Lenexa, Kansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lenexa, Kansas
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Lenexa City Center (2017)
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Location within Johnson County and Kansas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Johnson |
| Incorporated | 1907 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 34.39 sq mi (89.08 km2) |
| • Land | 34.07 sq mi (88.24 km2) |
| • Water | 0.32 sq mi (0.83 km2) 1.02% |
| Elevation | 1,033 ft (315 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 57,434 |
| • Density | 1,670.08/sq mi (644.75/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
66200-66299
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| Area code | 913 |
| FIPS code | 20-39350 |
| GNIS ID | 479208 |
Lenexa is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the 8th most populated city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and 9th most populated of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,434. It is the birthplace of Garmin and the regional headquarters of Kiewit Construction. It is bordered by the cities of Shawnee to the north, Overland Park to the east, De Soto to the west and Olathe to the south.
Contents
History
In 1857, twelve years before the town of Lenexa was platted, James Butler Hickok staked a claim on 160 acres (0.65 km2) at what is now the corner of 83rd and Clare Road.At about the same time, a census of the Shawnee Indians living in the area was being taken. One of the residents was listed as "Na-Nex-Se Blackhoof," the widow of Chief Blackhoof, who was the second signer of the 1854 treaty that ceded 1,600,000 acres (6,500 km2) of the Kansas Shawnee Indian reservation to the U.S. government. A few miles east in Westport, Missouri, was the start of the Old Santa Fe Trail. It meandered through the southeast part of Lenexa on its way to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Later, Hickok became a scout for the Free-State Army, a sharpshooter and eventually, Wild Bill Hickok. In 1865, shortly before Na-Nex-Se died, the Kansas and Neosho Valley Railroad was organized to take advantage of favorable new land laws. It later changed its name to Missouri River, Ft. Scott and Gulf Railroad, and in 1869 purchased a right-of-way from C.A. Bradshaw with the stipulation that the railroad build a depot on the property. Bradshaw then sold 10.5 acres (42,000 m2) to Octave Chanute, a railroad civil engineer, who platted a town in 1869. Legend states that the town was first proposed to be named 'Bradshaw', but he modestly refused and the name "Lenexa," a derivation of the name Na-Nex-Se, was adopted.
Geography
Lenexa is located at 38°57′53″N 94°45′34″W / 38.96472°N 94.75944°W (38.964689, -94.759535). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.45 square miles (89.23 km2), of which, 34.10 square miles (88.32 km2) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.91 km2) is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 583 | — | |
| 1920 | 472 | −19.0% | |
| 1930 | 452 | −4.2% | |
| 1940 | 502 | 11.1% | |
| 1950 | 803 | 60.0% | |
| 1960 | 2,497 | 211.0% | |
| 1970 | 5,242 | 109.9% | |
| 1980 | 18,639 | 255.6% | |
| 1990 | 34,034 | 82.6% | |
| 2000 | 40,238 | 18.2% | |
| 2010 | 48,190 | 19.8% | |
| 2020 | 57,434 | 19.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2010-2020 |
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The median income for a household was $61,990, and the median income for a family was $76,321 (these figures had risen to $70,246 and $86,581 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,495 versus $32,166 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,212. About 1.8% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 48,190 people, 19,288 households, and 13,065 families living in the city. The population density was 1,413.2 inhabitants per square mile (545.6/km2). There were 20,832 housing units at an average density of 610.9 per square mile (235.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.4% White, 5.8% African American, 0.4% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.0% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.3% of the population.
There were 19,288 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00.
The median age in the city was 36.6 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.
Culture
Events
Each June the city hosts "The Great Lenexa Barbecue Battle", which is also the Kansas State Championship. Lenexa was known as the "Spinach Capital of the World" in the 1930s and celebrates with the Spinach Festival every September.
Religion
Lenexa is home to the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, a parish founded in Kansas City, Kansas in 1906 and moved to Lenexa in 2006. The parish constructed a new Byzantine style church and cultural center. The church hosts a SerbFest every year in the summer and a Food Festival and Bazaar in the fall.
Economy
Garmin was founded in Lenexa.
Largest employers
According to the City's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
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| 1 | United Parcel Service | 2,087 |
| 2 | Quest Diagnostics/Lab One | 1,954 |
| 3 | Kiewit Power Engineers Company | 1,292 |
| 4 | JC Penney Logistics Center | 1,200 |
| 5 | Alliance Data Systems | 730 |
| 6 | Gear for Sports | 600 |
| 7 | Lakeview Village | 586 |
| 8 | Lexmark | 570 |
| 9 | Clinical Reference Lab | 567 |
| 10 | PRA International | 560 |
Education
Lenexa does not have a public school district of its own. Instead, Lenexa students go to either Shawnee Mission School District, Olathe School District, or De Soto School District schools. It is also home to a handful of private schools. Lenexa's first private high school, St. James Academy, opened in 2005. The Johnson County Library has a branch in the Lenexa City Center. Wichita based Friends University also has a branch in Lenexa, as does Brown Mackie College. The International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education is based in Lenexa; its competitive peer, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, is based in neighboring Overland Park.
Notable people
People who were born in or have lived in Lenexa include these:
- Warren Ault (1887-1989), historian
- Cam F. Awesome (1988- ), boxer
- Baron Corbin (1984- ), WWE Wrestler
- Madison Desch (1997- ), gymnast
- Drake Dunsmore (1988- ), football tight end
- Wild Bill Hickok (1837-1876), gunfighter. He staked a claim on 160 acres (0.65 km2) at what is now the corner of 83rd and Clare Road. He worked as a stocktender at the nearby Reed Hotel and later was elected constable of Monticello Township. A park in his name is now in that area.
- Lucas Rodríguez (1986- ), soccer midfielder
- Paul Rudd, (1969- ), actor
- William Shaw (1955- ), biochemist, autism researcher
- Grace VanderWaal (2004- ), winner of the eleventh season of the NBC TV competition show America's Got Talent
- Jason Wiles (1970- ), actor, director, producer. Starred as Maurice 'Bosco' Boscorelli (1999–2005) in the television series Third Watch.
- Ron Worley (1945- ), Kansas state legislator
See also
In Spanish: Lenexa para niños
