{"id":3703,"date":"2023-05-28T22:24:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-28T22:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=3703"},"modified":"2026-08-16T19:08:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T19:08:24","slug":"lincoln-county-kansas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/lincoln-county-kansas\/","title":{"rendered":"Lincoln County, Kansas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Lincoln County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the Saline River in the north-central part of the state. It had a population of 2,939 at the 2020 census and covers 720 square miles (1,900 km2), centred near 39&deg;03&prime;N 98&deg;12&prime;W.<\/p>\n<p>Lincoln Center is the county seat, and its postal code is 67455. The county has four incorporated cities and five unincorporated communities. Lincoln County observes Central time.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Lincoln County<\/h2>\n<p>Nine named places are recognized in Lincoln County: four incorporated cities and five unincorporated communities. Lincoln Center is the only city over 1,000 residents; the rest are small farm-service towns and rural crossroads scattered along the Saline River valley and its creek tributaries.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Lincoln Center<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>67455<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sylvan Grove<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>67481<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Beverly<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>67423<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Barnard<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>67418<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ash Grove<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Denmark<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shady Bend<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Vesper<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Westfall<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Lincoln Center is locally known simply as &ldquo;Lincoln,&rdquo; which is how it appears on many road signs and older maps; both names refer to the same city, the county seat.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>67455 &mdash; Lincoln Center (also serves the surrounding rural townships)<\/li>\n<li>67481 &mdash; Sylvan Grove<\/li>\n<li>67423 &mdash; Beverly<\/li>\n<li>67418 &mdash; Barnard<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ash Grove, Denmark, Shady Bend, Vesper and Westfall have no post office of their own; mail there is addressed through the nearest incorporated city&#8217;s ZIP code.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Lincoln County sits in the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas, where the Saline River and its Spillman Creek and Elkhorn Creek tributaries cross gently rolling, largely treeless prairie. Native limestone &ldquo;post rock&rdquo; outcrops, once quarried for fence posts across the treeless plains, are a defining feature of the local landscape. Of the county&#8217;s 720 square miles, 719 are land and about 1.1 are water.<\/p>\n<p>Lincoln County borders <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/mitchell-county-kansas\/\">Mitchell County<\/a> to the north, Ottawa County to the northeast and east, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/saline-county-kansas\/\">Saline County<\/a> to the southeast, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/ellsworth-county\/\">Ellsworth County<\/a> to the south, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/russell-county\/\">Russell County<\/a> to the southwest and west, and <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/osborne-county\/\">Osborne County<\/a> to the northwest.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Lincoln County had 2,939 residents at the 2020 census, a population that has fallen steadily since the county&#8217;s 1880s peak of over 8,500, part of the broader Great Plains depopulation pattern affecting rural Kansas. Lincoln Center and Sylvan Grove are the two largest communities. Household income in the county runs below the Kansas median of $70,333. Population density is roughly 4 people per square mile, among the sparsest in the state. Like many post rock counties, Lincoln County&#8217;s population is older on average than the Kansas norm, and the county has lost residents in nearly every census since its 19th-century peak.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Wheat, cattle and other row-crop agriculture drive the county economy, supplemented by county and school-district government employment centered in Lincoln Center. Post Rock Scenic Byway traffic and hunting-related tourism bring modest seasonal income. Unified School District 298 (Lincoln) operates the county&#8217;s public schools.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Lincoln County was organized on February 26, 1867, and named for President Abraham Lincoln, assassinated less than two years earlier. Early settlement followed the Smoky Hill and Saline river valleys, and the county saw sporadic conflict with Native American groups in the late 1860s before permanent farming communities took hold. Like much of rural Kansas, the county&#8217;s population has declined for over a century since its 19th-century farming boom, when the county&#8217;s population peaked at more than 8,500 in the 1880s before homestead-era farms consolidated into fewer, larger operations.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>Kansas Highway 18 and Kansas Highway 14 cross Lincoln County and meet at Lincoln Center.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Salina &mdash; 35 miles southeast<\/li>\n<li>Russell &mdash; 30 miles west<\/li>\n<li>Beloit &mdash; 25 miles north<\/li>\n<li>Hays &mdash; 55 miles west<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Salina Regional Airport, in neighboring Saline County, is the nearest commercial airport.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Lincoln County, Kansas?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt is in north-central Kansas, in the Smoky Hills region along the Saline River, roughly 35 miles northwest of Salina.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Lincoln County?<\/strong><br \/>\nLincoln County had a population of 2,939 at the 2020 census.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Lincoln County?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe county covers 720 square miles (1,900 km2), of which about 719 square miles is land.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Lincoln County?<\/strong><br \/>\nLincoln Center is the county seat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns are in Lincoln County?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe county has four incorporated cities &mdash; Lincoln Center, Sylvan Grove, Beverly and Barnard &mdash; plus five unincorporated communities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes are in Lincoln County?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe main ZIP codes are 67455 (Lincoln Center), 67481 (Sylvan Grove), 67423 (Beverly) and 67418 (Barnard).<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Lincoln County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt is known for its native limestone &ldquo;post rock&rdquo; fence posts, a hallmark of the Smoky Hills region, and for the Post Rock Scenic Byway that runs through the county.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/kansas\/\">Towns and villages in Kansas<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lincoln County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the Saline River in the north-central part of the state. It had a population of 2,939 at the 2020 census and covers 720 square miles (1,900 km2), centred near 39&deg;03&prime;N 98&deg;12&prime;W. Lincoln Center is the county seat, and its postal code is 67455. The county [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Lincoln County, Kansas","_seopress_titles_desc":"Lincoln Center, Sylvan Grove, Beverly & Barnard: population, ZIP codes, geography, history & FAQ for Lincoln County, Kansas.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-3703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-kansas","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3703"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10225,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3703\/revisions\/10225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}