Reno County
County
Reno County Courthouse in Hutchinson (2008)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°57′N 98°05′W / 37.950°N 98.083°W / 37.950; -98.083
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	February 26, 1867
Named for	Jesse Lee Reno
Seat	Hutchinson
Largest city	Hutchinson
Area
• Total	1,272 sq mi (3,290 km2)
• Land	1,255 sq mi (3,250 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  1.3%
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	61,898
• Estimate  (2021)[2]	61,414
• Density	49.3/sq mi (19.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	620
Congressional district	1st
Website	renocountyks.gov

Reno County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Hutchinson.^[3] As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,898.^[1] The county is named for Jesse Reno, a general during the American Civil War.

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, Reno County was established, named for General Jesse L. Reno.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway extended its main line from Herington to Pratt.^[4] This main line connected Herington, Ramona, Tampa, Durham, Waldeck, Canton, Galva, McPherson, Groveland, Inman, Medora, Hutchinson, Whiteside, Partridge, Arlington, Langdon, Turon, Preston, Natrona, Pratt. In 1888, this main line was extended to Liberal. Later, this line was extended to Tucumcari, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. This line is called the "Golden State Limited".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,272 square miles (3,290 km²), of which 1,255 square miles (3,250 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (1.3%) is water.^[5] It is the third-largest county by area in Kansas.

Adjacent counties

• Rice County (north)
• McPherson County (northeast)
• Harvey County (east)
• Sedgwick County (southeast)
• Kingman County (south)
• Pratt County (southwest)
• Stafford County (west)

National protected area

• Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

The Hutchinson Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Reno County.

As of the census of 2000, there were 64,790 people, 25,498 households, and 17,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20 people/km²). There were 27,625 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.56% White, 2.88% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.69% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. 5.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 25,498 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.50% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,510, and the median income for a family was $42,643. Males had a median income of $31,495 versus $21,329 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,520. About 8.10% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.90% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Reno County is strongly Republican. The last time a Democratic candidate won the county was in 1976 when Jimmy Carter did so. However, 1988 was somewhat close as Michael Dukakis lost the county by only 5 percentage points due to a persistent drought and farm crisis.

Presidential elections