Topeka is the capital of the U.S. state of
Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, which is named after the Shawnee Indians. It has
a population of 122,377 as of the 2000 census. The Topeka Metropolitan
Statistical Area, which includes Shawnee, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, and Wabaunsee counties, has an estimated population of 226,268 in the year 2003. Three ships of the
US Navy have been named USS Topeka in
honor of the city.
The name "Topeka" comes from a Kansas tribal name meaning "a good place to grow potatoes". (The name "potato" in this case
refers to the prairie potato, a perennial herb which was an important food for many
Native Americans.[1]
Topeka, laid out in 1854, was one of the Free-State towns founded by Eastern antislavery men immediately after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. In 1857, Topeka was chartered as a city.
Geography
Topeka is located at 39°03′N,
95°41′W. Topeka is in north east Kansas at the intersection of I-70 and
U.S. Highway 75. It is the origin of I-335 which
is a portion of the Kansas Turnpike running from Topeka to Emporia, Kansas. Topeka is also located on U.S. Highway 24 and
U.S. Highway 40. 40 is coincident with I-70 west from Topeka.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 147.6 km² (57.0 mi²). 145.1 km² (56.0 mi²) of
it is land and 2.5 km² (1.0 mi²) of it (1.70%) is water.
Climate
Topeka has a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa), with hot, somewhat humid summers and cool to
cold, fairly dry winters. Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of about 17 °F in January to an
average high of nearly 90 °F in July. The maximum temperature reaches 90 °F an average of 45 days per year and reaches 100 °F an
average of 4 days per year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point (32 °F) an average of 117 days per year.
Typically the first fall freeze occurs between the last week of September and the end of October, and the last spring freeze
occurs between the first week of April and early May.
The area receives nearly 36 inches of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received in May and
June—the April–June period averages 32 days of measurable precipitation. Generally, the spring and summer months have the most
rainfall, with autumn and winter being fairly dry. During a typical year the total amount of precipitation may be anywhere from
25 to 47 inches. Much of the rainfall is delivered by thunderstorms. These can be severe,
producing frequent lightning, large hail, and sometimes
tornadoes. There are on average 100 days of measurable precipitation per year. Winter snowfall
is light, as is the case in most of the state, not due to lack of sufficient cold temperatures, but due to the dry, sunny weather
patterns that dominate Kansas winters, that do not allow for sufficient moisture for significant snowfall. Winter snowfall
averages almost 20 inches, but the median is less than 11 inches. Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 15 days per year with
at least an inch of snow being received on seven of those days. Snow depth of at least an inch occurs an average of 26 days per
year.
Source: Monthly Station Climate Summaries, 1971-2000, [2]
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Temperatures (°F) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mean high |
37.2 |
43.8 |
55.5 |
66.1 |
75.3 |
84.5 |
89.1 |
87.9 |
80.3 |
68.9 |
53.1 |
40.9 |
65.2 |
| Mean low |
17.2 |
23.0 |
32.9 |
42.9 |
53.4 |
63.2 |
67.7 |
65.4 |
55.9 |
44.3 |
32.1 |
21.8 |
43.3 |
| Highest recorded |
73
(1967) |
84
(1972) |
89
(1986) |
95
(1987) |
97
(1998) |
107
(1953) |
110
(1980) |
110
(1984) |
109
(2000) |
96
(1963) |
85
(1980) |
73
(2001) |
110
(1984) |
| Lowest recorded |
−20
(1974) |
−23
(1979) |
−7
(1978) |
10
(1975) |
26
(1963) |
42
(1964) |
43
(1972) |
41
(1988) |
29
(1984) |
19
(1993) |
2
(1976) |
−26
(1989) |
−26
(1989) |
| Precipitation (inches) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Median |
0.90 |
0.89 |
2.09 |
3.04 |
4.41 |
4.81 |
2.90 |
3.99 |
2.94 |
3.25 |
2.17 |
1.19 |
36.57 |
| Mean number of days |
6.2 |
6.1 |
9.2 |
10.1 |
11.8 |
10.5 |
8.6 |
8.7 |
7.9 |
7.2 |
7.3 |
6.4 |
100.0 |
| Highest monthly |
2.67
(1973) |
3.49
(1971) |
8.44
(1973) |
8.69
(1999) |
11.81
(1995) |
10.91
(1977) |
