Riley County, Kansas
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Riley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Manhattan.[1] As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,959.[2] The county was named after Bennet Riley, the 7th governor of California, and a Mexican–American War hero. Riley County is home to Fort Riley and Kansas State University.
History
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Riley County, named for Mexican–American War general Bennet Riley, was on the western edge of the 33 original counties established by the Kansas Territorial Legislature in August 1855. For organizational purposes, Riley County initially had attached to it Geary County and all land west of Riley County, across Kansas Territory into present-day Colorado.[3]
The first Territorial Capital of Kansas Territory was located in the boundaries of Riley County, in the former town of Pawnee. The site now falls within the boundaries of Fort Riley, a U.S. Army post.[4]
Manhattan was selected as county seat in contentious fashion. In late 1857, an election was held to select the county seat, with Ogden prevailing. However, Manhattanites suspected election fraud, and were eventually able to prove that a number of votes were illegally cast.[3] Sheriff David A. Butterfield was forced to secure the county's books and records for Manhattan, and Manhattan was finally officially declared the county seat in 1858.[3][5]
On May 30, 1879, the "Irving, Kansas Tornado" began in Riley County. This tornado is estimated to have been an F4 on the Fujita scale, with a damage path Script error: No such module "convert". wide and Script error: No such module "convert". long. Eighteen people were killed and sixty were injured.[6]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Script error: No such module "convert"., of which Script error: No such module "convert". is land and Script error: No such module "convert". (2.0%) is water.[7]
The eastern border of the county follows the former course of the Big Blue River. The river was dammed in the 1960s and Tuttle Creek Lake was created as a result. The county falls within the Flint Hills region of the state.
Adjacent counties
- Marshall County (northeast)
- Pottawatomie County (east)
- Wabaunsee County (southeast)
- Geary County (south)
- Clay County (west)
- Washington County (northwest)
Demographics
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| Census | Pop. | Template:Sronly | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,224 | — | |
| 1870 | 5,105 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1880 | 10,430 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1890 | 13,183 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1900 | 13,828 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1910 | 15,783 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1920 | 20,650 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1930 | 19,882 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1940 | 20,617 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1950 | 33,405 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1960 | 41,914 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1970 | 56,788 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1980 | 63,505 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1990 | 67,139 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2000 | 62,843 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2010 | 71,115 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2020 | 71,959 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 71,402 | [8] | Script error: No such module "String".% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[2] | |||
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Riley County is part of the Manhattan, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. People aged 15 to 34 years old make up 53.6% of the population of Riley County, one of the highest rates in the United States.[13]
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 71,959. The median age was 25.3 years. 17.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 10.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 112.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 113.4 males age 18 and over.[14][15]
The racial makeup of the county was 75.8% White, 7.0% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.7% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.2% from some other race, and 8.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.4% of the population.[15]
90.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.8% lived in rural areas.[16]
There were 26,711 households in the county, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
There were 30,477 housing units, of which 12.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 42.5% were owner-occupied and 57.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.4%.[14]
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,843 people, 22,137 households, and 12,263 families residing in the county. The population density was Script error: No such module "convert".. There were 23,397 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert".. The racial makeup of the county was 84.78% White, 6.88% Black or African American, 0.63% Native American, 3.22% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.89% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. 4.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 22,137 households, out of which 27.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.20% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.60% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 18.80% under the age of 18, 34.50% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 13.30% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,042, and the median income for a family was $46,489. Males had a median income of $26,856 versus $23,835 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,349. About 8.50% of families and 20.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.20% of those under age 18 and 6.70% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Riley County is governed by three county commissioners, John Ford, Marvin Rodriguez, and Ron Wells.[17]
Presidential elections
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Template:PresFootOwing to its history of Yankee anti-slavery settlement in “Bleeding Kansas” days, Riley County became strongly Republican following Kansas statehood, except when over half of its voters supported Progressive Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 who himself was a Republican who had broken away from the party in that election cycle. Being relatively resistant to the Democratic populism of William Jennings Bryan, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Riley County stood as the westernmost of thirty-eight US counties to have never voted Democratic for President since the Civil War. However, it was the only one whose status as “never Democratic” stood significantly threatened in 2016 and 2020: Hillary Clinton's losing margin of only 3.5 percent was the second-closest any Democrat has come to claiming the county behind her husband in the divided 1992 election.
