Republic

Formed February 27, 1860 (36^th county)

Republic County (4,682), Belleville (2,005)

An Art Deco masonry courthouse for Republic County was built in 1939.  It is sited on a square surrounded by M, 18^th, N, and 19^th streets.  The site is nine blocks to the north of United States Highway 36.  The architect was Mann and Company.  The building features marble lettering for Republic County Court House.  There was an 1885 courthouse in Belleville after the county’s February 27, 1860 founding as the 36^th county.  Pleasant Hill was the first county seat.  The county was taken from Washington County.  The county is named for the Republican River.  The county seat is named for the wife of founder A. B. Tutton, Arabelle. 

Republic 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 Republic, Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, and Washington counties (judicial.) The county is in northern Kansas on the border with Nebraska.  Salina, Kansas is south and Topeka, Kansas is southeast of the county.  The Republican River flows through the county.  The county center is 4 miles West-Southwest of Belleville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Nebraska and Washington, Cloud, and Jewell counties. 

The area of the county is 716 square miles.  It is 67 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 70 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 6.5 persons per square mile making it 64 out of 105 in the state.  Republic County has 66.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 34 goes east to west through the county from Washington County to Jewell County.  United States Highway 81 travels north to south from Nebraska to Cloud County.  The county is a square.  Belleville is located at the county’s center.  Belleville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 42.8% of the county population.