Johnson County, Kansas

Johnson County
County
Former Johnson County Courthouse in Olathe (2009). It opened in 1952, closed in 2020, then demolished in 2021 after a new courthouse was finished.[1][2]
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°52′N 94°52′W
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	August 25, 1855
Named for	Thomas Johnson
Seat	Olathe
Largest city	Overland Park
Area
• Total	480 sq mi (1,200 km^2)
• Land	473 sq mi (1,230 km^2)
• Water	6.5 sq mi (17 km^2)  1.4%
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	609,863
• Density	1,289.4/sq mi (497.8/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	jocogov.org

Johnson County (county code JO) is a county in northeast Kansas. The county is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. It contains many of the richer suburbs of Kansas City. As of the 2020 census, 609,863 people lived there.^[3] Its county seat is Olathe.^[4] The most populous city is Overland Park.

In 2010, Money magazine ranked Overland Park 7th and Shawnee 17th in its list of the 100 Best Cities in the United States in which to live.^[5] In 2008 the same magazine had ranked Olathe 11th.^[6]

History

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	4,364		—
1870	13,684		213.6%
1880	16,853		23.2%
1890	17,385		3.2%
1900	18,104		4.1%
1910	18,288		1.0%
1920	18,314		0.1%
1930	21,179		15.6%
1940	33,327		57.4%
1950	62,783		88.4%
1960	143,792		129.0%
1970	220,073		53.0%
1980	270,269		22.8%
1990	357,048		32.1%
2000	451,086		26.3%
2010	544,179		20.6%
2020	609,863		12.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 2011 estimate

Johnson County is named for Thomas Johnson. It was one of the first counties in the Kansas Territory in 1855. The well known gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok lived in the county for a time. He was the constable of Monticello Township in 1858. Johnson County was the site of many battles dealing with slavery during Bleeding Kansas.

The county was mostly rural until the early 20th century. There was a large amount of urban development from 1914 though World War II. After the war, the development grew even greater.

Laws

Johnson County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was changed in 1986.^[7]

Geography

The county has a total area of 480.15 square miles (1,243.6 km²). Of this, 476.78 sq mi (1,234.9 km²) (or 99.30%) is land, and 3.37 sq mi (8.7 km²) (or 0.70%) is water.^[8]

Adjacent 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 and towns

Incorporated cities

Name and population (2020 Census):^[9]

• Overland Park,* 197,238
• Olathe, 141,290 (county seat)
• Shawnee,* 67,311
• Lenexa,* 57,434
• Leawood,* 33,902
• Gardner, 23,287
• Prairie Village,* 22,957
• Merriam,* 11,098
• Mission,* 9,954
• Spring Hill, 7,952
• Bonner Springs 7,837 (also in Wyandotte County and Leavenworth County)
• Roeland Park,* 6,871
• De Soto, 6,118
• Fairway,* 4,170
• Mission Hills,* 3,594
• Westwood,* 1,750
• Edgerton, 1,748
• Lake Quivira,* 1,014 (also in Wyandotte County)
• Westwood Hills,* 400
• Mission Woods,* 203

*Cities included in Shawnee Mission. The main Shawnee Mission post office is in Mission.

Unincorporated places

• Bonita
• Clare
• Ocheltree
• Stanley
• Stilwell

Townships

Johnson County was divided into nine townships. Two of these no longer exist. They were made part of independent municipalities. All of the cities are considered governmentally independent. They are not included in the census numbers for the townships.

Sources: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer from the U.S. Census Bureau; Census Data Explorer from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Township	FIPS	Population center	Population (2020)	Population density /km² (/sq mi)	Land area km² (sq mi)	Water area km² (sq mi)	Water %	Geographic coordinates
Aubry	03225		4,650	54 (140)	86 (33)	1 (0)	1.29%	38°45′35″N 94°42′49″W
Gardner	25450		2,593	35 (92)	73 (28)	1 (0)	1.40%	38°46′33″N 94°53′56″W
Lexington	39800		1,497	11 (29)	133 (51)	4 (2)	3.03%	38°54′49″N 94°59′17″W
McCamish	43625		980	9 (24)	104 (40)	1 (0)	0.79%	38°48′14″N 95°0′37″W
Monticello	47950		-	-	-	-	-	-
Olathe	52600		894	34 (88)	26 (10)	0 (0)	0.70%	38°53′38″N 94°52′48″W
Oxford	53825		2,027	283 (732)	7 (3)	0 (0)	4.35%	38°49′43″N 94°39′45″W
Shawnee	64525		-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring Hill	67650		2,004	35 (89)	58 (22)	1 (0)	1.11%	38°47′35″N 94°47′3″W

References

1. "Demolition of old Johnson County Courthouse completed". Johnson County Government. August 26, 2021. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021.
2. "The New Johnson County Courthouse opens in Olathe, Kansas". Building Design & Construction. February 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021.
3. "QuickFacts: Johnson County, Kansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. "Money Magazine". CNN. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
6. "Best Places to Live 2008 – Kansas". Money Magazine. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
7. "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
8. "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
9. https://data.census.gov

Other websites

Official sites

• Johnson County
• Johnson County History
• Johnson County Library
• Johnson County Genealogical Society and Library Archived 2013-05-25 at the Wayback Machine
• Frontier Military Historic Byway^{[permanent dead link]}

Additional information

• Blue Skyways Archived 2012-05-11 at the Wayback Machine
• Kansas Statistical Abstract Archived 2005-10-28 at the Wayback Machine

Maps

• Johnson County Map, KDOT
• Kansas Highway Map, KDOT
• Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT
• Kansas School District Boundary Map Archived 2012-04-03 at the Wayback Machine, KSDE