Harvey County, Kansas

Harvey County, Kansas
Location in the state of Kansas
Kansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 7, 1872
Seat	Newton
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	540.50 sq mi (1,400 km²) 539.33 sq mi (1,397 km²) 1.17 sq mi (3 km²), 0.22%
PopulationEst.  - (2011)  - Density	34,846 64.6/sq mi (24.9/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.HarveyCounty.com

Harvey County (county code HV) is a county located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. Its county seat and most populous city is Newton. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 34,684. The county is a part of the Wichita (Kansas) Metropolitan Statistical Area. The FIPS place code for the county is 020079.

History

19th century

For millennia, the land now known as Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans. In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state.

In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway extended a main line from Emporia to Newton.

In 1872, Harvey County was founded, and named in honor of Kansas Governor James M. Harvey.

Law and government

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.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 540.50 square miles (1,399.9 km²), of which 539.33 square miles (1,396.9 km²) (or 99.78%) is land and 1.17 square miles (3.0 km²) (or 0.22%) 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

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	11,451		—
1890	17,601		53.7%
1900	17,591		−0.1%
1910	19,200		9.1%
1920	20,744		8.0%
1930	22,120		6.6%
1940	21,712		−1.8%
1950	21,698		−0.1%
1960	25,865		19.2%
1970	27,236		5.3%
1980	30,531		12.1%
1990	31,028		1.6%
2000	32,869		5.9%
2010	34,684		5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

Population pyramid

2005 KDOT Map of Harvey County (map legend)

As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 32,869 people, 12,581 households, and 8,932 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile (24/km²). There were 13,378 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.04% White, 1.59% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.17% from other races, and 2.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.97% of the population.

There were 12,581 households out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.20% were married couples 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 for the county was $18,715. About 4.20% of families and 6.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 5.00% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Incorporated cities

Name and population (2010):

• Newton, 19,132 (county seat)
• Hesston, 3,709
• Halstead, 2,085
• North Newton, 1,759
• Sedgwick, 1,695
• Burrton, 901
• Walton, 235

Unincorporated communities

• McLain
• Patterson
• Putnam
• Zimmerdale, formerly known as Trousdale

Ghost towns

• Alta Mills
• Annelly

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.

Township	FIPS	Population center	Population	Population density /km² (/sq mi)	Land area km² (sq mi)	Water area km² (sq mi)	Water %	Geographic coordinates
Alta	01500		221	2 (6)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.48%	38°7′27″N 97°38′44″W
Burrton	09600		1,143	12 (32)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0.17%	38°1′32″N 97°39′55″W
Darlington	17025		601	7 (17)	92 (35)	0 (0)	0.10%	37°57′5″N 97°19′32″W
Emma	21025		4,181	45 (116)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0%	38°8′10″N 97°25′46″W
Garden	25300		294	3 (8)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0%	38°7′44″N 97°32′14″W
Halstead	29625		353	4 (10)	92 (35)	0 (0)	0.07%	38°2′9″N 97°31′51″W
Highland	31875		415	5 (12)	92 (35)	0 (0)	0.19%	38°7′38″N 97°19′9″W
Lake	37825		173	2 (5)	92 (36)	1 (0)	1.05%	37°57′46″N 97°39′7″W
Lakin	38150		357	4 (10)	92 (35)	0 (0)	0.06%	37°57′18″N 97°32′20″W
Macon	43925		1,056	11 (30)	92 (36)	0 (0)	0%	38°2′8″N 97°24′58″W
Newton	50500		1,950	28 (73)	69 (27)	0 (0)	0.07%	38°3′27″N 97°19′31″W
Pleasant	56250		439	5 (12)	93 (36)	1 (0)	0.81%	38°2′27″N 97°12′8″W
Richland	59350		360	4 (10)	94 (36)	0 (0)	0.20%	37°57′39″N 97°12′1″W
Sedgwick	63825		1,711	18 (48)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0%	37°56′24″N 97°25′22″W
Walton	75225		552	6 (15)	95 (37)	0 (0)	0.06%	38°7′26″N 97°13′1″W
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division.

Education

Unified school districts

• USD 369, Burrton
  • Burrton, Rural Areas
• USD 373, Newton
  • Newton, Walton, Rural Areas
• USD 439, Sedgwick
  • Sedgwick, Rural Areas
• USD 440, Halstead
  • Halstead, Rural Areas
• USD 460, Hesston
  • Hesston, Rural Areas

District Office In Neighboring County

• USD 206, Remington-Whitewater
  • Rural Areas
• USD 398, Peabody-Burns
  • Rural Areas
• USD 411, Goessel
  • Rural Areas
• USD 423, Moundridge
  • Rural Areas

College

• Bethel College, in North Newton
• Hesston College, in Hesston

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Harvey County, Kansas
• List of people from Harvey 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

County

• Harvey County - Official Website
• Harvey County - Directory of Public Officials
• Harvey County - Economic Development Council Inc.
• Harvey County - Information, Skyways

Historical

• Harvey County Historical Society
• Harvey County Genealogical Society
• Kansas State Historical Society

Maps

• Harvey County Maps: Current, 1941
• Kansas Maps: Highway, Railroad, School Districts