Republic County, Kansas | |
|---|---|
 Republic County Courthouse inBelleville (2010) | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKansas | |
 Kansas's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:39°48′N97°38′W / 39.800°N 97.633°W /39.800; -97.633 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kansas |
| Founded | February 27, 1860 |
| Named after | Republican River |
| Seat | Belleville |
| Largest city | Belleville |
| Area | |
• Total | 720.31 sq mi (1,865.6 km2) |
| • Land | 716.38 sq mi (1,855.4 km2) |
| • Water | 3.93 sq mi (10.2 km2) 0.55% |
| Population | |
• Total | 4,674 |
• Estimate (2023)[2] | 4,627 |
| • Density | 6.5/sq mi (2.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 785 |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | republiccounty.org |
Republic County is acounty located in thestate ofKansas, south from theNebraska state line. Itscounty seat and largest city isBelleville.[3] As of the2020 census, the county population was 4,674.[1] The county was named after theRepublican River.
Formillennia, theGreat Plains ofNorth America were inhabited bynomadicNative Americans. From the 16th to 18th centuries, theKingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts ofNorth America. In 1762, after theFrench and Indian War, France cededNew France toSpain, by theTreaty of Fontainebleau.
In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, the land that includedmodern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mileLouisiana Purchase.
Prior to the arrival of settlers of European ancestry, the area was inhabited by Indian tribes including the Pawnee, Iowa, and Otoe.[4] One should also consider that other nomadic Indian tribes pursuing the buffalo, including the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kansa, Kiowa, Osage, and Wichita, may have made the area their home at one time or another.[5]
In 1854, under the provisions of theKansas–Nebraska Act, theKansas Territory was organized. In 1860, Republic County was established by the Kansas legislature. And, in 1861,Kansas became the 34thU.S. state. The county is named for theRepublican River, which enters at the northwestern corner of the county, flowing slightly east of south, and leaving the county about eight miles east of the southwest corner.[4]
Daniel and Conrad Myers were the first settlers of European ancestry, arriving in February 1861.[6] By 1868, Republic County was holding elections.[7] Daniel Myers was elected judge of theProbate court and Conrad Myers to a seat on theCounty commission. At the election in 1869, the permanent location of the county seat was voted on with the following result: Belleville 59 and New Scandinavia 42, with a couple of votes going to other locations.[8]
Following the Civil War and during the latter half of the 19th century, Belleville and the surrounding area became a destination for European immigrants, notably fromSweden andBohemia (nowCzech Republic).[9][10][11]
In 1887,Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built a branch line fromNeva (3 miles west ofStrong City) toSuperior, Nebraska. This branch line connectedStrong City,Neva,Rockland,Diamond Springs,Burdick,Lost Springs,Jacobs,Hope,Navarre,Enterprise,Abilene,Talmage,Manchester,Longford,Oak Hill,Miltonvale,Aurora,Huscher,Concordia,Kackley,Courtland,Webber,Superior. At some point, the line fromNeva toLost Springs was pulled but the right of way has not been abandoned. This branch line was originally called "Strong City and Superior line" but later the name was shortened to the "Strong City line".
In 1996, theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway merged withBurlington Northern Railroad and was renamed theBNSF Railway, although most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Santa Fe".
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 720.31 square miles (1,865.6 km2), of which 716.38 square miles (1,855.4 km2) (or 99.45%) is land and 3.93 square miles (10.2 km2) (or 0.55%) is water.[12][13]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 1,281 | — | |
| 1880 | 14,913 | 1,064.2% | |
| 1890 | 19,002 | 27.4% | |
| 1900 | 18,248 | −4.0% | |
| 1910 | 17,447 | −4.4% | |
| 1920 | 15,855 | −9.1% | |
| 1930 | 14,745 | −7.0% | |
| 1940 | 13,124 | −11.0% | |
| 1950 | 11,478 | −12.5% | |
| 1960 | 9,768 | −14.9% | |
| 1970 | 8,498 | −13.0% | |
| 1980 | 7,569 | −10.9% | |
| 1990 | 6,482 | −14.4% | |
| 2000 | 5,835 | −10.0% | |
| 2010 | 4,980 | −14.7% | |
| 2020 | 4,674 | −6.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 4,627 | [14] | −1.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[15] 1790-1960[16] 1900-1990[17] 1990-2000[18] 2010-2020[1] | |||
As of thecensus[19] of 2000, there were 5,835 people, 2,557 households, and 1,685 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 8 people per square mile (3.1 people/km2). There were 3,113 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.56%White, 0.26%Black orAfrican American, 0.21%Native American, 0.19%Asian, 0.33% fromother races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 24.1% were ofGerman, 13.6%Swedish, 12.4%Czech, 9.2%English, 9.0%Irish and 8.6%American ancestry according toCensus 2000.