In the 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election, Democratic candidate Laura Kelly won Riley County by a 24-point margin, and in the 2018 US House Election in KS-01, Republican candidate Roger Marshall lost Riley County by a 2-point margin.
Even though he lost Kansas in 2020, Joe Biden won Riley County 50.7% to 46.1%, becoming the first Democratic presidential win in Riley County's history. In 2024, Donald Trump became the first Republican to win a presidential election without carrying Riley, as the county narrowly voted for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Laws
Riley County is the only county in Kansas without an elected sheriff; the county police department handles all the sheriff's functions.[18]
Riley 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 percent food sales requirement. The food sales requirement was removed with voter approval in 2004.[19]
The county voted "No" on the 2022 Kansas abortion referendum, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 68% to 32%, outpacing its support of Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election.[20]
Education
Colleges and universities
Unified school districts
School districts with offices in the county include:[21]
Others:[21]
- Clay Center USD 379
- Geary County Schools USD 475
- Mill Creek Valley USD 329
- Rock Creek USD 323
- Valley Heights USD 498
- Wamego USD 320
Communities
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Riley County.[22]
Cities
‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county.
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- Leonardville
- Manhattan‡ (county seat)
- Ogden
- Randolph
- Riley
Unincorporated communities
† means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.
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Former communities
These former places were flooded when Tuttle Creek Lake was created in the 1950s to 1960s. Randolph (above) was also flooded, but moved a mile west of its original location.
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- Cleburne
- Garrison Cross
- Stockdale
- Winkler[23]
Fort Riley
Located north of the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers in Geary County, Fort Riley Military Reservation covers Script error: No such module "convert". in Geary and Riley counties. The fort has a daytime population of nearly 25,000 and includes a census-designated place.
Townships
Riley County is divided into fourteen townships. The city of Manhattan which is surrounded by Manhattan Township is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for Manhattan Township or any other 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | 02725 | 150 | 2 (4) | 89 (35) | 1 (0) | 0.75% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| Bala | 03825 | Leonardville | 762 | 7 (18) | 108 (42) | 0 (0) | 0.12% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". |
| Center | 12100 | 81 | 1 (3) | 82 (32) | 0 (0) | 0.04% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| Fancy Creek | 22950 | 126 | 2 (4) | 83 (32) | 0 (0) | 0.07% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| Grant | 28075 | 833 | 9 (23) | 92 (35) | 7 (3) | 7.38% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| Jackson | 34900 | Randolph | 326 | 4 (10) | 84 (32) | 10 (4) | 10.30% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". |
| Madison | 44125 | Fort Riley CDP (part) | 8,173 | 22 (58) | 366 (141) | 0 (0) | 0.11% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". |
| Manhattan | 44275 | 3,275 | 37 (95) | 89 (35) | 3 (1) | 3.28% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| May Day | 45225 | 78 | 1 (2) | 81 (31) | 0 (0) | 0.04% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| Ogden | 52300 | Ogden | 2,423 | 69 (178) | 35 (14) | 1 (0) | 2.32% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". |
| Sherman | 65075 | 524 | 7 (18) | 76 (29) | 5 (2) | 6.06% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| Swede Creek | 69650 | Cleburne (hist.) | 157 | 1 (3) | 125 (48) | 4 (1) | 3.00% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". |
| Wildcat | 79175 | 750 | 10 (25) | 77 (30) | 0 (0) | 0.10% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| Zeandale | 80900 | 357 | 2 (6) | 154 (60) | 2 (1) | 0.97% | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". |
Notable people
Among notable current and former residents of Riley County are former Governor John W. Carlin, General Glen Edgerton, millionaire miner Horace A. W. Tabor, NFL receiver Jordy Nelson.
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
References
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- ↑ Riley County Official Website – History
- ↑ Joe Furr, "Historical Tornadoes"
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- ↑ "Elected Officials". Riley County. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
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Further reading
- Handbook of Pottawatomie and Riley Counties, Kansas; Modern Ago; 20 pages; 1880s.
- Standard Atlas of Riley County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 54 pages; 1909.
External links
- County
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- Riley County - Directory of Public Officials
- Historical
- Maps
- Riley County maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
- Riley County maps: [1] (historical Township and place maps)
- Kansas highway maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
- Kansas railroad maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society
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