Sedgwick

Formed February 26, 1867 (69^th county)

Sedgwick County (523,830), Wichita (397,547)

The Modern concrete and glass skyscraper was built in 1958.  It is located at Main and Central streets in the city.  United States Highway 54 is 9 blocks to the south of the location.  Thomas, Harris, Calvin and Associates were the architects.  There was an 1888 version since the county’s February 26, 1867 organization as the 69^th county with Wichita as the only county seat.  The county was taken from Butler County.  The county is named for Civil War General John Sedgwick.  Wichita is named for the Native American tribe.  Wichita County is named for the city, thus their names have the same source.  Sedgwick County was the birthplace of 1 Kansas Governor, Mark V. Parkinson. 

Sedgwick County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-seven District Court Judges serve Sedgwick County (judicial.) The county is in southern Kansas.  Salina, Kansas is north and Topeka, Kansas is northeast of the county.  The Arkansas River flows through the county.  The county center is in Wichita 1.9 miles West-Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Harvey, Butler, Cowley, Sumner, Kingman, and Reno counties. 

The area of the county is 1000 square miles.  It is 16 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 2 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 523.8 persons per square mile making it 3 out of 105 in the state.  Sedgwick County has 93.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 35 goes northeast to south in the county from Butler County to Sumner County.  Interstate Highway 135 travels in from the north, Harvey County, and terminates.  United States Highway 54 crosses east to west from Butler County to Kingman County.  United States Highway 81 enters joined with Interstate Highway 135 from Harvey County and parallels Interstate Highway 35 into Sumner County.  United States Highway 400 comes from Butler County, east, and joins United States Highway 54 into Kingman County, west.  The county is a rectangle with its northwest corner missing.  The Wichita metropolitan area dominates the east third of the county.  Wichita is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 75.9% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SEDG-WIK.  This county is in the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area.