Jefferson County, Kansas

Jefferson County
County
Jefferson County Courthouse in Oskaloosa (1971)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°13′N95°24′W / 39.217°N 95.400°W / 39.217; -95.400
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	August 25, 1855
Named for	Thomas Jefferson
Seat	Oskaloosa
Largest city	Valley Falls
Area
• Total	557 sq mi (1,440 km2)
• Land	533 sq mi (1,380 km2)
• Water	24 sq mi (60 km2)  4.3%
Population  (2020) [1]
• Total	18,368
• Estimate  (2021) [2]	18,411
• Density	34.5/sq mi (13.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	jfcountyks.com

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Oskaloosa. ^[3] As of the 2020 census, the county population was 18,368. ^[1] The county was named after Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States.

History

Early history

See also: History of Kansas

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but 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 for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Jefferson County was established, and was named for President Thomas Jefferson. ^[4] Settlement of the county was slowed by events prior to and during the Civil War, but the present day unincorporated community of Thompsonville (3 miles northwest of Perry on the Delaware River) was the first established in 1851 by Mormon settlers who initially refused to accompany the main group led by Brigham Young to the Salt Lake Valley. The settlement was first abandoned due to the violence resulting from the border wars, but was re-established when the Civil War ended.^{[ citation needed ]}

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 557 square miles (1,440 km²), of which 533 square miles (1,380 km²) is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) (4.3%) is water. ^[5]

Adjacent counties

• Atchison County (north)
• Leavenworth County (east)
• Douglas County (south)
• Shawnee County (southwest)
• Jackson County (northwest)

Demographics

Population pyramid based on 2000 census age data

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	4,459		—
1870	12,526		180.9%
1880	15,563		24.2%
1890	16,620		6.8%
1900	17,533		5.5%
1910	15,826		−9.7%
1920	14,750		−6.8%
1930	14,129		−4.2%
1940	12,718		−10.0%
1950	11,084		−12.8%
1960	11,252		1.5%
1970	11,945		6.2%
1980	15,207		27.3%
1990	15,905		4.6%
2000	18,426		15.9%
2010	19,126		3.8%
2020	18,368		−4.0%
2023 (est.)	18,327	[6]	−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1790-1960 [8] 1900-1990 [9] 1990-2000 [10] 2010-2020 [1]

Jefferson County is included in the Topeka, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

At the 2000 Census, there were 18,426 people, 6,830 households and 5,190 families residing in the county. The population density was 34 inhabitants per square mile (13/km²). There were 7,491 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.70% White, 0.92% Native American, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population.

There were 6,830 households, of which 35.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.20% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 20.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07.

27.40% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.90 males.

The median household income was $45,535 and the median family income was $50,557. Males had a median income of $36,174 compared with $25,468 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,373. About 5.30% of families and 6.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.90% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Presidential election results

United States presidential election results for Jefferson County, Kansas ^[11]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,334	64.75%	3,194	32.65%	254	2.60%
2016	5,213	61.77%	2,518	29.83%	709	8.40%
2012	4,827	60.24%	2,977	37.15%	209	2.61%
2008	5,220	58.32%	3,542	39.58%	188	2.10%
2004	5,408	61.50%	3,253	37.00%	132	1.50%
2000	4,423	56.15%	3,000	38.09%	454	5.76%
1996	3,781	49.31%	2,757	35.95%	1,130	14.74%
1992	2,569	33.02%	2,538	32.62%	2,673	34.36%
1988	3,605	55.53%	2,810	43.28%	77	1.19%
1984	4,524	68.93%	1,990	30.32%	49	0.75%
1980	4,046	64.60%	1,776	28.36%	441	7.04%
1976	3,225	55.12%	2,470	42.22%	156	2.67%
1972	3,679	72.69%	1,237	24.44%	145	2.87%
1968	2,781	56.58%	1,355	27.57%	779	15.85%
1964	2,380	53.07%	2,066	46.06%	39	0.87%
1960	3,353	65.73%	1,739	34.09%	9	0.18%
1956	3,677	70.24%	1,536	29.34%	22	0.42%
1952	3,980	73.47%	1,411	26.05%	26	0.48%
1948	2,986	59.04%	2,010	39.74%	62	1.23%
1944	3,504	68.73%	1,575	30.89%	19	0.37%
1940	4,330	65.81%	2,212	33.62%	38	0.58%
1936	3,711	54.25%	3,105	45.39%	25	0.37%
1932	2,974	47.42%	3,185	50.79%	112	1.79%
1928	4,810	74.77%	1,601	24.89%	22	0.34%
1924	4,422	72.71%	1,320	21.70%	340	5.59%
1920	3,463	68.86%	1,535	30.52%	31	0.62%
1916	3,174	50.49%	2,919	46.44%	193	3.07%
1912	1,155	29.75%	1,537	39.59%	1,190	30.65%
1908	2,270	55.57%	1,720	42.11%	95	2.33%
1904	2,568	65.26%	1,199	30.47%	168	4.27%
1900	2,374	54.66%	1,912	44.02%	57	1.31%
1896	2,322	49.99%	2,276	49.00%	47	1.01%
1892	2,026	49.95%	0	0.00%	2,030	50.05%
1888	2,268	57.00%	1,601	40.24%	110	2.76%

Like all of Kansas outside the eastern cities, Jefferson County is a Republican stronghold, having not been won by a Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1932 landslide – although it was one of three Kansas counties to give a plurality to Ross Perot in 1992.

