Clay County, Missouri
| Clay County, Missouri | |
|---|---|
South side of the Clay County Courthouse (designed by Wight and Wight) in Liberty
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 Location in the U.S. state of Missouri |
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 Missouri's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | January 2, 1822 |
| Seat | Liberty |
| Largest city | Kansas City |
| Area | |
| • Total | 409 sq mi (1,059 km2) |
| • Land | 397 sq mi (1,028 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2), 2.8% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 235,637 |
| • Density | 559/sq mi (216/km²) |
| Congressional districts | 5th, 6th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www |
| Clay County, Missouri | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elected countywide officials | ||||
| Assessor | Cathy Rinehart | Democratic | ||
| Circuit Clerk | Stephen Haymes | Democratic | ||
| County Clerk | Sheri Chapman | Republican | ||
| Collector | Lydia McEvoy | Republican | ||
|
Commissioner (Presiding) |
Pamela Mason | Republican | ||
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Commissioner (District 1) |
Luann Ridgeway | Republican | ||
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Commissioner (District 2) |
Gene Owen | Democratic | ||
| Prosecuting Attorney | Dan White | Democratic | ||
| Public Administrator | Debra L. Gwin | Democratic | ||
| Recorder | Jay Lawson | Republican | ||
| Sheriff | Paul Vescovo | Republican | ||
| Treasurer | Ted Graves | Republican | ||
Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the county had a population of 221,939, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Liberty. The county was organized January 2, 1822, and named in honor of U.S. Representative Henry Clay from Kentucky, later member of the United States Senate and United States Secretary of State.
Clay County is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area and contains many of the city's northern suburbs, along with a substantial portion of the City of Kansas City.
Clay County owns and operates the Midwest National Air Center in Excelsior Springs.
Clay County was settled primarily from migrants from the Upper Southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions with them, and quickly started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. Clay was one of several counties settled mostly by Southerners to the north and south of the Missouri River. Given their culture and traditions, this area became known as Little Dixie. In 1860, slaves made up 25% or more of the county's population. Residents generally supported the Confederacy during the Civil War, as the Confederate flag flew over the county courthouse for many years following the end of the Civil War.
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Wikipedia