Lane County, Kansas | |
|---|---|
 Lane County Courthouse inDighton (2015) | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKansas | |
 Kansas's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°28′00″N100°28′01″W / 38.4667°N 100.467°W /38.4667; -100.467 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kansas |
| Founded | March 20, 1873 |
| Named after | James H. Lane |
| Seat | Dighton |
| Largest city | Dighton |
| Area | |
• Total | 718 sq mi (1,860 km2) |
| • Land | 717 sq mi (1,860 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.52 km2) 0.03% |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,574 |
• Estimate (2021)[2] | 1,565 |
| • Density | 2.2/sq mi (0.85/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | lanecountyks.org |
Lane County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofKansas. Itscounty seat isDighton,[3] the only incorporated city in the county. As of the2020 census, the county population was 1,574,[1] making it the third-least populous county in Kansas. The county was named afterJames Lane, a leader of the Jayhawker abolitionist movement who served as one of the first U.S. senators from Kansas.[4]
For manymillennia, theGreat Plains ofNorth America was inhabited bynomadicNative Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, theKingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts ofNorth America. In 1762, after theFrench and Indian War, France secretly cededNew France toSpain, per theTreaty of Fontainebleau.
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 formodern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mileLouisiana Purchase for 2.83cents peracre.
In 1854, theKansas Territory was organized, then in 1861Kansas became the 34thU.S. state. In 1873,Lane County was established.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 718 square miles (1,860 km2), of which 717 square miles (1,860 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.03%) is water.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 604 | — | |
| 1890 | 2,060 | 241.1% | |
| 1900 | 1,563 | −24.1% | |
| 1910 | 2,603 | 66.5% | |
| 1920 | 2,848 | 9.4% | |
| 1930 | 3,372 | 18.4% | |
| 1940 | 2,821 | −16.3% | |
| 1950 | 2,808 | −0.5% | |
| 1960 | 3,060 | 9.0% | |
| 1970 | 2,707 | −11.5% | |
| 1980 | 2,472 | −8.7% | |
| 1990 | 2,375 | −3.9% | |
| 2000 | 2,155 | −9.3% | |
| 2010 | 1,750 | −18.8% | |
| 2020 | 1,574 | −10.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 1,529 | [6] | −2.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2020[1] | |||
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 2,155 people, 910 households, and 613 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 3 people per square mile (1.2 people/km2). There were 1,065 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (0.77/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.73%White, 0.05%Native American, 0.09%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.51% fromother races, and 1.58% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 910 households, out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% weremarried couples living together, 5.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.60% were non-families. 30.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 20.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,047, and the median income for a family was $41,892. Males had a median income of $29,429 versus $20,446 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,606. About 5.40% of families and 8.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.
Lane County has been predominantly Republican throughout its history, only voting for Democratic candidates five times in presidential elections from 1888 to the present. The most recent of those wins came in1964, whenLyndon B. Johnson won it amidst his national landslide.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 459 | 57.74% | 267 | 33.58% | 69 | 8.68% |
| 1892 | 284 | 55.58% | 0 | 0.00% | 227 | 44.42% |
| 1896 | 241 | 54.90% | 191 | 43.51% | 7 | 1.59% |
| 1900 | 239 | 56.50% | 172 | 40.66% | 12 | 2.84% |
| 1904 | 353 | 63.60% | 111 | 20.00% | 91 | 16.40% |
| 1908 | 357 | 51.52% | 271 | 39.11% | 65 | 9.38% |
| 1912 | 158 | 25.40% | 237 | 38.10% | 227 | 36.50% |
| 1916 | 363 | 32.07% | 659 | 58.22% | 110 | 9.72% |
| 1920 | 656 | 63.94% | 298 | 29.04% | 72 | 7.02% |
| 1924 | 693 | 59.08% | 281 | 23.96% | 199 | 16.97% |
| 1928 | 954 | 71.30% | 364 | 27.20% | 20 | 1.49% |
| 1932 | 672 | 42.88% | 866 | 55.26% | 29 | 1.85% |
| 1936 | 682 | 43.77% | 853 | 54.75% | 23 | 1.48% |
| 1940 | 888 | 60.78% | 557 | 38.12% | 16 | 1.10% |
| 1944 | 773 | 65.90% | 388 | 33.08% | 12 | 1.02% |
| 1948 | 764 | 57.53% | 525 | 39.53% | 39 | 2.94% |
| 1952 | 1,142 | 77.85% | 311 | 21.20% | 14 | 0.95% |
| 1956 | 992 | 72.09% | 380 | 27.62% | 4 | 0.29% |
| 1960 | 902 | 65.41% | 462 | 33.50% | 15 | 1.09% |
| 1964 | 586 | 42.77% | 773 | 56.42% | 11 | 0.80% |
| 1968 | 781 | 60.64% | 385 | 29.89% | 122 | 9.47% |
| 1972 | 943 | 73.21% | 294 | 22.83% | 51 | 3.96% |
| 1976 | 651 | 48.91% | 646 | 48.53% | 34 | 2.55% |
| 1980 | 924 | 67.54% | 321 | 23.46% | 123 | 8.99% |
| 1984 | 1,008 | 77.18% | 282 | 21.59% | 16 | 1.23% |
| 1988 | 768 | 61.44% | 450 | 36.00% | 32 | 2.56% |
| 1992 | 674 | 51.89% | 265 | 20.40% | 360 | 27.71% |
| 1996 | 865 | 70.67% | 271 | 22.14% | 88 | 7.19% |
| 2000 | 846 | 74.67% | 252 | 22.24% | 35 | 3.09% |
| 2004 | 823 | 81.16% | 181 | 17.85% | 10 | 0.99% |
| 2008 | 814 | 79.26% | 193 | 18.79% | 20 | 1.95% |
| 2012 | 739 | 79.63% | 172 | 18.53% | 17 | 1.83% |
| 2016 | 718 | 82.43% | 106 | 12.17% | 47 | 5.40% |
| 2020 | 762 | 85.14% | 115 | 12.85% | 18 | 2.01% |
| 2024 | 709 | 83.91% | 111 | 13.14% | 25 | 2.96% |
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Lane County.[14]
† means a community is designated aCensus-Designated Place (CDP) by theUnited States Census Bureau.
Lane County is divided into fivetownships. None of the cities within the county are consideredgovernmentally 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamota | 00775 | 108 | 0 (1) | 414 (160) | 0 (0) | 0% | 38°24′55″N100°19′43″W / 38.41528°N 100.32861°W /38.41528; -100.32861 | |
| Cheyenne | 13050 | 336 | 1 (4) | 245 (94) | 0 (0) | 0% | 38°36′21″N100°37′22″W / 38.60583°N 100.62278°W /38.60583; -100.62278 | |
| Dighton | 18075 | 1,573 | 2 (5) | 785 (303) | 0 (0) | 0.01% | 38°27′23″N100°30′11″W / 38.45639°N 100.50306°W /38.45639; -100.50306 | |
| White Rock | 77950 | 26 | 0 (0) | 207 (80) | 0 (0) | 0.02% | 38°37′49″N100°19′55″W / 38.63028°N 100.33194°W /38.63028; -100.33194 | |
| Wilson | 79725 | 112 | 1 (1) | 206 (80) | 0 (0) | 0.20% | 38°36′47″N100°28′12″W / 38.61306°N 100.47000°W /38.61306; -100.47000 |
Places adjacent to Lane County, Kansas | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofLane County, Kansas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
