Brown County, Kansas Explained

County:Brown County
State:Kansas
Type:County
Ex Image:BrownCoKScourthouse.JPG
Ex Image Cap:Brown County Courthouse in Hiawatha (2011)
Founded:August 25, 1855
Named For:Albert Gallatin Brown
Seat Wl:Hiawatha
Largest City Wl:Hiawatha
Area Total Sq Mi:572
Area Land Sq Mi:571
Area Water Sq Mi:1.2
Area Percentage:0.2%
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:9508
Pop Est Footnotes:[1]
Pop Est As Of:2023
Population Est:9250
Population Density Sq Mi:16.7
Area Codes:785
District:2nd
Time Zone:Central
Coordinates:39.8°N -130°W

Brown County is a county located in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Hiawatha.[2] As of the 2020 census, the county population was 9,508.[3] The county was named after Albert G. Brown, a U.S. Senator from Mississippi and Kansas statehood advocate. The Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Kansas, the majority of the Sac and Fox Reservation, and the majority of the Iowa Reservation of Kansas and Nebraska are located within the county.

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. Brown County was founded in 1855,[4] was named for Albert G. Brown.[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.2%) is water.[6] The Wolf River has its source in the county.[7] Brown State Fishing Lake, formerly known as "Brown County State Park" is in the county,

8 miles (13 km) east of Hiawatha.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Sources: National Atlas,[8] U.S. Census Bureau[9]

Demographics

As of the 2000 census,[10] there were 10,724 people, 4,318 households, and 2,949 families residing in the county. The population density was 19/mi2. There were 4,815 housing units at an average density of 8/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 86.87% White, 1.56% Black or African American, 8.82% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population.

There were 4,318 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,971, and the median income for a family was $39,525. Males had a median income of $29,163 versus $19,829 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,163. About 10.60% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.40% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Like all of Kansas outside the eastern cities, Brown County is overwhelmingly Republican, although its history of Yankee settlement means it has been thus for longer than certain other parts of the state. Brown was Alf Landon’s strongest county in his home state during his disastrous 1936 presidential campaign. FDR was never to win so much as 42 percent of the vote in any of his four Presidential elections; indeed no Democratic presidential nominee has ever won a majority in Brown County, with the highest percentage being 47 percent by William Jennings Bryan in 1896. A mortally divided Republican Party allowed Woodrow Wilson to win a plurality in 1912 with under 37 percent of the county’s vote – nonetheless since 1968 no Democrat has reached even that percentage.

Laws

Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 2000, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink without a food sales requirement.[11]

Education

Unified school districts[12]
School district office in neighboring county
Bureau of Indian Education-affiliated tribal schools:

Communities

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Brown County.[15]

Cities

‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county.

Unincorporated communities

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

Indian reservations

Townships

Brown County is divided into ten townships. The cities of Hiawatha, Horton, and Sabetha 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 Population
center
Population Population
density
/km2 (/sq mi)
Land area
km2 (sq mi)
Water area
km2 (sq mi)
Water %Geographic coordinates
Hamlin 29725 344 3 (8) 106 (41) 0 (0) 0.18% 39.9503°N -95.6111°W
Hiawatha 31700 739 4 (12) 164 (63) 0 (0) 0.18% 39.8403°N -95.5331°W
Irving 34500 311 2 (6) 137 (53) 0 (0) 0.04% 39.9567°N -95.3933°W
Mission 47200 645 3 (8) 219 (84) 2 (1) 0.73% 39.7206°N -95.5367°W
Morrill 48325 503 5 (12) 105 (41) 0 (0) 0.24% 39.9397°N -95.7222°W
Padonia 54025 259 2 (6) 107 (41) 0 (0) 0.14% 39.9506°N -95.5178°W
Powhattan 57375 874 4 (10) 232 (90) 0 (0) 0.06% 39.7303°N -95.6997°W
Robinson 60350 452 4 (10) 116 (45) 0 (0) 0.25% 39.8081°N -95.3969°W
Walnut 74875 665 4 (11) 161 (62) 1 (0) 0.46% 39.8481°N -95.7075°W
Washington 75525 541 5 (12) 116 (45) 0 (0) 0.17% 39.6953°N -95.4114°W
Sources: Web site: Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files . https://web.archive.org/web/20020802223743/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/places2k.html . dead . August 2, 2002 . U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division .

See also

Further reading

External links

County
Maps

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023 . March 24, 2024 . United States Census Bureau.
  2. Web site: Find a County . June 7, 2011 . National Association of Counties . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx . May 31, 2011 .
  3. Web site: QuickFacts; Brown County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010 . United States Census Bureau . August 15, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210815052944/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/browncountykansas/POP010220 . August 15, 2021 . live.
  4. Book: Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. . Standard Publishing Company . Blackmar, Frank Wilson . 1912 . 237.
  5. Book: History of the State of Kansas: Containing a Full Account of Its Growth from an Uninhabited Territory to a Wealthy and Important State. 1883. A. T. Andreas. 710.
  6. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  7. [DeLorme]
  8. http://www.nationalatlas.gov/ National Atlas
  9. Web site: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER shape files . December 5, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170523020601/https://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/ . May 23, 2017 . dead .
  10. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  11. Web site: Map of Wet and Dry Counties . Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue . November 2006 . December 28, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071008013617/http://www.ksrevenue.org/abcwetdrymap.htm . October 8, 2007 .
  12. Web site: 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Brown County, KS. https://web.archive.org/web/20220721183345/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st20_ks/schooldistrict_maps/c20013_brown/DC20SD_C20013.pdf . July 21, 2022 . live. U.S. Census Bureau. July 21, 2022. - Text list
  13. Web site: Hiawatha Schools USD 415. www.hiawathaschools.org.
  14. Web site: USD 430 South Brown County. www.usd430.org.
  15. Web site: General Highway Map of Brown County, Kansas . Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) . https://web.archive.org/web/20240527003800/https://www.ksdot.gov/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/county-pdf/brown.PDF . May 27, 2024 . February 2008 . live.