Smith County, Kansas

Smith County
Smith County
County
	Home on the Range Cabin near Smith Center (2014)
	Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
	Kansas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 39°50′N 98°45′W / 39.833°N 98.750°W
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	1872
Named for	J. Nelson Smith
Seat	Smith Center
Largest city	Smith Center
Area
• Total	897 sq mi (2,320 km2)
• Land	895 sq mi (2,320 km2)
• Water	1.5 sq mi (4 km2) 0.2%
Population (2020)
• Total	3,570
• Density	4.0/sq mi (1.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	785
Congressional district	1st
Website	ks1495.cichosting.com/main/

Smith County (standard abbreviation: SM) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 3,570 people lived there.^[1] Its county seat is Smith Center.^[2] The county is named after Maj. J. Nelson Smith, who was part of the 2nd Colorado Cavalry. He was killed in action at the Battle of Westport on October 21, 1864.

The geographic center of the contiguous United States is in the county, near Lebanon.^[3]

History

19th century

In 1872, Smith County was created. The first homestead in Smith County was in 1871. There were 3,800 people living there by 1875. The county grew to 15,000 people by 1889. Corn was the main crop, but drought and grasshoppers hurt the crops. When hardy Winter wheat was introduced to Kansas by Russian settlers, it eventually became the main crop in Smith County. The number of people living in Smith County has slowly gone down since 1900. This is due to advanced farming techniques that need fewer people to farm.^[source?]

Brewster Higley wrote the song "Home on the Range" in 1873 in a cabin 9 miles northwest of Smith Center. It later became the Kansas State song.^[4]^[5]

Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of 897 square miles (2,320 km²). Of that, 895 square miles (2,320 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) (0.2%) is water.^[6] The county is divided into 25 townships, each of which is listed below in the subdivisions section of this article.

The geographic center of the 48 contiguous states is in the county, near the city of Lebanon.^[7] The geographic center of North America is located in neighboring Osborne County.

The Solomon River runs through the southern part of the county. It provides a flat basin and water for irrigation.

Major highways

There are two major highways in the county. The main east–west route is U.S. Highway 36. It goes through Athol, Kensington, and Smith Center. The main north–south route is U.S. Highway 281. Kansas state highways K-8, K-9 and K-180 go to other areas of the county.

People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	66	—
1880	13,883	20,934.8%
1890	15,613	12.5%
1900	16,384	4.9%
1910	15,365	−6.2%
1920	14,985	−2.5%
1930	13,545	−9.6%
1940	10,582	−21.9%
1950	8,846	−16.4%
1960	7,776	−12.1%
1970	6,757	−13.1%
1980	5,947	−12.0%
1990	5,078	−14.6%
2000	4,536	−10.7%
2010	3,853	−15.1%
2020	3,570	−7.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1790-1960^[9] 1900-1990^[10] 1990-2000^[11] 2010-2020^[1]

Age pyramid

Government

Presidential elections

Presidential Elections Results

**Presidential Elections Results**^[12]
Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2020	82.8% 1,763	15.8% 336	1.4% 30
2016	81.3% 1,661	14.5% 297	4.1% 84
2012	80.3% 1,624	17.7% 358	2.0% 41
2008	77.8% 1,719	20.2% 446	2.0% 45
2004	76.1% 1,803	22.8% 540	1.1% 27
2000	70.2% 1,534	24.5% 534	5.3% 116
1996	65.4% 1,628	25.6% 638	9.0% 224
1992	43.3% 1,236	27.7% 789	29.0% 827
1988	65.3% 1,951	33.6% 1,004	1.1% 33
1984	75.7% 2,332	22.2% 684	2.1% 63
1980	71.7% 2,415	21.4% 719	6.9% 234
1976	58.5% 2,009	38.8% 1,333	2.7% 94
1972	74.3% 2,600	23.4% 818	2.4% 83
1968	67.5% 2,558	24.8% 939	7.7% 293
1964	52.3% 2,026	46.7% 1,809	0.9% 36
1960	71.9% 3,013	27.6% 1,157	0.5% 22
1956	73.0% 3,142	26.5% 1,139	0.6% 26
1952	77.8% 3,623	21.2% 986	1.1% 51
1948	61.9% 2,760	35.7% 1,590	2.4% 106
1944	69.9% 3,282	29.3% 1,377	0.7% 34
1940	65.6% 3,630	33.5% 1,855	0.9% 50
1936	53.5% 3,292	46.3% 2,847	0.3% 17
1932	46.5% 2,870	51.1% 3,155	2.3% 144
1928	74.3% 4,021	24.7% 1,338	0.9% 50
1924	57.2% 3,226	29.0% 1,634	13.8% 777
1920	66.1% 3,251	31.2% 1,535	2.7% 132
1916	41.1% 2,605	54.1% 3,431	4.8% 306
1912	25.8% 970	40.9% 1,534	33.3% 1,250
1908	51.7% 1,843	44.7% 1,593	3.7% 132
1904	66.0% 2,254	17.5% 596	16.5% 564
1900	46.5% 1,770	51.9% 1,978	1.6% 61
1896	40.2% 1,385	58.6% 2,019	1.1% 39
1892	41.3% 1,389		58.7% 1,972
1888	51.7% 1,726	23.3% 777	25.0% 835

Smith County is very Republican. No Democratic presidential candidate has won Smith County since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. Since 1940, the only Democrat to win forty percent of the county’s vote was Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Education

Unified school districts

Thunder Ridge USD 110
- Kensington, Athol and western third of county; school district also covers the eastern third of Phillips County
Smith Center USD 237
- Smith Center, Lebanon, Gaylord and eastern two-thirds of county

Communities

2005 KDOT Map of Smith County (map legend)

Cities

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 "QuickFacts: Smith County, Kansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
↑ "Population and Geographic Centers" (PDF). www.census.gov. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
↑ Kansas Historical Society (October 2015). "Smith County, Kansas". Kansapedia. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
↑ Kansas Historical Society (December 2014). "Brewster Higley". Kansapedia. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
↑ "Geographic Center of the Lower 48 United States". Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
↑ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".

Other websites

County

Other

Geographical Center of the Continental United States

Maps

Smith County Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
Kansas Railroad Maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society

[2020QF-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 "QuickFacts: Smith County, Kansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 3, 2023.

[GR6-2] "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.

[3] "Population and Geographic Centers" (PDF). www.census.gov. Retrieved March 6, 2014.

[4] Kansas Historical Society (October 2015). "Smith County, Kansas". Kansapedia. Retrieved 21 May 2019.

[5] Kansas Historical Society (December 2014). "Brewster Higley". Kansapedia. Retrieved 21 May 2019.

[GR1-6] "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.

[7] "Geographic Center of the Lower 48 United States". Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2019-07-31.

[8] "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.

[9] "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2014.

[10] "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.

[11] "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2014.

[12] "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".

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