70% 340 5.59%
1920 3,463 68.86% 1,535 30.52% 31 0.62%
1916 3,174 50.49% 2,919 46.44% 193 3.07%
1912 1,155 29.75% 1,537 39.59% 1,190 30.65%
1908 2,270 55.57% 1,720 42.11% 95 2.33%
1904 2,568 65.26% 1,199 30.47% 168 4.27%
1900 2,374 54.66% 1,912 44.02% 57 1.31%
1896 2,322 49.99% 2,276 49.00% 47 1.01%
1892 2,026 49.95% 0 0.00% 2,030 50.05%
1888 2,268 57.00% 1,601 40.24% 110 2.76%
1884 2,250 56.50% 1,655 41.56% 77 1.93%
1880 1,976 57.21% 1,397 40.45% 81 2.35%



Like all of Kansas outside the eastern cities, Jefferson County is a Republican stronghold, having not been won by a Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1932 landslide – although it was one of three Kansas counties to give a plurality to Ross Perot in 1992.

Laws[]

Jefferson 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.[11]

The county voted "No" on the 2022 Kansas Value Them Both Amendment, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 55% to 45% despite backing Donald Trump with 65% of the vote to Joe Biden's 33% in the 2020 presidential election.[12]

Media[]

Jefferson County has two newspapers which are still in operation, The Oskaloosa Independent and The Valley Falls Vindicator. Both of which are owned by Davis Publications.[13] Together, the two papers cover the happenings of Jefferson County and its townships. The editor for both papers is Holly Allen.

Education[]

Unified school districts[]

Communities[]

Map of Jefferson Co, Ks, USA

2005 KDOT Map of Jefferson County (map legend)

Cities[]

  • McLouth
  • Meriden
  • Nortonville
  • Oskaloosa (county seat)
  • Ozawkie
  • Perry
  • Valley Falls
  • Winchester

Census-designated place[]

  • Grantville

Other unincorporated communities[]

  • Boyle
  • Buck Creek
  • Dunavant
  • Lakeside Village
  • Half Mound
  • Indian Ridge
  • Lake Shore
  • Medina
  • Mooney Creek
  • Newman
  • Rock Creek
  • Thompsonville
  • West Shore
  • Williamstown

Townships[]

Jefferson County is divided into twelve townships. None of the cities within the county are considered governmentally independent, and all figures for the townships include those of the cities. 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
Delaware 17425 Valley Falls 2,034 9 (23) 229 (88) 0 (0) 0.11% 39°21′6″N 95°28′31″W / 39.35167, -95.47528
Fairview 22525 Rural Ozawkie 1,510 22 (56) 70 (27) 20 (8) 22.20% 39°10′49″N 95°26′50″W / 39.18028, -95.44722
Jefferson 35250 Winchester 1,240 8 (21) 151 (58) 0 (0) 0.24% 39°19′37″N 95°16′11″W / 39.32694, -95.26972
Kaw 36125 Grantville 1,409 16 (43) 86 (33) 2 (1) 1.78% 39°5′41″N 95°32′55″W / 39.09472, -95.54861
Kentucky 36575 Perry 1,576 17 (44) 93 (36) 14 (5) 13.18% 39°5′18″N 95°24′42″W / 39.08833, -95.41167
Norton 51475 Nortonville 955 9 (25) 101 (39) 0 (0) 0.30% 39°24′13″N 95°18′47″W / 39.40361, -95.31306
Oskaloosa 53400 Oskaloosa 2,142 14 (37) 149 (58) 0 (0) 0.17% 39°13′12″N 95°18′58″W / 39.22, -95.31611
Ozawkie 53950 Ozawkie 1,408 15 (38) 97 (37) 14 (5) 12.74% 39°14′32″N 95°26′3″W / 39.24222, -95.43417
Rock Creek 60575 Meriden 2,718 19 (50) 140 (54) 1 (1) 0.92% 39°12′52″N 95°32′58″W / 39.21444, -95.54944
Rural 61700 Williamstown 804 10 (25) 82 (32) 1 (0) 1.14% 39°4′31″N 95°18′52″W / 39.07528, -95.31444
Sarcoxie 63100 Rural Lawrence 958 12 (31) 80 (31) 0 (0) 0.45% 39°5′13″N 95°14′50″W / 39.08694, -95.24722
Union 72150 McLouth 1,672 15 (39) 111 (43) 0 (0) 0.30% 39°12′41″N 95°12′26″W / 39.21139, -95.20722
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/places2k.html. 

Notable people[]

  • Roger Barker (1903-1990), American environmental psychologist
  • John Curry (1897–1946), painter
  • Mary Lowman (1842-1912), first woman in Kansas to be elected mayor with a city council composed entirely of women.
  • Charles Roberts (1936-), American politician

See also[]

Information on this and other counties in Kansas

Other information for Kansas


References[]

  1. ^ a b "QuickFacts; Jefferson County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/jeffersoncountykansas/POP010220. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off.. pp. 168. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ. 
  4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. 
  5. ^ "County Population Totals: 2020-2021". United States Census Bureau. March 24, 2022. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html. Retrieved June 3, 2022. 
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html. 
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ks190090.txt. 
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  10. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  11. ^ "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. http://www.ksrevenue.org/abcwetdrymap.htm. 
  12. ^ Panetta, Grace (August 3, 2022). "14 of the 19 Kansas counties that rejected an anti-abortion amendment voted for Trump in 2020". Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/14-out-19-counties-that-rejected-kansas-anti-abortion-measure-backed-trump-2022-8. Retrieved August 3, 2022. 
  13. ^ "Contact Us – JeffCountyNews.com" (in en-US). https://www.jeffcountynews.com/contact-us/. 
Notes

Further reading[]

Template:Kansas books

External links[]

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This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Jefferson County, Kansas. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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