Kansas's major cities

Kansas has 627 incorporated cities. By statemetropolitan area is home to nearly 600,000
statute, cities are divided into three classes aspeople. Wichita is the largest city in the state in
determined by the population obtained "by anyterms of both land area and population. 'The Air
census of enumeration". A city of the third classCapital' is a major manufacturing center for the
has a population of less than 5,000, but citiesaircraft industry and the home of Wichita State
reaching a population of more than 2,000 may beUniversity. With a number of nationally registered
certified as a city of the second class. The secondhistoric places, museums, and other entertainment
class is limited to cities with a population of lessdestinations, it has a desire to become a cultural
than 25,000, and upon reaching a population ofmecca in the Midwest. Although Wichita's
more than 15,000, they may be certified as a citypopulation growth has been anemic in recent
of the first class. First and second class cities areyears, surrounding suburbs are among the fastest
independent of any township and not includedgrowing cities in the state. The population of
within the township's territory.Goddard has grown by more than 11% per year
Northeast Kansassince 2000.[5] Other fast-growing cities include
The northeastern portion of the state has a richAndover, Park City, Derby, and Haysville.
history and is home to more than 1.1 million peopleUp river (the Arkansas River) from Wichita is the
in the Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, and St.city of Hutchinson. The city was built on one of
Joseph metropolitan areas. In the Kansas Citythe world's largest salt deposits, and it has the
Metropolitan Area, the cities of Johnson Countyworld's largest and longest wheat elevator. It is
have some of the fastest growing populationsalso the home of Kansas Cosmosphere and
and highest median incomes in the state and theSpace Center and Prairie Dunes Country Club.
enitre country. Overland Park, a young cityNorth of Wichita along Interstate 135 is the city
incorporated in 1960, has the largest populationof Newton, the former western terminal of the
and the largest land area in the county. In 2006Santa Fe Railroad and trailhead for the famed
Overland Park was ranked as the 6th best placeChisholm Trail. To the southeast of Wichita are
to live in America. Olathe came in at 13th. [7] It isthe cities of Winfield and Arkansas City with
home to Johnson County Community College, thehistoric architecture and the Cherokee Strip
state's largest community college, and theMuseum (in Ark City). The city of Udall was the
corporate campus of Sprint Nextel, the largestsite of the deadliest tornado in Kansas on May 25,
private employer in the metro area. The cities of1955; it killed 83 residents. To the southwest of
Olathe, Shawnee, and Gardner have some of thethe largest city in the state is Freeport, the
state's fastest growing populations. Olathe is thestate's smallest incorporated city (population 8).
county seat and home to Johnson CountyAround the state
Executive Airport. The cities of Overland Park,Located midway between Kansas City, Topeka,
Lenexa, Olathe, and Gardner are also notableand Wichita in the heart of the Bluestem Region
because they lie along the former route of theof the Flint Hills, the city of Emporia has several
Santa Fe Trail. Among cities with at least onenationally registered historic places and is the
thousand residents, Mission Hills has the secondhome of Emporia State University, well-known for
highest median income in the state.its Teachers College. It was also the home of
Several institutions of higher education are in thenewspaper man William Allen White.
area including MidAmerica Nazarene University inSoutheast Kansas has a unique history with a
Olathe, Kansas City Kansas Community Collegenumber of nationally registered historic places in
and KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and KUthis coal-mining region. Located in Crawford
Edwards Campus in Overland Park. Less than anCounty (dubbed the Fried Chicken Capital of
hour's drive to the west, Lawrence is home toKansas), Pittsburg is the largest city in the region
the University of Kansas, the largest publicand the home of Pittsburg State University. The
university in the state, and Haskell Indian Nationsneighboring city of Frontenac in 1888 was the site
University.of the worst mine disaster in the state in which
To the north, Kansas City, Kansas, with thean underground explosion killed 47 miners. "Big
second largest land area in the state, contains aBrutus" is located a mile and a half outside the
number of diverse ethnic neighborhoods. Itscity of West Mineral. Along with the restored fort,
attractions include Kansas Speedway, thehistoric Fort Scott has a national cemetery
Woodlands, and Kansas City T-Bones. Further updesignated by President Lincoln in 1862.
the Missouri River, the city of Lansing is home ofSalina is the largest city in central and
the state's first maximum-security prison. Historicnorth-central Kansas. South of Salina is the small
Leavenworth, founded in 1854, was the firstcity of Lindsborg with its numerous Dala horses.
incorporated city in Kansas. North of the city, FortMuch of the architecture and decor of this town
Leavenworth is the oldest active Army post westhas a distinctly Swedish style. To the east along
of the Mississippi River. The city of Atchison wasInterstate 70, the historic city of Abilene was
an early commercial center in the state and isformerly a trailhead for the Chisholm Trail and
well-known as the birthplace of Amelia Earhart.was the boyhood home of President Eisenhower.
To the west, nearly a quarter million people resideWestward along the Interstate, the city of Russell
in the Topeka metropolitan area. Topeka is theis the home of former U.S. Senator Bob Dole and
state capital and home to Washburn University.the boyhood home of U.S. Senator Arlen Specter.
Built at a Kansas River crossing along the oldThe city of Hays is home to Fort Hays State
Oregon Trail, this historic city has several nationallyUniversity and the Sternberg Museum of Natural
registered historic places. Further westward alongHistory, and is the largest city in
Interstate 70 and the Kansas River is Junctionsparsely-populated northwest Kansas. The
City with its historic limestone and brick buildings"Cathedral of the Plains" is located 10 miles east
and nearby Fort Riley, well-known as the formerof Hays in Victoria, and the boyhood home of
home to the "Big Red One". A short distanceWalter Chrysler is located 15 miles west of Hays
away, the city of Manhattan is home to Kansasin Ellis.
State University, the second largest publicSouthwest Kansas, and Dodge City in particular, is
university in the state and the nation's oldestfamously known for the cattle drive days of the
land-grant university, dating back to 1863. Southlate 19th century. The city of Dodge was built
of the campus, Aggieville dates back to 1889 andalong the old Santa Fe Trail route. The city of
is the state's oldest shopping district of its kind.Liberal is located along the southern Santa Fe Trail
Wichitaroute. The first wind farm in the state was built
In south-central Kansas, the four-county Wichitaeast of Montezuma.