Lyon County, Kansas

Not to be confused with Lyons, Kansas.

Lyon County
County
Lyon County Courthouse in Emporia (2009)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°27′N96°09′W / 38.450°N 96.150°W / 38.450; -96.150
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	February 5, 1862
Named for	Nathaniel Lyon
Seat	Emporia
Largest city	Emporia
Area
• Total	855 sq mi (2,210 km2)
• Land	847 sq mi (2,190 km2)
• Water	7.9 sq mi (20 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020) [1]
• Total	32,179
• Estimate  (2023) [2]	32,172
• Density	38.0/sq mi (14.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	LyonCounty.org

Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Emporia. ^[3] As of the 2020 census, the county population was 32,179. ^[1] The county was named for Nathaniel Lyon, a general who was killed at the Battle of Wilson's Creek during the American Civil War. ^[4]

History

Early history

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

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 1806, Zebulon Pike led the Pike Expedition westward from St Louis, Missouri, of which part of their journey followed the Cottonwood River through Lyon County. ^[5]

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1862, Lyon County was established from the county formerly known as Breckinridge County. ^[6]

In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway extended a main line from Emporia to Newton. ^[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 855 square miles (2,210 km²), of which 847 square miles (2,190 km²) is land and 7.9 square miles (20 km²) (0.9%) is water. ^[8]

Adjacent counties

• Wabaunsee County (north)
• Osage County (northeast)
• Coffey County (southeast)
• Greenwood County (south)
• Chase County(west)
• Morris County (northwest)

National protected area

• Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Population pyramid based on 2000 census age data

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	8,014		—
1880	17,326		116.2%
1890	23,196		33.9%
1900	25,074		8.1%
1910	24,927		−0.6%
1920	26,154		4.9%
1930	29,240		11.8%
1940	26,424		−9.6%
1950	26,576		0.6%
1960	26,928		1.3%
1970	32,071		19.1%
1980	35,108		9.5%
1990	34,732		−1.1%
2000	35,935		3.5%
2010	33,690		−6.2%
2020	32,179		−4.5%
2023 (est.)	32,172	[9]	0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [10] 1790-1960 [11] 1900-1990 [12] 1990-2000 [13] 2010-2020 [1]

Lyon County comprises the Emporia, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area.

As of the census ^[14] of 2000, there were 35,935 people, 13,691 households, and 8,639 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 inhabitants per square mile (16/km²). There were 14,757 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.27% White, 2.27% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 2.04% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 9.79% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. 16.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,691 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.80% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.90% were non-families. 28.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.70% under the age of 18, 16.20% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,819, and the median income for a family was $43,112. Males had a median income of $28,865 versus $21,338 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,724. About 9.60% of families and 14.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections

Lyon County has been strongly Republican for most of its history. In only seven presidential elections from 1880 to the present has the county failed to back the Republican candidate, the most recent being Lyndon B. Johnson in his national landslide of 1964. The Republican party did come close to losing the county in 1992 and 2008, however.

