Wyandotte County (; county code WY) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-most populous county. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

and most populous city is Kansas City, with which it shares a unified government. Wyandotte County is directly north of Johnson County, Kansas, and west of

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

History

The Wyandot

The county is named after the Wyandot (also known as Wyandott or Wyandotte) Indians. They were called the Huron by the French in Canada, but called themselves Wendat. They were distantly related to the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

, with whom they sometimes fought. They had hoped to keep white Americans out of their territory and to make the Ohio River the border between the United States and Canada. One branch of the Wyandot moved to the area that is now the state of Ohio. They generally took the course of assimilation into Anglo-American society. Many of them embraced Christianity under the influence of missionaries. They were transported to the current Wyandotte County in 1843, where they set up a community and worked in cooperation with Anglo settlers. The Christian Munsee also influenced this area's early settlement. The Wyandot in Kansas set up a constitutional form of government they had devised in Ohio. They set up the territorial government for Kansas and Nebraska, and elected one of their own territorial governor.

Other historical facts

The county was organized in 1859. Tenskwatawa ( Tecumseh's brother), "the Prophet", fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was buried at Shawnee Native American historical site Whitefeather Spring, at 3818 Ruby Ave. Kansas City, which was added in 1975 to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1975. The Kansas City Smelting and Refining Company employed over 250 men during the 1880s. The ore and base bullion is received from the mountains' mining districts and is crushed, separated and refined. The Delaware Crossing (or "Military Crossing"; sometimes "the Secondine") was where the old Indian trail met the waters of the Kaw River. Circa 1831, Moses Grinter, one of the area's earliest permanent white settlers, set up the Grinter Ferry on the Kansas River there. His house was known as the

Grinter Place Grinter Place is a house on the National Register of Historic Places above the Kansas River in the Muncie neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas. History The house was constructed by Moses Grinter where he and his half-Lenape (Delaware) wife lived ...

. The ferry was used by traders, freighters, and soldiers traveling between

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...

and Fort Scott on the military road. Others crossed this area on their way to Santa Fe. The Diocese of Leavenworth moved its see from Leavenworth, Kansas to Kansas City, Kansas on 10 May 1947. It became an archdiocese on 9 August 1952.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the county has an area of , of which is land and (2.9%) is water. It is Kansas's smallest county by area.

Topography

The county's natural

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sc ...

consists of gently rolling terrain. The Kansas River forms part of the county's southern boundary. The elevation generally increases from south to north as the distance from the Kansas River and Missouri River increases.

Watersheds and streams

The county is drained by the watersheds of the Kansas River, which is part of the Missouri River

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

. It receives plentiful rainfall.

Adjacent counties

* Platte County,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

(north) *

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Flo ...

(northeast) * Jackson County,

(east) * Johnson County (south) * Leavenworth County (west)

Demographics

Wyandotte County is included in the Kansas City, MO-KS

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 157,882 people, 59,700 households, and 39,163 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 1,043 people per square mile (403/km²). There were 65,892 housing units at an average density of 435 per square mile (168/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 58.18%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 28.33%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.63% Asian, 0.74% Native American, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 8.17% from other races, and 2.91% from

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 16.00% of the population. By 2007, 48.1% of Wyandotte County's population was non-Hispanic whites. 26.3% of the population was African-American. Native Americans made up 0.6% of the population, Asians 1.8%, and Latinos 21.7%. There were 59,700

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is i ...

s, of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.10% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 17.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.24. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,784, and the median income for a family was $40,333. Males had a median income of $31,335 versus $24,640 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,005. About 12.5% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those 65 or older. Approximately 1.4% of the county's residents take public transportation to work. This is the highest percentage in the state.

Government

Law

The Kansas City Kansas Police Department also serves Wyandotte County. Wyandotte County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. Voters removed the food sales requirement in 1988. The county voted "No" on the

2022 Kansas Value Them Both Amendment The 2022 Kansas abortion referendum was a rejected legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the Kansas Constitution that appeared on the ballot on August 2, 2022, alongside primary elections for statewide offices, with early voting fro ...

, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 74% to 26%, outpacing its support of Joe Biden during the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: ** ...

Presidential elections

Unlike almost every other county in Kansas, Wyandotte County has been solidly Democratic ever since the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...

