Kearny

Formed March 20, 1873 (83^rd county)

Kearny County (3,981), Lakin (2,208)

The Art Deco very light tan brick and concrete 1939 courthouse sits on Main Street between Washington and Prairie streets.  Kansas State Highway 25 is Main Street.  There was a previous courthouse in Lakin from 1885.  Lakin has always been the county seat.  The courthouse’s twin courthouse is in Hamilton County.  Overend and Boucher are the building architects.  A sculptured county map is in front of the building.  Kearny County was organized on March 20, 1873 from parts of Finney and Hamilton counties as the 83^rd county.  It is named for Civil War General Philip Kearny.  Lakin is named for railroad official David Long Lakin. 

Kearny County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Kearny, Finney, Greeley, Hamilton, Scott, and Wichita counties (judicial.) The county is situated in western Kansas directly east of Garden City, Kansas.  The Arkansas River flows through the county.  The county center is 6.3 miles North of Lakin.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wichita, Scott, Finney, Haskell, Grant, Stanton, and Hamilton counties. 

The area of the county is 870 square miles.  It is 38 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 74 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 4.6 persons per square mile making it 76 out of 105 in the state.  Kearny County has 73.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highways 50/400 cross the county east to west from Finney County to Hamilton County.  The county is overall a tall rectangle.  Lakin is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Lakin is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 55.5% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KAR-NEE.  The county seat is pronounced LAE-KIN.