Wallace County, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Wallace County is a county
located in the U.S. state
of Kansas
. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 1,485. It has the second lowest population of any county in Kansas. Greeley County
has the lowest. Its county seat
is Sharon Springs
. It was created in 1868 and named in honor of Brigadier general W.H.L. Wallace
who was a veteran of the Mexican-American War and a casualty of the Battle of Shiloh
.
Wallace County is home to Mount Sunflower
, the highest point in Kansas at 4,039 feet (1,231 meters). Mount Sunflower is located approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) north-northwest of Weskan, less than one mile (1.6 km) from the Colorado
state line.
, county.
of 2000, there were 1,749 people, 674 households, and 477 families residing in the county. The population density
was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 791 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.63% White
, 0.63% Black
or African American
, 0.80% Native American
, 0.17% Asian
, 2.52% from other races
, and 1.26% from two or more races. 4.80% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 674 households out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.60% were married couples
living together, 4.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county the population was spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,000, and the median income for a family was $42,022. Males had a median income of $25,610 versus $18,333 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $17,016. About 10.70% of families and 16.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.50% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over.
. 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.
General Information
Maps
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 1,485. It has the second lowest population of any county in Kansas. Greeley County
Greeley County, Kansas
Greeley County is a county located in West Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 1,247, which is the lowest in Kansas. Its county seat and largest town is Tribune...
has the lowest. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Sharon Springs
Sharon Springs, Kansas
Sharon Springs is a city in and the county seat of Wallace County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 748.-History:The community is named after Sharon Springs, New York, some of whose families founded its Kansas namesake....
. It was created in 1868 and named in honor of Brigadier general W.H.L. Wallace
W.H.L. Wallace
William Hervey Lamme Wallace , more commonly known as W.H.L. Wallace, was a lawyer and a Union general in the American Civil War, considered by Ulysses S. Grant to be one of the Union's greatest generals....
who was a veteran of the Mexican-American War and a casualty of the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
.
Wallace County is home to Mount Sunflower
Mount Sunflower
Mount Sunflower is the highest natural point in the state of Kansas. At , it is above the state's topographic low point in Montgomery County in southeastern Kansas due to the gradual rise towards the Rocky Mountains to the west...
, the highest point in Kansas at 4,039 feet (1,231 meters). Mount Sunflower is located approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) north-northwest of Weskan, less than one mile (1.6 km) from the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
state line.
Law and government
Although the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with the approval of voters, Wallace County has remained a prohibition, or "dry"Dry county
A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, almost all of them in the South...
, county.
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 914.05 square miles (2,367.4 km²), of which 913.99 square miles (2,367.2 km²) (or 99.99%) is land and 0.05 square mile (0.1294994055 km²) (or 0.01%) is water.Adjacent counties
- Sherman CountySherman County, KansasSherman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 6,010...
(north) - Logan CountyLogan County, KansasLogan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 2,756...
(east) - Wichita CountyWichita County, KansasWichita County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 2,234...
(southeast) - Greeley CountyGreeley County, KansasGreeley County is a county located in West Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 1,247, which is the lowest in Kansas. Its county seat and largest town is Tribune...
(south) - Cheyenne CountyCheyenne County, ColoradoCheyenne County is the fifth least densely populated of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 2,231 at U.S. Census 2000...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
(west) - Kit Carson CountyKit Carson County, ColoradoKit Carson County is the 18th most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 8,011 at U.S. Census 2000. The county was named for Kit Carson...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
(northwest)
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,749 people, 674 households, and 477 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 791 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.63% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.63% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.80% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.17% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.52% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.26% from two or more races. 4.80% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 674 households out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.60% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 4.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county the population was spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,000, and the median income for a family was $42,022. Males had a median income of $25,610 versus $18,333 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $17,016. About 10.70% of families and 16.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.50% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over.
Incorporated cities
Name and population (2004 estimate):- Sharon SpringsSharon Springs, KansasSharon Springs is a city in and the county seat of Wallace County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 748.-History:The community is named after Sharon Springs, New York, some of whose families founded its Kansas namesake....
, 739 (county seat) - WallaceWallace, KansasWallace is a city in Wallace County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 57.-History:The city began with the establishment of Fort Wallace, ordered built by General William Sherman.-Geography:...
, 62
Townships
Wallace County is divided into four townshipsCivil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison | 30450 | 85 | 0 (1) | 210 (81) | 0 (0) | 0 % | 38°45′53"N 101°34′34"W | |
| Sharon Springs | 64400 | Sharon Springs Sharon Springs, Kansas Sharon Springs is a city in and the county seat of Wallace County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 748.-History:The community is named after Sharon Springs, New York, some of whose families founded its Kansas namesake.... |
1,096 | 1 (3) | 885 (342) | 0 (0) | 0 % | 38°54′12"N 101°45′3"W |
| Wallace | 74775 | 175 | 0 (1) | 488 (188) | 0 (0) | 0.01% | 38°58′15"N 101°33′35"W | |
| Weskan | 76700 | Wallace Wallace, Kansas Wallace is a city in Wallace County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 57.-History:The city began with the establishment of Fort Wallace, ordered built by General William Sherman.-Geography:... |
393 | 1 (1) | 784 (303) | 0 (0) | 0.01% | 38°53′8"N 101°56′10"W |
Education
Unified school districts
Further reading
- History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook)
- Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook)
External links
OfficialGeneral Information
Maps
- Wallace County Map, KDOT
- Kansas Highway Map, KDOT
- Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT
- Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE