Wichita, Kansas Totally Explained

:For other uses, see Wichita (disambiguation). Wichita, also known as the Air Capital of the World, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, as well as a major aircraft manufacturing hub and cultural center. In July of 2006, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Wichita ninth on its list of the 10 best big cities to live in the United States. The city is home to six major aircraft manufacturing companies and McConnell Air Force Base. Wichita is located in South Central Kansas on the Arkansas River, and is the county seat of Sedgwick County. It is also the home of a National Weather Service Forecast Office which serves portions of central, south-central, and southeast Kansas.
Wichita is the 50th largest city in the United States with an estimated population of 354,865 in the year 2005.
In 2003 the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated population of 582,781, which is an increase of 11,613, or 2.0%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase of 13,451 people (that is 29,063 births minus 15,612 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 1,508 people out of the metropolitan area. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 5,415 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 6,923 people.

Census of 2000

As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 344,284 people, 139,087 households, and 87,763 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,536.1/mi² (979.2/km²). There were 152,119 housing units at an average density of 1,120.6/mi² (432.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.20% White, 11.42% Black or African American, 3.96% Asian, 1.16% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.10% from other races, and 3.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.62% of the population.
   There were 139,087 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.10.
   In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 75 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
   The median income for a household in the city was $39,939, and the median income for a family was $49,247. Males had a median income of $36,457 versus $25,844 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,647. About 8.4% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Historical trends

Following the incorporation of the city in 1870 rapid immigration resulted in a land boom involving speculation into the late 1880s. Wichita had become the third largest city in the state (behind Kansas City and Topeka) with a population of nearly 24,000 in 1890. After the boom the city suffered from 15 years of comparative depression and slow growth.
   The early 20th century saw a resurgence in growth from the nascent aircraft industry (see below) with the population increasing by 350% between 1900 and 1930. By 1920 Wichita had entered the top 100 largest cities in the United States and by 1930 reached 77th in rank. The depression of the 1930s again brought slow growth with total population only increasing by 3% between 1930 and 1940. The decades during and after World War II saw a growth spurt as the city's population increased by more than 120% between 1940 and 1960. Wichita had become the largest city in the state by 1950 and the 51st largest city in the country by 1960—a ranking it has held to this date.
   The period between 1950 and 1970 saw a major shift in the city's racial makeup, as the proportion of blacks in the population increased significantly. Until 1950, blacks had made up about 5% of the population, with little variation. The black population increased from 8,082 (4.8%) in 1950 to 26,841 (9.7%) in 1970, a 230% increase. This also marked the beginning of the decline of the white majority. Even as the white population has increased from 160,000 in 1950 to about 260,000 in 2000, the percentage of the population has dropped from 95% to 75%.
   During the 1970s, the city's population only grew by 1%, but the growth rate accelerated in the following two decades to more than 13% in the 1990s. The growth in minority races is still strong. The black population has grown by a more modest 14% per decade, but the proportion of the other races, including indigenous American and immigrants from Asia and the Pacific Rim, has risen from just 1% to over 10% of the population.

Transportation

Most residents of Wichita travel around the region by car. The Kansas Turnpike (Interstate 35), Interstates 135 and 235, U.S. Route 54/400, and K-96 run through and near the city. Currently the idea of a Northwest Corridor is under discussion, to run from K-96 south from Maize to U.S. 54/400.
   The Wichita Transit Authority operates 51 buses on 18 fixed bus routes within the city.
   The nearest Amtrak station is in Newton (20 miles/32 km to the north), offering service on the Southwest Chief route between Los Angeles and Chicago.
   Wichita is home to Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, the largest airport in the state of Kansas (the larger Kansas City International Airport is in Missouri). Flights from Wichita's airport travel to many U.S. airport hubs via 11 commercial carriers.

Culture

The City of Wichita is home to Botanica, The Wichita Gardens, which boasts 24 themed gardens including the popular Butterfly Garden and the award-winning Sally Stone Sensory Garden. Sedgwick County Extension Arboretum is also located in the city.
The first complete recording made by jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker occurred in 1940 at the Trocadero Ballroom in Wichita. During the 1950s and early 1960s, Wichita had a significant Beat movement. The Wichita Jazz Festival remains a significant annual event on the national jazz calendar.
Wichita is also home to the Wichita River Festival

, held each May in the Downtown and Old Town areas of the city. It is one of the longest continuous running festivals in the state of Kansas and features over 70 events, including musical entertainment, sporting events, traveling exhibits, cultural and historical activities, plays, interactive children's events, a flea market, river events, a parade, block party, food court, fireworks and souvenirs for the roughly 370,000+ patrons who attend each year.
Other major attractions of the city include the Sedgwick County Zoo

, home to more than 2,500 animals of nearly 500 different species; the Old Cowtown Museum

; McConnell Air Force Base; Exploration Place, a science and discovery center for all ages; the Old Town

historical and entertainment district; the Mid-America All-Indian Center and Museum; and the Wichita Art Museum.
Other museums and attractions in the metro area:

Wichita Public Library
City Repertory Theatre of Wichita, Wichita
Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology, Wichita
Joyland Amusement Park
Kauffman Museum, Bethel College, North Newton
Mid-America All-Indian Center and The Keeper of the Plains statue, Wichita
Sedgwick County Fair, Cheney
Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, Wichita
Wichita Art Museum
Museum of World Treasures
Great Plains Transportation Museum

Wichita is also home to Kansas' tallest building, the Epic Center

History

A thorough history can be found at the external site City of Wichita-History

.
   The site on the two rivers has served as a trading center for nomadic peoples for the last 11,000 years. The area was visited by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1541, while he was in search of the fabulous "cities of gold." While there, he encountered a group of Indians whom he called Quiviras and who have been identified by archeological and historical studies as Wichita Indians. By 1719 these people had moved south to Oklahoma, where they met French traders. The first permanent settlement in Wichita was a collection of grass houses inhabited by the Wichita Indians in 1863. They had moved back to Wichita from Oklahoma during the Civil War due to their pro-Union sentiments. The city was officially incorporated in 1870. Shortly thereafter it became a railhead destination for cattle drives from Texas and other southwestern points, from whence it has derived its nickname of "Cowtown." It quickly gained a wild reputation, and had numerous well known lawmen pass through, employed to help keep the rowdy cowboys in line. Among those lawmen was Wyatt Earp.
   Wichita reached national fame in 1900 when Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) member Carrie Nation decided to carry her crusade against alcohol to Wichita. On December 27 of that year she entered the Carey House bar in downtown Wichita and smashed the place with a rock and a pool ball. She had visited all the bars in Wichita the night before and demanded that they close their doors. However, the painting by John Noble of Cleopatra at the Roman Bath in the Carey House had drawn her particular wrath.
   In 1914-1915, oil was discovered nearby and Wichita became a major oil center. The money derived from oil allowed local entrepreneurs to invest in a nascent airplane industry. In 1917, the first plane, the Cessna Comet, was manufactured in Wichita. Forty-three Swallows, the first airplanes made specifically for production, were built in Wichita between 1920 and 1923. This industry, coinciding with Wichita as a test center for new aviation, established Wichita as the "Air Capital." Lloyd Stearman and Walter Beech were employees of the Swallow company, but in January 1925 they left Swallow Aircraft and teamed up with Clyde Cessna to form Travel Air. Lloyd Stearman left the company in 1926 to start Stearman Aircraft in Venice, California. Cessna quit in January 1927 to start Cessna. Stearman would only be gone from Wichita for a year before returning.
   Travel Air with Walter Beech at the helm grew to the point of employing over 600 workers and working in a huge factory complex constructed from 1927 to 1929. Employing so many workers at such a large complex and being a few miles outside the city limits it was tagged "Travel Air City" by Wichita residents. The company merged with the huge Curtis Wright Corporation in the Roaring Twenties' heyday of company buyouts and takeovers just two months before the Stock Market crash in 1929. Workers were laid off by the hundreds during 1930 and more so in 1931. By the fall of 1932 all workers were let go in Wichita, equipment was sold and the entire Travel Air plant sat empty.
   In March 1932 Walter quit Curtis Wright to form Beech Aircraft with his wife Olive Ann and hired Ted Wells as his chief engineer. The first four or five "Beechcraft" were built in the vacant Cessna Aircraft plant which was also closed during the depression. Beech later leased and then bought the Travel Air plant from Curtis Wright and men, machinery, and an airplane or two were moved from the Cessna plant. The first aircraft was the Model 17, later dubbed the "Staggerwing" which was first flown on November 5, 1932. The aircraft that would propel the small company into a huge corporation was the Model 18 "Twin Beech," of which thousands were built from 1937 to 1969. The Staggerwing production ended in 1946 with approximately 750 built and a few more assembled from parts in 1947. The Staggerwing production was replaced by the Beechcraft Bonanza, although there are still nearly 100 Staggerwings in existence, most in usable condition.
   The city experienced a population explosion during World War II when it became a major manufacturing center for airplanes needed in the war effort. By 1945, 4.2 bombers were being produced daily in Wichita. Stearman Aircraft, later purchased by the Boeing Company, was founded in Wichita, as were Beech Aircraft (now called Hawker Beechcraft), Cessna Aircraft, and LearJet (now Bombardier). The city remains a major manufacturing center for the aircraft industry today, with all of these and Airbus still having major centers there, hence its nickname: "The Air Capital."
   Wichita was also a significant entrepreneurial business center during the pre and post-war period, with Coleman, Mentholatum, Pizza Hut, White Castle, and Koch Industries having all been founded in Wichita. Ironically, White Castle closed all of their restaurants in Wichita in 1938 and hasn't operated in the state of Kansas after a failed revival attempt in the Kansas City area in the early 1990s. The entrepreneurial spirit of Wichita led to the creation one of the first academic centers to study and support entrepreneurship at The Wichita State University

