Thomas County, Kansas

Thomas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is Colby. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 7,930. The county was named after George Thomas, a general during the American Civil War.

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. Thomas County was founded on October 8, 1885. It was named for George Henry Thomas, a Union general during the American Civil War, hero of the Battle of Chickamauga. The townships of the county were named after the soldiers that died at the Battle of Chickamauga.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1075 sqmi, of which 1075 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.01%) is water.

Major highways

 * I-70.svg Interstate 70
 * US 24.svg U.S. Highway 24
 * US 83.svg U.S. Highway 83
 * K-25.svg Kansas Highway 25

Adjacent counties

 * Rawlins County (north)
 * Decatur County (northeast)
 * Sheridan County (east)
 * Gove County (southeast)
 * Logan County (south)
 * Sherman County (west/Mountain Time border)

Demographics


As of the census of 2000, there were 8,180 people, 3,226 households, and 2,125 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 /mi2. There were 3,562 housing units at an average density of 3 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 97.14% White, 0.43% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,226 households, out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 13.50% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,034, and the median income for a family was $45,931. Males had a median income of $33,833 versus $21,310 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,028. About 6.60% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.90% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.

Presidential elections
Thomas County is strongly Republican, and has increasingly been this way over the past few election cycles. The last time a Democratic candidate has carried Thomas County was in 1964 by Lyndon B. Johnson.

Laws
Thomas 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 percent food sales requirement.

Colleges

 * Colby Community College

Unified school districts

 * Brewster USD 314
 * Colby USD 315
 * Golden Plains USD 316

Communities
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Thomas County. ‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county. † means a community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.

Cities

 * Brewster
 * Colby (county seat)
 * Gem
 * Menlo
 * Oakley‡
 * Rexford

Unincorporated communities

 * Halford
 * Levant†
 * Mingo

Ghost towns

 * Copeland
 * Cumberland
 * Kuka
 * Otterbourne
 * Quickville

Townships
Thomas County is divided into thirteen townships. The townships were named in honor of men who were killed at the Battle of Chickamauga. The city of Colby is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. Geographically, Colby is surrounded by Morgan Township. 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.