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Wichita, KS

Wichita, Kansas
City
Downtown Wichita
Downtown Wichita
Flag of Wichita, Kansas
Flag
Official seal of Wichita, Kansas
Seal
Nickname(s): Air Capital Of The World, ICT
Location within Sedgwick County and Kansas
Location within Sedgwick County and Kansas
KDOT map of Sedgwick County (legend)
KDOT map of Sedgwick County (legend)
Coordinates: 37°41′20″N 97°20′10″W / 37.68889°N 97.33611°W / 37.68889; -97.33611Coordinates: 37°41′20″N 97°20′10″W / 37.68889°N 97.33611°W / 37.68889; -97.33611
Country United States
State Kansas
County Sedgwick
Founded 1868
Incorporated 1870
Government
 • Type Council-Manager
 • Mayor Jeff Longwell
 • City Manager Robert Layton
Area
 • City 163.59 sq mi (423.70 km2)
 • Land 159.29 sq mi (412.56 km2)
 • Water 4.30 sq mi (11.14 km2)
Elevation 1,299 ft (396 m)
Population (2010)
 • City 382,368
 • Estimate (2015) 389,965
 • Rank US: 48th
KS: 1st
Midwest: 10th
 • Density 2,300/sq mi (900/km2)
 • Metro 644,610 (US: 85th)
 • CSA 680,398 (US: 72nd)
Demonym(s) Wichitan
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Codes 67201-67221, 67223, 67226-67228, 67230, 67232, 67235, 67260, 67275-67278
Area code 316
FIPS code 20-79000
GNIS feature ID 0473862
Interstates I-35.svg I-135.svg I-235.svg
U.S Highways US-54 / US-400
US-81
Kansas Highways K-96 K-42 K-15 K-254
Website www.wichita.gov

Wichita (/ˈwɪtɔː/ WITCH-ə-taw) is the largest city in the state of Kansas and the 48th-largest city in the United States. 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. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 382,368; as of 2014, it was estimated to have increased to 389,965. In 2015, the estimated population of the Wichita metropolitan area was 644,610, and that of the larger Wichita-Winfield combined statistical area was 680,398.

The city began as a trading post on the Chisholm Trail in the 1860s, then was incorporated in 1870. It subsequently became a key destination for cattle drives traveling north from Texas to access railroads, earning it the nickname "Cowtown". In the 1920s and 1930s, businessmen and aeronautical engineers established a number of successful aircraft manufacturing companies in Wichita including Beechcraft, Cessna, and Stearman Aircraft. The city transformed into a hub of U.S. aircraft production and became known as "The Air Capital of the World". Beechcraft, Cessna, (both now part of Textron Aviation) and other firms including Learjet, Airbus and Spirit AeroSystems continue to operate design and manufacturing facilities in Wichita today, and the city remains a major center of the U.S. aircraft industry.


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