Shawnee, Kansas

History

A Shawnee Indian mission had been established at the present site of Shawnee in 1831. Shawnee was laid out as a town in 1857.

In 2010, Shawnee was recognized by Money Magazine in its annual "Best Places To Live" survey, placing 17th in the United States ranking. Shawnee was recognized for its affordable housing, air quality index, and median commute time.

Geography

Shawnee is located at 39°0′46″N 94°45′57″W (39.012767, -94.765818). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 42.86 square miles (111.01 km²), of which, 41.85 square miles (108.39 km²) is land and 1.01 square miles (2.62 km²) is water.

Shawnee Mission Park is a 1,600-acre (6.5 km²) park that includes a 120-acre (0.49 km²) lake.

Demographics

According to the 2007-2009 American Community Survey (2) the median income for a household in the city was $71,705, and the median income for a family was $86,408. Males had a median income of $55,222 versus $41,960 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,502. About 3.6% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 62,209 people, 23,651 households, and 16,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,463.7 people per square mile (564.4/km²). There were 24,954 housing units at an average density of 587.1 per square mile (226.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.3% White, 5.3% African American, 0.4% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.5% of the population.

There were 23,651 households of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11 persons.

In the city, the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.4 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

Top employers

According to the town's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Government

Shawnee has a council–manager government. Mayor and councilmembers are elected to four year terms. Each ward has two representatives whose terms are staggered by two years. However, the elections of April 2010 and 2012 will serve for three years. The day-to-day operations are managed by the city manager.

Libraries and museums

A branch of the Johnson County Library serves the Shawnee mission area. The Library includes 13 locations throughout Johnson County, including the Shawnee Library. Shawnee Town 1929 Museum, Wonderscope Children's Museum, and the Johnson County Museum are also located within the city.

Media

Shawnee is in the Kansas City television market

The Shawnee Dispatch is a weekly newspaper, published by the Lawrence Journal-World and The World Company.

Schools

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Shawnee include energy executive Linda Cook, former Attorney General of Kansas Phill Kline, and comedian Chris Porter.

Sister cities