Johnson County, Kansas
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| Image:Map of Kansas highlighting Johnson County.png Counties in Kansas | |
| County seat | Olathe |
| Largest city | Overland Park |
| Area —Total —Land —Water, % | 1,244 km² (480 mi²) 1,235 km² (477 mi²) 9 km² (3 mi²), 0.70% |
| Population —Total (2000) —Density | 451,086 365/km² (946/mi²) |
| Established | August 25, 1855 |
| Time zone | Central : UTC-6/-5 |
Johnson County (standard abbreviation: JO) is a county located in the state of Kansas. The 2000 cesus shows the county's population to be 451,086. However, a 2005 estimate puts the population at over 500,000, making the county the most populated in the state. The county seat is Olathe. Johnson County has the 62nd highest median household income and 43rd highest per-person income in the United States and the highest median household income in Kansas. Most of Johnson County is suburban, being part of the greater Kansas City, Missouri area.
In his highly popular polemic, What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America, cultural critic Thomas Frank writes: "Today, Johnson County is a vast suburban empire, a happy, humming confusion of freeways and malls and nonstop construction; of identical cul-de-sacs and pretentious European street names and overachieving school districts and oversized houses constructed to one of four designs. By all the standards of contemporary American business civilization, it is a great success story. It is the wealthiest county in Kansas by a considerable margin, and the free-market rapture of the New Economy nineties served it well, scandals notwithstanding. Telecom and corporate management were the right businesses to be in, and Johnson County's population grew by almost 100,000 over the course of the decade: an unflagging stream of middle-class humanity to fill its office parks and to absorb the manufactured bonhomie of its Applebee's and the gourmet pretensions of its Dean & DeLucas [1]. Johnson County is also said to be one of the most intensely Republican places in the nation (although it had a lower percentage of votes for George W. Bush than the state as a whole in the 2004 election). Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than two to one. Of Johnson County's twenty-two representatives in the Kansas House of Representatives, only one is a Democrat."
Frank, noting that a columnist for the Kansas City Star once dubbed the county "Cupcake Land," describes the cultural environment of Johnson County as such: "Cupcake Land is a metropolis built entirely according to the developer's plan, without the interference of angry proles or ethnic pols as in nearby Kansas City. Cupcake Land encourages no culture but that which increases property values; supports no learning but that which burnishes the brand; hears no opinions but those that will further fatten the cupcake elite; tolerates no rebellion but that expressed in haircuts and piercings and alternative rock. You know what it's like even though you haven't been there. Smooth jazz. Hallmark cards. Applebees. Corporate Woods. Its greatest civic holiday is the turning-on of the Christmas lights at a nearby shopping center -- an event so inspirational to the cupcake mind that the mall thus illuminated has been rendered in paint by none other than Thomas Kinkade."
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History
Johnson County is named for Rev. Thomas Johnson, and was one of the first counties established in the Kansas Territory in 1855. The Santa Fe Trail, originating in nearby Independence, Missouri, passed through the county. The renowned gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok settled for a time in the county, becoming constable of Monticello Township in 1858. The county was largely rural until the early 20th Century, when communities such as Overland Park and Mission Hills were developed as suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri. Suburban development boomed after World War II and the later desegregation of the Kansas City, Missouri, schools.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,244 km² (480 mi²). 1,235 km² (477 mi²) of it is land and 9 km² (3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.70% water.
