Harvey 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 Newton. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 34,024. The county was named for James Harvey, a U.S. senator and the fifth governor of Kansas.

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, then in 1861

became the 34th

. In 1871, the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 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 vario ...

extended a main line from Emporia to Newton.Santa Fe Rail History
/ref> The next year, in 1872, Harvey County was founded from portions of McPherson, Marion, and Sedgwick counties, and named in honor of the fifth Governor of Kansas, James M. Harvey, with Newton designated the county seat. The first settlers arrived in 1869, and by 1871, there was already significant pressure to organize a new county in what was then the northern portion of Sedgwick County, an effort which succeeded in 1872. The early years of Harvey County's government were dogged by persistent public discontent over missing records and financial irregularities, but by the mid-1870s confidence in the county's government was restored and the county grew rapidly, particularly with the arrival of large numbers of

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

settlers in 1872. The county developed quickly, with churches, schools, and businesses established within a few years of its founding. Despite early hardship from prairie fires, storms, and the devastating grasshopper plague of 1874, Harvey County rebounded with strong agricultural output and infrastructure improvements. The county's abundant water resources, fertile farmland, and natural materials like gypsum and limestone further strengthened its economy. By 1910, Harvey County had a population of 19,200 and no public debt, a rare achievement among Kansas counties at that time.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. The Little Arkansas River flows through the county.

Adjacent counties

* Marion County (northeast) * Butler County (east) * Sedgwick County (south) * Reno County (west) * McPherson County (northwest)

Demographics

Harvey County is part of the Wichita metropolitan area.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 32,869 people, 12,581 households, and 8,932 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 13,378 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.04%

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 ...

, 1.59%

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 ...

, 0.52% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 4.17% from other races, and 2.14% 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 7.97% of the population. There were 12,581

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 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.20% 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, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.00% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,907, and the median income for a family was $48,793. Males had a median income of $35,037 versus $22,492 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 $18,715. About 4.20% of families and 6.40% 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 7.50% of those under age 18 and 5.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

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% food sales requirement. The county voted "No" on the 2022 Kansas abortion referendum, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 53% to 47% despite backing

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 ...

with 59% of the vote to

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 ...

's 39% in the 2020 presidential election.

Education

Colleges

* Bethel College in North Newton *

Hesston College Hesston College is a private college in Hesston, Kansas, United States. It is associated with the Mennonite Church USA and has an enrollment of about 400 students who typically come from about 30 states and 15 other countries. History Opening in ...

in Hesston

Unified school districts

* Burrton USD 369 * Newton USD 373 * Sedgwick USD 439 * Halstead–Bentley USD 440 * Hesston USD 460 ;School district office in neighboring county * Remington USD 206 * Peabody–Burns USD 398 * Goessel USD 411 * Moundridge USD 423

Communities

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

Cities

‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county. * Burrton * Halstead * Hesston * Newton (county seat) * North Newton * Sedgwick‡ * Walton

Unincorporated communities

* McLain * Patterson * Putnam * Zimmerdale

Ghost towns

* Annelly * Van Arsdale

Townships

Harvey County is divided into fifteen townships. The cities of Halstead and Newton 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.

References

;Notes

External links

;County *
Harvey County - Directory of Public Officials

Harvey County - Economic Development Council
;Historical
Harvey County Historical Society

Harvey County Genealogical Society

Kansas State Historical Society
;Maps * Harvey County Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Highway Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Railroad Maps
Current19961915
KDOT and Kansas Historical Society {{Authority control Kansas counties 1872 establishments in Kansas Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area Populated places established in 1872