Editing Decatur County, Kansas (section)

==Communities==
[[File:Map of Decatur Co, Ks, USA.png|thumb|300px|right|2005 map of Decatur County<ref name="County-Map-Current"/> ([[:File:Kansas official transportation map legend.png|map legend]])]]
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Decatur County.<ref name="County-Map-Current">{{cite web |title=General Highway Map of Decatur County, Kansas |url=https://www.ksdot.gov/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/county-pdf/decatur.PDF |publisher=[[Kansas Department of Transportation]] (KDOT) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415151639/https://www.ksdot.gov/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/county-pdf/decatur.PDF |archive-date=April 15, 2023 |date=November 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cities===
‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county.
{{div col}}
* [[Clayton, Kansas|Clayton]]‡
* [[Dresden, Kansas|Dresden]]
* [[Jennings, Kansas|Jennings]]
* [[Norcatur, Kansas|Norcatur]]
* [[Oberlin, Kansas|Oberlin]] (county seat)
{{div col end}}

===Unincorporated communities===
{{div col}}
* [[Allison, Kansas|Allison]]
* [[Cedar Bluffs, Kansas|Cedar Bluffs]]
* [[Kanona, Kansas|Kanona]]
* [[Leoville, Kansas|Leoville]]
* [[Lyle, Kansas|Lyle]]
* [[Traer, Kansas|Traer]]
{{div col end}}

===Ghost towns===
{{div col}}
* [[Bassetville, Kansas|Bassetville]]
* [[Decatur, Kansas|Decatur]]
* [[Hawkeye, Kansas|Hawkeye]]
* [[Hooker, Kansas|Hooker]]
* [[Jackson, Kansas|Jackson]]
* [[Lund, Kansas|Lund]]
* [[Sheffield, Kansas|Sheffield]]
* [[Shibboleth, Kansas|Shibboleth]]
* [[Stephen, Kansas|Stephen]]
* [[Vallonia, Kansas|Vallonia]]
{{div col end}}

===Post offices===
The first post office in the county was Sappa, established in April 1874 by postmaster J. A. Rodehaver.{{sfn|Blackmar|1912a|p=499}}  It was located where Oberlin now is.{{sfn|Blackmar|1912a|p=499}}  In 1886 there were seventeen post offices in the county: Allison, Altory, Bassettville, Cedar Bluffs, Decatur, Hawkeye, Hooker, Jackson, Jenings, Lyle, Oberlin, Norcatur, Sheffield, Shibboleth, Stephen, Traer, and Vallonia.{{sfn|Sims|Wheeler|1887|p=178}}

===Townships===
Decatur County is divided into twenty-five [[Civil township|townships]]. The city of [[Oberlin, Kansas|Oberlin]] is considered ''governmentally independent'' and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.

