Geary County, Kansas

**Geary County** (county code **GE**) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 36,739 people lived there. Its county seat and most populous city is Junction City. The county is named after Governor John W. Geary.

## Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (4.9%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Kansas by land area. It is the third-smallest by total area.

## People

Geary County is in the Junction City, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is included in the Manhattan-Junction City, KS Combined Statistical Area.

### Presidential elections

|Year|Republican|Democratic|Third Parties|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.4%** _5,323_|style="text-align:center;"|41.5% _3,983_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.1% _297_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|**56.3%** _4,274_|style="text-align:center;"|35.9% _2,722_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.8% _592_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2012**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.7%** _4,372_|style="text-align:center;"|42.5% _3,332_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% _141_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2008**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.5%** _4,492_|style="text-align:center;"|43.1% _3,491_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.4% _111_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2004**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.2%** _4,703_|style="text-align:center;"|34.5% _2,531_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.3% _94_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2000**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.9%** _3,977_|style="text-align:center;"|38.7% _2,660_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.3% _229_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1996**|style="text-align:center;"|**54.3%** _3,686_|style="text-align:center;"|36.0% _2,444_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.7% _660_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1992**|style="text-align:center;"|**38.8%** _2,928_|style="text-align:center;"|33.9% _2,559_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|27.4% _2,069_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1988**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.5%** _3,782_|style="text-align:center;"|41.4% _2,721_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.1% _70_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1984**|style="text-align:center;"|**65.4%** _4,464_|style="text-align:center;"|33.7% _2,296_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _61_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1980**|style="text-align:center;"|**56.1%** _3,534_|style="text-align:center;"|37.4% _2,357_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|6.6% _413_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1976**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.1%** _3,230_|style="text-align:center;"|45.9% _2,843_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.0% _123_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1972**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.0%** _4,299_|style="text-align:center;"|27.8% _1,708_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.2% _133_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1968**|style="text-align:center;"|**50.7%** _2,954_|style="text-align:center;"|38.2% _2,228_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|11.1% _645_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1964**|style="text-align:center;"|39.3% _2,259_|style="text-align:center;"|**59.5%** _3,419_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.2% _67_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1960**|style="text-align:center;"|**61.3%** _3,789_|style="text-align:center;"|38.3% _2,365_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% _29_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1956**|style="text-align:center;"|**65.5%** _4,013_|style="text-align:center;"|33.9% _2,078_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% _32_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1952**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.5%** _4,314_|style="text-align:center;"|28.6% _1,750_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _52_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1948**|style="text-align:center;"|**49.7%** _2,864_|style="text-align:center;"|48.8% _2,810_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.5% _86_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1944**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.0%** _2,833_|style="text-align:center;"|42.4% _2,107_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.7% _33_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1940**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.7%** _2,840_|style="text-align:center;"|46.4% _2,504_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _50_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1936**|style="text-align:center;"|44.4% _2,382_|style="text-align:center;"|**55.4%** _2,973_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.2% _12_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1932**|style="text-align:center;"|40.9% _1,957_|style="text-align:center;"|**56.6%** _2,705_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.5% _121_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1928**|style="text-align:center;"|**69.2%** _2,746_|style="text-align:center;"|30.3% _1,203_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.6% _22_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1924**|style="text-align:center;"|**66.3%** _2,678_|style="text-align:center;"|17.9% _723_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|15.8% _636_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1920**|style="text-align:center;"|**69.6%** _2,404_|style="text-align:center;"|27.8% _962_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.6% _90_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1916**|style="text-align:center;"|48.2% _1,731_|style="text-align:center;"|**48.5%** _1,740_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.3% _120_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1912**|style="text-align:center;"|17.4% _387_|style="text-align:center;"|35.9% _800_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|**46.7%** _1,039_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1908**|style="text-align:center;"|**53.4%** _1,257_|style="text-align:center;"|43.9% _1,033_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.8% _65_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1904**|style="text-align:center;"|**67.9%** _1,431_|style="text-align:center;"|28.0% _591_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.1% _86_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1900**|style="text-align:center;"|**54.6%** _1,240_|style="text-align:center;"|44.4% _1,009_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.1% _24_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1896**|style="text-align:center;"|46.8% _1,051_|style="text-align:center;"|**52.1%** _1,171_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.2% _26_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1892**|style="text-align:center;"|42.7% _863_||style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|**57.3%** _1,157_||
|style="text-align:center;"|**1888**|style="text-align:center;"|**54.3%** _1,027_|style="text-align:center;"|40.0% _756_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.7% _107_|

### Laws

Geary County was a prohibition, or "dry", 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 1990.

### Unified school districts

- Geary County USD 475
    - Geary is one of the few Kansas counties where a single school district serves the entire county.

### Cities

- Grandview Plaza
- Junction City
- Milford

### Unincorporated community

- Wreford

### Ghost towns

- Alida, razed when Milford Lake was built

### Fort Riley

Located north of the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers, the Fort Riley Military Reservation covers  in Geary and Riley counties.  The fort has a daytime population of nearly 25,000 and includes one census-designated place:
- Fort Riley (formerly Fort Riley North), primarily in Riley County

### Townships

Geary County is divided into eight townships.  The city of Junction City 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.

|Township|FIPS|Population center|Population (2020) !! Population density <small>/km² (/sq mi)</small>|Land area <small>km² (sq mi)</small> !! Water area <small>km² (sq mi)</small> !! Water %|Geographic coordinates||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Blakely|07275||113|1 (3)|92 (36)|1 (0)|0.61%||
|Jackson|34775||96|1 (2)|104 (40)|0 (0)|0.39%||
|Jefferson|35200|Grandview Plaza|2,159|18 (46)|122 (47)|2 (1)|1.78%||
|Liberty|40050||185|1 (3)|170 (66)|1 (0)|0.39%||
|Lyon|43500||250|2 (6)|112 (43)|2 (1)|1.84%||
|Milford|46550||1,698|17 (43)|103 (40)|26 (10)|20.29%||
|Smoky Hill|66000|Fort Riley (part)|9,143|65 (169)|140 (54)|19 (7)|11.80%||
|Wingfield|80025||163|1 (3)|123 (47)|1 (0)|0.44%||

## More reading

- _Standard Atlas of Geary County, Kansas_; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 42 pages; 1909.

## Other websites

- County
- Geary County - Directory of Public Officials
- Other
- Junction City and Geary County Economic Development
- Geary County Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Fort Riley
- Historical
- Geary County Kansas AHGP
- Maps
- Geary 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**: Geary County
- **state**: Kansas
- **type**: County (United States), County
- **ex image**: Geary county courthouse kansas.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Geary County Courthouse in Junction City, Kansas, Junction City (1979)
- **founded**: 1855
- **named for**: John W. Geary
- **seat wl**: Junction City
- **largest city wl**: Junction City
- **area total sq mi**: 404
- **area land sq mi**: 385
- **area water sq mi**: 20
- **area percentage**: 4.9%
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 36739
- **population density sq mi**: 95.4
- **district**: 2nd
- **time zone**: Central