Adjacent counties
- Wyandotte County, Kansas (north)
- Jackson County, Missouri (east)
- Cass County, Missouri (southeast)
- Miami County, Kansas (south)
- Franklin County, Kansas (southwest)
- Douglas County, Kansas (west)
- Leavenworth County, Kansas (northwest)
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | Population | Change | Percent Change |
| 1860 | 4,364 | - | - |
| 1870 | 13,648 | 9,284 | 213% |
| 1880 | 16,853 | 3,205 | 23% |
| 1890 | 17,385 | 532 | 3% |
| 1900 | 18,104 | 719 | 4% |
| 1910 | 18,288 | 184 | 1% |
| 1920 | 18,314 | 26 | 0% |
| 1930 | 21,179 | 8,865 | 48% |
| 1940 | 33,327 | 6,148 | 23% |
| 1950 | 62,783 | 29,456 | 88% |
| 1960 | 143,792 | 81,009 | 129% |
| 1970 | 220,073 | 67,967 | 53% |
| 1980 | 270,269 | 76,281 | 22% |
| 1990 | 357,048 | 86,779 | 32% |
| 2000 | 451,086 | 94,038 | 26% |
| 2005* | 500,995 | 49,909 | 11% |
| *estimated amount only, not an actual census year | |||
As of the census² of 2000, there were 451,086 people, 174,570 households, and 121,675 families residing in the county. The population density was 365/km² (946/mi²). There were 181,612 housing units at an average density of 147/km² (381/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.11% White, 2.61% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 2.83% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. 3.98% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 174,570 households out of which 36.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.80% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $61,455, and the median income for a family was $72,987. Males had a median income of $49,790 versus $32,145 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,919. 3.40% of the population and 2.10% of families were below the poverty line. 3.30% of those under the age of 18 and 3.60% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns
Image:Map of Johnson Co, Ks, USA.png
Incorporated cities
Name and population (2004 estimate):
- Overland Park,* 162,728
- Olathe, 108,390 (county seat)
- Shawnee,* 56,178
- Lenexa,* 42,615
- Leawood,* 29,504
- Prairie Village,* 21,511
- Gardner, 12,937
- Merriam,* 10,774
- Mission,* 9,772
- Roeland Park,* 6,997
- Bonner Springs, 6,892, of which about 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) is inside the county with the majority being in Wyandotte County
- De Soto, 5,070
- Spring Hill, 4,159
- Fairway,* 3,849
- Mission Hills,* 3,524
- Edgerton, 1,600
- Westwood,* 1,488
- Lake Quivira,* 919, of which a quarter of the city lies in Wyandotte County
- Westwood Hills,* 366
- Countryside,* 295
- Mission Woods,* 160
*Cities included in Shawnee Mission, a postal designation encompassing the cities in northern and eastern Johnson County.
Unincorporated places
- Aubry
- Bonita
- Clare
- Ocheltree
- Stilwell
Townships
Johnson County is divided into nine townships. All of the cities are considered governmentally independent and are 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.
| Township | FIPS | Population center | Population | Population density /km² (/mi²) | Land area km² (mi²) | Water area km² (mi²) | Water % | Geographic coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aubry | 03225 | 5,440 | 43 (112) | 126 (49) | 0 (0) | 0.31% | Template:Coor dms | |
| Gardner | 25450 | 2,143 | 21 (55) | 102 (39) | 1 (0) | 0.53% | Template:Coor dms | |
| Lexington | 39800 | 1,315 | 10 (25) | 135 (52) | 2 (1) | 1.79% | Template:Coor dms | |
| McCamish | 43625 | 878 | 8 (20) | 112 (43) | 0 (0) | 0.34% | Template:Coor dms | |
| Monticello | 47950 | 0 | 0 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 % | Template:Coor dms | |
| Olathe | 52600 | 1,187 | 27 (70) | 44 (17) | 0 (0) | 0.04% | Template:Coor dms | |
| Oxford | 53825 | 2,020 | 121 (313) | 17 (6) | 0 (0) | 1.54% | Template:Coor dms | |
| Shawnee | 64525 | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 % | Template:Coor dms | |
| Spring Hill | 67650 | 2,059 | 29 (76) | 70 (27) | 0 (0) | 0.30% | Template:Coor dms |
Libraries
Education
Unified school districts
- Blue Valley USD 229
- Spring Hill USD 230
- Gardner-Edgerton USD 231
- DeSoto USD 232
- Olathe USD 233
- Shawnee Mission USD 512
Colleges and universities
- Johnson County Community College
- University of Kansas, Edwards Campus [2]
- MidAmerica Nazarene University
See also
Template:See also Kansas counties
External links
- Official websites
- General county information
- County Level Data
- Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site
