Lenexa, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Lenexa is a city
in the central part of Johnson County
, located in northeast Kansas
, in the central
United States of America
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,190. As a satellite city
of Kansas City
, Kansas
, Lenexa is included in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
. It is bordered by the cities of Shawnee
to the north, Overland Park
to the east, De Soto to the west and Olathe
to the south. In July 2009, Lenexa was named the #26 best small town to live in the United States by Money
magazine.
, was the start of the Old Santa Fe Trail
. It meandered through the southeast part of Lenexa on its way to Santa Fe
, New Mexico
. Life in eastern Kansas was about to change dramatically.
Later, Mr. Hickok became a scout
for the Free-State Army, a sharpshooter
and eventually, "Wild Bill" Hickok, legendary lawman of the Old West
. In 1865, shortly before Na-Nex-Se died, the Kansas and Neosho Valley Railroad was organized to take advantage of favorable new land laws. It later changed its name to Missouri River, Ft. Scott and Gulf Railroad and in 1869 purchased a right-of-way from C.A. Bradshaw with the stipulation that the railroad build a depot on the property. Mr. Bradshaw then sold 10.5 acres (42,492 m²) to Octave Chanute
, a railroad civil engineer
, who platted a town in 1869. Legend states that the town was first proposed to be named 'Bradshaw', but he modestly refused and the name "Lenexa," a derivation of the name Na-Nex-Se, was adopted.
, the city has a total area of 34.4 square miles (89.1 km²), of which 34.3 square miles (88.8 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), or 0.46%, is water.
, there were 40,238 people, 15,574 households, and 10,559 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,173.8 people per square mile (453.2/km²). There were 16,378 housing units at an average density of 477.8 per square mile (184.5/km²). The racial makeup
of the city was 89.50% White
, 6.50% Black or African American
, 0.38% Native American
, 3.63% Asian
, 0.03% Pacific Islander
, 1.60% from other races, and 1.61% two or more races
. Hispanic
or Latino
of any race were 3.97% of the population. 24.8% were of German
, 12.4% English
, 12.1% Irish
and 7.2% American
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 15,574 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household
in the city was $61,990, and the median income for a family was $76,321 (these figures had risen to $70,246 and $86,581 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,495 versus $32,166 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $30,212. About 1.8% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
. The facility stores federal records from agencies in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska including Department of Veterans Affairs
and the Internal Revenue Service
. The facility is also known informally as "The Caves" and is known to store items from the trauma room at Parkland Memorial Hospital
in Dallas, Texas where John F. Kennedy
was pronounced dead following his assassination
.
, Olathe School District
, or De Soto School District
schools. It is also home to a handful of private schools. Lenexa's first high school
, St. James Academy
, opened in 2005. The Johnson County Library has a branch in Lenexa, the Lackman Library. Wichita
based Friends University also has a brand in Lenexa as does Brown Mackie College
.
Schools
Maps
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the central part of Johnson County
Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. The county is largely suburban, being part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, and containing many of its affluent southwestern suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 544,179. Its county...
, located in northeast Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, in the central
Central United States
The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern United States and Western United States as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the Midwestern United States plus the western and central portions of the Southern United States; the term is also sometimes used...
United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,190. As a satellite city
Satellite town
A satellite town or satellite city is a concept in urban planning that refers essentially to smaller metropolitan areas which are located somewhat near to, but are mostly independent of, larger metropolitan areas.-Characteristics:...
of Kansas City
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Lenexa is included in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
. It is bordered by the cities of Shawnee
Shawnee, Kansas
Shawnee is a city located in northwest Johnson County, Kansas, United States and is a western suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 62,209. Shawnee's fur trading and pioneering heritage blends histories of these Kansas Territory townships: Monticello and...
to the north, Overland Park
Overland Park, Kansas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...
to the east, De Soto to the west and Olathe
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
to the south. In July 2009, Lenexa was named the #26 best small town to live in the United States by Money
Money (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...
magazine.
History
Twelve years before the town of Lenexa was platted in 1869, a young man named James Butler Hickok staked a claim on 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) at what is now the corner of 83rd and Clare Road. At about the same time, a census of the Shawnee Indians living in the area was being taken. One of the residents was listed as "Na-Nex-Se Blackhoof," the widow of Chief Blackhoof, who was the second signer of the 1854 treaty that ceded 1.6 million acres (6,500 km²) of the Kansas Shawnee Indian reservation to the U.S.Government. A few miles east in Westport, MissouriWestport, Kansas City
Westport is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Originally its own town, it was annexed by Kansas City in 1897. Today, it is one of Kansas City's main entertainment districts.-Background:...
, was the start of the Old Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
. It meandered through the southeast part of Lenexa on its way to Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. Life in eastern Kansas was about to change dramatically.
Later, Mr. Hickok became a scout
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
for the Free-State Army, a sharpshooter
Marksman
A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision, or a sharpshooter shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a sniper rifle, to shoot at long range targets...
and eventually, "Wild Bill" Hickok, legendary lawman of the Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
. In 1865, shortly before Na-Nex-Se died, the Kansas and Neosho Valley Railroad was organized to take advantage of favorable new land laws. It later changed its name to Missouri River, Ft. Scott and Gulf Railroad and in 1869 purchased a right-of-way from C.A. Bradshaw with the stipulation that the railroad build a depot on the property. Mr. Bradshaw then sold 10.5 acres (42,492 m²) to Octave Chanute
Octave Chanute
Octave Chanute was a French-born American railway engineer and aviation pioneer. He provided the Wright brothers with help and advice, and helped to publicize their flying experiments. At his death he was hailed as the father of aviation and the heavier-than-air flying machine...
