Wabaunsee

Formed March 25, 1859 (33^rd county)

Wabaunsee County (6,872), Alma (802)

The masonry and concrete Art Deco and Classical Revival look of Wabaunsee County courthouse was built in 1931.  The courthouse is on a square at Kansas, 2^nd, Iowa, and 3^rd streets.  Kansas State Highway 99 passes one block to the east of the site.  The building designer is W. E. Glover.  There was an 1872 courthouse also in Alma.  Wabaunsee was the first county seat until 1866.  The interior features marble walls and a county map as part of the floor.  Wabaunsee County was created on March 25, 1859 as the 33^rd county.  The county is named for a Native American chief.  Alma is named for Alma, Germany. 

Wabaunsee 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 Wabaunsee, Jackson, Jefferson, and Pottawatomie counties (judicial.) The county is in eastern Kansas directly to the west of Topeka, Kansas.  The Kansas River forms its northern border.  The county center is 12.2 miles Southeast of Alma nearer Eskridge.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Pottawatomie, Shawnee, Osage, Lyon, Morris, Geary, and Riley counties. 

The area of the county is 798 square miles.  It is 46 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 53 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 8.6 persons per square mile making it 53 out of 105 in the state.  Wabaunsee County has 42.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 crosses east to west in the county from Shawnee County to Geary County.  United States Highway 40 is joined with Interstate Highway 70 from Shawnee to Geary counties.  The county resembles a meat grinder with a wavy northern border.  Alma is in the northwest corner of the county.  Alma is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 11.7% of the county population.  The county is pronounced WA-BON-SEE.  This county is in the Topeka Metropolitan Statistical Area.