10.98
(1993) |
11.18
(1977) |
12.71
(1973) |
7.24
(1980) |
5.64
(1998) |
4.30
(1973) |
|
| Snowfall (inches) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Median |
3.8 |
2.4 |
0.9 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.2 |
3.6 |
10.9 |
| Mean number of days |
4.5 |
3.2 |
1.7 |
0.6 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
1.5 |
3.5 |
15.0 |
| Highest monthly |
17.3
(1979) |
22.4
(1971) |
7.8
(1975) |
4.5
(1983) |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
8.0
(1996) |
9.4
(1972) |
18.8
(1983) |
|
| Notes: Temperatures are in degrees
Fahrenheit. Precipitation
includes rain and melted snow or sleet in inches; median values are provided for
precipitation and snowfall because mean averages may be misleading. Mean and median
values are for the 30-year period 1971–2000; temperature extremes are for the station's period of record (1948–2001). The station
is located at Topeka Billard Municipal Airport at 39°4′N 95°38′W, elevation feet ( m). |
History
19th century
In the 1840s, wagon trains made their way west from Independence, Missouri, on a
miles ( km) journey following what would come to be known as the Oregon Trail.
About miles ( km) west of Kansas City, Missouri, three half Kansas Indian sisters married to the French-Canadian
Pappan brothers established a ferry service allowing travelers to cross the Kansas River at
what is now Topeka. During the 1840s and into the 1850s, travelers could reliably find a way across the river (and plenty of
whiskey) but little else was in the area.
In the early 1850s, traffic along the Oregon Trail was supplemented by trade on a new military road stretching from Fort
Leavenworth through "Topeka" to the newly-established Fort Riley. In 1854, after completion of the first cabin, nine men
established the "Topeka Town Association." Included among them was Cyrus K. Holliday,
an "idea man" who would become mayor of Topeka and founder of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. Soon, steamboats were regularly docking
at the Topeka landing, depositing meat, lumber, and flour and returning eastward with potatoes, corn, and wheat. By the late
1860s, Topeka had become a commercial hub providing access to many of the Victorian era's comforts.
After a decade of Bleeding Kansas abolitionist and pro-slavery conflict, the Kansas
territory was admitted to the Union in 1861 as the 34th state. Topeka was finally chosen as the capital, with Dr. Charles
Robinson as the first governor. Cyrus K. Holliday donated a tract of land to the state for the construction of a state
capitol.
Although the drought of 1860 and the ensuing period of the Civil War slowed the
growth of Topeka and the state, Topeka kept pace with the revival and period of growth that Kansas enjoyed from the close of the
war in 1865 until 1870. In 1869, the railway started moving westward from Topeka. General offices and machine shops of the
Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad system were established in Topeka in 1878.
During the late 1880s, Topeka passed through a boom period that ended in disaster. There was vast speculation on town lots. The 1889 bubble burst and many investors were ruined. Topeka, however, doubled in
population during the period and was able to weather the depressions of the 1890s.
State Capitol at Topeka (1912)
20th century
Downtown Topeka looking southwest
Home to the first African-American kindergarten west of the Mississippi River, Topeka became the home of Linda Brown, the
named plaintiff in Brown v. Board of Education which was the case
responsible for eliminating the standard of "separate but equal", and requiring racial
integration in American public schools.
It is interesting to note that, at the time the suit was filed, only the elementary schools were segregated in Topeka, and
that Topeka High School had been fully integrated since its inception in the late
1890s. It is also interesting to note that Topeka High School was the only public high school in Topeka until Topeka West
High School opened in 1961. A Catholic high school—Assumption High School, later renamed Capitol Catholic High School, then
Hayden High School after its founder, Father Francis Hayden in 1939—also served the city beginning in 1911.[3]
Monroe Elementary, a segregated school that figured in the historic Brown v.
