Stevens County, Kansas | |
|---|---|
 Stevens County Courthouse inHugoton (2009) | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKansas | |
| Coordinates:37°12′N101°18′W / 37.200°N 101.300°W /37.200; -101.300 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kansas |
| Founded | August 3, 1886 |
| Named after | Thaddeus Stevens[1] |
| Seat | Hugoton |
| Largest city | Hugoton |
| Area | |
• Total | 727 sq mi (1,880 km2) |
| • Land | 727 sq mi (1,880 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.52 km2) 0.02% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,250 |
• Estimate (2023) | 5,077 |
| • Density | 7.22/sq mi (2.79/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 620 |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | stevenscoks.org |
Stevens County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofKansas. Itscounty seat isHugoton.[2] As of the2020 census, the county population was 5,250.[3] The county is named forThaddeus Stevens, a Reconstruction era Pennsylvania politician.[1]
In 1886,Stevens County was established.
The first settlers came from McPherson, Kansas in 1885, originally naming their town Hugo after Victor Hugo, before changing it toHugoton. Other early towns included Lafayette, founded by Quakers in 1886, and Moscow, established in 1887.
In the late 1880s and early 1890s, a violent "county seat war" raged between Hugoton, which had been designated the temporary county seat, andWoodsdale. Incidents included arrests, kidnappings, and killings.[4] The conflict culminated in the July 25, 1888, murder of Sheriff Cross of Woodsdale and three of his men in theHay Meadow Massacre by Sam Robinson of Hugoton and his supporters. Robinson fled and was never tried for the murders.[4][5] The issue was eventually resolved in 1887 when Hugoton became the permanent county seat, though tensions remained high for several years after.[4]
Natural gas was discovered in Stevens County in 1927, leading to the development of the Hugoton Natural Gas Area and transforming Hugoton into a major center of the natural gas industry.[4]
In the 1930s, the prosperity of the area was severely affected by its location within theDust Bowl. This catastrophe intensified the economic impact of theGreat Depression in the region.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 727 square miles (1,880 km2), of which 727 square miles (1,880 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.02%) is water.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 12 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,418 | 11,716.7% | |
| 1900 | 620 | −56.3% | |
| 1910 | 2,453 | 295.6% | |
| 1920 | 3,943 | 60.7% | |
| 1930 | 4,655 | 18.1% | |
| 1940 | 3,193 | −31.4% | |
| 1950 | 4,516 | 41.4% | |
| 1960 | 4,400 | −2.6% | |
| 1970 | 4,198 | −4.6% | |
| 1980 | 4,736 | 12.8% | |
| 1990 | 5,048 | 6.6% | |
| 2000 | 5,463 | 8.2% | |
| 2010 | 5,724 | 4.8% | |
| 2020 | 5,250 | −8.3% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 5,077 | [7] | −3.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[3] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 5,250. The median age was 36.2 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.2 males age 18 and over.[12][13]
The racial makeup of the county was 66.4% White, 0.4%Black or African American, 1.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 20.3% from some other race, and 11.4% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 38.5% of the population.[13]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 1,905 households in the county, of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 19.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
There were 2,240 housing units, of which 15.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.9% were owner-occupied and 28.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 17.1%.[12]
As of thecensus[15] of 2000, there were 5,463 people, 1,988 households, and 1,457 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 8 people per square mile (3.1 people/km2). There were 2,265 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 83.01%White, 0.93%Black orAfrican American, 0.93%Native American, 0.24%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 13.25% fromother races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 21.73% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 1,988 households, out of which 38.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.10% weremarried couples living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,830, and the median income for a family was $49,063. Males had a median income of $36,525 versus $22,803 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,814. About 8.30% of families and 10.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 4.70% of those age 65 or over.
