Pottawatomie County, Kansas
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Pottawatomie 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 ...
of
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 ...
is Westmoreland. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 25,348. The county was named for the
Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...
tribe.


History


Early history

For millennia, the
Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
of
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
were inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th to 18th centuries, the
Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
claimed ownership of large parts of
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. In 1762, after the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
, France secretly ceded
New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
to
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, by the Treaty of Fontainebleau.


19th century

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile
Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...
. 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 under the provisions of the Kansas–Nebraska Act, then in 1861
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 ...
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 ...
. In 1857, Pottawatomie County was established by the Kansas Territorial legislature, out of land formerly included in Riley County. The present county seat of Westmoreland was selected by a vote held in 1882.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water.


Adjacent counties

* Marshall County (north) * Nemaha County (northeast) * Jackson County (east) * Shawnee County (southeast) * Wabaunsee County (south) * Riley County (west)


Demographics

Pottawatomie County is part of the
Manhattan metropolitan area The Manhattan–Junction City Combined Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in northeastern Kansas, anchored by the city of Manhattan. It was upgraded from a Micropolitan Statist ...
. 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 18,209 people, 6,771 households, and 4,929 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 7,311 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.32%
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 ...
, 0.66%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.59% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.01%
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 ...
, 0.60% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 2.26% 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 6,771 households, out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.40% 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, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.15. In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,176, and the median income for a family was $47,261. Males had a median income of $31,368 versus $23,238 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 $17,785. About 6.40% of families and 9.70% 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 14.10% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.


Government


Presidential elections

Typical of rural Kansas, Pottawatomie County is mostly Republican. The only Democratic presidential candidate to gain a majority in Pottawatomie County has been
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
in 1932, while since 1940 only Lyndon Johnson in 1964 has received so much as forty percent of the county's vote.


Laws

Pottawatomie County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.


Education


Unified school districts

The Unified School Districts that serve Pottawatomie County include:
Text list
/ref> * Wamego USD 320 * Kaw Valley USD 321 * Onaga USD 322 * Rock Creek USD 323 ;School district office in neighboring county * Riley County USD 378 * Manhattan–Ogden USD 383 * Blue Valley USD 384 * Valley Heights USD 498 * Vermillion USD 380


Private schools


St. Marys Academy & College
(St. Marys)
Flint Hills Christian School
(Manhattan)


Communities

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


Cities

‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county. * Belvue *
Emmett Emmett may refer to: Places ;In the United States * Emmett, Idaho * Emmett, Kansas * Emmett, Michigan, a village in St. Clair County * Emmett Charter Township, Michigan in Calhoun County * Emmett Township, St. Clair County, Michigan * Emmett, Misso ...
* Havensville *
Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
*
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
‡ (most in Riley County) * Olsburg * Onaga *
St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
* St. Marys‡ * Wamego * Westmoreland (county seat) * Wheaton


Unincorporated communities

* Blaine *
Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
*
Flush Flush may refer to: Places * Flush, Kansas, a community in the United States Architecture, construction and manufacturing * Flush cut, a type of cut made with a French flush-cut saw or diagonal pliers * Flush deck, in naval architecture * F ...
* Fostoria * Saint Clere * Swamp Angel


Former communities

Prior to the creation of Tuttle Creek Lake, the community of Garrison existed in west central Pottawatomie County.


Townships

Pottawatomie County is divided into twenty-three townships. The city of
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
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.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Pottawatomie County, Kansas


References

;Notes


Further reading


''Handbook of Pottawatomie and Riley Counties, Kansas''
Modern Ago; 20 pages; 1880s.
''Standard Atlas of Pottawatomie County, Kansas''
Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 57 pages; 1905.
''Onaga Courier's Township Map of Pottawatomie County, Kansas''
Onaga Courier; 59 pages; 1899.


External links

;County *
Pottawatomie County - Directory of Public Officials

Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation - PCEDC
;Maps * Pottawatomie County Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Highway Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT * Kansas Railroad Maps
Current19961915
KDOT and Kansas Historical Society {{coord, 39, 20, N, 96, 18, W, type:adm2nd_region:US-KS, display=title Kansas counties Kansas placenames of Native American origin 1857 establishments in Kansas Territory Manhattan, Kansas metropolitan area Populated places established in 1857