Presidential election results

United States presidential election results for Lyon County, Kansas ^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	7,215	56.10%	5,322	41.38%	324	2.52%
2020	7,550	53.74%	6,055	43.10%	444	3.16%
2016	6,552	52.53%	4,649	37.28%	1,271	10.19%
2012	6,470	54.48%	5,111	43.04%	294	2.48%
2008	6,698	51.88%	5,924	45.88%	289	2.24%
2004	7,951	59.16%	5,234	38.94%	255	1.90%
2000	6,652	53.41%	5,190	41.67%	613	4.92%
1996	6,612	50.01%	4,884	36.94%	1,725	13.05%
1992	5,090	34.73%	4,811	32.83%	4,755	32.44%
1988	6,820	55.29%	5,314	43.08%	200	1.62%
1984	9,796	69.37%	4,188	29.66%	137	0.97%
1980	8,431	57.94%	4,680	32.16%	1,440	9.90%
1976	7,062	52.59%	5,634	41.96%	732	5.45%
1972	9,157	69.67%	3,720	28.30%	266	2.02%
1968	6,558	57.30%	4,020	35.12%	868	7.58%
1964	5,184	45.23%	6,197	54.07%	81	0.71%
1960	7,470	60.90%	4,755	38.77%	41	0.33%
1956	8,021	67.34%	3,831	32.16%	59	0.50%
1952	8,544	67.98%	3,944	31.38%	80	0.64%
1948	5,941	50.03%	5,708	48.06%	227	1.91%
1944	5,710	52.88%	4,984	46.15%	105	0.97%
1940	6,918	52.33%	6,170	46.68%	131	0.99%
1936	6,005	44.73%	7,340	54.67%	80	0.60%
1932	6,044	47.38%	6,365	49.90%	347	2.72%
1928	8,753	75.49%	2,761	23.81%	81	0.70%
1924	6,290	57.32%	2,750	25.06%	1,934	17.62%
1920	5,492	61.09%	3,303	36.74%	195	2.17%
1916	4,215	40.28%	5,584	53.36%	665	6.36%
1912	962	17.41%	2,363	42.77%	2,200	39.82%
1908	2,973	50.87%	2,562	43.84%	309	5.29%
1904	3,450	62.12%	1,461	26.31%	643	11.58%
1900	3,083	50.72%	2,865	47.13%	131	2.15%
1896	2,860	45.91%	3,276	52.59%	93	1.49%
1892	2,591	48.48%	0	0.00%	2,753	51.52%
1888	3,014	60.10%	1,377	27.46%	624	12.44%

Laws

Lyon 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 1992. ^[16]

The county voted "No" on the 2022 Kansas abortion referendum, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 63% to 37% despite backing Donald Trump with 54% of the vote to Joe Biden's 43% in the 2020 presidential election. ^[17]

Education

Colleges and universities

• Emporia State University in Emporia
• Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia

Unified school districts

School districts include: ^[18]

• North Lyon County USD 251
• Southern Lyon County USD 252
• Emporia USD 253

School district office in neighboring county ^[18]

• Chase County USD 284
• Lebo-Waverly USD 243
• Madison-Virgil USD 386
• Morris County USD 417
• Wabaunsee East USD 330

Communities

2005 map of Lyon County (map legend)

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Lyon County. ^[19]

Cities

• Admire
• Allen
• Americus
• Bushong
• Emporia (county seat)
• Hartford
• Neosho Rapids
• Olpe
• Reading

Unincorporated communities

• Miller
• Plymouth

Townships

Lyon County is divided into eleven townships. The city of Emporia 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
Agnes City	00525		430	2 (4)	279 (108)	0 (0)	0.15%	38°39′54″N96°13′50″W / 38.66500°N 96.23056°W / 38.66500; -96.23056
Americus	01700		1,503	7 (17)	225 (87)	1 (0)	0.35%	38°31′12″N96°16′0″W / 38.52000°N 96.26667°W / 38.52000; -96.26667
Center	11800		1,198	4 (10)	308 (119)	3 (1)	0.82%	38°14′17″N96°13′13″W / 38.23806°N 96.22028°W / 38.23806; -96.22028
Elmendaro	20687		788	4 (10)	257 (99)	1 (0)	0.31%	38°15′31″N96°1′8″W / 38.25861°N 96.01889°W / 38.25861; -96.01889
Emporia	21300		907	8 (21)	143 (55)	2 (1)	1.20%	38°23′7″N96°10′13″W / 38.38528°N 96.17028°W / 38.38528; -96.17028
Fremont	24750		903	5 (12)	184 (71)	1 (0)	0.33%	38°29′35″N96°9′17″W / 38.49306°N 96.15472°W / 38.49306; -96.15472
Ivy	34700		269	3 (9)	88 (34)	0 (0)	0.07%	38°38′23″N96°5′25″W / 38.63972°N 96.09028°W / 38.63972; -96.09028
Jackson	34825		979	4 (11)	227 (88)	1 (1)	0.62%	38°23′39″N96°0′37″W / 38.39417°N 96.01028°W / 38.39417; -96.01028
Pike	55825		1,034	6 (17)	139 (54)	0 (0)	0.35%	38°24′13″N96°17′39″W / 38.40361°N 96.29417°W / 38.40361; -96.29417
Reading	58625		487	3 (8)	175 (67)	1 (1)	0.79%	38°31′35″N95°59′56″W / 38.52639°N 95.99889°W / 38.52639; -95.99889
Waterloo	75925		284	2 (5)	154 (59)	1 (0)	0.40%	38°41′32″N96°0′26″W / 38.69222°N 96.00722°W / 38.69222; -96.00722