There were 2,557 households, out of which 25.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% weremarried couples living together, 4.80% had a woman householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 31.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 4.50% from 18 to 24, 22.10% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 26.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 women there were 93.20 men. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 90.80 men.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,494, and the median income for a family was $39,215. Men had a median income of $25,260 versus $17,274 for women. Theper capita income for the county was $17,433. About 6.00% of families and 9.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 2,595 | 63.77% | 1,205 | 29.61% | 269 | 6.61% |
| 1892 | 2,167 | 50.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,164 | 49.97% |
| 1896 | 2,033 | 50.93% | 1,910 | 47.85% | 49 | 1.23% |
| 1900 | 2,499 | 55.67% | 1,925 | 42.88% | 65 | 1.45% |
| 1904 | 2,658 | 69.51% | 941 | 24.61% | 225 | 5.88% |
| 1908 | 2,156 | 51.79% | 1,905 | 45.76% | 102 | 2.45% |
| 1912 | 895 | 21.74% | 1,816 | 44.12% | 1,405 | 34.14% |
| 1916 | 2,882 | 41.65% | 3,806 | 55.00% | 232 | 3.35% |
| 1920 | 3,661 | 67.30% | 1,672 | 30.74% | 107 | 1.97% |
| 1924 | 3,671 | 59.96% | 1,616 | 26.40% | 835 | 13.64% |
| 1928 | 4,324 | 68.19% | 1,956 | 30.85% | 61 | 0.96% |
| 1932 | 2,655 | 38.55% | 4,105 | 59.61% | 127 | 1.84% |
| 1936 | 3,830 | 52.61% | 3,427 | 47.07% | 23 | 0.32% |
| 1940 | 4,450 | 63.54% | 2,511 | 35.86% | 42 | 0.60% |
| 1944 | 3,802 | 66.53% | 1,891 | 33.09% | 22 | 0.38% |
| 1948 | 3,375 | 60.42% | 2,109 | 37.76% | 102 | 1.83% |
| 1952 | 4,573 | 76.72% | 1,358 | 22.78% | 30 | 0.50% |
| 1956 | 3,621 | 68.76% | 1,613 | 30.63% | 32 | 0.61% |
| 1960 | 3,358 | 65.62% | 1,724 | 33.69% | 35 | 0.68% |
| 1964 | 2,414 | 51.65% | 2,222 | 47.54% | 38 | 0.81% |
| 1968 | 2,841 | 66.25% | 1,187 | 27.68% | 260 | 6.06% |
| 1972 | 2,921 | 71.80% | 1,059 | 26.03% | 88 | 2.16% |
| 1976 | 2,294 | 57.44% | 1,617 | 40.49% | 83 | 2.08% |
| 1980 | 3,031 | 73.57% | 850 | 20.63% | 239 | 5.80% |
| 1984 | 3,009 | 76.49% | 887 | 22.55% | 38 | 0.97% |
| 1988 | 2,346 | 67.76% | 1,069 | 30.88% | 47 | 1.36% |
| 1992 | 1,767 | 46.43% | 939 | 24.67% | 1,100 | 28.90% |
| 1996 | 2,283 | 69.97% | 688 | 21.08% | 292 | 8.95% |
| 2000 | 2,239 | 75.01% | 604 | 20.23% | 142 | 4.76% |
| 2004 | 2,238 | 77.47% | 607 | 21.01% | 44 | 1.52% |
| 2008 | 1,978 | 74.05% | 640 | 23.96% | 53 | 1.98% |
| 2012 | 2,134 | 79.45% | 477 | 17.76% | 75 | 2.79% |
| 2016 | 2,024 | 80.03% | 375 | 14.83% | 130 | 5.14% |
| 2020 | 2,182 | 82.12% | 424 | 15.96% | 51 | 1.92% |
| 2024 | 2,001 | 81.51% | 396 | 16.13% | 58 | 2.36% |
Republic County is overwhelmingly Republican. No Democratic presidential candidate has won the county, with the exception ofFranklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 andWoodrow Wilson in 1912 and 1916. Since 1996, the Republican candidate has garnered seventy percent of the county's vote. The only Democrat since 1980 to exceed one quarter of the vote wasMichael Dukakis in 1988.
Republic County was a prohibition ("dry") county until 1986, when theKansas Constitution was amended, allowing the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement.[21]
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Republic County.[22]
† means aCensus-Designated Place (CDP) by theUnited States Census Bureau.
Republic County is divided into twentytownships. The city ofBelleville is consideredgovernmentally 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.
Places adjacent to Republic County, Kansas | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofRepublic County, Kansas,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Townships | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
