Ellis County, Kansas

Ellis County, Kansas
County
Ellis County Courthouse in Hays
Location in the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location in the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°55′N 99°19′W / 38.917°N 99.317°W / 38.917; -99.317
Founded	1867
Named for	George Ellis
Seat	Hays
Largest city	Hays
Area
• Total	900 sq mi (2,331 km2)
• Land	899 sq mi (2,328 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1 km2), 0.05%
Population (est.)
• (2016)	28,893
• Density	32/sq mi (12/km2)
Area code(s)	785
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Central: UTC−6/−5
Website	EllisCo.net

Ellis County (county code EL) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 28,452.^[1] Its county seat and most populous city is Hays.^[2]

Ellis County is the official German Capital of Kansas. German immigrants settled in Hays, Ellis, Victoria, and nearby villages in the 1870s and 1880s.^[3]

Contents

• 
  1 History
  
  
  
  • 
    1.1 Early history
    
  
  
  • 
    1.2 19th century
    
  
  
  • 
    1.3 20th century
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  2 Geography
  
  
  
  • 
    2.1 Adjacent counties
    
  
  
  • 
    2.2 Major highways
    
  
  
  • 
    2.3 Airport
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  3 Demographics
  


• 
  4 Government
  
  
  
  • 
    4.1 Presidential elections
    
  
  
  • 
    4.2 Laws
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  5 Education
  
  
  
  • 
    5.1 Unified school districts
    
  
  
  • 
    5.2 Private schools
    
  
  
  • 
    5.3 Universities and Colleges
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  6 Communities
  
  
  
  • 
    6.1 Cities
    
  
  
  • 
    6.2 Census-designated places
    
  
  
  • 
    6.3 Other unincorporated places
    
  
  
  • 
    6.4 Defunct settlements
    
  
  
  • 
    6.5 Townships
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  7 Gallery
  


• 
  8 See also
  


• 
  9 References
  


• 
  10 Further reading
  


• 
  11 External links
  

History

Early history

See also: History of Kansas

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. Ellis County was founded on February 26, 1867.^[4][5] It is named for George Ellis, first lieutenant of the Twelfth Kansas Infantry.^[6]

20th century

In 1942, the Walker Army Airfield was built northwest of Walker. Thousands were stationed at the airfield for training of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress during World War II. The airfield was abandoned and most of it razed.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 900 square miles (2,300 km²), of which 900 square miles (2,300 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) (0.05%) is water.^[7]

Adjacent counties

• 
  Rooks County (north)


• 
  Osborne County (northeast)


• 
  Russell County (east)


• 
  Rush County (south)


• 
  Ness County (southwest)


• 
  Trego County (west)

Major highways

• 
  Interstate 70
  


• 
  US-183
  

Airport

Hays Regional Airport is located within the county. Used primarily for general aviation, it hosts one commercial airline United Express, which offers daily jet service to Denver, Colorado.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,336		—
1880	6,179		362.5%
1890	7,942		28.5%
1900	8,626		8.6%
1910	12,170		41.1%
1920	14,138		16.2%
1930	15,907		12.5%
1940	17,508		10.1%
1950	19,043		8.8%
1960	21,270		11.7%
1970	24,730		16.3%
1980	26,098		5.5%
1990	26,004		−0.4%
2000	27,507		5.8%
2010	28,452		3.4%
Est. 2016	28,893	[8]	1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2016[1]

Population pyramid

The Hays Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Ellis County.

As of the 2000,^[13] there were 27,507 people, 11,193 households, and 6,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 12,078 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.10% White, 0.67% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.37% of the population.

There were 11,193 households out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.50% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.40% under the age of 18, 18.40% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,339, and the median income for a family was $44,498. Males had a median income of $29,885 versus $21,269 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,259. About 6.50% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.20% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Presidential Elections Results

Presidential Elections Results^[14]