{| class="toccolours" border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 style="text-align:center; border-collapse:collapse; font-size:90%;"
|- style="background:#ccccff"
! Township !! [[FIPS place code|FIPS]] !! Population<br/>center
! Population !! Population<br/>density<br/><small>/km<sup>2</sup> (/sq&nbsp;mi)</small>
! Land area<br/><small>km<sup>2</sup> (sq&nbsp;mi)</small> !! Water area<br/><small>km<sup>2</sup> (sq&nbsp;mi)</small> !! Water %
! Geographic coordinates
|-
| [[Allison Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Allison]]|| 01300 || || 39 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.01% || {{coord|39|35|36|N|100|12|24|W|}}
|-
| [[Altory Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Altory]]|| 01650 || || 16 || 0 (0) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0% || {{coord|39|47|22|N|100|21|15|W|}}
|-
| [[Bassettville Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Bassettville]]|| 04475 || || 26 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0% || {{coord|39|41|12|N|100|40|38|W|}}
|-
| [[Beaver Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Beaver]]|| 05050 || || 86 || 1 (2) || 92 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.11% || {{coord|39|58|42|N|100|34|2|W|}}
|-
| [[Center Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Center]]|| 11650 || || 60 || 1 (2) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.03% || {{coord|39|47|5|N|100|27|38|W|}}
|-
| [[Cook Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Cook]]|| 15375 || || 44 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.08% || {{coord|39|36|16|N|100|40|32|W|}}
|-
| [[Custer Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Custer]]|| 16850 || || 27 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.04% || {{coord|39|41|17|N|100|26|59|W|}}
|-
| [[Dresden Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Dresden]]|| 18625 || || 141 || 2 (4) || 92 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.01% || {{coord|39|36|39|N|100|27|5|W|}}
|-
| [[Finley Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Finley]]|| 23425 || || 39 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0% || {{coord|39|57|42|N|100|41|20|W|}}
|-
| [[Garfield Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Garfield]]|| 25525 || || 41 || 0 (1) || 92 (36) || 0 (0) || 0% || {{coord|39|46|38|N|100|14|44|W|}}
|-
| [[Grant Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Grant]]|| 27600 || || 31 || 0 (1) || 92 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.07% || {{coord|39|57|36|N|100|14|11|W|}}
|-
| [[Harlan Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Harlan]]|| 30050 || || 51 || 1 (1) || 92 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.05% || {{coord|39|56|50|N|100|20|56|W|}}
|-
| [[Jennings Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Jennings]]|| 35400 || || 173 || 2 (5) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.34% || {{coord|39|40|35|N|100|18|56|W|}}
|-
| [[Liberty Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Liberty]]|| 39975 || || 48 || 1 (1) || 91 (35) || 0 (0) || 0.03% || {{coord|39|53|2|N|100|33|31|W|}}
|-
| [[Lincoln Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Lincoln]]|| 40600 || || 203 || 2 (6) || 92 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.02% || {{coord|39|50|58|N|100|12|21|W|}}
|-
| [[Logan Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Logan]]|| 41825 || || 52 || 1 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0% || {{coord|39|52|38|N|100|42|42|W|}}
|-
| [[Lyon Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Lyon]]|| 43450 || || 24 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0% || {{coord|39|36|52|N|100|21|8|W|}}
|-
| [[Oberlin Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Oberlin]]|| 52025 || || 91 || 1 (3) || 89 (34) || 0 (0) || 0.08% || {{coord|39|47|32|N|100|34|20|W|}}
|-
| [[Olive Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Olive]]|| 52675 || || 68 || 1 (2) || 92 (35) || 1 (0) || 0.65% || {{coord|39|51|43|N|100|28|18|W|}}
|-
| [[Pleasant Valley Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Pleasant Valley]]|| 56525 || || 46 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.05% || {{coord|39|41|53|N|100|13|59|W|}}
|-
| [[Prairie Dog Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Prairie Dog]]|| 57475 || || 50 || 1 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.01% || {{coord|39|36|33|N|100|33|49|W|}}
|-
| [[Roosevelt Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Roosevelt]]|| 61025 || || 32 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.07% || {{coord|39|53|1|N|100|21|43|W|}}
|-
| [[Sappa Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Sappa]]|| 63050 || || 43 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.04% || {{coord|39|45|57|N|100|41|48|W|}}
|-
| [[Sherman Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Sherman]]|| 64900 || || 25 || 0 (1) || 92 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.01% || {{coord|39|57|5|N|100|28|7|W|}}
|-
| [[Summit Township, Decatur County, Kansas|Summit]]|| 69075 || || 22 || 0 (1) || 93 (36) || 0 (0) || 0.09% || {{coord|39|41|27|N|100|34|37|W|}}
|-
|colspan=9|Sources: {{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/places2k.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020802223743/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/places2k.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 2, 2002 |title=Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division }}
|}
This list has remained the same since 1910.{{sfn|Blackmar|1912a|p=501}}
In 1886 there had been just eleven: Bassettville, Beaver, Center, Custer. Garfield, Grant, Jennings, Logan, Oberlin, Olive, and Prairie Dog.{{sfn|Sims|Wheeler|1887|p=174}}
Originally in 1879, the county commissioners established just six townships: Grant, Beaver, Bassettville, Oberlin, Prairie Dog, and Jennings.{{sfn|Blackmar|1912a|p=500}}