Board of Education decision, is now a National historic site with
interpretive exhibits. The national historic site was opened by President George W. Bush
on May 17, 2004.
Topeka has struggled with the burden of racial discrimination even after Brown. New lawsuits attempted unsuccessfully to force
suburban school districts that ring the city to participate in racial integration with the inner city district. In the late 1980s
a group of citizens calling themselves the Task Force to Overcome Racism in Topeka formed to
address the problem in a more organized way.
On June 8, 1966, Topeka was struck by an F5 rated tornado, according to the Fujita
scale. It started on the southwest side of town, moving northeast, passing over a local landmark named Burnett's Mound.
According to a local Indian legend, this mound was thought to protect the city from tornadoes. It went on to rip through the
city, hitting the downtown area and Washburn University. Total dollar cost was put at $100 million making it, at the time, one of
the costliest tornadoes in American history. Even to this day, with inflation factored in, the Topeka tornado stands as one of
the costliest on record. It also helped bring to prominence the CBS and A&E broadcaster Bill
Kurtis, who became well known for his televised admonition to "take cover, for God's sake, take cover" on WIBW-TV during the tornado. (The city is, by the way, home of a National Weather Service Forecast Office that serves 23 counties in north-central, northeast,
and east-central Kansas).
Education
Topeka is served by four public school districts including Topeka USD 501, Auburn-Washburn USD 437, Shawnee Heights USD 450, and Seaman USD 345. Topeka is
also home to several private and parochial schools including Topeka Collegiate, Cair
Paravel-Latin School, a number of Catholic schools and schools supported by other Christian denominations.
Topeka has several colleges, universities and technical schools including Washburn
University.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 122,377 people, 52,190 households,
and 30,687 families residing in the city. The population density was 843.6/km²
(2,185.0/mi²). There were 56,435 housing units at an average density of 389.0/km² (1,007.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city
was 78.52% White, 11.71% African American, 1.31% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.06% from other races, and 3.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.86% of the population.
There were 52,190 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were
non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from
45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,928, and the median income for a family was $45,803. Males had a median
income of $32,373 versus $25,633 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$19,555. About 8.5% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
Topeka is sometimes cited as the home of Pentecostalism as it was the site of
Charles Fox Parham's Bethel Bible College, where glossolalia was first claimed as the evidence of a spiritual experience referred to as the baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1901. It is also the home of Reverend Charles Sheldon, author of In His Steps, and was the site
where the famous question "What would Jesus do?" originated in a sermon of
Sheldon's at Central Congregational Church. The First Presbyterian Church in Topeka is one of the very few churches in the U.S.
to have its sanctuary completely decorated with Tiffany stained glass (another is
St. Lukes United Methodist in Dubuque, Iowa). Topeka is also headquarters for the
controversial Westboro Baptist Church led by the preacher Fred Phelps.
Transportation
I-70, I-470, and I-335 all go through the City of Topeka. I-335 is part of the Kansas
Turnpike where it passes through Topeka. Other major highways include: US-24,
US-40, US-75, and K-4. Major roads within the city include NW/SW Topeka Blvd. SW Wanamaker Road. N/S Kansas Ave.
SW/SE 29th St. SE/SW 21st St. SE California Ave. SW Gage Blvd. and SW Fairlawn Rd.
Philip Billard Municipal Airport (TOP) is located in the Oakland
neighborhood of Topeka and Forbes Field (FOE)is located south of Topeka in
Pauline, Kansas. Passenger air service is not currently available. Service may be added
in the near future. Forbes Field also serves as an Air National Guard base, home of
the highly decorated 190th Air Refueling Wing.
Passenger rail service provided by Amtrak stops at the Topeka Station. Freight service is provided by the Burlington
Northern Santa Fe railroad and Union Pacific Railroad.
