Crawford County, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Crawford County is a county located in southeastern
Southeast Kansas
Southeast Kansas is a region of the U.S. state of Kansas. It can be roughly defined by Woodson County in the northwest, Bourbon County in the northeast, Cherokee County in the southeast, and Montgomery County in the southwest. Geographically it is dominated by a broad rolling landscape located...

 Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 39,134. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Girard
Girard, Kansas
Girard is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,789.- History :...

, and its most populous city is Pittsburg
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...

. The county was named in honor of Samuel J. Crawford, Governor of Kansas
Governor of Kansas
The Governor of the State of Kansas is the head of state for the State of Kansas, United States. Under the Kansas Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Kansas executive branch, of the government of Kansas. The Governor is the...

. The Pittsburg Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Crawford County.

Crawford County, and much of southeast Kansas, was founded on coal mining, the Pittsburg-Weir Coalfield
Pittsburg-Weir Coalfield
The Pittsburg-Weir Coalfield, also known as Weir-Pittsburg Coalfield and Cherokee Coalfield, is a coalfield located in Cherokee and Crawford counties in the southeast corner of Kansas....

 being located here, and is still known for mining today. Pittsburg State University is located in Crawford County.

History

On Sunday, May 4, 2003, a strong and violent F4 tornado
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...

 touched down in western Crawford County, several miles west of Frontenac
Frontenac, Kansas
Frontenac is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 3,437 at the 2010 census.-History:Frontenac was established as a coal mining town in 1886 in the Cherokee-Crawford Coal Fields. In 1888, Frontenac had the worst mining disaster in Kansas history, when an explosion...

 at around 4:40 p.m. The tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...

 remained on the ground throughout Crawford County until it entered neighboring Barton County, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

—traveling a total of 35 miles (56.3 km) and ending near Liberal
Liberal, Missouri
Liberal is a city in Barton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 779 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Liberal is located at ....

, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. The towns of Ringo, Franklin, and Mulberry
Mulberry, Kansas
Mulberry is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 520 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Mulberry is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

, all in Crawford County, were devastated. The tornado cut a path of destruction roughly one quarter mile wide. Several F4 and F5 tornadoes hit Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, and several other states that day, including the Kansas City metropolitan area
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...

. Six deaths were reported in Kansas, and Governor Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was the second female Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors...

 declared much of eastern and southeastern Kansas a disaster area, including Crawford County.

Law and government

Crawford County was a prohibition, or "dry"
Dry county
A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, almost all of them in the South...

, county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. The food sales requirement was removed with voter approval in 1992.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 595.05 square miles (1,541.2 km²), of which 592.91 square miles (1,535.6 km²) (or 99.64%) is land and 2.14 square miles (5.5 km²) (or 0.36%) is water.

Adjacent counties

  • Bourbon County
    Bourbon County, Kansas
    Bourbon County is a county located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 15,173...

     (north)
  • Vernon County, Missouri
    Missouri
    Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

     (northeast)
  • Barton County, Missouri
    Missouri
    Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

     (east)
  • Jasper County
    Jasper County, Missouri
    Jasper County is a county located in the US state of Missouri. It is included in the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The 2010 total population of Jasper County was 117,404. It is the ninth most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Carthage, making it one of the few...

    , Missouri
    Missouri
    Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

     (southeast)
  • Cherokee County
    Cherokee County, Kansas
    Cherokee County is a county located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 21,603. Its county seat is Columbus, and its most populous city is Baxter Springs...

     (south)
  • Labette County
    Labette County, Kansas
    Labette County is a county located in southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 21,607. Its county seat is Oswego, and its most populous city is Parsons...

     (southwest)
  • Neosho County
    Neosho County, Kansas
    Neosho County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 16,512...

     (west)

Demographics

As of the U.S. Census in 2000
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

, there were 38,242 people, 15,504 households, and 9,441 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 64 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 17,221 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of the county was 93.29% White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...

, 1.83% Black or African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

, 0.94% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

, 1.11% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...

, 0.09% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander American
Pacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...

, 1.11% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races
Multiracial
The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...

. Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

 or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...

 of any race were 2.38% of the population. 23.5% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

, 12.5% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, 10.4% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

, 10.2% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 and 8.6% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 15,504 household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....

s out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.90% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.10% were non-families. 30.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.90% under the age of 18, 16.40% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...

 in the county was $29,409, and the median income for a family was $40,582. Males had a median income of $27,881 versus $21,517 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $16,245. About 9.40% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.00% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Incorporated cities

Name and population:
  • Pittsburg
    Pittsburg, Kansas
    Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...

    , 20,233
  • Frontenac
    Frontenac, Kansas
    Frontenac is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 3,437 at the 2010 census.-History:Frontenac was established as a coal mining town in 1886 in the Cherokee-Crawford Coal Fields. In 1888, Frontenac had the worst mining disaster in Kansas history, when an explosion...

    , 3,437
  • Girard
    Girard, Kansas
    Girard is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,789.- History :...

    , 2,789
  • Arma
    Arma, Kansas
    Arma is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 1,481 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Arma is located at ....

    , 1,481
  • Cherokee
    Cherokee, Kansas
    Cherokee is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 714.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Cherokee has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

    , 711
  • Mulberry
    Mulberry, Kansas
    Mulberry is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 520 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Mulberry is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

    , 520
  • McCune
    McCune, Kansas
    McCune is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 405 at the 2010 census.-Geography:McCune is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

    , 405
  • Arcadia
    Arcadia, Kansas
    Arcadia is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 310 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Arcadia is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

    , 330
  • Walnut
    Walnut, Kansas
    Walnut is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 220 at the 2010 census.-History:Walnut was founded in 1871 by a town company which laid out a town site on the MK&T Railroad. The company originally named the town Glenwood. In 1874 the name was changed to Walnut for...

    , 220
  • Hepler
    Hepler, Kansas
    Hepler is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 132 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hepler is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

    , 132

Unincorporated places

  • Beulah
    Beulah, Kansas
    Beulah is a small unincorporated community in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. Beulah was founded in 1874 by a colony of Methodists. The Methodist church was completed in 1881. The post office opened December 31, 1874, and closed March 15, 1955....

  • Brazilton
  • Camp 50
  • Capaldo
  • Chicopee
    Chicopee, Kansas
    Chicopee is a small unincorporated community in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The post office opened June 10, 1889, closed September 30, 1892, reopened October 8, 1892, and reclosed March 30, 1918....

  • Cornell
  • Croweburg
  • Curranville
  • Dunkirk
  • Englevale
    Englevale, Kansas
    Englevale is a small unincorporated community in Lincoln Township, Crawford County, Kansas, United States.U.S. Geological Survey Place Code: 21325Elevation: 960...

  • Farlington
  • Foxtown
  • Franklin
  • Greenbush
    Greenbush, Kansas
    Greenbush is an unincorporated community in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The post office was established 1874 and discontinued in 1901.-External links:*...

  • Gross
    Gross, Kansas
    Gross is an unincorporated community in Lincoln Township, Crawford County, Kansas, United States."Gross, a post-village of Crawford county, is a station on the St. Louis & San Francisco R. R. 20 miles south of Fort Scott and 16 miles northeast of Girard, the county seat...

  • Kirkwood
  • Klondike
  • Monmouth
  • Opolis
  • Radley
  • Ringo
  • South Radley
  • Yale

Townships

Crawford County is divided into nine townships
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

. The cities of Frontenac
Frontenac, Kansas
Frontenac is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 3,437 at the 2010 census.-History:Frontenac was established as a coal mining town in 1886 in the Cherokee-Crawford Coal Fields. In 1888, Frontenac had the worst mining disaster in Kansas history, when an explosion...

, Girard
Girard, Kansas
Girard is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,789.- History :...

, Mulberry
Mulberry, Kansas
Mulberry is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 520 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Mulberry is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

, and Pittsburg
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...

 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  Population
center
Population Population
density
/km² (/sq mi)
Land area
km² (sq mi)
Water area
km² (sq mi)
Water % Geographic coordinates
Baker 03750 Pittsburg
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...

