Olathe

Olathe (oh-LAY-tha) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and Kansas, with a 2020 population of 141,290. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Olathe the 24th-fastest growing city in the nation. The city has a total area of 6042 square miles (2,156 km) and is bordered by the cities of Lenexa to the north, Soto to the east, and Gardner to the northwest. Olathe was founded by John T. Barton in the spring of 1857, and was named after a Shawnee interpreter who said "Beautiful" in his native language. It served as a stop on the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Santa Fe Trail, Catering to travelers was the main source of income for local stores and businesses. The Mahaffie House, a popular resupply point for wagons headed westward, is today a registered historical site maintained by the City of Olathe. The staff wears period costumes, and stagecoach rides and farm animals make the site a favorite among children. In the 1950s, the construction of the interstate highway system and, more directly, Interstate 35, linked Olathe to nearby Kansas City, Missouri. Despite efforts by preservationists, Olathe city officials committed to upscale apartment development and county government expansion have fast-tracked demolition of 19th-century historic homes and neighborhoods.

History

Olathe is the primary city name, but also Lenexa are acceptable city names or spellings. Olathe was incorporated in 1857, and while not the first city in Johnson County, its rapid growth led to it being named the county seat in October 1859. Rising tensions across the nation over the issue of slavery led to numerous clashes between abolitionist settlers and neighboring slave state Missouri. On September 6, 1862, William Quantrill led a surprise raid of guerrilla Confederates against the city, which resulted in a half dozen deaths and the destruction of most of the city. The Mahaffie House, a popular resupply point for wagons headed westward, is today a registered historical site maintained by the City of Olathe. Visitors can participate in Civil War re-enactments, Wild West Days, and other activities. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Olathe the 24th-fastest growing city in the nation. In the 1950s, the construction of the interstate highway system and, more directly, Interstate 35, linked Olathe to nearby Kansas City, Missouri. The result was tremendous residential growth as Olathe became a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Olathe's population is estimated to have surpassed 100,000 in 2001, and later projections showed Olathe' growth continuing as the city expanded into the farm fields south, west, and north of town. Despite efforts by preservationists, Olathe city officials committed to upscale apartment development and county government expansion projects have fast-tracked demolition of 19th-century historic homes and neighborhoods.

Geography

Olathe is bordered by the cities of Lenexa to the north, Overland Park to the east, De Soto to the northwest, and Gardner to the southwest. The city has a humid continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers. The area receives about 40 inches (1,000 mm) of precipitation during an average year, with the largest share being received in May and Junethe AprilJune period averages 30 days of measurable precipitation. Olathe has two public lakes: Lake Olathe with 172 acres (0.70 km²) of water surface and Cedar Lake with 45 acres (0.18 km²). Olathe's Black Bob Park is named after Hathawekela Shawnee Chief Black Bob. It is located on the Missouri River, which runs through the center of the city. It has a population of about 2,000. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Olathe's population at 2,100 in 2010. The population of Olathe in 2010 was 2,071, with a population growth rate of 0.7%. The city's population in 2010 grew to 2,081, up from 2,051 in 2000. It had a population increase of 1.2% in 2010, up 0.8% from the year before. The growth rate was 0.9% from 2000 to 2010, and 0.6% from 2001 to 2010. It was the largest city in the state in the 1990s.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, 125,872 people, 44,507 households, and 33,274 families were residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 88.63% White, 3.70% African American, 0.43% Native American, 2.74% Asian, 2.69% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.44% of the population; 26.1% were of German, 11.0% Irish, 10.7% English, and 9.6% American ancestry. In the city, age distribution was 30.8% under 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 36.7%. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males. The median age was 31.9 years. The city has a population density of 1,716.4 people per square mile (662.7/km²), with 33,343 housing units averaged of 615.6 per squaremile (237.7 /km²) The city's population was 49.5% male and 50.5 per cent female in the 2010 census. The average household size was 2.83, and the average family size was 3.24. The population density was 2,109.8 inhabitants per square inch (814.6/ km²) in the 2000 census of 2000, with 32,314 households and 24,623 families.

Economy

Olathe's commercial and industrial parks are home to many companies, including Honeywell, Husqvarna, ALDI, Garmin, Grundfos, and Farmers Insurance Group. Although Farmers Insurance is based in Los Angeles, California, Olathe has more of its employees than any other city in the United States. Johnson County maintains an airport in Olathe, Johnson County Executive Airport, which is located on about 500 acres (2.0 km²) of land with a 4,100-ft (1250-m) runway, parallel taxiways, and a federal contract air traffic-control tower. The airport is the second-busiest in the state. According to the city's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are: AlDI, Farmers Insurance, and Honeywell. The city is home to the Kansas City Center air traffic control center, one of 20 regional centers that cover U.S. airspace. It is one of the largest cities in Kansas with a population of more than 1,000,000. Olathe is located in the central part of the state of Kansas, near the Kansas-Oklahoma border. It has an average population of about 1,100,000 (or 1.2 million people) and a population growth rate of 0.7% (or 0.8% in 2013). The city has a median household income of about $42,500 (or $40,000 in 2013), and a median unemployment rate of 1.8%. The city's unemployment rate is 0.9%.

Education

Olathe is the home of MidAmerica Nazarene University and the Kansas State School For the Deaf. The city is served by the DeSoto, the Olathe, Spring Hill, and Blue Valley School Districts. The Olathe School District has 36 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and five high schools. As of 2008, 26,894 students are enrolled in the school district. Olathe is home to the MidAmericaNazarene College of Nursing and MidAmerica College of Speech and Language pathology. It is also home to Kansas State's School For The Deaf, which was established in 1861. It was the first school for the deaf in the United States, opening in 1864. The school is located in Olathe's downtown area, near the Kansas College of Speech and Lifelong Medicine, which opened in 1872. It is the only deaf school in the state, and the only one in the Kansas City area. It has an enrollment of more than 2,000 students. It also has a reputation for being a good school, with a high school graduation rate of over 80%. The school district has 36 schools, including 5 high schools: Olathe North, Olathe South, and Olathe East. The district also has ten middle schools and 10 elementary schools. There are six high schools in the district, including Olathe West. The high schools are located in the city of Olathe and the surrounding area.

Infrastructure

Olathe is served by Johnson County Executive Airport and New Century AirCenter. The closest airport with airline service is Kansas City International Airport in Platte County, Missouri. Johnson County Transit operates a bus system throughout the county, including Olathe. Olathe is located in the Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the cities of Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City-Litchfield, Missouri, as well as the town of Olathe and parts of Platte, Platte and Leawood counties. The city's population is around 6,000. It is located on the Kansas River, which runs through the center of the city. The Olathe area has a population of about 5,000, with the majority of its residents living in the Olathe-Leawood area. The county's population was 6,200 in 2010, and is expected to rise to 6,500 by 2015. The population is projected to reach 7,000 by 2015, with most of the growth occurring in the central and eastern parts of the county. The area is home to the Kansas Army National Guard, which is based in Olathe, Kansas. It also has a military base in Kansas City that is part of the Kansas National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard. The town has a number of small businesses, including a small number of health care facilities. It has a small percentage of residents who live outside the city limits. The majority of the town's residents live in or near the town center, and most of its businesses are based in or around the town.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Olathe, Johnson County, Kansas = 86.1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 30. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Olathe = 4.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 141,290 individuals with a median age of 41.1 age the population grows by 72.62% in Olathe, Johnson County, Kansas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,300 residents per square mile of area (870/km²). There are average 2.91 people per household in the 702 households with an average household income of $96,658 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.70% of the available work force and has growths 0.44% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 34.38%. The number of physicians in Olathe per 100,000 population = 369.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Olathe = 38.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 17.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 91. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 216. 89 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 34, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Olathe, Johnson County, Kansas which are owned by the occupant = 92.19%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 13 years with median home cost = $202,460 and home appreciation of -1.35%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $10.94 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,885 per student. There are 13.4 students for each teacher in the school, 382 students for each Librarian and 440 students for each Counselor. 3.64% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 14.14% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 17.71% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).