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Wichita is located at 37°41'20" North, 97°20'10" West (37.688848, -97.336226) 1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 359.8 km² (138.9 mi²). 351.6 km² (135.8 mi²) of it is land and 8.2 km² (3.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.29% water.
The Arkansas and the Little Arkansas rivers run through and meet in Wichita. It was founded at this location precisely because it lay on this confluence. The Arkansas river runs on to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it becomes navigable by large boats.
As of the census 2 of 2000, there are 344,284 people, 139,087 households, and 87,763 families residing in the city. The population density is 979.2/km² (2,536.1/mi²). There are 152,119 housing units at an average density of 432.7/km² (1,120.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 75.20% White, 11.42% African American, 1.16% Native American, 3.96% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.10% from other racesThe United States Census Bureau uses the federal government's definitions of race when performing a census. These definitions have and may change between each census. The racial categories are officially described as follows:¹ The categories represent a s, and 3.10% from two or more races. 9.62% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 139,087 households out of which 32.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% are married couplesMarriage is a relationship that plays a key role in the definition of many families. Precise definitions vary historically and between and within cultures, but it has been an important concept as a socially sanctioned bond between people who (usually) are living together, 11.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% are non-families. 31.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.44 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $39,939, and the median income for a family is $49,247. Males have a median income of $36,457 versus $25,844 for females. The per capita incomeThe per capita income for an area may be defined as the total personal income in an area, divided by the number of people in that area. A ranking of the top 10 countries, according to the 2004 CIA World Factbook (in US dollar) # Luxembourg $55,100 # Norwa for the city is $20,647. 11.2% of the population and 8.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.4% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
A thorough writeup can be found at http://www.wichita.gov/Residents/History/.
The site on the two rivers has served as a trading center for nomadic peoples for the last 11,000 years. The area was visited by Coronado in 1541, while he was in search of the fabulous "cities of gold". While there, he encountered a group of Indians whom he called Quiviras and who have been identified by archeological and historical studies as Wichita Indians. By 1719 this people had moved south to Oklahoma, where they were encountered by French traders. The first permanent settlement in Wichita was a collection of grass houses inhabited by the Wichita Indians in 1863. They had moved back to Wichita from Oklahoma during the Civil War due to their pro-Union sentiments. The city was officially incorporated in 1870. Shortly thereafter it became a railhead destination for cattle drives from Texas and other southwestern points, from whence it has derived its nickname of "Cowtown".
Wichita reached national fame in 1900 when Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) member Carrie Nation decided to carry her crusade against alcohol to Wichita. On December 27th of that year she entered the Carey House bar in downtown Wichita and smashed the place up with a rock and a pool ball. She had visited all the bars in Wichita the night before and demanded that they close their doors. However the painting by John Noble of Cleopatra at the Roman Bath in the Carey House had drawn her particular wrath.
In 1914-1915, oil was discovered nearby and Wichita became a major oil center. The oil money, in turn, allowed local entrepreneurs to invest in a nascent airplane industry in the 1920's. 43 Swallow airplanes were built in Wichita between 1920 and 1923. This was the first airplane made specifically for production. Lloyd Stearman, Clyde Cessna, and Walter Beech were all employees of the Swallow company. The city experienced a population explosion during World War II when it became a major manufacturing center for airplanes needed in the war effort. By 1945, 4.2 bombers were being produced daily in Wichita. Stearman Aircraft, a predecessor of the Boeing Company was founded in Wichita, as were Beech Aircraft (now part of Raytheon), Cessna Aircraft, and LearJet (now Bombardier). It remains a major manufacturing center for the aircraft industry today, with all of these and Airbus Industrie having major centers there still. Hence its nickname: "The Air Capital". It has also been a significant entrepreneurial business center during the postwar period, with Coleman, Mentholatum, Pizza Hut, White Castle, and Koch Industries having all been founded in Wichita.
The first complete recording made by the famous jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker occurred in 1940 at the Trocadero Ballroom in Wichita. During the 1950's and early 1960's Wichita had a significant "Beat" movement. Information on this can be found at http://homepage.mac.com/thorntonstreiff/Menu9.html. The Wichita Jazz Festival remains a significant annual event on the jazz calendar to this day.
An informative collection of historical photographs of Wichita can be found at http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/wdl/search.asp.
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