Doniphan County, Kansas

Doniphan County (county code DP) is a located in Northeast, in the. The population was estimated to be 7,865 in the year 2006. Its and most populous city is. The county along with, , and counties in Missouri is included in the , which had an estimated population of 122,306 in 2006.

History
Doniphan County was established, and organized on ,. It is named for the U.S. cavalry commander Colonel (1808-1887) of, who played an important part in the. He was a zealous partisan in the failed effort made to extend slavery into Kansas.

See also: Doniphan County history reprinted from William G. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas (Chicago: A.T. Andreas, 1883).

Law and government
Doniphan County is served by a composed of one elected official from each of three districts. The commissioners serve four-year terms with the 2nd and 3rd district s following two years after the 1st district election. The Board is responsible for setting the county's policies, procedures, and budgets as well as overseeing functions of their respective Road and Bridge Shops. The Board also acts as the and canvass votes cast at each election. The county has adopted comprehensive county planning and codes. The cities are governed by s and s. Government services are paid for through a, , and ad valorem tax.

Although the was amended in 1986 to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with the approval of voters, Doniphan County has remained a prohibition, or, county.

Geography
Doniphan County is located in the northeastern corner of the state—it is bordered by to the north and  to the east. According to the, the county has a total area of 1,028 (397 ), of which 1,016 km² (392 sq mi) is land and 13 km² (5 sq mi), or 1.23%, is water.

Geographic features
The defines the border in the north and east. Eight lines travel the, and a Port Authority is located across the river in. The river provides much of the for the eastern part of the county. Interior cities, such as and, receive their. The flows through western portions of the county and north into the Missouri River.

Major highways
The only major serving the county is, an east/west route traveling through St. Joseph. Troy,, and lie along this route. Kansas state highways, , , , and serve other areas of the county. K-7 has been designated a. (See the below.)

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (southeast)
 * (southwest)
 * (west)
 * (northwest)

Demographics
Doniphan County's population was estimated to be 7,865 in the year 2006, a decrease of 383, or -4.6%, over the previous six years.

As of the, there were 8,249 people, 3,173 households, and 2,183 families residing in the county. The was 8/km² (21/sq mi). There were 3,489 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (9/sq mi). The of the county was 94.85%, 2.00%  or , 1.21% , 0.25% , 0.40% from other races, and 1.29% from. or of any race were 1.16% of the population.



There were 3,173 s out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males.

The in the county was $32,537, and the median income for a family was $39,357. Males had a median income of $28,096 versus $19,721 for females. The for the county was $14,849. About 9.00% of families and 11.90% of the population were below the, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over.

Incorporated cities
Name and population (2004 estimate):
 * , 1,328
 * , 1,201
 * , 1,024 (county seat)
 * , 962
 * , 238
 * , 184
 * , 108
 * , 88

Unincorporated places

 * Blair
 * Fanning
 * Iowa Point
 * Moray
 * Palermo
 * Purcell
 * Sparks
 * Purcell
 * Sparks

See also: List of extinct towns and post offices

Townships
Doniphan County is divided into nine mostly rural. The three townships with the greatest population lie along. None of the cities within the county are considered governmentally independent, and all figures for the township include those of the cities. 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.

Unified school districts

 * Wathena USD 406 (Web site)
 * Doniphan West USD 425 (Web site)
 * Troy USD 429 (Web site)
 * Elwood USD 486 (Web site)

Colleges and universities

 * : This was the first established in the state when the Highland University  was granted by the Territorial Legislature in .  Over time the college lost its affiliation with the  and changed its name several times before becoming a regional rural . (Web site)

Points of interest

 * Native American Heritage Museum, 2 miles east of : Originally a Presbyterian Mission built in  to educate  and Missouri  children, the museum was rehabilitated to showcase the arts and history of the emigrant tribes in northeastern Kansas. (Web site)
 * Nelson Rodgers House, in : Built in, this one-and-a-half story center-gable house constructed of hand-hewn timbers is the first and oldest remaining house in Troy.
 * Four-state Lookout, in : This viewing platform provides a panoramic view of the  valley, including, , , and (possibly).
 * Townsite of Old Doniphan : On, the  camped near an uninhabited Kanza Indian village on Independence Creek.  The former town of  was established in the vicinity of the campsite.