Wyandotte County, Kansas

**Wyandotte County** (; county code **WY**) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020 census, 169,245 people lived there. This would make it the county with the fourth-most number of people in Kansas. Its county seat is Kansas City. Kansas City is also the biggest city in Wyandotte County. It has a unified government.  Wyandotte County west of Kansas City, Missouri.

### The Wyandot

The county is named after the Wyandot (also known as Wyandott or Wyandotte) Native Americans. They were called the Huron by the French in Canada, but they called themselves Wendat.  They were distantly related to the Iroquois. They had hoped to stop white Americans from moving into their territory. They also hoped to make the Ohio River the border between the United States and Canada.

### Other historical facts

The county was organized in 1859.  Tenskwatawa (Tecumseh's brother), "the Prophet", fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was buried at Shawnee Native American historical site Whitefeather Spring. The Kansas City _Smelting and Refining Company_ employed over 250 men during the 1880s.

The _Delaware Crossing_ (or "_Military Crossing_"; sometimes "_the Secondine_") was where the old Indian trail met the waters of the Kaw River. _Circa_ 1831, Moses Grinter (one of the earliest permanent white settlers in the area) created the Grinter Ferry on the Kansas River here. His house was known as the Grinter Place. The ferry was used by people (such as traders, freighters, and soldiers) traveling between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Scott on the military road. Others would cross this area on their way to Santa Fe.

## Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (2.9%) is water. It is the smallest county by area in Kansas.

## People

Wyandotte County is included in the Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

### Presidential elections

|Year|Republican|Democratic|Third Parties|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|33.2% _18,934_|style="text-align:center;"|**64.5%** _36,788_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.4% _1,349_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2016**|style="text-align:center;"|32.1% _15,806_|style="text-align:center;"|**61.2%** _30,146_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|6.7% _3,291_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2012**|style="text-align:center;"|30.5% _15,496_|style="text-align:center;"|**67.4%** _34,302_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.2% _1,095_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2008**|style="text-align:center;"|28.8% _16,506_|style="text-align:center;"|**69.4%** _39,865_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _1,038_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2004**|style="text-align:center;"|33.6% _17,919_|style="text-align:center;"|**65.4%** _34,923_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.1% _559_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2000**|style="text-align:center;"|29.1% _14,024_|style="text-align:center;"|**67.1%** _32,411_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.8% _1,837_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1996**|style="text-align:center;"|28.2% _14,011_|style="text-align:center;"|**62.9%** _31,252_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.9% _4,391_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1992**|style="text-align:center;"|21.1% _12,872_|style="text-align:center;"|**56.3%** _34,397_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|22.7% _13,855_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1988**|style="text-align:center;"|32.7% _19,097_|style="text-align:center;"|**66.2%** _38,678_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.1% _624_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1984**|style="text-align:center;"|42.8% _27,459_|style="text-align:center;"|**56.2%** _36,042_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.0% _635_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1980**|style="text-align:center;"|38.2% _23,012_|style="text-align:center;"|**54.4%** _32,763_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.4% _4,448_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1976**|style="text-align:center;"|37.0% _23,141_|style="text-align:center;"|**59.9%** _37,478_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.1% _1,936_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1972**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.7%** _34,157_|style="text-align:center;"|43.5% _28,206_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.8% _2,453_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1968**|style="text-align:center;"|33.4% _23,091_|style="text-align:center;"|**49.4%** _34,189_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|17.2% _11,891_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1964**|style="text-align:center;"|31.5% _20,553_|style="text-align:center;"|**66.5%** _43,442_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _1,356_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1960**|style="text-align:center;"|45.3% _34,764_|style="text-align:center;"|**54.0%** _41,433_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.8% _604_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1956**|style="text-align:center;"|47.6% _34,604_|style="text-align:center;"|**52.1%** _37,842_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _186_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1952**|style="text-align:center;"|47.0% _34,648_|style="text-align:center;"|**52.6%** _38,751_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _258_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1948**|style="text-align:center;"|36.5% _24,398_|style="text-align:center;"|**61.9%** _41,366_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.5% _1,024_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1944**|style="text-align:center;"|44.7% _26,817_|style="text-align:center;"|**54.9%** _32,914_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _214_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1940**|style="text-align:center;"|42.2% _28,152_|style="text-align:center;"|**57.4%** _38,239_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _252_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1936**|style="text-align:center;"|40.6% _26,239_|style="text-align:center;"|**59.0%** _38,101_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _256_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1932**|style="text-align:center;"|43.3% _25,471_|style="text-align:center;"|**55.5%** _32,629_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.2% _721_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1928**|style="text-align:center;"|**65.7%** _32,829_|style="text-align:center;"|33.8% _16,884_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% _265_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1924**|style="text-align:center;"|**59.5%** _23,881_|style="text-align:center;"|22.2% _8,913_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|18.3% _7,354_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1920**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.3%** _19,294_|style="text-align:center;"|40.8% _13,737_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.0% _671_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1916**|style="text-align:center;"|41.9% _13,863_|style="text-align:center;"|**53.9%** _17,850_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.3% _1,408_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1912**|style="text-align:center;"|11.2% _2,107_|style="text-align:center;"|39.1% _7,370_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|**49.7%** _9,371_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1908**|style="text-align:center;"|47.6% _8,684_|style="text-align:center;"|**48.9%** _8,923_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.6% _652_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1904**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.2%** _9,147_|style="text-align:center;"|26.8% _3,815_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.1% _1,290_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1900**|style="text-align:center;"|**51.8%** _8,133_|style="text-align:center;"|46.5% _7,304_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _280_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1896**|style="text-align:center;"|49.4% _6,852_|style="text-align:center;"|**49.7%** _6,882_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _126_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1892**|style="text-align:center;"|**51.1%** _5,889_||style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|48.9% _5,635_||
|style="text-align:center;"|**1888**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.4%** _5,431_|style="text-align:center;"|42.4% _4,155_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.2% _215_|

