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Finney County, Kansas

Coordinates: 38°01′N 100°40′W / 38.017°N 100.667°W / 38.017; -100.667
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Finney County
County
Finney County Courthouse in Garden City (2015)
Finney County Courthouse in Garden City (2015)
Map of Kansas highlighting Finney County
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Map of the United States highlighting Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°57′38″N 100°51′21″W / 37.9606°N 100.8558°W / 37.9606; -100.8558
Country United States
State Kansas
FoundedFebruary 22, 1883
Named forDavid W. Finney
SeatGarden City
Largest cityGarden City
Area
 • Total1,303 sq mi (3,370 km2)
 • Land1,302 sq mi (3,370 km2)
 • Water0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.05%
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total38,470
 • Density29.5/sq mi (11.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district1st
WebsiteFinneyCounty.org

Finney County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Garden City.[2] As of the 2020 census, the county population was 38,470. The county was named for David Finney, the Lieutenant Governor of Kansas from 1881 and 1885. In 2020, 51.4 percent of the population in the county was Hispanic, one of a few counties in Kansas with a Hispanic majority population.[1]

History

[edit]
See also: History of Kansas

Finney County was established in 1867 and named after Lt. Gov. John W. Finney.[3] The first white settlers arrived in 1878, settling along the Arkansas River and its tributaries.[3]

Finney County began about 1880 as Buffalo County and Sequoyah County[citation needed], named after Sequoyah, the Cherokee Indian responsible for the development of the Cherokee alphabet. The two counties were merged and renamed Finney County in honor of then Lieutenant Governor David Wesley Finney.[4] The county grew to the current shape after Garfield County was annexed to it in 1893. The northeast block, separate from the otherwise rectangular area, represents what at one time was Garfield County, which is now occupied partially by the Garfield Township.[5]

The town of Garden City was founded in 1879 by the cattle firm of Jones and Plummer, who established it as a shipping point for Texas cattle being driven along the Jones & Plummer Trail to Dodge City.[3] Garden City grew rapidly as a railroad hub when the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroads arrived in 1888.[3]

As described in Blackmar's Cyclopedia, Garden City "was a typical frontier town, with its gambling houses, dance halls and other adjuncts of border civilization" in its early years, but it quickly transformed into an agricultural center for southwest Kansas.[3]

Other early settlements like Holcomb, Kalvesta, and Pierceville sprung up in the 1880s as Finney County became a prosperous region for wheat farming and cattle ranching.[3] The county population boomed from just 537 in 1880 to over 5,000 by 1890 as homesteaders poured in.[3]

In 1893, the former Garfield County was annexed into Finney County and organized as Garfield Township. Garfield County had originally been established in 1887 from parts of Finney County and other surrounding counties, but it struggled to maintain a viable tax base and population.[6]

By 1910, Finney County had a population exceeding 10,000 as agriculture firmly took root in the region after its pioneering days on the frontier.[3]

Between 2007 and 2008 Finney County became majority-minority.[7]

Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,303 square miles (3,370 km2), of which 1,302 square miles (3,370 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.05%) is water.[8] It is the second-largest county in Kansas by area.

Adjacent counties

[edit]

Demographics

[edit]
Population pyramid based on 2000 census age data
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18904,231—
19003,469−18.0%
19106,90899.1%
19207,67411.1%
193011,01443.5%
194010,092−8.4%
195015,09249.5%
196016,0936.6%
197018,94717.7%
198023,82525.7%
199033,07038.8%
200040,52322.5%
201036,776−9.2%
202038,4704.6%
2023 (est.)37,466[9]−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[1]

Finney County is included in the Garden City, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area.

2010 census

[edit]

As of the 2010 census[14] there were 36,776 people, 12,359 households and 8,903 families living in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 77.0% White, 2.3% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 13.6% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46.7% of the population.

2000 census

[edit]

As of the 2000 census,[14] there were 40,523 people, 12,948 households, and 9,749 families living in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12 people/km2). There were 13,763 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 69.05% White, 1.25% Black or African American, 0.96% Native American, 2.87% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 22.99% from other races, and 2.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 43.30% of the population.

There were 12,948 households, out of which 46.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.80% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.70% were non-families. 19.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 34.30% under the age of 18, 11.00% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 16.60% from 45 to 64, and 7.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 104.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,474, and the median income for a family was $42,839. Males had a median income of $29,948 versus $21,510 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,377. About 10.00% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government

[edit]

Presidential election results

[edit]

Finney County has primarily supported Republican presidential candidates throughout its history. In only six elections from 1884 to the present has the county not backed the Republican candidate, the last of these being in 1976 when Jimmy Carter won the county by only 102 votes.

