Atchison County is a county in Missouri, United States, occupying the state’s northwestern corner where the Missouri River separates it from Nebraska. It had a population of 5,305 at the 2020 census and covers 550 square miles (1,400 km2) centred near 40°26′N 95°26′W.
Rock Port is the county seat, and its postal code is 64482. The county has four incorporated cities and towns, one village, and about a dozen smaller unincorporated communities, spread across 11 civil townships. Atchison County observes Central Time and carries FIPS code 29005.
Towns & Villages in Atchison County
Atchison County has four incorporated cities — Rock Port, Tarkio, Fairfax, and Westboro — plus the village of Watson and a scatter of unincorporated crossroads communities. CDP below means Census-Designated Place (an unincorporated but census-recognized community); Unincorp. means an unincorporated community with no formal municipal government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Port | City · seat | — | 1,278 | 64482 |
| Tarkio | City | Tarkio | 1,506 | 64491 |
| Fairfax | City | — | 648 | 64446 |
| Westboro | City | — | 116 | 64498 |
| Watson | Village | — | — | 64496 |
| Blanchard | CDP | Nishnabotna | — | — |
| Dotham | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Langdon | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Linden | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Milton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Nishnabotna | Unincorp. | Nishnabotna | — | — |
| Oswald | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Phelps City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sonora | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| York | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Townships
Atchison County is divided into 11 civil townships: Benton, Buchanan, Clark, Clay, Colfax, Dale, Lincoln, Nishnabotna, Polk, Tarkio, and Templeton. The county has never published 2020 township-level population counts, so the pop. column below is left blank rather than estimated.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Tarkio | — | Tarkio |
| Nishnabotna | — | Blanchard, Nishnabotna |
| Benton | — | — |
| Buchanan | — | — |
| Clark | — | — |
| Clay | — | — |
| Colfax | — | — |
| Dale | — | — |
| Lincoln | — | — |
| Polk | — | — |
| Templeton | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 64482 — Rock Port (also serves Dotham, Sonora)
- 64491 — Tarkio (also serves Nishnabotna, York)
- 64446 — Fairfax (also serves Linden, Oswald, Phelps City)
- 64496 — Watson
- 64498 — Westboro
Blanchard, Langdon, and Milton sit close enough to the Iowa line that mail there is often handled through post offices just across the state border; the county’s own ZIP roster covers Rock Port, Tarkio, Fairfax, Watson, and Westboro.
Geography
Atchison County lies in the Missouri River bottomlands of the state’s extreme northwest corner, where flat alluvial farmland gives way to loess bluffs along the eastern edge. The Missouri River forms the county’s western and northern boundary with Nebraska and Iowa, and the Nishnabotna River crosses the county’s north end before joining the Missouri. Roughly 547 square miles of the county is land and about 2.8 square miles is water.
Atchison County borders Fremont County, Iowa, to the north; Page County, Iowa, to the northeast; Nodaway County, Missouri, to the east; Holt County, Missouri, to the south; Richardson County, Nebraska, to the southwest; Nemaha County, Nebraska, to the west; and Otoe County, Nebraska, to the northwest. See Nodaway County, Holt County, Fremont County, Iowa, Page County, Iowa, Richardson County, Nebraska, Nemaha County, Nebraska, and Otoe County, Nebraska.
Demographics
The county’s population of 5,305 at the 2020 census makes it one of Missouri’s least-populous counties, at a density of about 9.7 people per square mile. Tarkio (1,506) and Rock Port (1,278) are the two largest communities and together hold more than half the county’s residents. Household income in Atchison County runs below the Missouri median of $68,545, typical of the state’s farm counties along the Nebraska and Iowa lines.
Economy & Local Life
Row-crop and livestock agriculture — corn, soybeans, and cattle on the bottomland and bluff-top ground — remains the backbone of the county economy. Atchison County has also become one of Missouri’s leading wind-energy producers, with hundreds of turbines built across its ridgelines and farmland over the past two decades feeding power onto the regional grid. Tarkio was home to Tarkio College, a private liberal-arts school that operated from 1883 until its 1992 closure; part of the campus has since been repurposed for community and agricultural use.
History
The area that became Atchison County was originally organized in 1843 as part of Holt County and briefly known as Allen County. It was formally established as Atchison County on February 14, 1845, and named for David Rice Atchison, a Missouri U.S. senator of the period. The county’s history since has been shaped by its position on the Missouri River; major flooding along the river, including the 1993 Missouri River flood, has repeatedly tested the levee system protecting Rock Port and the bottomland farms.
Getting There
Interstate 29 runs north–south through Atchison County along the Missouri River, with U.S. Routes 59, 136, and 275 and Missouri Routes 46 and 111 serving the rest of the county.
- St. Joseph, Missouri — about 55 miles south
- Omaha, Nebraska — about 75 miles north
- Maryville, Missouri — about 40 miles east
- Shenandoah, Iowa — about 25 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Atchison County, Missouri?
It occupies the far northwestern corner of the state, along the Missouri River across from Nebraska and just south of the Iowa line.
What is the population of Atchison County?
5,305 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Atchison County?
550 square miles (1,400 km2), of which about 547 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Atchison County?
Rock Port is the county seat.
How many towns are in Atchison County?
Four incorporated cities (Rock Port, Tarkio, Fairfax, Westboro), one village (Watson), and about ten smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Atchison County?
64482 (Rock Port), 64491 (Tarkio), 64446 (Fairfax), 64496 (Watson), and 64498 (Westboro).
Why is Atchison County a wind-energy center?
Its open ridgelines and consistent Missouri River valley winds have drawn hundreds of turbines to the county over the past two decades, making it one of the state’s top wind-power producers.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.