Franklin County, Kansas Explained

County:Franklin County
State:Kansas
Type:County
Ex Image:Franklin County Courthouse.JPG
Ex Image Cap:Franklin County Courthouse in Ottawa (2009)
Founded:August 25, 1855
Named For:Benjamin Franklin
Seat Wl:Ottawa
Largest City Wl:Ottawa
Area Total Sq Mi:577
Area Land Sq Mi:572
Area Water Sq Mi:5.4
Area Percentage:0.9%
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:25996
Population Density Sq Mi:45.4
District:3rd
Time Zone:Central

Franklin County is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Ottawa.[1] As of the 2020 census, the county population was 25,996.[2] The county was named for Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the United States. Formerly it was considered part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, but was removed in 2013.

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.

The area was included in a treaty ceding land to the Osage Nation in 1808, and ceded back to the federal government in 1825. After 1825 and prior to 1867, treaties with various Indian nations set off parts of what was later to become Franklin County for the use of Indian tribes removed from their ancestral lands. These tribes included: Ottawa, Chippewa, Sac and Fox, Peoria, and Potawatomi.[3] [4]

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized under the provisions of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In 1855, Franklin County was established as one of the 33 original Kansas Territory counties created by the first Territorial Legislature of 1855.[5] The county was named after Benjamin Franklin.[6] In 1861, Kansas became the 34th U.S. state.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.9%) is water.[7]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Franklin County comprises the Ottawa, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS Combined Statistical Area.

As of the U.S. Census in 2000,[8] there were 24,784 people, 9,452 households, and 6,720 families residing in the county. The population density was 43/mi2. There were 10,229 housing units at an average density of 18/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 95.05% White, 1.21% Black or African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.78% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.62% of the population.

There were 9,452 households, out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% 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 3.04.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.50% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,052, and the median income for a family was $45,197. Males had a median income of $31,223 versus $22,992 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,311. About 5.60% of families and 7.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.40% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Franklin County is often carried by Republican Candidates. The last time a Democratic candidate has carried Franklin County was in 1964 by Lyndon B. Johnson.

Laws

Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 1994, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement.[9]

The county voted "No" on the 2022 Kansas Value Them Both Amendment, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 56% to 44% despite backing Donald Trump with 68% of the vote to Joe Biden's 30% in the 2020 presidential election.[10]

Education

Unified school districts

Colleges and universities

Communities

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Franklin County.[11]

Cities

Unincorporated places

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

Ghost towns

Townships

Franklin County is divided into sixteen townships. The city of Ottawa is considered governmentally independent and is 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
02075 293 4 (10) 77 (30) 0 (0) 0.10% 38.6992°N -95.4547°W
12475 997 9 (25) 105 (41) 0 (0) 0.34% 38.6853°N -95.3581°W
16900 Rantoul856 8 (20) 111 (43) 1 (0) 0.68% 38.5258°N -95.1156°W
24375 2,552 28 (72) 91 (35) 0 (0) 0.52% 38.7094°N -95.0939°W
28750 429 5 (14) 79 (30) 0 (0) 0.08% 38.5608°N -95.4431°W
30300 445 6 (16) 71 (27) 1 (0) 0.84% 38.5722°N -95.2172°W
30925 397 5 (13) 77 (30) 0 (0) 0.36% 38.7047°N -95.2308°W
33000 493 6 (16) 78 (30) 0 (0) 0.26% 38.5147°N -95.3911°W
40700 797 10 (26) 78 (30) 0 (0) 0.31% 38.5689°N -95.3092°W
52350 783 7 (19) 108 (42) 1 (0) 1.05% 38.4872°N -95.2756°W
53575 868 8 (20) 111 (43) 0 (0) 0.33% 38.6392°N -95.2681°W
55425 626 7 (18) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0.20% 38.6089°N -95.1292°W
57025 1,174 22 (56) 54 (21) 0 (0) 0.30% 38.6111°N -95.4567°W
57225 669 7 (17) 101 (39) 0 (0) 0.46% 38.4372°N -95.1089°W
59700 Richmond812 9 (23) 91 (35) 0 (0) 0.50% 38.4053°N -95.2561°W
79325 Williamsburg672 5 (12) 145 (56) 1 (1) 0.95% 38.4592°N -95.4619°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 .

Notable people

See also: List of people from Franklin County, Kansas.

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

External links

County
Historical
Maps

Notes and References

  1. 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 .
  2. Web site: QuickFacts; Franklin County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010 . United States Census Bureau . August 16, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210816064633/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/franklincountykansas/POP010220 . August 16, 2021 . live.
  3. Web site: When War Under Heaven Ended: Tracking Pontiac's and Atawang's Band of Odawa and Ojibwa in Ohio, Walpole Island (Canada), Kansas, and Oklahoma, 1764-1938 . Tucker . Patrick .
  4. Web site: A brief sketch of Indian tribes in Franklin County, Kansas in 1862-1906 - 23 - Kansas Memory .
  5. Book: Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. . Standard Publishing Company . Blackmar, Frank Wilson . 1912 . 680.
  6. Book: The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States . Govt. Print. Off. . Gannett, Henry . 1905 . 131.
  7. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  8. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  9. Web site: Map of Wet and Dry Counties . Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue . November 2006 . December 26, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071008013617/http://www.ksrevenue.org/abcwetdrymap.htm . October 8, 2007 .
  10. News: 14 of the 19 Kansas counties that rejected an anti-abortion amendment voted for Trump in 2020. Business Insider. Panetta. Grace. August 3, 2022. August 3, 2022.
  11. Web site: General Highway Map of Franklin County, Kansas . Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) . https://web.archive.org/web/20240518110024/https://www.ksdot.gov/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/county-pdf/franklin.PDF . May 18, 2024 . October 2009 . live.