, a railroad civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, who platted a town in 1869. Legend states that the town was first proposed to be named 'Bradshaw', but he modestly refused and the name "Lenexa," a derivation of the name Na-Nex-Se, was adopted.
Geography
Lenexa is located at 38°57′53"N 94°45′34"W (38.964689, -94.759535). According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 34.4 square miles (89.1 km²), of which 34.3 square miles (88.8 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), or 0.46%, is water.
Demographics
As of the U.S. Census in 2000United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, there were 40,238 people, 15,574 households, and 10,559 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,173.8 people per square mile (453.2/km²). There were 16,378 housing units at an average density of 477.8 per square mile (184.5/km²). The racial makeup
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of the city was 89.50% White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, 6.50% Black or African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.38% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, 3.63% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 0.03% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander American
Pacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...
, 1.60% from other races, and 1.61% two or more races
Multiracial
The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
. Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race were 3.97% of the population. 24.8% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 12.4% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, 12.1% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and 7.2% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 15,574 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
in the city was $61,990, and the median income for a family was $76,321 (these figures had risen to $70,246 and $86,581 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,495 versus $32,166 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $30,212. About 1.8% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
National Archives Facility
Lenexa is the home of a Records Center managed by the National Archives and Records AdministrationNational Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
. The facility stores federal records from agencies in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska including Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
and the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
. The facility is also known informally as "The Caves" and is known to store items from the trauma room at Parkland Memorial Hospital
Parkland Memorial Hospital
Parkland Memorial Hospital is a hospital located at 5201 Harry Hines Boulevard, just west of Oak Lawn in Dallas, Texas . It is the main hospital of the Dallas County Hospital District and serves as Dallas County's public hospital.- History :The original hospital opened in 1894 in a wooden...
in Dallas, Texas where John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was pronounced dead following his assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
.
Largest Employers
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Parcel Service United Parcel Service United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the... |
2,095 |
| 2 | Quest Diagnostics | 1,794 |
| 3 | ServiceMagic ServiceMagic ServiceMagic is a website operated by InterActiveCorp , in which homeowners in the United States and Canada are referred to home improvement contractors, who pay fees for leads. Contractors are pre-screened for contractor licenses and insurance as well as criminal and financial issues. There is no... |
1,500 |
| 4 | J. C. Penney J. C. Penney -External links:*... |
1,005 |
| 5 | Freightquote.com Freightquote.com Freightquote.com is an online transportation management service. Based in Lenexa, Kansas the company employs approximately 950 people and services customers throughout North America.... |
820 |
| 6 | Kiewit Power | 750 |
| 7 | T-Mobile T-Mobile USA T-Mobile USA, Inc. is an American mobile-network operator, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.73... |
653 |
| 8 | Gear for Sports | 605 |
| 9 | Deluxe Deluxe Corporation Deluxe Corporation is one of the two largest check printers in the United States, and provides various personalized products and services to small businesses, financial institutions, and consumers... |
550 |
| 10 | Lakeview Village | 505 |
Arts and culture
Each June the city hosts "The Great Lenexa Barbecue Battle" which is also the Kansas State Championship. Lenexa was known as the "Spinach Capital of the World" in the 1930s and celebrates with the Spinach Festival every September.Education
Lenexa does not have a public school district of its own. Instead, Lenexa students go to either Shawnee Mission School DistrictShawnee Mission School District
The Shawnee Mission School District is one of the major school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Located in northeast Johnson County, Kansas, the school district enrolled approximately 40,000 students in the 2009-2010 school year...
, Olathe School District
Olathe School District
The Olathe Unified School District is one of the major school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. , the district comprises 4 high schools, 9 middle schools, and 34 elementary schools.-Administration:...
, or De Soto School District
De Soto School District
The De Soto School District is a public school district in northwestern Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Named after De Soto, Kansas, the district encompasses over serving the city of De Soto and approximately 60% of Shawnee, 40% of Lenexa, 10% of Olathe and other smaller towns around those...
schools. It is also home to a handful of private schools. Lenexa's first high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, St. James Academy
St. James Academy
St. James Academy is the newest Catholic high school in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Located in Lenexa, Kansas, it is the city's first and only Catholic high school. St. James Academy is currently in its fifth academic year of existence. It is located directly off...
, opened in 2005. The Johnson County Library has a branch in Lenexa, the Lackman Library. Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
based Friends University also has a brand in Lenexa as does Brown Mackie College
Brown Mackie College
Brown Mackie College is a collection of for-profit educational institutions for career preparation in the business, legal, health sciences, information technology, and creative fields. The system of schools has locations throughout the United States. The schools are owned by Education Management...
.
Notable people
- James Butler "Wild Bill" HickokWild Bill HickokJames Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...
- he staked a claim on 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) at what is now the corner of 83rd and Clare Road. He worked as a stocktender at the nearby Reed Hotel and later was elected constable of Monticello Township. A park in his name is now in that area. - Jason WilesJason WilesJason Austin Wiles is an American actor known for his role in the TV series Third Watch.Wiles was born in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., and raised in Lenexa, Kansas, where he attended Holy Trinity Catholic School...
- actor, director and producer. Starred as Maurice 'Bosco' Boscorelli (1999–2005) in the television series Third WatchThird WatchThird Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
. Wrote, directed and produced the feature film Lenexa, 1 MileLenexa, 1 MileLenexa, 1 Mile is drama film written by Jason Wiles, Shem Bitterman, and directed by Wiles. The film stars Josh Stewart, Jason Ritter, and William Baldwin. Austin Nichols and Paul Wesley Co-Star.-Plot:...
in 2005.
Further reading
- History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook)
- Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook)
External links
CitySchools
Maps
- Lenexa City Map, KDOT
- 2010 Johnson County Map, KDOT