From the 2000 census to the 2010 census, all but one of the biggest cities in Kansas experienced an increase in population (Kansas City was the lone exception, and its population loss was minimal). Here are six of Kansas' biggest cities:
VOTE NOW: Is Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback Doing a Good Job?
1. Wichita
Long
known as the Air Capital of the World, Wichita's history is tied to aviation manufacturing. Ever since air travel was invented by the Wright brothers, about 75 percent of all general aviation aircraft have been made in Wichita.
2. Overland Park
Continuing the theme of the importance of aviation to this state,
Overland Park was a popular place for the barnstorming pilots of the day in the first few years after the Wright brothers sent a plane aloft in Kitty Hawk. On weekends, Aviation Field drew as many as 25,000 spectators to watch pilots get their planes off the ground.
VOTE NOW: Should the Government Be Doing More to Promote Tourism in America?
3. Kansas City
Dwarfed in size by its Missouri neighbor which goes by the same name, Kansas City is the only city among the 10 biggest in Kansas that lost population from the 2000 census to the 2010 census.
4. Topeka
The
literal translation of Topeka from the local Native American dialect is, "A good place to dig potatoes." Or it's possible that it means "smoky hill." Here's hoping the first definition is actually the correct one.
5. Olathe
A suburb of the Kansas City metropolitan area,
the name of the city was documented by the Olathe News. John T. Barton, who founded the city, was reportedly struck by the "natural beauty" of the territory he claimed. "He particularly was taken with the surrounding prairie flowers, specifically the verbenas," the publication wrote. "Barton supposedly asked a member of the Shawnee tribe its word for 'beautiful.' The reply: 'O-lay-thee.' Through Barton’s broken pronunciation, the name Olathe was given."
URGENT: Do You Approve of the Job Sam Brownback Is Doing as Kansas Governor?
6. Lawrence
Home to the
University of Kansas, Lawrence had to compete with Emporia in 1863 in order to become the official home of the state university. Since Lawrence could submit $10,000 and 40 acres on which to build the university, Lawrence beat out Emporia by one vote in the state legislature.
© 2017 Newsmax. All rights reserved.