Ottawa

Formed November 16, 1907 (63^rd county)

Ottawa County (30,291), Miami (12,978)                

A Modern facility is the 2007 red brick and concrete courthouse in downtown Miami, one block east of United States Highway 69.  Located at the intersection of A Street Northeast and East Central Avenue; BKL Incorporated designed this courthouse.  The earlier 1915 courthouse was the only other courthouse for the county also in Miami therefore Miami has always been the county seat.  A 1915 courthouse also served the county since its November 16, 1907 creation as the 63^rd county.  Both the County of Ottawa and the City of Miami are named for their respective Native American tribe.  Ottawa is Native American for “buy and sell.” 

Ottawa County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Five District Court Judges serve Ottawa and Delaware counties.  The county is located in the northeast corner of the state.  Kansas is on its northern border and Missouri is on its eastern border.  The county center is 4.4 miles Southeast of Miami.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Kansas and Missouri and Delaware and Craig counties. 

The area of the county is 471 square miles.  It is 74 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 32 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 64.3 persons per square mile making it 15 out of 77 in the state.  Ottawa County has 62.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 44 enters from Missouri, east, and exits into Craig County, west.  United States Highway 59 enters from the northwest, Craig County, and exits to the south, Delaware County.  United States Highway 60 passes from Missouri (east) and goes to Delaware County (south).  United States Highway 69 comes in from Kansas on the north, joins United States Highway 60, and goes into Delaware County on the south.  United States Highway Alternate 69 also enters from Kansas and joins United States Highway 69 in the north of the county.  Except for a tiny extension on the northwest corner, the county is basically a square.  Miami is north and west of the county center.  Miami is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 42.8% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced MIE-A-MA.  This county is in the Miami Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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