McPherson County was established 1869, but only specific sections were zoned, and only then starting in January of 1948. The entire county was zoned by June 21, 1978.
McPherson County is 900 square miles in size, thirty (30) miles by thirty (30) miles square and approximately thirteen (13) square miles are incorporated as cities, thus, 887 square miles remain as unincorporated territory.
The majority of land remains true to its production heritage for crops and livestock (A-1 Agriculture). However, the County is also home to a strong manufacturing base (M-1 Light Industrial and M-2 Heavy Industrial).
The cities of Inman, McPherson, and Moundridge have Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) for subdivision development and floodplain management within a 3-mile.