Decatur County, Kansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Decatur County
County
Bank of Oberlin (2014)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	March 20, 1873
Named for	Stephen Decatur, Jr.
Seat	Oberlin
Largest city	Oberlin
Area
• Total	894 sq mi (2,320 km2)
• Land	894 sq mi (2,320 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (2 km2)  0.07%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,764
• Density	3.1/sq mi (1.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	785
Congressional district	1st

Decatur County is a county located in Northwest Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Oberlin. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,764. The county was named in honor of Stephen Decatur, Jr., a commodore in the United States Navy who served during both Barbary Wars in North Africa, the Quasi-War with France, and the War of 1812 with Britain.

History

Early history

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.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. Decatur County was established March 20, 1873 and organized on December 15, 1879. It is named for the Navy war hero Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., who served during the First Barbary War and the Second Barbary War and the War of 1812.

Oberlin was the site of the last Native American (specifically the Northern Cheyenne) Raid in Kansas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 894 square miles (2,320 km²), of which 894 square miles (2,320 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) (0.07%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Red Willow County, Nebraska (north)
• Furnas County, Nebraska (northeast)
• Norton County (east)
• Sheridan County (south)
• Thomas County (southwest)
• Rawlins County (west)

Demographics

Population pyramid based on 2000 census age data

In 1879 the population was just over 1,500. By 1886 there were 6,300 people in the county, up from 4,067 in 1885. By the 1910 Census this had risen to 8.976.

As of the 2000 census, there were 3,472 people, 1,494 households, and 981 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1.5 people/km²). There were 1,821 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (0.77/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.87% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.

There were 1,494 households, out of which 25.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 5.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.30% were non-families. 32.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 4.70% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 26.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,257, and the median income for a family was $34,982. Males had a median income of $25,139 versus $17,368 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,348. About 8.00% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 6.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There were 101 school districts in the county in 1909.

Unified school districts

• Oberlin USD 294

Communities

2005 KDOT Map of Decatur County (map legend)

Cities

• Clayton
• Dresden
• Jennings
• Norcatur
• Oberlin

Unincorporated places

• Allison
• Cedar Bluffs
• Kanona
• Leoville
• Lyle
• Traer

Townships

Decatur County is divided into twenty-five townships. The city of Oberlin 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.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Decatur (Kansas) para niños