, Center for Entrepreneurship

.
   Recent history has seen development downtown and the East and West sides. Sedgwick County Voters recently approved a sales tax raise to build a new arena downtown to replace the aging Kansas Coliseum. This is considered by many a stepping stone to launch new development downtown.
   Wichita is also noteworthy for the crimes of BTK killer Dennis Rader, a resident of nearby Park City; crimes which gained national media attention.
   An informative collection of historical photographs of the city can be found at Wichita Photo Archives

.
Famed musician Eric Moore of the band The Acoustamaniacs was born in Wichita and lived there until his fourth birthday. Regarding his city of birth he was later noted to have said "I remember a lot of storms".
Cartoon character Dennis the Menace lived in the outskirts of Wichita, Kansas, on a supposedly fictional, quiet neighborhood on a street named Elm Street.

Sister cities

Cancún, Mexico - 25 November 1975

Kaifeng, China - 3 December 1985

Orléans, France - 16 August 1944 through Sister Cities International

Tlalnepantla, Mexico - 16 October 1973

Evanston, Illinois - 17 September 1984

Metro cities

Andover

Arkansas City

Augusta

Bel Aire

Bentley

Benton

Cheney

Clearwater

Colwich

Derby

El Dorado

Garden Plain

Goddard

Haysville

Hesston

Kechi

Maize

Mount Hope

Mulvane

Newton

Towanda

Winfield

Education

The city of Wichita is served by Wichita Public Schools (USD 259) and portions of the Derby (USD 260), Haysville (USD 261), Maize (USD 266), and Circle (375) school districts.