 
3,640 25 (64) 147 (57) 0 (0) 0.05% 37°22′57"N 94°42′35"W
Crawford 16250 Girard
Girard, Kansas
Girard is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,789.- History :...

 
883 6 (14) 159 (62) 0 (0) 0.09% 37°30′3"N 94°51′13"W
Grant 27575 No center city 247 2 (4) 145 (56) 1 (0) 0.45% 37°30′10"N 95°1′8"W
Lincoln 40575 Arcadia 942 5 (13) 181 (70) 0 (0) 0.23% 37°37′21"N 94°39′31"W
Osage 53125 McCune
McCune, Kansas
McCune is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 405 at the 2010 census.-Geography:McCune is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

 
756 5 (14) 141 (54) 1 (0) 0.44% 37°22′46"N 95°1′21"W
Sheridan 64675 Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

 
1,501 7 (19) 206 (80) 1 (0) 0.31% 37°22′32"N 94°51′33"W
Sherman 64875 Farlington 520 3 (7) 187 (72) 1 (0) 0.45% 37°37′24"N 94°51′35"W
Walnut 74975 Walnut 624 4 (10) 166 (64) 0 (0) 0.27% 37°36′15"N 95°1′38"W
Washington 75575 Frontenac
Frontenac, Kansas
Frontenac is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 3,437 at the 2010 census.-History:Frontenac was established as a coal mining town in 1886 in the Cherokee-Crawford Coal Fields. In 1888, Frontenac had the worst mining disaster in Kansas history, when an explosion...

 
3,540 23 (59) 154 (60) 1 (1) 0.96% 37°31′7"N 94°41′44"W
Sources:

Unified school districts

  • Northeast USD 246 (Web site) - Serves the northeast portion of Crawford County, namely Lincoln and Washington Townships, including the towns of Arcadia, Arma, Cockerall, Camp 50, Franklin, Mulberry and Breezy Hill. Mascot - Vikings Colors - Burgundy and White
  • Southeast USD 247 (Web site) - Serves primarily portions of Crawford and Cherokee
    Cherokee County, Kansas
    Cherokee County is a county located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 21,603. Its county seat is Columbus, and its most populous city is Baxter Springs...

     counties, but also includes small portions of Labette
    Labette County, Kansas
    Labette County is a county located in southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 21,607. Its county seat is Oswego, and its most populous city is Parsons...

     and Neosho
    Neosho County, Kansas
    Neosho County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 16,512...

     counties. The 300 square miles (777 km²) district serves over 800 students in grades Pre-K
    Pre-Kindergarten
    Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...

     through 12. Southeast High School (the "Lancers") is located just west of the city of Cherokee
    Cherokee, Kansas
    Cherokee is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 714.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Cherokee has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

     (the district office is located in the Cherokee/McCune Township). In Crawford County the district also serves the city of McCune
    McCune, Kansas
    McCune is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 405 at the 2010 census.-Geography:McCune is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

    . Mascot - Lancers Colors - Columbia Blue and White
  • Girard USD 248 (Web Site) - Serves Girard and the Girard Township, including the towns of Farlington, Walnut, Greenbush and Hepler. Mascot - Trojans Colors - Maroon and Yellow/Gold
  • Frontenac USD 249 (Web site) - Serves Frontenac and the Frontenac Township, including the towns of Yale, Radley, Ringo and Mindenmines, Missouri. Mascot - Raiders Colors - Black and White/Silver
  • Pittsburg USD 250 (Web site) - Serves Pittsburg and the Pittsburg Township, including the towns of Chicopee, Opolis, and Asbury, Missouri. Mascot - Purple Dragons Colors - Purple and White
  • Saint Mary's - Colgan (Web site) is a private Catholic K-12 school located in Pittsburg. Mascot - Panthers Colors - Blue and White

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Crawford County, Kansas
    National Register of Historic Places listings in Crawford County, Kansas
    This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Crawford County, Kansas.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Crawford County, Kansas, United States...



Further reading


External links

Official sites
Additional information
Maps





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