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2016	70.9% 8,466	23.0% 2,742	6.2% 739
2012	71.7% 8,399	26.1% 3,057	2.2% 258
2008	65.9% 8,207	32.2% 4,010	1.9% 230
2004	64.8% 7,891	33.1% 4,033	2.2% 263
2000	58.4% 6,516	35.2% 3,926	6.4% 718
1996	57.0% 6,809	34.7% 4,142	8.4% 1,001
1992	32.0% 3,985	36.5% 4,544	31.5% 3,924
1988	48.7% 5,194	49.6% 5,289	1.8% 189
1984	67.7% 7,509	31.2% 3,457	1.2% 133
1980	52.5% 5,634	36.7% 3,940	10.7% 1,150
1976	42.0% 4,719	55.9% 6,280	2.1% 241
1972	55.7% 5,463	41.9% 4,113	2.4% 237
1968	46.7% 3,944	45.1% 3,809	8.2% 688
1964	30.4% 2,440	69.2% 5,553	0.3% 27
1960	35.2% 3,156	64.8% 5,815	0.1% 6
1956	59.3% 4,466	40.6% 3,058	0.1% 4
1952	65.9% 4,882	34.1% 2,528	0.0% 3
1948	40.5% 2,676	58.5% 3,863	1.0% 67
1944	60.1% 3,369	39.6% 2,218	0.3% 16
1940	52.2% 3,622	47.5% 3,299	0.4% 25
1936	25.1% 1,622	74.7% 4,834	0.2% 13
1932	24.5% 1,465	74.5% 4,449	0.9% 56
1928	33.5% 1,700	66.3% 3,364	0.2% 11
1924	46.4% 1,763	22.2% 842	31.5% 1,197
1920	75.2% 2,385	23.3% 740	1.5% 48
1916	32.9% 1,186	64.7% 2,335	2.4% 87
1912	8.2% 175	64.9% 1,381	26.9% 573
1908	34.5% 768	63.8% 1,421	1.7% 37
1904	51.1% 1,009	47.0% 928	2.0% 39
1900	33.6% 627	65.7% 1,228	0.8% 14
1896	30.0% 460	68.6% 1,051	1.4% 22
1892	33.5% 546		66.5% 1,083
1888	44.4% 690	48.7% 756	6.9% 107

Ellis County is an anomaly in western Kansas, having voted several times for Democratic presidential candidates, even when the vast majority of the state’s 105 counties went for the Republican nominee. This is due to the county’s distinctive (in Kansas) German Catholic heritage, contrasting with the Southern “Bible Belt” or Yankee heritage of most rural Kansas counties. It was the solitary county in Kansas to support Catholic Al Smith over Herbert Hoover in 1928, when Kansas was Hoover’s strongest state nationwide, and also was won by John F. Kennedy in 1960 by almost thirty percent as one of only two Kansas counties to back the Massachusetts Senator. Ellis County bucked the national and statewide trend by voting for Michael Dukakis over winner George H.W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election, one of only three Kansas counties to go for Dukakis. Ellis County gave a plurality to Bill Clinton over Bush and Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential election, but has been solidly in the Republican column since, giving 66 percent to Republican John McCain to 32 percent for Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 election, higher than the 57 percent McCain won statewide.^[15]

Laws

Wild Bill Hickock under contract served as Sheriff in 1870. Ellis 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. The food sales requirement was removed with voter approval in 1988.^[16]

Education

Unified school districts

• 
  Ellis USD 388
  
  • western third of county; small portion in extreme eastern Trego County
    
  
  


• 
  Victoria USD 432
  
  • eastern third of county to Russell county line
  
  


• 
  Hays USD 489
  
  • extends to Rooks and Rush county lines and approximately five miles each way on I-70 from city center
  
  

