Hamilton 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 the

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 ...

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 ...

. 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 Syracuse. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,518. The county was founded in 1873 and named for

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

, a founding father of the United States.

History

In 1873, Hamilton County was established and named for

, though its boundaries were later expanded in 1883 to include parts of present-day Grant, Kearny, and Stanton counties. In 1887 the original boundaries were restored. Many early American exploring expeditions, including those led by

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions through the Louisiana Purchase territory, first ...

in 1806 and Stephen Long in 1820, passed through the county. Fort Aubrey, established in 1865 near what would become Mayline, briefly served as a military post. The first permanent settlement came in 1872 when a colony from

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

, selected land in the county, though their attempt to rename the county to Onondaga was unsuccessful. By early 1886, the county's population had grown enough to seek formal organization. A petition signed by 250 citizens led Governor John A. Martin to authorize a census, which confirmed 1,893 residents. On January 29, 1886, Hamilton County was officially organized, initially encompassing Stanton and parts of Kearny and Grant counties. Kendall was named the temporary county seat, but a battle for the permanent designation ensued between Kendall and Syracuse. Allegations of election fraud led to a Supreme Court ruling invalidating Syracuse's initial victory, but a second vote in November 1886 confirmed Syracuse as the county seat. The dispute continued for several years, with two rival sets of county officials and divided records until the Kansas Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of Syracuse. The arrival of the

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...

hastened the county's development, and by 1910, Hamilton County had eight townships, 27 school districts, and high schools in Coolidge and Syracuse. In the 1930s, the prosperity of the area was severely affected by its location within the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...

. This catastrophe intensified the economic impact of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in the region.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water. The

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

flows through the county. White magnesian limestone and gypsum deposits are found in the region.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 50 * US 400

U.S. Highway 400 * K-27

K-27

Adjacent counties

* Greeley County (north) * Wichita County (northeast/Central Time border) * Kearny County (east/Central Time border) * Stanton County (south/Central Time border) * Prowers County,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

(west)

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 2,670 people, 1,054 households, and 715 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 1,211 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 81.65%

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 ...

, 0.56% Asian, 0.49%

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 ...

, 0.49% Native American, 15.13% from other races, and 1.69% 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 20.60% of the population. There were 1,054

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 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% 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, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 29.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.09. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.40% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,033, and the median income for a family was $38,550. Males had a median income of $26,701 versus $21,000 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 $16,484. About 10.90% of families and 15.70% 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 21.50% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Hamilton County has, since the 1940s, nearly always been carried by Republican candidates. The last time a Democratic candidate has carried Hamilton County was in 1976 by

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. As with many adjacent counties, Republicans have been increasing their influence in the county's presidential elections, when Donald J. Trump in 2016 won by a margin of approximately 70%, as

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 ...

only managed to get 14% of the county's vote.

Presidential elections

Laws

Although the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with the approval of voters, Hamilton County has remained a prohibition, or "dry", county.

Education

Unified school districts

* Syracuse USD 494

Communities

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

Cities

* Coolidge * Syracuse (county seat)

Unincorporated community

* Kendall

Townships

Hamilton County is divided into eight 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.

Gallery

Image:Hamilton County, KS, Library IMG_5835.JPG, Hamilton County

Public Library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

in Syracuse Image:Christ's New Covenant Church, Syracuse, KS IMG_5837.JPG,

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

's New Covenant Church and Syracuse Christian Academy in Syracuse