Presidential election results
United States presidential election results for Finney County, Kansas[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 6,875 66.68% 3,257 31.59% 179 1.74%
2020 7,236 61.08% 4,325 36.51% 285 2.41%
2016 6,350 61.74% 3,195 31.06% 740 7.19%
2012 6,219 68.46% 2,682 29.52% 183 2.01%
2008 6,926 66.89% 3,275 31.63% 153 1.48%
2004 7,479 75.29% 2,351 23.67% 103 1.04%
2000 6,442 70.40% 2,431 26.57% 277 3.03%
1996 6,188 65.43% 2,420 25.59% 849 8.98%
1992 5,278 48.28% 2,612 23.89% 3,043 27.83%
1988 5,381 60.14% 3,408 38.09% 158 1.77%
1984 6,938 73.08% 2,458 25.89% 98 1.03%
1980 4,831 58.59% 2,689 32.61% 726 8.80%
1976 3,711 48.40% 3,813 49.73% 143 1.87%
1972 4,335 65.66% 2,062 31.23% 205 3.11%
1968 3,295 52.11% 2,521 39.87% 507 8.02%
1964 2,201 37.41% 3,639 61.86% 43 0.73%
1960 3,720 59.62% 2,490 39.90% 30 0.48%
1956 3,576 66.87% 1,752 32.76% 20 0.37%
1952 4,290 72.32% 1,597 26.92% 45 0.76%
1948 2,508 50.01% 2,367 47.20% 140 2.79%
1944 2,366 58.20% 1,667 41.01% 32 0.79%
1940 2,349 53.39% 2,027 46.07% 24 0.55%
1936 1,863 40.87% 2,682 58.84% 13 0.29%
1932 2,116 47.02% 2,300 51.11% 84 1.87%
1928 2,433 76.65% 709 22.34% 32 1.01%
1924 1,753 61.66% 614 21.60% 476 16.74%
1920 1,573 68.96% 619 27.14% 89 3.90%
1916 1,238 42.75% 1,370 47.31% 288 9.94%
1912 283 17.97% 573 36.38% 719 45.65%
1908 1,000 61.46% 551 33.87% 76 4.67%
1904 598 66.82% 215 24.02% 82 9.16%
1900 525 59.86% 336 38.31% 16 1.82%
1896 505 57.85% 366 41.92% 2 0.23%
1892 478 58.29% 0 0.00% 342 41.71%
1888 694 62.98% 348 31.58% 60 5.44%

Laws

[edit]

Finney County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.[16]

Education

[edit]

Unified school districts

[edit]

Communities

[edit]
2005 map of Finney County[17] (map legend)

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Finney County.[17]
† means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.

Cities

[edit]

Unincorporated communities

[edit]

Ghost towns

[edit]

Townships

[edit]

Finney County is divided into seven townships. The city of Garden City 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
Garden City 25350 7,400 23 (59) 327 (126) 0 (0) 0.11% 37°57′39″N 100°51′22″W / 37.96083°N 100.85611°W / 37.96083; -100.85611
Garfield 25600 331 0 (1) 1,116 (431) 1 (0) 0.09% 38°8′13″N 100°26′47″W / 38.13694°N 100.44639°W / 38.13694; -100.44639
Ivanhoe 34675 666 2 (5) 368 (142) 0 (0) 0% 37°49′10″N 100°51′26″W / 37.81944°N 100.85722°W / 37.81944; -100.85722
Pierceville 55800 551 1 (4) 378 (146) 0 (0) 0.01% 37°53′39″N 100°42′56″W / 37.89417°N 100.71556°W / 37.89417; -100.71556
Pleasant Valley 56550 139 0 (1) 371 (143) 0 (0) 0% 38°10′40″N 100°48′6″W / 38.17778°N 100.80167°W / 38.17778; -100.80167
Sherlock 64800 Holcomb 2,758 7 (17) 419 (162) 0 (0) 0.09% 38°0′32″N 101°0′8″W / 38.00889°N 101.00222°W / 38.00889; -101.00222
Terry 70225 227 1 (2) 371 (143) 0 (0) 0.11% 38°9′22″N 100°59′52″W / 38.15611°N 100.99778°W / 38.15611; -100.99778
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. Archived from the original on August 2, 2002.

See also

[edit]
Finney County Historical Museum in Garden City is located in Finnup Park.
Community information for Kansas

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "QuickFacts; Finney County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Blanchard, Leola Howard (1931). Conquest of Southwest Kansas: A History and Thrilling Stories of Frontier Life in the State of Kansas. Wichita Eagle Press.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 126.
  5. ^ Kansas Place-Names, John Rydjord, University of Oklahoma Press, 1972, ISBN 0-8061-0994-7
  6. ^ Schoewe, Walter H. (1948). "The Geography of Kansas: Part I: Political Geography". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 51 (3): 253–288. doi:10.2307/3625831. ISSN 0022-8443. JSTOR 3625831.
  7. ^ Callebs, Sean. "Whites become minority in Kansas county." CNN. May 22, 2009. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
  8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  9. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  12. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  13. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  14. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  15. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
  16. ^ "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
  17. ^ a b "General Highway Map of Finney County, Kansas" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). July 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2023.
Notes

Further reading

[edit]
See also: List of books about Kansas, including historical information about its counties and cities
See also: List of books about Santa Fe Trail
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Finney County, Kansas.
County
Other
Maps

38°01′N 100°40′W / 38.017°N 100.667°W / 38.017; -100.667

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