Brown County, Kansas

Brown County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Hiawatha. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 9,508. The county was named after Albert G. Brown, a U.S. Senator from Mississippi and Kansas statehood advocate. The Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Kansas, the majority of the Sac and Fox Reservation, and the majority of the Iowa Reservation of Kansas and Nebraska are located within the county.

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. Brown County was founded in 1855, was named for Albert G. Brown.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. The Wolf River has its source in the county.DeLorme (2003). Kansas Atlas & Gazetteer. p. 26. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . Brown State Fishing Lake, formerly known as "Brown County State Park" is in the county, 8 miles (13 km) east of Hiawatha.

Adjacent counties Richardson County, Nebraska (north) Doniphan County (east) Atchison County (southeast) Jackson County (southwest) Nemaha County (west)

Major highways Sources: National Atlas,National Atlas U.S. Census Bureau

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Brown County, Kansas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)11,03210,1089,2308,3917,68392.28%90.83%86.07%84.04%80.81%Black or African American alone (NH)126131161116971.05%1.18%1.50%1.16%1.02%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)5946688908697954.97%6.00%8.30%8.70%8.36%Asian alone (NH)13152231420.11%0.13%0.21%0.31%0.44%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census116xx0.01%0.01%0.06%Other race alone (NH)014125250.00%0.13%0.11%0.05%0.26%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census159265508xx1.48%2.65%5.34%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1901922493063521.59%1.73%2.32%3.06%3.70%Total11,95511,12810,7249,9849,508 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,508. The median age was 42.6 years, 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.4 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 81.7% White, 1.1% Black or African American, 9.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.7% of the population.

There were 3,841 households in the county, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 4,482 housing units, of which 14.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.7% were owner-occupied and 29.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.3%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 10,724 people, 4,318 households, and 2,949 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 4,815 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.87% White, 1.56% Black or African American, 8.82% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population.

There were 4,318 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,971, and the median income for a family was $39,525. Males had a median income of $29,163 versus $19,829 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,163. About 10.60% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.40% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Like all of Kansas outside the eastern cities, Brown County is overwhelmingly Republican, although its history of Yankee settlement means it has been thus for longer than certain other parts of the state. Brown was Alf Landon’s strongest county in his home state during his disastrous 1936 presidential campaign. FDR was never to win so much as 42 percent of the vote in any of his four Presidential elections; indeed no Democratic presidential nominee has ever won a majority in Brown County, with the highest percentage being 47 percent by William Jennings Bryan in 1896. A mortally divided Republican Party allowed Woodrow Wilson to win a plurality in 1912 with under 37 percent of the county's vote – nonetheless since 1968 no Democrat has reached even that percentage.

Laws Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 2000, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink without a food sales requirement.

Education Unified school districts - Text list Hiawatha USD 415 South Brown County USD 430

School district office in neighboring county Doniphan West USD 111 Prairie Hills USD 113 Jackson Heights USD 335

Bureau of Indian Education-affiliated tribal schools Kickapoo Nation School

Communities

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Brown County.

Cities ‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county.

Everest Fairview Hamlin Hiawatha (county seat) Horton Morrill Powhattan Reserve Robinson Sabetha‡ Willis

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

Baker Mercier Padonia Kickapoo Tribal Center† Kickapoo Site 1† Kickapoo Site 2† Kickapoo Site 5† Kickapoo Site 6† Kickapoo Site 7†

Indian reservations

Ioway Reservation‡ Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Kansas‡ Sac and Fox Reservation‡

Townships Brown County is divided into ten townships. The cities of Hiawatha, Horton, and Sabetha are considered governmentally independent and are 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 Populationcenter Population Populationdensity/km2 (/sq mi) Land areakm2 (sq mi) Water areakm2 (sq mi) Water % Geographic coordinates Hamlin 29725 344 3 (8) 106 (41) 0 (0) 0.18% Hiawatha 31700 739 4 (12) 164 (63) 0 (0) 0.18% Irving 34500 311 2 (6) 137 (53) 0 (0) 0.04% Mission 47200 645 3 (8) 219 (84) 2 (1) 0.73% Morrill 48325 Morrill 503 5 (12) 105 (41) 0 (0) 0.24% Padonia 54025 259 2 (6) 107 (41) 0 (0) 0.14% Powhattan 57375 874 4 (10) 232 (90) 0 (0) 0.06% Robinson 60350 Robinson 452 4 (10) 116 (45) 0 (0) 0.25% Walnut 74875 Fairview 665 4 (11) 161 (62) 1 (0) 0.46% Washington 75525 Everest 541 5 (12) 116 (45) 0 (0) 0.17% Sources:

Brown County, Kansas

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