Kay

Formed January 1, 1893 (17^th county)

Kay County (43,701), Newkirk (2,172), Ponca City (24,421)

The masonry Classical Revival courthouse sits at United States Highway 177 (Main Street) and 8^th Street.  Clyde H. Woodruff designed the 1926 structure.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  A previous courthouse built in 1898 was the original courthouse for the county since its January 1, 1893 founding.  An Administration Building and an Annex support the courthouse.  Newkirk has always been the county seat.  The county was the 17^th county originally called “K” County and thus its current name.  The county was part of the Cherokee Outlet.  The county seat is named for the train stop where it was located.  Kay County is the birthplace of 1 Oklahoma Governor, Henry L. Bellmon. 

Kay County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Four District Court Judges serve Kay and Noble counties and a court clerk serves Kay County (judicial.)  The county is on the Kansas border in north central Oklahoma.  Wichita, Kansas is north, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is south, and Tulsa, Oklahoma is east.  The county center is 10.8 miles Southwest of Newkirk nearer Blackwell.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Kansas and Osage, Noble, Garfield, and Grant counties. 

The area of the county is 919 square miles.  It is 28 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 22 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 47.6 persons per square mile.  It ranks 27 out of 77 counties in the state.  Kay County has 83.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate 35 goes north to south from Kansas into Noble County.  United States Highway 60 crosses east to west from Osage County to Grant County.  United States Highway 77 enters from Kansas, north, and exits to Noble County, south.  United States Highway 177 also goes north to south from Kansas to Noble County.  The county is rectangular except for the southeast, which follows the Arkansas River.  The Salt Fork of the Arkansas River also crosses the county from west to east.  Newkirk is in the north half of the county.  Ponca City is located in the southeast quarter of the county and extends into Osage County.  Newkirk is the county seat and Ponca City is the largest city.  Newkirk is 5.0% of the county population while Ponca City is 55.9% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced NUE-KIRK.  The largest city is pronounced PON-KA SI-TEE.  This county is in the Ponca City Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Ponca City