Reno

Formed February 26, 1867 (64^th county)

Reno County (61,898), Hutchinson (40,018)                

A masonry and concrete skyscraper was constructed in 1930 and sits on 1^st Avenue at Adams Street.  The Art Deco building has a rotunda type inside which has county offices operating openly in this area.  Kansas State Highway 61 is 16 blocks east of the site.  The building was enlarged in 1971.  Reno County was established on February 26, 1867 from Native American Territory as the 64^th county with Hutchinson as the only county seat.  William E. Hulse & Company is the building designer.  There was a nicer 1872 version remodeled in 1902.  The county is named for Civil War hero General Jesse L. Reno.  Hutchinson is named for settler Clinton C. Hutchinson.  Reno County was the birthplace of 1 Kansas Governor, Walter A. Huxman. 

Reno County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Five District Court Judges serve Reno County (judicial.) The county is in south central Kansas.  Wichita, Kansas is southeast and Salina, Kansas is northeast of the county.  The county center is 11.9 miles Southwest of Hutchinson nearer Partridge.  The county is surrounded clockwise by McPherson, Harvey, Sedgwick, Kingman, Pratt, Stafford, and Rice counties. 

The area of the county is 1254 square miles.  It is 3 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 9 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 49.4 persons per square mile making it 13 out of 105 in the state.  Reno County has 78.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 50 crosses east to west in the county from Harvey County to Stafford County.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Hutchinson is in the northeast corner of the county.  Hutchinson is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 64.7% of the county population.  This county is in the Hutchinson Micropolitan Statistical Area.