Woodson County, Kansas

County in Kansas, United States

County in Kansas

Woodson County

County

Woodson County Courthouse in Yates Center

Location within the U.S. state of Kansas

Kansas's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Kansas
Founded| 1855
Named for| Daniel Woodson
Seat| Yates Center
Largest city| Yates Center
Area

• Total| 505 sq mi (1,310 km2)
• Land| 498 sq mi (1,290 km2)
• Water| 7.4 sq mi (19 km2)  1.5%
Population

(2020)[1]

• Total| 3,115
• Density| 6.3/sq mi (2.4/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 2nd
Website| WoodsonCounty.net

Woodson County (standard abbreviation: WO) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 3,115.[1] Its county seat is Yates Center.[2]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Early history
* 1.2 19th century
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Adjacent counties
* 3 Demographics
* 4 Government
* 4.1 Presidential elections
* 5 Education
* 5.1 Unified school districts
* 6 Communities
* 6.1 Cities
* 6.2 Census-designated place
* 6.3 Other unincorporated communities
* 6.4 Ghost towns
* 6.5 Townships
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 Further reading
* 10 External links

## History

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### Early history

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See also: History of Kansas

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

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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 1855, Woodson County was established. Fort Belmont was used during the Civil War and had received refugees from the Trail of Blood on Ice. Opothleyahola is buried in an unmarked grave next to his daughter who died at the fort.

## Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 505 square miles (1,310 km2), of which 498 square miles (1,290 km2) is land and 7.4 square miles (19 km2) (1.5%) is water.[3]

### Adjacent counties

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* Coffey County (north)
* Anderson County (northeast)
* Allen County (east)
* Neosho County (southeast)
* Wilson County (south)
* Greenwood County (west)

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1860| 1,488| | —
1870| 3,827| | 157.2%
1880| 6,535| | 70.8%
1890| 9,021| | 38.0%
1900| 10,022| | 11.1%
1910| 9,450| | −5.7%
1920| 8,984| | −4.9%
1930| 8,526| | −5.1%
1940| 8,014| | −6.0%
1950| 6,711| | −16.3%
1960| 5,423| | −19.2%
1970| 4,789| | −11.7%
1980| 4,600| | −3.9%
1990| 4,116| | −10.5%
2000| 3,788| | −8.0%
2010| 3,309| | −12.6%
2020| 3,115| | −5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]
1790-1960[5] 1900-1990[6]
1990-2000[7] 2010-2020[1]
Age pyramid

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 3,788 people, 1,642 households, and 1,052 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km2). There were 2,076 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.96% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 0.87% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,642 households, out of which 25.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.80% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.90% were non-families. 33.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.40% 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 21.70% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 22.10% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 24.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,335, and the median income for a family was $31,369. Males had a median income of $23,950 versus $16,135 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,283. About 10.20% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 13.20% of those age 65 or over.

