Kiowa

Formed February 26, 1867 (51^st county)

Kiowa County (2,458), Greensburg (728)                

The red brick and masonry Neo-Classical building still stands on a square surrounded by Florida, Oak, Washington, and Pine streets.  United States Highway 54 is one block to the north of the location.  A 2007 tornado devastated the town and damaged this 1913 building.  The remodeling was completed in 2009.  This building replaced an 1880’s era facility.  William E. Hulse provided the courthouse designs.  Kiowa County was established on February 26, 1867 from parts of Comanche and Edwards counties as the 51^st county with Greensburg as the only county seat.  It is named for the Native American tribe.  The county seat was named for settler D. R. Green. 

Kiowa County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Six District Court Judges serve Kiowa, Clark, Comanche, Ford, Gray, and Meade counties (judicial.) The county is in south Kansas.  Wichita, Kansas is east and Dodge City, Kansas is northwest of the county.  The county center is 5.5 miles South of Greensburg.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Edwards, Pratt, Barber, Comanche, Clark, and Ford counties. 

The area of the county is 722 square miles.  It is 56 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 95 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 3.4 persons per square mile making it 85 out of 105 in the state.  Kiowa County has 65.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 54 crosses the county east to west from Pratt County to Ford County.  United States Highway 183 goes north to south from Edwards County to Comanche County.  United States Highway 400 enters from the east, Pratt County, joined with United States Highway 54, splits and exits to the west, Ford County.  The county is a rectangle.  Greensburg is in the northern third of the county.  Greensburg is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 29.6% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KIE-OE-WA.