Ellis

Formed February 26, 1867 (46^th county)

Ellis County (28,932), Hays (21,114)

The stone Art Deco courthouse was built on a hill in 1942.  It is located at Fort between 12^th and 13^th streets.  United States Highway 183 is eight blocks to the east.  There was an 1898 courthouse also in Hays, the only county seat.  The designer of the current courthouse was Mann & Company.  The county originated on February 26, 1867 from Native American Territory as the 46^th county.  The county is named for Civil War hero Lieutenant George Ellis.  The county seat is named for the fort which is named for General Alexander Hays. 

Ellis County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Five District Court Judges serve Ellis, Gove, Rooks, and Trego counties.  The county is in northwest Kansas.  Salina, Kansas is east and Dodge City, Kansas is southwest.  The Smoky Hill River and the Saline River flow through the county.  The county center is 3 miles East-Northeast of Hays.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Rooks, Osborne, Russell, Rush, Ness, and Trego counties. 

The area of the county is 900 square miles.  It is 24 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 21 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 32.1 persons per square mile making it 23 out of 105 in the state.  Ellis County has 84.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 goes east to west in the county from Russell County to Trego County.  United States Highway 40 is combined with Interstate Highway 70 from Russell to Trego counties.  United States Highway 183 travels north to south from Rooks County to Rush County.  The county is a square with Hays located slightly south of the county center.  Hays is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 73.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Hays Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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