Atchison County Missouri Courthouse 20191027-7077

Atchison County is the northwesternmost

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 ...

in the U.S. state of

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,305. 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 ...

is Rock Port. It was originally known as Allen County when it was detached from Holt County in 1843. The county was officially organized on February 14, 1845, and named for U.S. Senator David Rice Atchison from Missouri.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. Atchison's western boundary for the most part is the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. An 1867 flood straightened a bend in the river north of Watson. Both Nebraska and Missouri claimed the 5,000 acre McKissick Island that extends almost two miles into Atchison County. The Supreme Court in 1904 decided that the land belongs to Nebraska. The only way Nebraskans can reach it by road is to cross the Missouri River and then travel through Missouri. The State Line Slough (Missouri) stream is in Atchison County.

Adjacent counties

* Fremont County, Iowa (north) *

Page County, Iowa Page County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 15,211. The county seat is Clarinda, Iowa, Clarinda. The county is named in honor of Captain ...

(northeast) * Nodaway County (east) * Holt County (south) * Richardson County, Nebraska (southwest) * Nemaha County, Nebraska (west) * Otoe County, Nebraska (northwest)

Major highways

* Interstate 29 * U.S. Route 59 * U.S. Route 136 * U.S. Route 275 * Route 46 * Route 111

Transit

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 6,430 people, 2,722 households, and 1,777 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 3,103 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.00%

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 ...

, 2.05%

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 ...

, 0.19% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.31% from two or more races. Approximately 0.67% of the population were

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. There were 2,722 households, out of which 26.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% 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, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.70% were non-families. 31.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.82. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 24.20% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 21.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,959, and the median income for a family was $38,279. Males had a median income of $27,468 versus $18,855 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 $16,956. About 9.30% of families and 11.60% 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 13.70% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2010), Atchison County is sometimes regarded as being on the northern edge of the Bible Belt, although mainline Protestantism is the most predominant religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Atchison County who adhere to a religion are United Methodists (29.93%), Lutherans (LCMC) (22.16%), and Southern Baptists (14.33%).

2020 census

Energy

The county derives most of its energy from

wind power Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ge ...

, with the amount produced exceeding its needs. Several turbines installed by Wind Capital Group, with investment from the John Deere Company, generated an estimated 16 million kilowatt hours of energy a year in 2008. As of 2025, there are 342 wind turbines in the county.

Education

Public schools

School districts include: * Fairfax R-III School District – Fairfax **Fairfax Elementary School (PK-06) ** Fairfax High School (07-12) * Rock Port R-II School District – Rock Port **Rock Port Elementary School (K-05) ** Rock Port High School (06-12) * Tarkio R-I School District – Tarkio **Tarkio Elementary School (PK-05) **Tarkio Middle School (06-08) ** Tarkio High School (09-12)

Private schools

*Tarkio Academy – Tarkio (07-12) – Nonsectarian (All Boys) - closed * Tarkio Technology Institute - Tarkio – vocational school on the defunct Tarkio College campus,

Public libraries

* Atchison County Library

Communities

Cities

* Fairfax * Rock Port (county seat) * Tarkio * Westboro

Village

* Watson

Unincorporated communities

* Blanchard * Dotham * Langdon * Linden * Milton * Phelps City *

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

Townships

Atchison County is divided into 11 townships:

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Atchison County. † ''county seat''

Notable people

* Michael J. Burg - Actor * Zel Fischer - Missouri Supreme Court Justice * Sam Graves - U.S. Representative for Missouri's 6th Congressional District

Politics

Local

The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Atchison County. Republicans hold all but two of the elected positions in the county.

State

All of Atchison County is a part of Missouri's 1st District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is represented by Jeff Farnan (R- Stanberry). All of Atchison County is a part of Missouri's 12th District in the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

and is currently represented by Rusty Black (R- Chillicothe).

Federal

All of Atchison County is included in Missouri's 6th Congressional District and is currently represented by Sam Graves (R- Tarkio) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Graves was elected to a twelfth term in 2022 over Democratic challenger Henry Martin. Atchison County, along with the rest of the state of Missouri, is represented in the U.S. Senate by

Josh Hawley Joshua David Hawley (born December 31, 1979) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri, a seat he has held since 2019. A member ...

(R- Columbia) and Eric Schmitt (R- Glendale). Blunt was elected to a second term in 2016 over then-Missouri Secretary of State

Jason Kander Jason David Kander (born May 4, 1981) is an American attorney, author, veteran, and politician. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he served as the 39th Missouri Secretary of State, secretary of state of Missouri, from 2013 to 2017. H ...

Political culture

At the presidential level, Atchison County is solidly Republican. Atchison County strongly favored

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

in both 2016 and

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Atchison County in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

with a plurality of the vote, and a Democrat hasn't won majority support from the county's voters in a presidential election since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Like most rural areas throughout northwest Missouri, voters in Atchison County generally adhere to socially and culturally

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. In 2018, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition A) concerning

right to work The right to work is the concept that people have a human right to work, or to engage in productive employment, and should not be prevented from doing so. The right to work, enshrined in the United Nations 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Ri ...

, the outcome of which ultimately reversed the right to work legislation passed in the state the previous year. However, 57.61% of Atchison County voters cast their ballots to keep the law.

Missouri presidential preference primaries

2020

The 2020 presidential primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties were held in Missouri on March 10. On the Democratic side, former

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

(D-

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

) both won statewide and carried Atchison County by a wide margin. Biden went on to defeat President

in the general election. Incumbent President

(R-

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

) faced a primary challenge from former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, but won both Atchison County and statewide by large margins.

2016

The 2016 presidential primaries for both the Republican and Democratic parties were held in Missouri on March 15. Businessman

(R- New York) narrowly won the state overall and carried a plurality of the vote in Atchison County. He went on to win the presidency. On the Democratic side,

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

(I-

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

) carried Atchison County, but former Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

(D- New York) won statewide by a small margin. Clinton won the nomination that year.

2012

The 2012 Missouri Republican Presidential Primary's results were nonbinding on the state's national convention delegates. Voters in Atchison County supported former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

), who finished first in the state at large, but eventually lost the nomination to former

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Mitt Romney (R-

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

). Delegates to the congressional district and state conventions were chosen at a county caucus, which selected a delegation favoring Santorum. Incumbent President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

easily won the Missouri Democratic Primary and renomination. He defeated Romney in the general election.

2008

In 2008, the Missouri Republican Presidential Primary was closely contested, with

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

(R-

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

) prevailing and eventually winning the nomination. Then-

(D- New York) received more votes than any candidate from either party in Atchison County during the 2008 presidential primary. Despite initial reports that Clinton had won Missouri,

(D-

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

), also a

at the time, narrowly defeated her statewide and later became that year's Democratic nominee, going on to win the presidency.

References

External links

Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Atchison County
from

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books {{Coord, 40.43, -95.43, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990 Missouri counties Missouri counties on the Missouri River 1845 establishments in Missouri Populated places established in 1845