High schools

The public schools in Wichita USD

Public Schools (USD 259)

Wichita High School East

Wichita Heights High School

Wichita Southeast High School

Wichita High School North

Wichita High School West

Wichita High School Northwest

Wichita Northeast Magnet High School

Wichita High School South

Public Schools (USD 261)

Wichita Haysville Campus High School, located in Wichita, but serves as the High School of Haysville USD 261.

Public Schools (USD 375)

Circle High School is located in Towanda, Kansas but takes students from Northeastern Wichita.

Private Schools

Bishop Carroll Catholic High School

The Independent School

Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School

Wichita Collegiate School

Trinity Academy Wichita

Central Christian Academy Wichita

Sunrise Christian Academy

Middle Schools

Allison Middle School

Brooks Middle School

Circle Middle School

Curtis Middle School

Hadley Middle School

Hamilton Middle School

Jardine Middle School

Mayberry Middle School

Mead Middle School

Pleasant Valley Middle School

Robinson Middle School

Stucky Middle School

Truesdale Middle School

Wilbur Middle School

Elementary schools

Anderson Elementary

Earhart Environmental Magnet Elementary School

Emerson Magnet Elementary School

Gammon Elementary School

Gardiner Elementary School

Harry Street Elementary School

Irving Elementary School

Colvin Elementary School

Jefferson Elementary School

Kensler Elementary

Lawrence Elementary School

Lincoln Elementary School

Linwood Elementary School

Beech Elementary School

Riverside Elementary School

Seltzer Elementary School

Benton Grade School

A.A. Hyde Elementary

Washington Elementary

OK Elementrary

McLean Science Technology Magnet

Colleges and universities

Wichita State University

Friends University

Newman University

Wichita Area Technical College

Wichita Technical Institute

Butler Community College (formerly Butler County Community College)

University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita

Cowley County Community College

University of Phoenix--Wichita Campus

Baker University

Tabor College

Southwestern College - Winfield Kansas

Several McConnell AFB based colleges and universities Most Community Colleges and State Universities offer online/distance learning options.

Sports teams

Wichita Wranglers, baseball (moving to Springdale, Arkansas and will be renamed the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in 2008)

Wichita Wings (defunct), indoor soccer

Wichita Thunder, ice hockey

Wichita Wild, Arena Football (no longer in existence)

Wichita Barbarians, Rugby

Notable residents

Kirstie Alley, actress, attended Southeast High School

Mark and Mike Bell, Professional Football Players, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks

Louise Brooks, silent film actress

Caroline Bruce, Olympic swimmer

Robert Ballard, marine geologist

Judy Bell, golfer

William Bonney, aka "Billy the Kid"

Dan and Frank Carney, founder of Pizza Hut

Antoine Carr, basketball star

Clyde Cessna, industrialist

Jonathan Coachman, WWE interim General Manager

Darren Dreifort, pitcher

Kyle Farnsworth, Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees

Tamara Feldman, Actress

Robert M. Gates, former Director U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and current Secretary of Defense

Dan Glickman, former US Congressman, Secretary of Agriculture, and current President of the Motion Picture Association of America

Laurel Goodwin actress who played J. M. Colt in the Star Trek pilot The Cage.

Adrian Griffin, Professional Basketball player

Jessica Hughbanks, BB8 Contestant

Stan Kenton, jazz musician

Bill Koch, America's Cup winner

Charles Koch, industrialist

Don Johnson, actor

William Lear, industrialist, Learjet

Jim Lehrer, PBS network news anchor

Hattie McDaniel, actress

Roger Mears, race car driver

Vera Miles, actress, attended North High School

Rich Mullins, Christian Pop/Folk Musician

James Jabara, World War II flying ace

Antonya Nelson, author

Roger Noriega, Ambassador to the Organization of American States

Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior

Susan Page, journalist

Mike Pelfrey, Professional Baseball player

Jeff Probst, TV host

Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer

Nate Robertson, Pitcher, Detroit Tigers, pitched in 2006 World Series

Danny Roew, film director

Jim Ryun, Olympic medalist and former U.S. Representative from Kansas

Barry Sanders, Pro Football Hall of Fame, played for the Detroit Lions

Gale Sayers, Pro Football Hall of Famer; born in Wichita, but raised in Omaha, Nebraska

