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Riley County, Kansas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Riley County, Kansas | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Kansas |
|
 Kansas's location in the USA |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | August 25, 1855 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Manhattan |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
622 sq mi (1,611 km²) 610 sq mi (1,579 km²) 13 sq mi (32 km²), 2.02% |
| PopulationEst. - (2005) - Density |
62,826 103.0/sq mi (39.8/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Riley County (standard abbreviation: RL) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of 2000, the population was 62,843. The largest city and county seat is Manhattan.
Among notable current and former residents of Riley County are former Governor John W. Carlin, General Glen Edgerton and millionaire miner Horace A. W. Tabor.
Contents |
Riley County, named for Mexican-American War general Bennet Riley, was one of the westernmost of the 33 original counties established by the Kansas Territorial Legislature in August 1855. For organizational purposes, Riley County initially had attached to it Geary County and all land west of Riley County, stretching most of the way across Kansas Territory into present-day Colorado.
The first Territorial Capital of Kansas Territory was located in the boundaries of Riley County, in the former town of Pawnee, Kansas. The site now falls within the boundaries of Fort Riley, a U.S. Army post.
Manhattan was selected as county seat in contentious fashion. In late 1857, an election was held to select the county seat, with Ogden prevailing. However, Manhattanites suspected election fraud, and were eventually able to prove that a number of votes were illegally cast. Sheriff David A. Butterfield was forced to secure the county's books and records for Manhattan, and Manhattan was finally officially declared the county seat in 1858.[1]
On May 30, 1879, the "Irving, Kansas Tornado" began in Riley county. This tornado measured F4 on the Fujita scale and had a damage path 800 yards (700 m) wide and 100 miles (200 km) long. Eighteen people were killed and sixty were injured.[2]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,611 km² (622 sq mi). 1,579 km² (610 sq mi) of it is land and 32 km² (13 sq mi) of it (2.02%) is water.
The eastern border of the county follows the former course of the Big Blue River. The river was dammed in the 1960s and Tuttle Creek Lake was created as a result. The county falls within the Flint Hills region of the state.
- Marshall County (northeast)
- Pottawatomie County (east)
- Wabaunsee County (southeast)
- Geary County (south)
- Clay County (west)
- Washington County (northwest)
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,224 |
|
|
| 1870 | 5,105 | 317.1% | |
| 1880 | 10,430 | 104.3% | |
| 1890 | 13,183 | 26.4% | |
| 1900 | 13,828 | 4.9% | |
| 1910 | 15,783 | 14.1% | |
| 1920 | 20,650 | 30.8% | |
| 1930 | 19,882 | -3.7% | |
| 1940 | 20,617 | 3.7% | |
| 1950 | 33,405 | 62.0% | |
| 1960 | 41,914 | 25.5% | |
| 1970 | 56,788 | 35.5% | |
| 1980 | 63,505 | 11.8% | |
| 1990 | 67,139 | 5.7% | |
| 2000 | 62,843 | -6.4% | |
As of the census² of 2000, there were 62,843 people, 22,137 households, and 12,263 families residing in the county. The population density was 40/km² (103/sq mi). There were 23,397 housing units at an average density of 15/km² (38/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 84.78% White, 6.88% Black or African American, 0.63% Native American, 3.22% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.89% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. 4.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 22,137 households out of which 27.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.20% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.60% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county the population was spread out with 18.80% under the age of 18, 34.50% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 13.30% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 114.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,042, and the median income for a family was $46,489. Males had a median income of $26,856 versus $23,835 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,349. About 8.50% of families and 20.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.20% of those under age 18 and 6.70% of those age 65 or over.
Name and population (2004 estimate):
- Manhattan, 47,916 (county seat)
- Ogden, 1,544
- Riley, 760
- Leonardville, 384
- Randolph, 149
- Ashland
- Bala
- Keats
- Rocky Ford
- Zeandale
Located north of the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers in Geary County, the Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres (407 km²) in Geary and Riley counties. The fort has a daytime population of nearly 25,000 and includes two census-designated places:
Riley County is divided into fourteen townships. The city of Manhattan 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 | FIPS | Population center |
Population | Population density /km² (/sq mi) |
Land area km² (sq mi) |
Water area km² (sq mi) |
Water % | Geographic coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | 02725 | 150 | 2 (4) | 89 (35) | 1 (0) | 0.75% | ||
| Bala | 03825 | Leonardville | 762 | 7 (18) | 108 (42) | 0 (0) | 0.12% | |
| Center | 12100 | 81 | 1 (3) | 82 (32) | 0 (0) | 0.04% | ||
| Fancy Creek | 22950 | 126 | 2 (4) | 83 (32) | 0 (0) | 0.07% | ||
| Grant | 28075 | 833 | 9 (23) | 92 (35) | 7 (3) | 7.38% | ||
| Jackson | 34900 | Randolph | 326 | 4 (10) | 84 (32) | 10 (4) | 10.30% | |
| Madison | 44125 | Fort Riley North CDP (part) | 8,173 | 22 (58) | 366 (141) | 0 (0) | 0.11% | |
| Manhattan | 44275 | 3,275 | 37 (95) | 89 (35) | 3 (1) | 3.28% | ||
| May Day | 45225 | 78 | 1 (2) | 81 (31) | 0 (0) | 0.04% | ||
| Ogden | 52300 | Ogden | 2,423 | 69 (178) | 35 (14) | 1 (0) | 2.32% | |
| Sherman | 65075 | 524 | 7 (18) | 76 (29) | 5 (2) | 6.06% | ||
| Swede Creek | 69650 | 157 | 1 (3) | 125 (48) | 4 (1) | 3.00% | ||
| Wildcat | 79175 | 750 | 10 (25) | 77 (30) | 0 (0) | 0.10% | ||
| Zeandale | 80900 | 357 | 2 (6) | 154 (60) | 2 (1) | 0.97% |
- Kansas State University
- Manhattan Christian College
- Riley County USD 378
- Manhattan USD 383
- Blue Valley USD 384
- Notable features and landmarks
Information on this and other counties in Kansas
- List of counties in Kansas
- List of Kansas county name etymologies
- Kansas locations by per capita income
Other information for Kansas
- List of cities in Kansas
- List of unified school districts in Kansas
- List of colleges and universities in Kansas
- Places in Riley County, Kansas United States Census Bureau
- Local History and Genealogy
- Official websites
- General county information
- County Level Data
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| Leonardville • Manhattan (county seat) • Ogden • Randolph • Riley |
