Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County (county code JO) is a county in northeast Kansas. The county is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. It contains many of the richer suburbs of Kansas City. As of the 2020 census, 609,863 people lived there.[1] Its county seat is Olathe.[2] The most populous city is Overland Park.
| Johnson County, Kansas | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Kansas | |
 Kansas's location in the U.S. | |
| Statistics | |
| Founded | August 25, 1855 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Olathe |
| Largest City | Overland Park |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
480 sq mi (1,243 km²) 473 sq mi (1,225 km²) 6.5 sq mi (17 km²), 1.4 |
| Population - Density |
|
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Named for: Thomas Johnson | |
In 2010, Money magazine ranked Overland Park 7th and Shawnee 17th in its list of the 100 Best Cities in the United States in which to live.[3] In 2008 the same magazine had ranked Olathe 11th.[4]
History
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 4,364 | ||
| 1870 | 13,684 | 213.6% | |
| 1880 | 16,853 | 23.2% | |
| 1890 | 17,385 | 3.2% | |
| 1900 | 18,104 | 4.1% | |
| 1910 | 18,288 | 1.0% | |
| 1920 | 18,314 | 0.1% | |
| 1930 | 21,179 | 15.6% | |
| 1940 | 33,327 | 57.4% | |
| 1950 | 62,783 | 88.4% | |
| 1960 | 143,792 | 129.0% | |
| 1970 | 220,073 | 53.0% | |
| 1980 | 270,269 | 22.8% | |
| 1990 | 357,048 | 32.1% | |
| 2000 | 451,086 | 26.3% | |
| 2010 | 544,179 | 20.6% | |
2011 estimate | |||
Johnson County is named for Thomas Johnson. It was one of the first counties in the Kansas Territory in 1855. The well known gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok lived in the county for a time. He was the constable of Monticello Township in 1858. Johnson County was the site of many battles dealing with slavery during Bleeding Kansas.
The county was mostly rural until the early 20th century. There was a large amount of urban development from 1914 though World War II. After the war, the development grew even greater.
Laws
Johnson County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was changed in 1986.[5]
Geography
The county has a total area of 480.15 square miles (1,243.6 km2). Of this, 476.78 sq mi (1,234.9 km2) (or 99.30%) is land, and 3.37 sq mi (8.7 km2) (or 0.70%) is water.[6]
Adjacent counties
- Wyandotte County (north)
- Jackson County, Missouri (east)
- Cass County, Missouri (southeast)
- Miami County (south)
- Franklin County (southwest)
- Douglas County (west)
- Leavenworth County (northwest)
Cities and towns
Incorporated cities
Name and population (2020 Census):[7]
- Overland Park,* 197,238
- Olathe, 141,290 (county seat)
- Shawnee,* 67,311
- Lenexa,* 57,434
- Leawood,* 33,902
- Gardner, 23,287
- Prairie Village,* 22,957
- Merriam,* 11,098
- Mission,* 9,954
- Spring Hill, 7,952
- Bonner Springs 7,837 (also in Wyandotte County and Leavenworth County)
- Roeland Park,* 6,871
- De Soto, 6,118
- Fairway,* 4,170
- Mission Hills,* 3,594
- Westwood,* 1,750
- Edgerton, 1,748
- Lake Quivira,* 1,014 (also in Wyandotte County)
- Westwood Hills,* 400
- Mission Woods,* 203
*Cities included in Shawnee Mission. The main Shawnee Mission post office is in Mission.
Unincorporated places
- Bonita
- Clare
- Ocheltree
- Stanley
- Stilwell
Townships
Johnson County was divided into nine townships. Two of these no longer exist. They were made part of independent municipalities. All of the cities are considered governmentally independent. They are not included in the census numbers for the townships.
| Township | FIPS | Population center |
Population | Population density /km² (/sq mi) |
Land area km² (sq mi) |
Water area km² (sq mi) |
Water % | Geographic coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aubry | 03225 | 5,440 | 43 (112) | 126 (49) | 0 (0) | 0.31% | 38°46′48″N 94°41′4″W / 38.78000°N 94.68444°W | |
| Gardner | 25450 | 2,143 | 21 (55) | 102 (39) | 1 (0) | 0.53% | 38°49′7″N 94°54′31″W / 38.81861°N 94.90861°W | |
| Lexington | 39800 | 1,315 | 10 (25) | 135 (52) | 2 (1) | 1.79% | 38°55′0″N 95°0′13″W / 38.91667°N 95.00361°W | |
| McCamish | 43625 | 878 | 8 (20) | 112 (43) | 0 (0) | 0.34% | 38°47′22″N 94°59′48″W / 38.78944°N 94.99667°W | |
| Monticello | 47950 | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0% | 39°1′59″N 94°47′57″W / 39.03306°N 94.79917°W | |
| Olathe | 52600 | 1,187 | 27 (70) | 44 (17) | 0 (0) | 0.04% | 38°54′21″N 94°49′18″W / 38.90583°N 94.82167°W | |
| Oxford | 53825 | 2,020 | 121 (313) | 17 (6) | 0 (0) | 1.54% | 38°49′58″N 94°40′54″W / 38.83278°N 94.68167°W | |
| Shawnee | 64525 | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0% | 39°1′51″N 94°47′47″W / 39.03083°N 94.79639°W | |
| Spring Hill | 67650 | 2,059 | 29 (76) | 70 (27) | 0 (0) | 0.30% | 38°46′35″N 94°48′55″W / 38.77639°N 94.81528°W | |
| Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. | ||||||||
Johnson County, Kansas Media
Olathe City Hall (2009)
Entrance to the Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies school in south Overland Park
Map of Johnson County, Kansas, U.S.
.jpg)
References
- ↑ "QuickFacts: Johnson County, Kansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Money Magazine". CNN. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/top100/index2.html. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ↑ Best Places to Live 2008 – Kansas. Money Magazine. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/states/KS.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
- ↑ "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ↑ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ https://data.census.gov
Other websites
- Official sites
- Johnson County
- Johnson County History
- Johnson County Library
- Johnson County Genealogical Society and Library
- Frontier Military Historic Byway[dead link]
- Additional information
- Blue Skyways Archived 2012-05-11 at the Wayback Machine
- Kansas Statistical Abstract Archived 2005-10-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Maps
- Johnson County Map, KDOT
- Kansas Highway Map, KDOT
- Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT
- Kansas School District Boundary Map Archived 2012-04-03 at the Wayback Machine, KSDE