Norton County, Kansas

Norton County (standard abbreviation: NT) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 5,459 people lived there. The county seat is Norton. Norton is also the biggest city in Norton County. The county was created in 1867. It was named after Orloff Norton, captain of Company L, 15th Kansas Militia Infantry Regiment.

History
19th century
 Norton County was created by Noah H. Billings, Thomas Beaumont, Henry Gordon, P. Hansen, and George Cole on August 22, 1872. In 1878 Norton became the county seat. The county got its name for Civil War soldier Orloff Norton, who was killed at Cane Hill, Arkansas in 1864.

The first county fair, although not official, was held in Leota in October, 1878. After 1900 the fair was held every year in Elmwood Park in Norton. The first school district was created in Norton in 1872. School was held in a dugout beginning December 1, 1873. 

Geography
The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (0.4%) is water.

People

Government

County
Noah H. Billings was an early county settler, county superintendent of schools, county attorney, and state representative. Keith Sebelius was a U.S. congressman from 1969 to 1981.Norton County, Kansas, Kansas Historical Society

Presidential elections

+ Presidential Elections Results Year Republican Democratic Third Parties202083.1% 2,00715.1% 3641.8% 44201682.4% 1,84012.6% 2815.1% 113201280.8% 1,87817.1% 3982.1% 49200877.8% 1,87820.6% 4971.7% 40200480.5% 2,09218.2% 4731.3% 34200071.2% 1,74424.4% 5984.5% 109199666.4% 1,81423.4% 64010.1% 277199247.9% 1,46925.4% 77926.7% 820198867.5% 1,92330.0% 8552.4% 69198479.2% 2,51519.2% 6111.6% 50198075.5% 2,62519.2% 6665.4% 186197660.6% 2,20136.8% 1,3372.7% 97197275.8% 2,68821.9% 7762.3% 82196870.9% 2,54323.5% 8415.6% 202196460.1% 2,24538.8% 1,4491.1% 42196068.0% 2,78131.8% 1,3000.2% 8195671.6% 3,05228.0% 1,1940.4% 18195276.2% 3,53022.6% 1,0471.2% 54194861.0% 2,46135.0% 1,4144.0% 161194470.9% 2,89028.4% 1,1590.7% 29194070.3% 3,41528.4% 1,3781.4% 66193654.8% 2,82944.7% 2,3070.5% 24193244.2% 2,27252.6% 2,7053.3% 168192874.0% 3,36523.9% 1,0872.1% 96192459.3% 2,77826.9% 1,26113.7% 643192065.2% 2,28830.9% 1,0823.9% 137191634.3% 1,61661.0% 2,8764.7% 222191224.0% 59843.3% 1,08132.7% 815190849.8% 1,44846.0% 1,3374.3% 125190467.2% 1,57017.8% 41715.0% 350190051.7% 1,32947.1% 1,2121.2% 31189642.1% 94156.3% 1,2601.6% 36189248.3% 1,05451.7% 1,130188856.6% 1,47124.3% 63119.1% 497

Norton County is very Republican. The last Democrat to reach forty percent of the county’s vote was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. Roosevelt in 1932 was the last Democrat to win Norton County. The only other Democrats to win are Woodrow Wilson (twice) and William Jennings Bryan in his first 1896 campaign.

 Education 

 Unified school districts 
 Norton Community USD 211
western two-thirds of county to borders with Decatur and Graham counties and Nebraska
 Northern Valley USD 212
northeastern portion of county, all east of US 283 and north of US 36; extends into northwestern Phillips County
 West Solomon USD 213 (elementary school only; students in grades 6-12 attend schools in Norton)

Communities

Cities
 Almena
 Clayton
 Edmond
 Lenora
 Norton

References

Notes

More reading
 Handbook of Norton County, Kansas; C.S. Burch Publishing Co; 16 pages; 1880s.
 Standard Atlas of Norton County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 71 pages; 1917.

Other websites

County

 Norton County - Directory of Public Officials
Maps
 Norton County Maps: Current, Historic , KDOT
 Kansas Highway Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
 Kansas Railroad Maps: Current , 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society


Category:1867 establishments in Kansas