Marlene Schommer Aikins, epistemological beliefs researcher

Mark Shelton of Manilla Road fame

Vernon L. Smith, Nobel Memorial Prize winner in economics

Arlen Specter Republican Senator (PA)

Lloyd Stearman, industrialist

John Cameron Swayze, announcer

Darnell Valentine, basketball star

Joe Walsh, musician, James Gang and The Eagles

Kamerion Wimbley, professional football player for the Cleveland Browns

Lynette Woodard, Basketball Hall of Fame, Olympic Medalist

Broadcasting/Media

See Broadcast Media in Wichita for the full list of local terrestrial television stations.
Cable television service for Wichita and surrounding areas is provided by Cox Communications The Wichita Eagle is the daily newspaper in Wichita. Wichita magazine

, a bi-monthly publication (changing to monthly next year), is the official city magazine. Wichita City Paper

is a free weekly alternative paper.

Cultural references

Wichita is mentioned in the Dr. Seuss book Horton Hears A Who.

Wichita is mentioned in the song Michigan by Josh Rouse.

Wichita is mentioned in the song Shades of Gray by Robert Earl Keen.

Wichita is mentioned in the song Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes.

Wichita is mentioned in the song P.R. 2KI by Tech N9ne.

Wichita is mentioned in the song Open up the Border by Clutch.

Wichita is mentioned in the song Jack Straw by Grateful Dead.

Wichita is mentioned in the song True Dreams of Wichita by Soul Coughing.

Wichita is mentioned in the song The Citizens of Wichita by Emperor X

Wichita is mentioned in the song Wichita by Gary Jules.

Wichita is mentioned in the film My Blue Heaven (1990).

Wichita is mentioned in the film Leap of Faith (1992).

Wichita is mentioned in the film A League of Their Own (1992).

Wichita is mentioned in the film Bullets Over Broadway (1994).

Wichita is mentioned in the film Twister (1996).

Wichita is mentioned in the film Arlington Road (1999).

Wichita is mentioned in the film About Schmidt (2002).

Wichita is mentioned in the film Big Fish (2003).

Wichita is mentioned in the film Firewall (2006).

Wichita is mentioned in the film All the President's Men (1976)

Wichita is the setting for the film The Big Kahuna (1999), adapted from the play "Hospitality Suite."

Wichita is the setting for the film The Ice Harvest (2005), adapted from the book of the same title.

Wichita is one of the settings for the film Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987).

Wichita is one of the settings for the film Elizabethtown (2005) when Drew Baylor, Orlando Bloom's character, briefly drives through on his road trip.

Wichita is one of the settings for the film The Perfect Man (2005).

Wichita is mentioned in a Super Bowl XLI (2007) commercial, for a Revlon colorist produce where singer, Sheryl Crow, is have thought to have stopped by for a show. But in truth never did.

It is also mentioned in the poem Wichita Vortex Sutra by beat poet Alan Ginsberg. Philip Glass has also composed a work by the same title.

Wichita Lineman was a popular song, written by Jimmy Webb and first performed by Glen Campbell. It has since been recorded by numerous other artists. However, this song is more likely a reference to a county named Wichita, of which there are two, since the song says "I am a lineman for the county... ...and the Wichita lineman is still on the line."

Country-Rock artist Shawn Colvin has a track entitled Wichita Skyline, which also mentions towns such as Salina and Independence.

Dennis Rader is mentioned in the song Teachers Suck by Tom Green.

"Wichita" is the title of a song on the Jayhawks' album, Hollywood Town Hall (1992)

Wichita is also the name of the army base in computer game Fahrenheit

External results

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