## Government

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### Presidential elections

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United States presidential election results for Woodson County, Kansas[9] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 1,228  | 79.43% | 294  | 19.02%  | 24  | 1.55%
2016 | 1,082  | 74.98% | 273  | 18.92%  | 88  | 6.10%
2012 | 1,035  | 71.53% | 380  | 26.26%  | 32  | 2.21%
2008 | 1,055  | 65.98% | 512  | 32.02%  | 32  | 2.00%
2004 | 1,204  | 68.29% | 530  | 30.06%  | 29  | 1.64%
2000 | 974  | 61.07% | 521  | 32.66%  | 100  | 6.27%
1996 | 953  | 52.02% | 598  | 32.64%  | 281  | 15.34%
1992 | 662  | 35.48% | 590  | 31.62%  | 614  | 32.90%
1988 | 1,062  | 57.50% | 761  | 41.20%  | 24  | 1.30%
1984 | 1,408  | 69.36% | 596  | 29.36%  | 26  | 1.28%
1980 | 1,435  | 65.56% | 646  | 29.51%  | 108  | 4.93%
1976 | 1,104  | 54.09% | 904  | 44.29%  | 33  | 1.62%
1972 | 1,592  | 72.59% | 550  | 25.08%  | 51  | 2.33%
1968 | 1,450  | 62.63% | 639  | 27.60%  | 226  | 9.76%
1964 | 1,279  | 52.61% | 1,128  | 46.40%  | 24  | 0.99%
1960 | 1,853  | 67.36% | 888  | 32.28%  | 10  | 0.36%
1956 | 2,171  | 70.88% | 870  | 28.40%  | 22  | 0.72%
1952 | 2,594  | 76.29% | 786  | 23.12%  | 20  | 0.59%
1948 | 1,997  | 62.58% | 1,145  | 35.88%  | 49  | 1.54%
1944 | 2,308  | 69.56% | 999  | 30.11%  | 11  | 0.33%
1940 | 2,637  | 64.87% | 1,398  | 34.39%  | 30  | 0.74%
1936 | 2,374  | 55.49% | 1,884  | 44.04%  | 20  | 0.47%
1932 | 1,842  | 45.17%  | 2,119  | 51.96% | 117  | 2.87%
1928 | 2,885  | 76.59% | 855  | 22.70%  | 27  | 0.72%
1924 | 2,412  | 63.17% | 1,026  | 26.87%  | 380  | 9.95%
1920 | 2,253  | 68.71% | 944  | 28.79%  | 82  | 2.50%
1916 | 1,861  | 48.21% | 1,794  | 46.48%  | 205  | 5.31%
1912 | 694  | 29.14%  | 900  | 37.78% | 788  | 33.08%
1908 | 1,252  | 53.23% | 1,047  | 44.52%  | 53  | 2.25%
1904 | 1,490  | 63.57% | 657  | 28.03%  | 197  | 8.40%
1900 | 1,418  | 55.54% | 1,115  | 43.67%  | 20  | 0.78%
1896 | 1,288  | 51.56% | 1,189  | 47.60%  | 21  | 0.84%
1892 | 1,071  | 50.16% | 0  | 0.00%  | 1,064  | 49.84%
1888 | 1,149  | 51.97% | 595  | 26.91%  | 467  | 21.12%

Woodson County is powerfully Republican. The only Democrat to win a majority in the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, although Woodrow Wilson won a plurality in 1912. In contrast, Charles Evans Hughes in 1916 & George H. W. Bush in 1992 are the only Republican winners of the county who only managed to win a plurality of its votes.

## Education

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### Unified school districts

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* Woodson USD 366

## Communities

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### Cities

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* Yates Center
* Toronto
* Neosho Falls

2005 KDOT Map of Woodson County from KDOT (map legend)

### Census-designated place

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* Piqua

### Other unincorporated communities

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* Athens
* Batesville
* Cookville
* Durand
* Rose
* Vernon

### Ghost towns

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* Defiance - located six miles east of Yates Center, its population moved to Yates Center after it was selected as the permanent county seat in 1876[10]
* Kalida - located two miles south of Yates Center, its population moved to Yates Center after it was selected as the permanent county seat in 1876[10]

### Townships

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Woodson County is divided into six townships. The city of Yates Center 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.

Sources: 2000 U.S. Gazetteer from the U.S. Census Bureau.  Township | FIPS | Population
center  | Population | Population
density
/km2 (/sq mi) | Land area
km2 (sq mi) | Water area
km2 (sq mi) | Water %  | Geographic coordinates

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Center | 12250 |  | 594 | 1 (4) | 410 (158) | 1 (0) | 0.23% | 37°50′35″N 95°43′29″W﻿ / ﻿37.84306°N 95.72472°W﻿ / 37.84306; -95.72472
Liberty | 40375 |  | 200 | 1 (2) | 223 (86) | 1 (0) | 0.26% | 37°59′18″N 95°43′47″W﻿ / ﻿37.98833°N 95.72972°W﻿ / 37.98833; -95.72972
Neosho Falls | 49850 |  | 537 | 3 (7) | 196 (76) | 1 (0) | 0.38% | 37°57′30″N 95°33′54″W﻿ / ﻿37.95833°N 95.56500°W﻿ / 37.95833; -95.56500
North | 51025 |  | 71 | 0 (1) | 167 (64) | 0 (0) | 0.11% | 37°59′50″N 95°53′19″W﻿ / ﻿37.99722°N 95.88861°W﻿ / 37.99722; -95.88861
Perry | 55475 |  | 103 | 1 (2) | 127 (49) | 0 (0) | 0.08% | 37°46′18″N 95°35′24″W﻿ / ﻿37.77167°N 95.59000°W﻿ / 37.77167; -95.59000
Toronto | 71075 |  | 684 | 4 (11) | 167 (64) | 10 (4) | 5.40% | 37°47′52″N 95°55′37″W﻿ / ﻿37.79778°N 95.92694°W﻿ / 37.79778; -95.92694

