Harper County, Kansas

Harper County, Kansas
Location in the state of Kansas
Kansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 26, 1867
Named for	Sergeant Marion Harper
Seat	Anthony
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	802.95 sq mi (2,080 km²) 801.44 sq mi (2,076 km²) 1.51 sq mi (4 km²), 0.19%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	6,034 7.4/sq mi (2.9/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	HarperCountyKS.gov

Harper County (county code HP) is a county located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 6,034. Its county seat and most populous city is Anthony. Harper County was named for Sergeant Marion Harper of the 2nd Kansas Cavalry, who died of wounds suffered near Waldron, Arkansas, in December 1863.

History

19th century

The original organization of Harper County was one of the largest frauds in county government. In 1873, a group of three men organized Harper County, designating the then fictitious city of Bluff City as the county seat. The petition for organization used several names out of a Cincinnati telephone directory to represent as residents of Harper County. In 1874, the state attorney general investigated, and found not a single resident of the county. The "founders" of the county had sold $40,000 worth of bonds.

Harper County was settled starting in 1877, and the county was organized for a second time in 1878. Since Bluff City could not be shown to have existed, Anthony was designated as the temporary county seat. In an election in 1879, Anthony won as county seat even though 2,960 votes were cast in a county with 800 legal voters.

Law and government

Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, Harper County remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 2006, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 802.95 square miles (2,079.6 km²), of which 801.44 square miles (2,075.7 km²) (or 99.81%) is land and 1.51 square miles (3.9 km²) (or 0.19%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Kingman County (north)
• Sumner County (east)
• Grant County, Oklahoma (southeast)
• Alfalfa County, Oklahoma (southwest)
• Barber County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	4,133		—
1890	13,266		221.0%
1900	10,310		−22.3%
1910	14,748		43.0%
1920	13,656		−7.4%
1930	12,823		−6.1%
1940	12,068		−5.9%
1950	10,263		−15.0%
1960	9,541		−7.0%
1970	7,871		−17.5%
1980	7,778		−1.2%
1990	7,124		−8.4%
2000	6,536		−8.3%
2010	6,034		−7.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

Population pyramid

As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 6,536 people, 2,773 households, and 1,807 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 3,270 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.23% White, 0.83% Native American, 0.23% Black or African American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.

There were 2,773 households out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were non-families. 32.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 22.00% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 23.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,776, and the median income for a family was $39,866. Males had a median income of $27,869 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,368. About 8.50% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.70% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Incorporated cities

Name and population (2004 estimate):

• Anthony, 2,307 (county seat)
• Harper, 1,511
• Attica, 616
• Bluff City, 78
• Danville, 58
• Waldron, 17
• Freeport, 6

Townships

Harper County is divided into six townships. The cities of Anthony and Harper 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.

Township	FIPS	Population center	Population	Population density /km² (/sq mi)	Land area km² (sq mi)	Water area km² (sq mi)	Water %	Geographic coordinates
Township 1	71201		1,000	2 (6)	468 (181)	1 (0)	0.12%	37°15′23″N 98°14′0″W
Township 2	71205		144	0 (1)	363 (140)	1 (0)	0.23%	37°4′23″N 98°14′22″W
Township 3	71209		394	1 (3)	383 (148)	2 (1)	0.44%	37°7′58″N 98°2′7″W
Township 4	71213		232	1 (2)	297 (115)	0 (0)	0.06%	37°7′2″N 97°51′45″W
Township 5	71217		463	2 (4)	277 (107)	0 (0)	0.16%	37°15′47″N 97°56′23″W
Township 6	71221		296	1 (3)	280 (108)	0 (0)	0.06%	37°20′26″N 97°58′17″W
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/places2k.html.

Education

2005 KDOT Map of Harper County (map legend)

Unified school districts

• Anthony-Harper USD 361
• Attica USD 511

See also

• Dry counties
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Harper County, Kansas

Information on this and other counties in Kansas

• List of counties in Kansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kansas
• Kansas locations by per capita income

Other information for Kansas

• List of cities in Kansas
• List of unified school districts in Kansas
• List of colleges and universities in Kansas

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

Official sites

• Harper County
• Harper County Economic Development Council

Additional information

• Blue Skyways
• Kansas Statistical Abstract

Maps

• Harper County Map, KDOT
• Kansas Highway Map, KDOT
• Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT
• Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE