Kansas State...
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Kansas Counties
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Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Olathe
Year Organized: 1855
Square Miles: 477 |
Court House: 111 South Cherry, Suite 2600
County Courthouse
Olathe, KS 66061-3421
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Named: Named for Rev. Thomas Johnson, who in 1829 established a
mission among the Shawnee Indians about eight miles southwest of Kansas City.
Mr. Johnson took the Pro-Slavery side of politics, and was the President of the
first Territorial Council. He was shot and killed, in January 1865.
State & County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
Johnson County, located in the eastern tier, is the sixth north from Oklahoma. It is bounded on the north by Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties; on the east by the State of Missouri; on the south by Miami county, and on the west by Douglas county. Its area is 480 square miles, or 307,200 acres,
and in 1910 it ranked 33d, with a population of 18,288. It was organized in 1855 and named for Rev. Thomas Johnson, missionary to the Shawnee Indians, in what is now Shawnee township in the northern part of the county. In 1855 the Kansas river constituted its entire northern boundary but in 1859 the
present boundary was established.
It's hard to believe that in 1900,
Johnson County had fewer people than Jewell County. Today, the area's population
is exploding, and new office parks and subdivisions seem to sprout overnight.
Geography
The general surface is slightly undulating prairie, more rolling in the north and east. The valleys of rivers and creeks average from one-fourth to seven-eighths of a mile in width. The bottom lands comprise about 10 per cent. of the whole area, the remaining 90 per cent. being upland, the
highest of which is in the central and southwestern portion. Timber belts average from 40 rods to one mile in width, and contain oak, hickory, elm, walnut, mulberry, redbud, locust, wild cherry and sycamore, jack-oak and hickory existing in the largest quantities. The streams are not large but
sufficiently numerous. The Kansas river flowing north of east forms more than half of the northern border, and receives as tributaries Cedar, Clear, Captains, Kill, Mill and Turkey creeks. Blue and Indian creeks run eastward. The soil is from one to six feet in depth and is very productive, being
adapted to corn, winter wheat, oats, flax and hay. Johnson ranks among the foremost counties in the production of Irish potatoes. It also has a large number of orchards. In 1907 there were 150,000 bearing fruit trees. Along the streams limestone is found in great abundance and is used extensively
for building and as ballast for railroads. Sandstone is plentiful in the north and east, and at Edgerton gray marble is found. Coal exists in a few places, where it is mined for local use.
Neighboring 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:
| - Aubry |
township |
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| - De Soto |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Edgerton |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Fairway |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Gardner |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Leawood |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Lenexa |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Lexington |
township |
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| - McCamish |
township |
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| - Merriam |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Mission |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Mission Hills |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Mission Woods |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Olathe (County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Overland |
township |
|
| - Overland Park |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Prairie Village |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Roeland Park |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Shawnee |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Spring Hill |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Westwood |
city |
Incorporated Area |
| - Westwood Hills |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Johnson County - KS-Cyclopedia - 1912
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we’ve given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the “characteristic features of
our country!”
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn’t the only reason to explore counties’ role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today’s counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990’s political slogan “Think globally, act locally.” |
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Penn Foster High School
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