Butler

Formed August 25, 1855 (6^th county)

Butler County (67,383), El Dorado (12,876), Andover (14.898)

The classic 1908 red brick and stone courthouse is located on a square surrounded by Central, Gordy, Pine, and Star streets.  Kansas State Highway 254 is Central Street.  The structure has a working clock in its tower.  The architects are George P. Washburn and Son.  It was augmented with a Justice Center in 2003.  The county was founded on August 25, 1855 (6^th county.)  It is one of the original counties.  Butler County is named for South Carolina Senator Andrew Pickens Butler.  El Dorado is Spanish for “place of wealth.”  Chelsea was the first county seat followed by El Dorado in 1864. 

Butler County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Six District Court Judges serve Butler, Elk, and Greenwood counties.  The county is in south central Kansas immediately east of Wichita, Kansas.  The county center is 8.1 miles Southwest of El Dorado nearer Augusta.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Chase, Greenwood, Elk, Cowley, Sumner, Sedgwick, Harvey, and Marion counties. 

The area of the county is 1428 square miles.  It is 1 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 8 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 47.2 persons per square mile making it 15 out of 105 in the state.  Butler County has 70.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 35 goes northeast to west in the county from Chase County to Sedgwick County.  United States Highway 54 travels east to west from Greenwood County to Sedgwick County.  United States Highway 77 enters from the north, Marion County, and exits to the south, Cowley County.  United States Highway 400 crosses east to west from Greenwood County to Sedgwick County.  The county is rectangular.  El Dorado is slightly north of center in the county.  El Dorado is the county seat and Andover is the largest city.  El Dorado is 19.1% of the county population and Andover is 22.1% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced EL DOE-RA-DOE.  This county is in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Whitewater