Unlike almost every other county in Kansas, Wyandotte County has been solidly Democratic ever since the New Deal. The only Democrat to lose Wyandotte County since 1932 has been George McGovern in 1972. Wyandotte was the only county in Kansas to vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, Adlai Stevenson II in both 1952 and 1956, Hubert Humphrey in 1968, Jimmy Carter in 1980, and Walter Mondale in 1984.

## Economy

Village West, has helped the economy in KCK and Wyandotte County grow. At Village West, there are companies like Hollywood Casino, Legends Outlets Kansas City, Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, Cabela's, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Great Wolf Lodge, T-Bones Stadium (home to the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association) and Children's Mercy Park (home of Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer).

### Colleges and universities

Public
- Kansas City Kansas Community College
- University of Kansas Medical Center
Private
- Donnelly College

### School Districts

- Turner USD 202
- Piper USD 203
- Bonner Springs USD 204
- Kansas City USD 500

### Private schools

Primary
- Resurrection Grade School (formerly St. Peter's Cathedral Grade School)
- St. Patrick's Grade School
- Christ the King Grade School
Secondary
- Bishop Ward High School

### Other schools

- Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB)

### Incorporated cities

- Kansas City
- Bonner Springs (partly in Leavenworth and Johnson counties)
- Edwardsville
- Lake Quivira (partly in Johnson County)

## References

- Notes

## More reading

- _Historic Preservation _.  Kansas City, Kansas, Urban Planning & Land Use
- Sween, _Argentine Pictures _. Interactive Genealogy.  Pictorial History of Wyandotte County, KS.
- _Historical Wyandotte County _. Kansas Heritage, Kansas Community Network.
- _Views of the Past _.  Kansas City, Kansas Bicentennial Commission.
- Sween, _Bonner Springs and Edwardsville_. Virtual Bonner Springs, KS.
- _Tuttle and Pike's Atlas of Kansas City, Kansas_; Tuttle & Pike; 13 pages; 1907.
- _Complete Set of Surveys and Plats or Properties in Wyandotte County and Kansas City Kansas_; G.M. Hopkins & Co; 51 pages; 1887.

## Other websites

- County
- Wyandotte County - Directory of Public Officials
- Other
- Kansas City / Wyandotte County Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Wyandotte County Economic Development Council
- Historical
- Wyandotte County Kansas History and Heritage Project
- Maps
- Wyandotte County Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Kansas Highway Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Kansas Railroad Maps: Current , 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **county**: Wyandotte County
- **state**: Kansas
- **type**: County (United States), County
- **image flag**: Flag of Wyandotte County, Kansas.svg
- **ex image**: Wyandotte County Kansas courthouse.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Wyandotte County Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas City (2009)
- **named for**: Wyandot people
- **seat wl**: Kansas City
- **largest city wl**: Kansas City
- **area total sq mi**: 156
- **area land sq mi**: 152
- **area water sq mi**: 4.6
- **area percentage**: 2.9
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 169245
- **population density sq mi**: 1039.0
- **district**: 2nd
- **district2**: 3rd
- **time zone**: Central