Mitchell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Beloit. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 5,796. The county was named for William Mitchell.
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. In 1867, Mitchell County was established.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water.
Adjacent counties Jewell County (north) Cloud County (east) Ottawa County (southeast) Lincoln County (south) Osborne County (west)
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Mitchell 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)8,0217,1056,7326,1975,43698.82%98.64%97.11%97.24%93.79%Black or African American alone (NH)16433513190.20%0.60%0.50%0.20%0.33%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)17162623120.21%0.22%0.38%0.36%0.21%Asian alone (NH)27101919130.33%0.14%0.27%0.30%0.22%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 Census250xx0.03%0.08%0.00%Other race alone (NH)605120.07%0.00%0.07%0.02%0.03%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census5242157xx0.75%0.66%2.71%Hispanic or Latino (any race)302961731570.37%0.40%0.88%1.15%2.71%Total8,1177,2036,9326,3735,796 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,796, a median age of 46.0 years, 23.1% of residents under the age of 18, and 25.4% of residents who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 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 94.7% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.7% of the population.
There were 2,543 households in the county, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 3,124 housing units, of which 18.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.9% were owner-occupied and 26.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.0%.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,373 people, 2,790 households, and 1,725 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 3,296 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.97% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,790 households, out of which 24.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.29% were married couples living together, 6.23% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.17% were non-families. 33.08% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.44% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 19.83% from 25 to 44, 29.67% from 45 to 64, and 21.04% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.6 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,247, and the median income for a family was $54,502. Males had a median income of $30,044 versus $20,094 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,350. About 4.90% of families and 8.26% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.04% of those under age 18 and 12.33% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Presidential elections Prior to 1940, Mitchell County was a swing county, backing the national winner in every presidential election from 1900 to 1936. Since 1940, it has become a Republican stronghold, with only George H. W. Bush in 1992 failing to win a majority in the county due to Ross Perot's strong showing in Kansas.
Laws Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 1996, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.
Education
Colleges North Central Kansas Technical College in Beloit
Unified school districts Waconda USD 272 Beloit USD 273
Private schools St. John's Catholic High School Tipton Catholic High School
Communities
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Mitchell County.
Cities ‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county.
Beloit (county seat) Cawker City Glen Elder Hunter Scottsville Simpson‡ Tipton
Unincorporated communities † means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.
Asherville† Solomon Rapids
Ghost towns
Blue Hill Buel Coursens Grove Elmira Saltville Sunflower Victor Walnut Grove West Asher
Townships Mitchell County is divided into twenty townships. The city of Beloit 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 Populationcenter Population Populationdensity/km2 (/sq mi) Land areakm2 (sq mi) Water areakm2 (sq mi) Water % Geographic coordinates Asherville 02625 122 1 (3) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.08% Beloit 05800 Beloit 4,003 48 (125) 83 (32) 0 (0) 0.02% Bloomfield 07425 83 1 (2) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.24% Blue Hill 07575 36 0 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.36% Carr Creek 10850 31 0 (1) 84 (33) 9 (3) 9.51% Cawker 11150 Cawker City 578 8 (20) 75 (29) 17 (7) 18.68% Center 11875 49 1 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.03% Custer 16875 Hunter 132 1 (4) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.13% Eureka 21875 41 0 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.38% Glen Elder 26525 Glen Elder 553 7 (18) 78 (30) 15 (6) 16.01% Hayes 30975 21 0 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.03% Logan 42025 Simpson 168 2 (5) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.12% Lulu 43225 Scottsville 90 1 (3) 92 (35) 0 (0) 0% Pittsburg 56050 Tipton 346 4 (10) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.03% Plum Creek 56825 119 1 (3) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0.02% Round Springs 61500 27 0 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.14% Salt Creek 62825 39 0 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.37% Solomon Rapids 66450 80 1 (2) 91 (35) 0 (0) 0.14% Turkey Creek 71725 134 1 (4) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0.23% Walnut Creek 75150 42 0 (1) 88 (34) 5 (2) 5.78%
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Mitchell County, Kansas
References
Further reading
Standard Atlas of Mitchell County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 73 pages; 1917. Standard Atlas of Mitchell County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 56 pages; 1902. Atlas of Mitchell County, Kansas; Gillen & Davy; 45 pages; 1884.
External links
County
Mitchell County - Directory of Public Officials Maps Historic County Township Boundary Maps - Kansas Department of Transportation Historic County Road Maps - Kansas Department of Transportation Historic State Highway Maps - Kansas Department of Transportation Historic State Railroad Maps: 1996, 1929, 1915, 1907 - Kansas Historical Society