Bus service is provided by Greyhound
Points of interest
Notable natives
- Pat Roberts, U.S. Senator from Kansas
- Annette Bening, actress
- Gregg Binkley, actor
- Gwendolyn Brooks, poet
- Fred Comer, racecar driver
- Charles Curtis, U.S. Vice President (1929–33)
- Art Crews, wrestler
- Aaron Douglas, Harlem Renaissance artist
- Ronald Evans, astronaut
- Max Falkenstein, radio broadcaster
- Ann Gottesman, author
- Joey "Baggz" Little, rock radio personality
- Walter Hatke, painter
- Coleman Hawkins, jazz saxophonist
- Kristen High, artist
- Ralph Hipp, television anchor, WIBW-TV
- Wes Jackson, environmentalist, The Land
Institute
- Kansas, rock band
- Bill Kurtis, television anchor
- Ben Lerner, poet
- Harriet Lerner, psychologist and author
- Katrina Leskanich, singer (Katrina and the
Waves)
- Kay McFarland, Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice
- Andy McKee, musician
- Karl Menninger, psychiatrist
- William C. Menninger, psychiatrist
- John Parrella, football player
- Shirley Phelps-Roper, activist
- Eric Rosen, Kansas Supreme Court
Justice
- Gil Rumsey, painter
- Thomas Ryan, U.S.
Representative and Ambassador to Mexico
- Dean Smith, former University of North Carolina basketball coach
- Mark Turgeon, head basketball coach at Texas
A&M University
- Karl Targownik, psychiatrist and Holocaust
survivor
- Matthew D. Werner, architect
- John Riggins, NFL Running back 1971-1985
- See also: List of Topeka
Mayors
Corporations Headquartered in Topeka
Largest Employers
- Government Employer Employment
State of Kansas 8.402
City of Topeka 1,400
U.S. Government 1,256
Shawnee County 1,100
Joint Force Headquarters & Kansas Army National Guard 500
VA Health Revenue Center 345
190th Air Refueling Wing 318
- Education Employer Employment
Topeka USD #501 2,538
Washburn University 1,651
Auburn-Washburn USD #437 1,000
Seaman USD #345 597
Shawnee Heights USD #450 539
- Manufacturing and Distribution Employer Employment
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co 1,600
Payless ShoeSource 1,600
Jostens Printing and Publishing 1,000
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. 838
Frito-Lay, Inc. 803*
Reser's Fine Foods 765
Hallmark Cards, Inc 725
Target 650
Del Monte Pet Products 260
Innovia Films, Inc. 220
Southwest Publishing and Mailing Corp. 177
Cardinal Brands 170
US Food Service 154
- Medical Employer Employment
HCR Manor Care
Stormont-Vail HealthCare 3,100
St. Francis Health Center 1,800
Colmery-O'Neil VA Hospital 920
United Methodist Homes 555
Midwest Health 550
Valeo Behavorial Health Center, Inc. 379
Family Service & Guidance Center 240
Brewster Place 225
Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital 150
- Service Employer Employment
Cardinal 170
- Insurance and Financial Employer Employment
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas 1,817
Security Benefit Group of Companies 571
CoreFirst Bank & Trust 370
Capitol Federal 293
- Transportation, Utility and Communications Employer Employment
Burlington Northern Santa Fe 1,100
Westar Energy 783
AT&T Inc. 459
Topeka Capital Journal 190
Kansas Gas Service 218
- Retail Employer Employment
WalMart Superstore (2 stores) 923
Dillons 761
HAC (Falleys & Food 4 Less) 411
McDonald's 375
Walgreens 288
Dillards 220
K-Mart (2 stores) 190
Macy's 100
Home Depot 135
Lowe's Not Available
(Employment from 2005 denoted by *) (This data comes from the Greater Topeka Chamber web site.)[4]
Topeka, Kansas in popular culture
- Bloo from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends watches a TV news report about Topeka, Kansas and makes a joke about it.
References
- Burgess, Barbara. Topeka's Roots: the Prairie Potato. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
- Giles, Thirty years in Topeka: A Historical Sketch, (Topeka, 1886)
- Z. L. Potter, Industrial Conditions in Topeka, (New York, 1915)
- D. O. Decker, Municipal Administration in Topeka, (New York, 1915)
The Russell Sage Foundation published the last two books.
External links
Coordinates:
39.04° N 95.69°
W