Private schools

• 
  Holy Family Elementary in Hays
  


• 
  St. Mary's Elementary in Ellis
  


• 
  Thomas More Prep-Marian High in Hays
  

Universities and Colleges

• Fort Hays State University


• North Central Kansas Technical College

Communities

2005 Kansas Department of Transportation Map of Ellis County (map legend)

Cities

• Ellis


• Hays


• Schoenchen


• Victoria

Census-designated places

• Catharine


• Munjor

Other unincorporated places

The town of Antonino

• Antonino


• Emmeram


• Pfeifer


• Toulon


• Turkville


• Walker


• Yocemento

Defunct settlements

• Chetolah


• Rome


• Smoky Hill City


• Stockrange

Townships

Ellis County is divided into nine townships. The cities of Ellis and Hays are considered governmentally independent and are 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
Big Creek	06650		1,798	7 (18)	252 (97)	0 (0)	0.01%	38°52′40″N 99°20′39″W / 38.87778°N 99.34417°W / 38.87778; -99.34417
Buckeye	08950		285	1 (2)	352 (136)	0 (0)	0.06%	39°1′24″N 99°18′25″W / 39.02333°N 99.30694°W / 39.02333; -99.30694
Catherine	11050		318	2 (4)	208 (80)	0 (0)	0.03%	39°0′32″N 99°11′44″W / 39.00889°N 99.19556°W / 39.00889; -99.19556
Ellis	20475		386	1 (2)	457 (176)	0 (0)	0.02%	38°58′47″N 99°30′57″W / 38.97972°N 99.51583°W / 38.97972; -99.51583
Freedom	24625		125	1 (3)	117 (45)	0 (0)	0%	38°43′48″N 99°7′36″W / 38.73000°N 99.12667°W / 38.73000; -99.12667
Herzog	31525		894	3 (7)	325 (126)	1 (0)	0.18%	38°55′29″N 99°7′19″W / 38.92472°N 99.12194°W / 38.92472; -99.12194
Lookout	42700		569	2 (5)	317 (122)	0 (0)	0.10%	38°45′43″N 99°25′12″W / 38.76194°N 99.42000°W / 38.76194; -99.42000
Victoria	73800		845	6 (16)	139 (54)	0 (0)	0%	38°49′56″N 99°8′31″W / 38.83222°N 99.14194°W / 38.83222; -99.14194
Wheatland	77650		401	3 (7)	140 (54)	0 (0)	0%	38°46′45″N 99°16′19″W / 38.77917°N 99.27194°W / 38.77917; -99.27194
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. Archived from the original on 2002-08-02..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}

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See also

• 
  Kansas portal
  

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ellis County, Kansas


• 
  Walker Army Airfield, an abandoned World War II airfield.

Community information for Kansas Kansas locations by per capita income List of counties in Kansas List of cities in Kansas List of unincorporated communities in Kansas List of townships in Kansas List of ghost towns in Kansas

Education information for Kansas List of colleges and universities in Kansas List of high schools in Kansas List of unified school districts in Kansas Historical information for Kansas List of museums in Kansas National Register of Historic Places listings in Kansas

References

1. 
   ^ ^ab "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
   


2. 
   ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
   


3. 
   ^ "Tidbits: Did You Know...". Publishing Group of America (americanprofiles.com). p. 13. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
   


4. 
   ^ Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. Standard Publishing Company. p. 578.
   


5. 
   ^ "Ellis County, Kansas". Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
   


6. 
   ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 117.
   


7. 
   ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
   


8. 
   ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
   


9. 
   ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
   


10. 
    ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
    


11. 
    ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
    


12. 
    ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
    


13. 
    ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
    


14. 
    ^ http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS
    


15. 
    ^ 2008 Presidential General Election Results - Kansas
    


16. 
    ^ "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
    

Further reading

See also: List of books about State of Kansas (which includes historical information about its counties and cities too)

• 
  Standard Atlas of Ellis County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 71 pages; 1922.


• 
  Standard Atlas of Ellis County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 58 pages; 1905.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ellis County, Kansas.

County

• Ellis County - Official


• Ellis County - Directory of Public Officials

Maps

• Ellis County Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT


• Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT


• Kansas Railroad Maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society

Places adjacent to Ellis County, Kansas
Rooks County Osborne County Trego County Ellis County, Kansas Russell County Ness County Rush County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Ellis County, Kansas, United States
County seat: Hays
Cities	Ellis Hays Schoenchen Victoria
CDPs	Catharine Munjor
Unincorporated communities	Antonino Emmeram Pfeifer Toulon Walker Yocemento
Ghost towns	Chetolah Easdale Hog Back Martin Mendota Palatine Rome Smoky Hill City Stockrange Turkville
Townships	Big Creek Buckeye Catherine Ellis Freedom Herzog Lookout Victoria Wheatland

v t e  State of Kansas
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Largest cities	(1) Wichita (2) Overland Park (3) Kansas City (4) Olathe (5) Topeka (6) Lawrence (7) Shawnee (8) Manhattan (9) Lenexa (10) Salina (11) Hutchinson (12) Leavenworth (13) Leawood (14) Dodge City (15) Garden City (16) Junction City (17) Emporia (18) Derby (19) Prairie Village (20) Liberal (21) Hays (22) Pittsburg (23) Gardner (24) Newton (25) Great Bend (26) McPherson (27) El Dorado (28) Ottawa (29) Winfield (30) Arkansas City (31) Andover (32) Lansing (33) Merriam (34) Atchison (35) Haysville (36) Parsons (37) Coffeyville (38) Mission (39) Independence (40) Augusta (41) Chanute (42) Wellington (43) Fort Scott (44) Park City (45) Bonner Springs (46) Valley Center (47) Pratt (48) Bel Aire (49) Roeland Park (50) Abilene
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Lists	List of counties in Kansas List of townships in Kansas List of cities in Kansas List of unincorporated communities in Kansas List of ghost towns in Kansas Lists of people from Kansas

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