## See also

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Community information for Kansas

* Kansas locations by per capita income
* List of counties in Kansas
* List of townships in Kansas
* List of cities in Kansas
* List of unincorporated communities in Kansas
* List of ghost towns in Kansas

Education information for Kansas

* List of colleges and universities in Kansas
* List of high schools in Kansas
* List of unified school districts in Kansas

Historical information for Kansas

* List of museums in Kansas
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Kansas

|

## References

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1. ^ a b c "QuickFacts; Woodson County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
4. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
5. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
6. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
7. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
8. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
9. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
10. ^ a b "WOODSON COUNTY, KANSAS COUNTY HISTORY". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved September 18, 2017.

## Further reading

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See also: List of books about Kansas, including historical information about its counties and cities

* Standard Atlas of Woodson County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 38 pages; 1904.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Woodson County, Kansas.

County

* Woodson County - Official Website
* Woodson County - Directory of Public Officials

Maps

* Woodson County maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
* Kansas Highway maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
* Kansas Railroad maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society

Places adjacent to Woodson County, Kansas

|  | Coffey County | Anderson County

|
|

|  |
Greenwood County |

Woodson County, Kansas

| Allen County
|  |
| Wilson County | Neosho County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Woodson County, Kansas, United States

County seat: Yates Center

Cities|

* Neosho Falls
* Toronto
* Yates Center

Map of Kansas highlighting Woodson County

Unincorporated
communities|

* Cookville
* Durand
* Piqua†
* Vernon

Footnotes|

†This community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Kansas

Topeka (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Geography
* History
* Bleeding Kansas
* Constitutions
* Capitals
* Capitols
* Timeline
* Governors
* Delegations
* Landmarks
* People
* Places
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions

Society|

* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Politics

Regions|

* Cherokee Strip
* Cross Timbers
* Dissected Till Plains
* East Central
* Four State Area
* Flint Hills
* High Plains
* KC metro area
* North Central
* Osage Plains
* Ozarks
* Red Hills
* Santa Fe Trail Region
* Smoky Hills
* Southeast

Largest
cities|

* (1) Wichita
* (2) Overland Park
* (3) Kansas City
* (4) Olathe
* (5) Topeka
* (6) Lawrence
* (7) Shawnee
* (8) Manhattan
* (9) Lenexa
* (10) Salina
* (11) Hutchinson
* (12) Leavenworth
* (13) Leawood
* (14) Dodge City
* (15) Garden City
* (16) Junction City
* (17) Emporia
* (18) Derby
* (19) Prairie Village
* (20) Liberal
* (21) Hays
* (22) Pittsburg
* (23) Gardner
* (24) Newton
* (25) Great Bend
* (26) McPherson
* (27) El Dorado
* (28) Ottawa
* (29) Winfield
* (30) Arkansas City
* (31) Andover
* (32) Lansing
* (33) Merriam
* (34) Atchison
* (35) Haysville
* (36) Parsons
* (37) Coffeyville
* (38) Mission
* (39) Independence
* (40) Augusta
* (41) Chanute
* (42) Wellington
* (43) Fort Scott
* (44) Park City
* (45) Bonner Springs
* (46) Valley Center
* (47) Pratt
* (48) Bel Aire
* (49) Roeland Park
* (50) Abilene

Counties|

* Allen
* Anderson
* Atchison
* Barber
* Barton
* Bourbon
* Brown
* Butler
* Chase
* Chautauqua
* Cherokee
* Cheyenne
* Clark
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* Hamilton
* Harper
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* Haskell
* Hodgeman
* Jackson
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* Jewell
* Johnson
* Kearny
* Kingman
* Kiowa
* Labette
* Lane
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* McPherson
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* Sherman
* Smith
* Stafford
* Stanton
* Stevens
* Sumner
* Thomas
* Trego
* Wabaunsee
* Wallace
* Washington
* Wichita
* Wilson
* Woodson
* Wyandotte

Lists|

* List of counties in Kansas
* List of townships in Kansas
* List of cities in Kansas
* List of census-designated places in Kansas
* List of unincorporated communities in Kansas
* List of ghost towns in Kansas
* Lists of people from Kansas

Coordinates: 37°53′N 95°44′W﻿ / ﻿37.883°N 95.733°W﻿ / 37.883; -95.733
*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
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