The story
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 1855, Shawnee County was established.
Before the treaty of 1854, the Shawnee, Kansas, and Pottowatomie Indian tribes inhabited the area now known as Shawnee County. Westward expansion brought the country its first white settler in 1830 when Frederick Choteau opened a trading post on American Chief (now Mission) Creek. In 1855, Shawnee became one of the first counties established by the Kansas territorial legislature with a population of 250. General H. J. Strickler, of Tecumseh, a member of the council in 1855, and the joint committee on Counties, claimed Shawnee for the name of his county. At that time, Shawnee County borders were entirely south of the Kansas River and extended south to include Osage City and Carbondale. The legislature later desired to make Topeka the county seat and moved the borders of the county to their present locations to make Topeka centrally located in the county.
1855 also saw the first ever meeting of the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners. Tecumseh was the first county seat, and the first county courthouse was opened there in 1856. The building was 40x50 feet but was never finished. Topeka was made the county seat by popular vote in 1858, and a new courthouse was built at 4th Street and Kansas Avenue in 1867. In 1896, a new larger courthouse was constructed at 5th and Van Buren, with more than 50,000 residents then living in the county. That building remained in use until the current courthouse at 7th and Quincy opened in 1965.
Local etymologies
Concerning the origin of the names in this county, it is generally understood Shawnee County receives its name from that well known tribe of Indians.
Topeka
A good place to grow potatoes (Prairie potatoes).
Read the full text
Wakarusa
River of big weeds.
Shunganunga
The race course.
Menoken
A fine growth.
Half-Day Creek
Named after a Pottawatomie chief.
Mission Creek
Named after an old Kaw mission on its banks.
Blacksmith Creek
Named after a Kaw blacksmith shop.
Soldier Creek
Its banks were a favorite camping ground for soldiers passing from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 178,909. The median age was 39.7 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.8 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 74.0% White, 7.9% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.7% from some other race, and 10.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 13.3% of the population.
83.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 16.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 73,453 households in the county, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 29.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 80,512 housing units, of which 8.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.2% were owner-occupied and 36.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 169,871 people, 68,920 households, and 44,660 families residing in the county. The population density was 309 inhabitants per square mile (119/km2). There were 73,768 housing units at an average density of 134 per square mile (52/km2). The county's racial makeup was 82.89% White, 9.03% Black or African American, 1.17% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. 7.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 68,920 households, of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.60% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.
25.30% of the county's residents were under the age of 18, 8.80% were from 18 to 24, 28.40% were from 25 to 44, 23.70% were from 45 to 64, and 13.70% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.
The county's median household income was $40,988, and the median family income was $51,464. Males had a median income of $35,586 versus $26,491 for females. The county's per capita income was $20,904. About 6.30% of families and 9.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.30% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.
From Wikipedia’s article on Shawnee County, Kansas, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4