Anderson County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in East Central

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, in the

Central United States The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern United States, Eastern and Western United States, Western as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau's d ...

. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and most populous city is Garnett. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 7,836. The county was named for Joseph C. Anderson, a Kansas territorial legislator and border ruffian during the "

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War, was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

" era.

History

In 1854, the

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

was organized, and in 1855, Anderson County was established as one of the original 33 counties of the Kansas Territory, named for territorial legislator Joseph C. Anderson. The initial settlement began in 1854 with individuals such as Valentine Gerth and Francis Meyer staking claims near what would become Greeley. The settlers discovered fields previously worked by the Potawatomi, who had been relocated there in 1833. The early years were fraught with conflict during "

," with Anderson County men engaging in battles such as that at Osawatomie, where the clash over slavery was intense. The county's administrative center was initially established at Shannon, but disputes over the location of the county seat resulted in its move to Garnett in 1859, where it has remained. The agrarian economy suffered from natural disasters, including the severe drought of 1860, which left the county in distress. Subsequent years brought the infamous grasshopper plagues of 1874-1875, which devastated crops, yet the resolve of the settlers saw them through these hardships. The introduction of wheat farming helped stabilize the region. In 1861

became the 34th

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

. The

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

period saw Anderson County's men volunteer for Union forces, with the war also temporarily halting the cattle drives from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

that had introduced Spanish fever to the local cattle. Post-war, the county experienced a resurgence in agricultural development, with the arrival of the railroad playing a crucial role in economic growth by opening up markets. As Anderson County moved towards the 20th century, its economy was based on farming, with some coal mining activities due to local deposits. The onset of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

saw the community rallying to support the war effort, with many local men enlisting for service overseas. This era marked the beginning of a transition period, where traditional farming practices would soon give way to technological advancements in agriculture. In 1884, the first photograph of a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

was taken in Anderson County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Franklin County (north) * Miami County (northeast) * Linn County (east) * Bourbon County (southeast) * Allen County (south) * Woodson County (southwest) * Coffey County (west)

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau * U.S. Route 59 * U.S. Route 169 * Kansas Highway 31 * Kansas Highway 52 * Kansas Highway 58

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 8,110 people, 3,221 households, and 2,264 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 3,596 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.41%

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

, 0.32%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.74% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.33% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population. 35.0% were of German, 20.4% American, 10.4% English and 9.9% Irish ancestry. There were 3,221

household A household consists of one 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 im ...

s, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.90% were

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

living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 20.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,244, and the median income for a family was $39,101. Males had a median income of $30,102 versus $20,705 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $16,458. About 10.60% of families and 12.80% 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 16.30% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Anderson County has, in common with other rural areas of Kansas, voted predominantly Republican in presidential elections, with the last Democratic candidate to carry the

being

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

Laws

Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 1996, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement.

Education

Unified school districts

* Garnett USD 365
Crest USD 479

Communities

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Anderson County.

Cities

Colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

* Garnett (county seat) * Greeley * Kincaid * Lone Elm *

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

Unincorporated communities

† means a community is designated a

Census-Designated Place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) by the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

. * Bush City * Glenlock * Harris† * Mont Ida† * Scipio * Selma * Welda†

Ghost towns

* Hyattville

Townships

Anderson County is divided into fourteen townships. The city of Garnett 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.

Media

Anderson County Review is a weekly newspaper.

References

External links

;County *
Anderson County - Directory of Public Officials

Anderson County - Development Agency
;Historical
Anderson County - History
Kansas State Historical Society
Poster from Ninth Annual Anderson County Fair from September 25-28, 1891
;Maps * Anderson County Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Highway Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Railroad Maps
Current19961915
KDOT and Kansas Historical Society {{Authority control Kansas counties 1855 establishments in Kansas Territory