Trego County, Kansas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Trego County
County
Trego County Courthouse in WaKeeney (2017)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	June 21, 1879
Named for	Edgar Poe Trego
Seat	WaKeeney
Largest city	WaKeeney
Area
• Total	900 sq mi (2,000 km²)
• Land	889 sq mi (2,300 km²)
• Water	10 sq mi (30 km²) 1.1%
Population (2020)
• Total	2,808
• Density	3.2/sq mi (1.2/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Trego County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is WaKeeney. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,808. The county was named for Edgar Trego.

History
- Early history
- 19th century
Geography
- Adjacent counties
- Major highways
Demographics
Education
- Unified school districts
Communities
Gallery
See also

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. In 1879, Trego County was established.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 900 square miles (2,300 km²), of which 889 square miles (2,300 km²) is land and 10 square miles (26 km²) (1.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Graham County (north)
Rooks County (northeast)
Ellis County (east)
Ness County (south)
Gove County (west)

Major highways

Interstate 70
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 283
K-147

Demographics

Population pyramid based on 2000 census age data

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	166	—
1880	2,535	1,427.1%
1890	2,535	0.0%
1900	2,722	7.4%
1910	5,398	98.3%
1920	5,880	8.9%
1930	6,470	10.0%
1940	5,822	−10.0%
1950	5,868	0.8%
1960	5,473	−6.7%
1970	4,436	−18.9%
1980	4,165	−6.1%
1990	3,694	−11.3%
2000	3,319	−10.2%
2010	3,001	−9.6%
2020	2,808	−6.4%
2023 (est.)	2,731	−9.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,319 people, 1,412 households, and 936 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1.5 people/km²). There were 1,723 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (0.77/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.77% White, 0.18% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,412 households, out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 6.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 31.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.90% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 24.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,677, and the median income for a family was $40,524. Males had a median income of $26,545 versus $16,927 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,239. About 11.20% of families and 12.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Unified school districts

WaKeeney USD 208

Communities

2005 map of Trego County (map legend)

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Trego County.
† means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.

Cities

Collyer
WaKeeney (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

Ogallah†
Riga
Voda

Ghost towns

Banner
Bosna
Cyrus
Wilcox

Townships

Trego County is divided into seven townships. None of the cities within the county are considered governmentally 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.

Sources: 2000 U.S. Gazetteer from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Township	FIPS	Population	Population density /km² (/sq mi)	Land area km² (sq mi)	Water area km² (sq mi)	Water %	Geographic coordinates
Collyer	14925	368	1 (2)	517 (200)	0 (0)	0.02%	39°0′31″N 100°3′55″W / 39.00861°N 100.06528°W / 39.00861; -100.06528
Franklin	24500	60	0 (1)	259 (100)	0 (0)	0%	38°45′42″N 100°4′10″W / 38.76167°N 100.06944°W / 38.76167; -100.06944
Glencoe	26425	70	1 (2)	93 (36)	0 (0)	0%	38°55′40″N 99°38′30″W / 38.92778°N 99.64167°W / 38.92778; -99.64167
Ogallah	52250	214	1 (1)	373 (144)	0 (0)	0.05%	39°0′31″N 99°41′49″W / 39.00861°N 99.69694°W / 39.00861; -99.69694
Riverside	60150	117	0 (1)	296 (114)	15 (6)	4.95%	38°47′32″N 99°42′41″W / 38.79222°N 99.71139°W / 38.79222; -99.71139
WaKeeney	74475	2,398	5 (13)	465 (179)	0 (0)	0.03%	39°0′41″N 99°52′36″W / 39.01139°N 99.87667°W / 39.01139; -99.87667
Wilcox	79137	92	0 (1)	298 (115)	12 (5)	3.85%	38°47′25″N 99°52′37″W / 38.79028°N 99.87694°W / 38.79028; -99.87694