Lyon

Formed February 5, 1862 (39^th county)

Lyon County (32,177), Emporia (24,137)

A Modern red brick and concrete courthouse was built in 2002.  It is sited on Commercial Street at 5^th Street.  United States Highway 50 is one block to the north of the site.  Treanor Architects provided the building design.  Marble and rock walls adorn the interior.  The old courthouse serves as the annex.  There have been 1856, 1901, and 1954 courthouses previously in Emporia.  Lyon County was formed on February 5, 1862 as the 39^th county.  Columbia, Waterloo, Americus, and Emporia have all served as county seat.  Civil War General Nathaniel Lyon inspired the name of the county.  The ancient Africa location of Emporia is the source for the county seat’s name. 

Lyon 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 Lyon and Chase counties (judicial.) The county is in the east part of Kansas.  Topeka, Kansas is northeast and Wichita, Kansas is southwest of the county.  The county center is in Emporia 1.8 miles East-Northeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wabaunsee, Osage, Coffey, Greenwood, Chase, and Morris counties.  The county is a tall rectangle.  Emporia is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  Emporia is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 75.0% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced EM-POER-EE-A. 

The area of the county is 851 square miles.  It is 42 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 18 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 37.8 persons per square mile making it 18 out of 105 in the state.  Lyon County has 82.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 35 goes northeast to southwest in the county from Coffey County to Chase County.  Interstate Highway 335 enters from the north, Osage County, and terminates.  United States Highway 50 comes in from Coffey County joined with Interstate Highway 35, splits and continues west into Chase County.  United States Highway 56 crosses east to west from Osage County to Morris County.  This county is in the Emporia Micropolitan Statistical Area.