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Shawnee, Kansas

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Shawnee is a city located in northwest Johnson County, Kansas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 47,996.

History

A prehistoric glacier once stretched over eleven Northeast Kansas counties, leaving behind a beautifully diverse landscape of steep, wooded river bluffs and vast, sprawling prairie.

Shawnee is named for the Shawnee Indian Tribe that was relocated here in the late 1820s. The westward push of white settlement had weakened and geographically divided the Shawnees by 1825 when the first of three treaties forced them to relocate to Kansas. Here they found an abundance of timber and free-flowing springs. Because the Shawnee people wisely lined the springs with gum tree logs to keep them free of contaminating silt, the settlement was called Gum Springs.

In an 1825 treaty with the Indians, the U.S. government gave the Shawnee Indians 1,600,000 acres of land in eastern Kansas, including all of Johnson County, in exchange for their lands in Missouri. By 1854, a new treaty was negotiated, with the Indians selling back to the United States all of the land with the exception of 200,000 acres reserved for their homes, amounting to 200 acres for each member of the tribe. In 1854 the Kansas Territory was opened for settlement. The newly repossessed territory was sold by the government to the incoming home-seekers. Shawneetown (later shortened to Shawnee) was platted soon after in 1856.

One of the State's earliest towns, Shawnee was also the site of the first territorial legislature, and home to the first territorial governor. Located at the intersection of early military and territorial roads leading to the Santa Fe Trail, Shawnee also became the first county seat of Johnson County. In 1862, Shawnee found itself in the middle of Civil War border struggles. The town was virtually destroyed, when it was burned and looted by southern guerillas led by William Quantrill just months before his infamous raid on Lawrence.

After the County offices moved to Olathe in 1866, Shawnee became a small farm market center. During the 1950s, the population began to grow as people began moving away from congested urban areas to the smaller outlying towns. People quickly discovered the merits of the City and the population has continued to grow ever since, more than tripling in the last three decades.

Geography

Location of Shawnee, Kansas
Location of Shawnee, Kansas

Shawnee is located at 39°0'46" North, 94°45'57" West (39.012767, -94.765818)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 110.2 km² (42.5 mi²). 108.1 km² (41.7 mi²) of it is land and 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.88% water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 47,996 people, 18,522 households, and 13,243 families residing in the city. The population density is 444.0/km² (1,149.7/mi²). There are 19,086 housing units at an average density of 176.5/km² (457.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 90.35% White, 2.96% African American, 0.31% Native American, 2.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.87% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. 4.36% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 18,522 households out of which 36.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% are married couples living together, 8.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% are non-families. 22.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.58 and the average family size is 3.07.

In the city the population is spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $59,626, and the median income for a family is $70,288. Males have a median income of $45,777 versus $31,428 for females. The per capita income for the city is $28,142. 3.3% of the population and 2.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.9% of those under the age of 18 and 4.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cultural & Spiritual Community

Cultural connections

Natural diversions

A multi-use, 1,250-acre park is located at 79th and Renner Road in Shawnee, KS. The land was purchased through the District's initial bond issue in 1956 and officially dedicated in 1964. It is the largest park in the County and the most-visited park in the entire state of Kansas

A local group of historians working to promote preservation and awareness of the routes of the Santa Fe, Oregon, California Trails, the California Road and the Ft. Leavenworth Military Road. Routes in Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties in Kansas marked with 361 KCAHTA Signs. Historic Frontier Trails KCAHTA Map is available at bookstores and museums.

The Prairie Passage in Kansas guide was published June 1st, 2005 and is available from the Kansas Department of Transportation. This scenic byways guide helps visitors learn about the prairie heritage and promotes the protection and planting of native wildflowers and grasses along roadsides.

Sister cities

  • Pittem, Belgium: To honor this sister city relationship, a city park (at 55th and Nieman) was named West Flanders Park and dedicated as a memorial to the Belgians who migrated to Shawnee in the early 1900's from the West Flanders Province of Belgium.
  • Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland: A city park (at 71st and Quivira) was named Listowel Park and dedicated as a memorial to early Shawnee settlers who emigrated to this area from Ireland. The dedication ceremony was conducted September 20, 1986. Visitors from Listowel have been guests of honor at Shawnee's annual Saint Patrick's Day parade and regional festivities.
  • Erfurt, Germany.

Spiritual diversity


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