. This is largely due to its highly urbanized nature and significant minority population. The only Democrat to lose Wyandotte County since 1932 has been George McGovern in

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

’s 49-state landslide of 1972, when Nixon swept all 275 counties in Oklahoma, Kansas, and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. Wyandotte was the only county in Kansas to vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, Adlai Stevenson II in both 1952 and 1956,

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing ...

in 1968,

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

in 1980, and Walter Mondale in 1984. No Republican presidential nominee has managed even 40% of the vote since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Economy

Village West Village West is a $1.2 billion retail, dining and entertainment development that opened in 2002 in Kansas City, Kansas. It is located at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435 ( from Downtown KCK). Village West is the most popular tourist dest ...

, at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435, has significantly fueled growth in KCK and Wyandotte County. Anchored by the Kansas Speedway, its attractions and retailers include Hollywood Casino,

Legends Outlets Kansas City Legends Outlets Kansas City, formerly The Legends at Village West, is a super-regional shopping mall located in the Village West development in Kansas City, Kansas. The mall has a gross leasable area of . The shopping center is surrounded by ...

, Cabela's,

Nebraska Furniture Mart Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) is a home furnishing store in North America that sells furniture, flooring, appliances and electronics. It is the largest of its kind in North America. NFM was founded in 1937 by Belarus-born Rose Blumkin, who was ...

, Great Wolf Lodge,

Legends Field (Kansas City) Legends Field is a baseball park in Kansas City, Kansas, located in the Kansas City neighborhood of Piper. It is the home of the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. It was formerly home of the Kansas Cit ...

(home to the Kansas City Monarchs (American Association) of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

) and Children's Mercy Park (home of Sporting Kansas City of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

). Also in the area are

Azura Amphitheater Azura Amphitheater, also known as Sandstone Amphitheater, is an open-air amphitheater located in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States. It is owned by the unified government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, shares its grounds with th ...

(commonly known as the Sandstone Amphitheater), the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Wyandotte County Park, and Sunflower Hills Golf Course.

Colleges and universities

Public * Kansas City Kansas Community College * University of Kansas Medical Center Private * Donnelly College

School districts

* Turner USD 202 * Piper USD 203 *

Bonner Springs–Edwardsville USD 204 Bonner Springs–Edwardsville USD 204 is a public unified school district headquartered in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States. The district includes portions of the cities of Bonner Springs, Edwardsville, Kansas City The Kansas City me ...

Kansas City USD 500 Kansas City USD 500, also known as Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, is a public unified school district headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. As of 2021, it has approximately 23,690 students enrolled in the district in grades P ...

Private schools

Primary * Resurrection Grade School (formerly St. Peter's Cathedral Grade School) * St. Patrick's Grade School * Christ the King Grade School Secondary * Bishop Ward High School

Other schools

# Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB)

Communities

Incorporated cities

* Kansas City * Bonner Springs (partly in Leavenworth and Johnson counties) * Edwardsville * Lake Quivira (partly in Johnson County)

Unincorporated communities

* Argentine - formerly a city annexed by Kansas City in 1910 * Armourdale - formerly a city consolidated with Kansas City in 1886 * Armstrong - town absorbed by Wyandotte * Morris * Loring * Piper - annexed by Kansas City in 1991 * Rosedale - formerly a city consolidated with Kansas City in 1922 * Turner * Wyandotte - Formerly a city consolidated with Kansas City in 1886 * Welborn

Townships

Wyandotte County has a single

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

. The cities of Bonner Springs, Kansas City, and Lake Quivira are considered governmentally independent and excluded from the township's census. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of significant size. The 2010 census lists the city of Edwardsville as also governmentally independent, with the size of the remaining township dropping to a population of 31 living on 2.43 sq mi of land (and 0.36 sq mi water), resulting in a population density of 12.76/sq mi (4.93 / km²). The Kansas State Historical Society also confirms Edwardsville's departure.

References

;Notes

External links

;County *
Wyandotte County - Directory of Public Officials
;Other
Kansas City / Wyandotte County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Wyandotte County Economic Development Council
;Historical

;Maps * Wyandotte County maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Highway maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Railroad maps
Current19961915
KDOT and Kansas Historical Society {{coord, 39, 07, N, 94, 43, W, type:adm2nd_region:US-KS, display=title Kansas counties Kansas placenames of Native American origin 1859 establishments in Kansas Territory Kansas counties on the Missouri River