Notable people

See also: List of people from Lyon County, Kansas

R. Lee Ermey was born in Emporia on March 24, 1944, and died on April 15, 2018. He was a retired United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, Drill Instructor and actor. Ermey was often best known for his roles of authority figures, such as his breakout performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket , Mayor Tilman in the Alan Parker film Mississippi Burning , Bill Bowerman in Prefontaine , Sheriff Hoyt in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, and plastic army men leader Sarge in the Toy Story films.

Homer Woodson Hargiss was an innovative college football coach who regularly used the forward pass and records show that it was used as early as 1910, three years before Knute Rockne began to call the play. He was head coach at both the College of Emporia and Emporia State. ^{[20] [21]} He is also credited with inventing the huddle. ^[22]

Jerry Kill was the head football coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He has over 100 wins in his career as a head coach, having worked as a head coach through several institutions at the college level. ^[23]

Dean Smith is a retired American head coach of men's college basketball. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Smith has been called a “coaching legend” by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith is best known for his successful 36-year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Smith coached from 1961 to 1997 and retired as the NCAA Division I men's basketball record-holder for victories (879), a record which was surpassed by Bob Knight in 2007, Mike Krzyzewski in 2011, and Jim Boeheim in 2012. ^[24] During his tenure as head coach of North Carolina, the team won two national titles and appeared in 11 Final Fours. ^[25]

William Allen White was a renowned American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement. Between 1896 and his death White became the iconic spokesman for middle America. He won a 1923 Pulitzer Prize for his editorial "To an Anxious Friend," published July 27, 1922, after being arrested in a dispute over free speech following objections to the way the state of Kansas handled the men who participated in the Great Railroad Strike of 1922.

Maud Wagner was the first known female tattoo artist in the United States. She was a circus performer and traveled with her husband as both tattoo artists and as "tattooed attractions."

See also

• Kansas portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lyon County, Kansas

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
• Jacobs Creek Flood

References

1. "QuickFacts; Lyon County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
2. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume 2. Standard Publishing Company. pp.  196.
5. "1806 Pike Expedition map through Lyon County" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 17, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
6. "Breckinridge County, Kansas - Kansas Historical Society".
7. Santa Fe Rail History
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
12. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
15. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
16. "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
17. Panetta, Grace (August 3, 2022). "14 of the 19 Kansas counties that rejected an anti-abortion amendment voted for Trump in 2020". Business Insider. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
18. "2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Lyon County, KS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved November 2, 2024. - Text list
19. "General Highway Map of Lyon County, Kansas" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). September 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 16, 2023.
20. Emporia Gazette, 1910 Forward Pass
21. Definitive use of forward pass and the option pass in 1910 by Bill Hargiss
22. http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv11/CFHSNv11n2c.pdf#2 Archived May 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
23. DeLassus, David. "Jerry Kill Records by Year (Jerry Kill)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
24. "NCAA stats". NCAA. NCAA. Archived from the original on October 8, 2006. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
25. "Dean Smith Biography". Hall of Famers. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Inc. Archived from the original on May 5, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2006.

Notes

Further reading

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

See also: List of books about William Allen White

• Standard Atlas of Lyon County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 84 pages; 1918.
• Standard Atlas of Lyon County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 60 pages; 1901.
• An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Lyon County, Kansas; Edwards Brothers; 58 pages; 1878.

External links

County

• Lyon County - Official
• Lyon County - Directory of Public Officials

Historical

• Lyon County - History, Kansas State Historical Society

Maps

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