Crawford

Formed February 13, 1867 (40^th county)

Crawford County (38,976), Girard (2,490), Pittsburg (20,647)                

The masonry and concrete Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1921 and sits on a square surrounded by Forrest, Summit, Prairie, and Ozark streets.  Kansas State Highway 7 is Summit Street in the town.  The building designers are Tonini and Bramblet.  The courthouse had a major renovation in 1992.  There is an augmenting 2002 courthouse in Pittsburg.  There was also an 1890 courthouse earlier in Girard, the only county seat.  The courthouse square also features marble walls, memorial walls, and a helicopter.  The county was organized on February 13, 1867 from parts of Bourbon and Cherokee counties as the 40^th county.  Crawford County is named for Governor Samuel J. Crawford.  The county seat is named for Girard, Pennsylvania. 

Crawford County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Four District Court Judges serve Crawford, Cherokee, and Labette counties (judicial.) The county is in southeast Kansas on the border with Missouri.  Wichita, Kansas is west and Kansas City, Kansas is north.  The county center is 5.3 miles Southeast of Girard.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Bourbon County and Missouri and Cherokee, Labette, and Neosho counties. 

The area of the county is 593 square miles.  It is 84 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 11 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 65.7 persons per square mile making it 10 out of 105 in the state.  Crawford County has 76.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 69 crosses north to south in the county from Linn County to Cherokee County.  United States Highway 160 enters from the east, Missouri, and joins United States Highway 69 to exit to the south, Cherokee County.  United States Highway 400 is joined with United States Highways 69/160 from Cherokee County splits and travels west into Labette County.  The county is rectangular with Missouri on its eastern border.  Kansas City, Kansas is north and Springfield, Missouri is southeast of the county.  Girard is near the center of the county.  Pittsburg is in the southeast quarter.  Girard is the county seat and Pittsburg is the largest city.  Girard is 6.4% of the county population while Pittsburg is 53.0% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced GI-RARD.  This county is in the Pittsburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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