Stevens County is governed by the Stevens County Commissioners. The current members are Joe D. Thompson, Tron Stegman, and Shannon Crawford.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 307 | 40.99% | 268 | 35.78% | 174 | 23.23% |
| 1892 | 85 | 31.48% | 0 | 0.00% | 185 | 68.52% |
| 1896 | 48 | 32.21% | 101 | 67.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1900 | 66 | 42.31% | 89 | 57.05% | 1 | 0.64% |
| 1904 | 122 | 64.21% | 40 | 21.05% | 28 | 14.74% |
| 1908 | 258 | 48.22% | 215 | 40.19% | 62 | 11.59% |
| 1912 | 117 | 19.34% | 237 | 39.17% | 251 | 41.49% |
| 1916 | 391 | 33.48% | 646 | 55.31% | 131 | 11.22% |
| 1920 | 876 | 69.47% | 346 | 27.44% | 39 | 3.09% |
| 1924 | 913 | 66.55% | 302 | 22.01% | 157 | 11.44% |
| 1928 | 1,133 | 78.52% | 300 | 20.79% | 10 | 0.69% |
| 1932 | 578 | 31.08% | 1,225 | 65.86% | 57 | 3.06% |
| 1936 | 701 | 40.52% | 1,023 | 59.13% | 6 | 0.35% |
| 1940 | 851 | 55.05% | 674 | 43.60% | 21 | 1.36% |
| 1944 | 760 | 64.63% | 414 | 35.20% | 2 | 0.17% |
| 1948 | 822 | 54.04% | 666 | 43.79% | 33 | 2.17% |
| 1952 | 1,480 | 77.16% | 423 | 22.05% | 15 | 0.78% |
| 1956 | 1,273 | 69.00% | 565 | 30.62% | 7 | 0.38% |
| 1960 | 1,405 | 68.74% | 630 | 30.82% | 9 | 0.44% |
| 1964 | 992 | 49.11% | 1,006 | 49.80% | 22 | 1.09% |
| 1968 | 1,157 | 58.38% | 528 | 26.64% | 297 | 14.98% |
| 1972 | 1,392 | 74.48% | 408 | 21.83% | 69 | 3.69% |
| 1976 | 1,262 | 57.23% | 901 | 40.86% | 42 | 1.90% |
| 1980 | 1,502 | 72.04% | 478 | 22.93% | 105 | 5.04% |
| 1984 | 1,863 | 82.03% | 386 | 17.00% | 22 | 0.97% |
| 1988 | 1,642 | 71.17% | 612 | 26.53% | 53 | 2.30% |
| 1992 | 1,408 | 56.84% | 390 | 15.74% | 679 | 27.41% |
| 1996 | 1,548 | 70.88% | 405 | 18.54% | 231 | 10.58% |
| 2000 | 1,714 | 81.19% | 345 | 16.34% | 52 | 2.46% |
| 2004 | 1,936 | 85.47% | 310 | 13.69% | 19 | 0.84% |
| 2008 | 1,815 | 85.33% | 283 | 13.31% | 29 | 1.36% |
| 2012 | 1,749 | 85.99% | 252 | 12.39% | 33 | 1.62% |
| 2016 | 1,599 | 84.56% | 220 | 11.63% | 72 | 3.81% |
| 2020 | 1,760 | 86.66% | 237 | 11.67% | 34 | 1.67% |
| 2024 | 1,595 | 86.92% | 210 | 11.44% | 30 | 1.63% |
Stevens County is overwhelmingly Republican. It has not been won by a Democrat at Presidential level sinceLyndon Johnson won by fourteen votes in 1964. In fact, the last Democrat to crack thirty percent of the county's vote wasJimmy Carter in 1976, and since Carter onlyMichael Dukakis during thedrought and farm crisis-influenced 1988 election has received so much as twenty percent.
TheKansas Constitution was amended in 1986 to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with the approval of voters, either with or without a minimum of 30% of sales coming from food. Stevens County is one of 35 counties in the state that allows for the sale of liquor by the drink without the minimum food sales stipulation.[17]
List of current townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Stevens County.[18]
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Stevens County is divided into sixtownships. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banner | 04125 | 164 | 1 (2) | 277 (107) | 0 (0) | 0% | 37°3′41″N101°11′37″W / 37.06139°N 101.19361°W /37.06139; -101.19361 | |
| Center | 12200 | 4,131 | 15 (38) | 280 (108) | 0 (0) | 0.02% | 37°10′38″N101°19′7″W / 37.17722°N 101.31861°W /37.17722; -101.31861 | |
| Harmony | 30150 | 143 | 1 (1) | 280 (108) | 0 (0) | 0% | 37°19′22″N101°26′55″W / 37.32278°N 101.44861°W /37.32278; -101.44861 | |
| Moscow | 48625 | 711 | 2 (4) | 442 (171) | 0 (0) | 0.09% | 37°18′28″N101°12′12″W / 37.30778°N 101.20333°W /37.30778; -101.20333 | |
| Voorhees | 74200 | 145 | 0 (1) | 349 (135) | 0 (0) | 0% | 37°3′26″N101°23′16″W / 37.05722°N 101.38778°W /37.05722; -101.38778 | |
| West Center | 76800 | 169 | 1 (2) | 257 (99) | 0 (0) | 0% | 37°11′30″N101°26′19″W / 37.19167°N 101.43861°W /37.19167; -101.43861 |
Places adjacent to Stevens County, Kansas | |
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Municipalities and communities ofStevens County, Kansas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Ghost town | ||
| Townships |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