Laws

Jefferson 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. ^[12]

The county voted "No" on the 2022 Kansas Value Them Both Amendment, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 55% to 45% despite backing Donald Trump with 65% of the vote to Joe Biden's 33% in the 2020 presidential election. ^[13]

Media

Jefferson County has two newspapers which are still in operation, The Oskaloosa Independent and The Valley Falls Vindicator. Both of which are owned by Davis Publications. ^[14] Together, the two papers cover the happenings of Jefferson County and its townships. The editor for both papers is Holly Allen.

Education

Unified school districts

• Valley Falls USD 338
• Jefferson County North USD 339
• Jefferson West USD 340
• Oskaloosa USD 341
• McLouth USD 342
• Perry-Lecompton USD 343

Communities

2005 KDOT Map of Jefferson County (map legend)

† means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.

Cities

• McLouth
• Meriden
• Nortonville
• Oskaloosa (county seat)
• Ozawkie
• Perry
• Valley Falls
• Winchester

Unincorporated communities

• Boyle
• Buck Creek
• Dunavant
• Grantville†
• Half Mound
• Lakeside Village
• Medina
• Mooney Creek
• Newman
• Rock Creek
• Thompsonville
• Williamstown†

Townships

Jefferson County is divided into twelve 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.

Township	FIPS	Population center	Population	Population density /km2 (/sq mi)	Land area km2 (sq mi)	Water area km2 (sq mi)	Water %	Geographic coordinates
Delaware	17425	Valley Falls	2,034	9 (23)	229 (88)	0 (0)	0.11%	39°21′6″N95°28′31″W / 39.35167°N 95.47528°W / 39.35167; -95.47528
Fairview	22525	Rural Ozawkie	1,510	22 (56)	70 (27)	20 (8)	22.20%	39°10′49″N95°26′50″W / 39.18028°N 95.44722°W / 39.18028; -95.44722
Jefferson	35250	Winchester	1,240	8 (21)	151 (58)	0 (0)	0.24%	39°19′37″N95°16′11″W / 39.32694°N 95.26972°W / 39.32694; -95.26972
Kaw	36125	Grantville	1,409	16 (43)	86 (33)	2 (1)	1.78%	39°5′41″N95°32′55″W / 39.09472°N 95.54861°W / 39.09472; -95.54861
Kentucky	36575	Perry	1,576	17 (44)	93 (36)	14 (5)	13.18%	39°5′18″N95°24′42″W / 39.08833°N 95.41167°W / 39.08833; -95.41167
Norton	51475	Nortonville	955	9 (25)	101 (39)	0 (0)	0.30%	39°24′13″N95°18′47″W / 39.40361°N 95.31306°W / 39.40361; -95.31306
Oskaloosa	53400	Oskaloosa	2,142	14 (37)	149 (58)	0 (0)	0.17%	39°13′12″N95°18′58″W / 39.22000°N 95.31611°W / 39.22000; -95.31611
Ozawkie	53950	Ozawkie	1,408	15 (38)	97 (37)	14 (5)	12.74%	39°14′32″N95°26′3″W / 39.24222°N 95.43417°W / 39.24222; -95.43417
Rock Creek	60575	Meriden	2,718	19 (50)	140 (54)	1 (1)	0.92%	39°12′52″N95°32′58″W / 39.21444°N 95.54944°W / 39.21444; -95.54944
Rural	61700	Williamstown	804	10 (25)	82 (32)	1 (0)	1.14%	39°4′31″N95°18′52″W / 39.07528°N 95.31444°W / 39.07528; -95.31444
Sarcoxie	63100	Rural Lawrence	958	12 (31)	80 (31)	0 (0)	0.45%	39°5′13″N95°14′50″W / 39.08694°N 95.24722°W / 39.08694; -95.24722
Union	72150	McLouth	1,672	15 (39)	111 (43)	0 (0)	0.30%	39°12′41″N95°12′26″W / 39.21139°N 95.20722°W / 39.21139; -95.20722
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. Archived from the original on August 2, 2002.

Notable people

• Roger Barker (1903-1990), American environmental psychologist
• John Curry (1897–1946), painter
• Mary Lowman (1842-1912), first woman in Kansas to be elected mayor with a city council composed entirely of women.
• Charles Roberts (1936-), American politician

See also

• Kansas portal

Community information for Kansas

• Kansas locations by per capita income
• List of counties in Kansas
• List of townships in Kansas
• List of cities in Kansas
• List of unincorporated communities in Kansas
• List of ghost towns in Kansas

References

1. "QuickFacts; Jefferson County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
2. "County Population Totals: 2020-2021". United States Census Bureau. March 24, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  168.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Archived from the original on May 27, 2002. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
11. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
12. "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
13. Panetta, Grace (August 3, 2022). "14 of the 19 Kansas counties that rejected an anti-abortion amendment voted for Trump in 2020". Business Insider. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
14. "Contact Us – JeffCountyNews.com" . Retrieved November 1, 2022.

Notes

Further reading

See also: List of books about Kansas, including historical information about its counties and cities

• Standard Atlas of Jefferson County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 69 pages; 1916.
• Descriptive Atlas of Jefferson County, Kansas; Acme Publishing Co; 44 pages; 1899.

External links

County

• Jefferson County - Official
• Jefferson County - Directory of Public Officials

Maps

• Jefferson County Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
• Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
• Kansas Railroad Maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society