Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, also known as the
Air Capital, is the largest
city in the
U.S. state of
Kansas, as well as a major
aircraft manufacturing hub and cultural center. The city is home to six major aircraft manufacturing companies and
McConnell Air Force Base. Wichita is located in South Central Kansas on the
Arkansas River, and is the
county seat of
Sedgwick County.
Wichita is the 51st largest city in the United States with an estimated population of 353,823 in the year 2004. The Wichita
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which encompasses Sedgwick,
Butler,
Harvey, and
Sumner counties, has a 2004 estimated population of 584,671 persons residing in 245,159 households, making it the 82nd largest MSA in the United States. The Wichita-Winfield
Combined Statistical Area also includes
Cowley County and has an estimated population of 618,641.
Wichita is located at (37.688848, -97.336226).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 138.9
mi² (359.8
km²). 135.8 mi² (351.6 km²) of it is land and 3.2 mi² (8.2 km²) of it (2.29%) is water.
The city was founded at the confluence of the
Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers. The Arkansas river runs on to
Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it becomes navigable by large boats.
Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of about 20°F (-8°C) in January to an average high of nearly 93°F (34°C) in July. The maximum temperature reaches 90°F (32°C) an average of 64 days per year and reaches 100°F (38°C) an average of 14 days per year. The minimum temperature falls below 32°F (0°C) an average of 108 days per year. Typically the first fall freeze occurs between the second week of October and mid-November, and the last spring freeze occurs between the end of March and the final week of April.
The area receives over 30 inches (760 mm) of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received in May and Juneâ€"with a combined 21 days of measurable precipitation. During a typical year the total amount of precipitation may be anywhere from 22 to 40 inches (560 to 1020 mm). There are on average 88 days of measurable precipitation per year. Winter snowfall averages almost 17 inches (44 cm), but the median is less than 8 inches (25 cm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 11 days per year with at least an inch of snow being received on five of those days. Snow depth of at least an inch occurs an average of 18 days per year.
align="bottom" style="padding:0 0;margin:0 0;"| Source: Monthly Station Climate Summaries, 1971-2000, U.S. National Climatic Data Center | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
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| Notes: Temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit. Precipitation includes rain and melted snow or sleet in inches; median values are provided for precipitation and snowfall because mean averages may be misleading. Mean and median values are for the 30-year period 1971â€"2000; temperature extremes are for the station's period of record (1954â€"2001). The station is located at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport at 37°39′N 97°26′W, elevation 1,321 feet (401 m). |
Cancún,
Mexico -
25 November 1975*
Kaifeng,
China -
3 December 1985*
Orléans,
France -
16 August 1944 through Sister Cities International
*
Tlalnepantla,
Mexico -
16 October 1973*
Andale*
Andover*
Arkansas City*
Augusta*
Bel Aire*
Belle Plaine*
Bentley*
Benton*
Burrton*
Cassoday*
Cheney*
Clearwater*
Colwich*
Conway Springs*
Derby*
El Dorado*
Garden Plain*
Goddard*
Haysville*
Hesston*
Kechi*
Maize*
Mount Hope*
Mulvane*
Newton*
North Newton*
Park City*
Peck*
Rock*
Rose Hill*
Sedgwick*
Towanda*
Udall*
Valley Center*
Wellington*
WinfieldPublic Schools (USD 259)
*
Wichita High School East*
Wichita Heights High School*
Wichita Southeast High School*Metro-Boulevard
*Metro-Meridian
*Metro-Midtown
*Wichita North High School
*Wichita Northeast Magnet High School
*Wichita Northwest High School
*Wichita South High School
*Wichita West High School
Private Schools
*
Annoor Islamic School*
Berean Academy*
Bishop Carroll Catholic High School*
Heartspring*
Holy Cross Lutheran School*
Independent School*
Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School*
St. Francis of Assisi School*
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School*
Trinity Academy*
Word of Life Traditional School*
Wichita Collegiate School*
Wichita Home School*
Anderson Elemantary School*
Beech Elementary School*
Benton Elementary School*
Bostic Traditional Magnet Elementary School*
Bryant Core Knowledge Magnet School*
Buckner Performing Arts Magnet School*
Caldwell Elementary School*
Cessna Elementary School*
Chisholm Trail Elementary School*
Clark Elementary School*
Cleaveland Traditional Magnet School*
College Hill Elementary School*
Colvin Elementary School*
Earhart Environmental Magnet Elementary School*
Emerson Open Magnet Elementary School*
Enterprise Elementary School*
Franklin Elementary*
Funston/White Elementary School*
Gammon Elementary School*
Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet School*
Hyde International Studies and Communications Magnet Elementary School*
Irving Elementary School*
Isely Traditional Magnet Elementary School*
Jefferson Elementary School*
Kelly Elementary Liberal Arts Academy*
Kensler Elementary School*
Lincoln Elementary School*
Linwood Elementary School*
L'Ouverture Computer Technology Magnet School*
McCollom Elementary School*
McLean Science/Technology Magnet School*
Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet Elementary School*
Mueller Elementary School*
OK Elementary School*
Paterson Elementary School*
Payne Elementary School*
Pleasant Valley Elementary School*
Price-Harris Elementary School*
Riverside Elementary School*
Washington Accelerated Elementary School*
Woodman Elemantary School*
Wichita State University*
Friends University*
Newman University*
Wichita Area Technical College*
Wichita Technical Institute*
Butler Community College (formerly
Butler County Community College)
*University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita
*
Wichita Wranglers,
baseball*
Wichita Wings (defunct),
indoor soccer*
Wichita Thunder,
ice hockey*
Wichita Aviators,
indoor football* Kenneth Charles Holder, inventor, cartoonist, aspiring opinion columnist, founder of Kenmerica Industries, CEO of Kenny's Kurb service
*
Kirstie Alley, actress
*
Caroline Bruce, Olympic swimmer
*
Robert Ballard, marine geologist
*
Judy Bell, golfer
*
Antoine Carr, basketball star
*
Clyde Cessna, industrialist
*
Elizabeth Gladys "Millvina" Dean , one of the last three individuals to survive the
TITANIC*
Darren Dreifort,
pitcher*
Kyle Farnsworth,
Major League Baseball pitcher for the
New York Yankees*
Tamara Feldman,
Actress*
Carla Fry, Motion Picture Production Executive
*
Robert M. Gates, former Director U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency*
Dan Glickman, former
US Congressman,
Secretary of Agriculture, and current President of the
Motion Picture Association of America*
Eric Harris, a perpetrator of the
Columbine High School massacre*
Bob Helms, industrialist
*
Stan Kenton, jazz musician
*
Bill Koch,
America's Cup winner
*
Charles Koch, industrialist
*
Don Johnson, actor
*
Neal Jones, actor
*
William Lear, industrialist
*
Jim Lehrer, TV host
*
Hattie McDaniel, actress
*
Roger Mears - race car driver
*
Crazy Mike - local eccentric
*
Vera Miles, actress
*
Fran Jabara,industrialist
*
James Jabara,
World War II flying ace
*
Antonya Nelson, author
*
Roger Noriega, Ambassador to the
Organization of American States*
Gale Norton,
Secretary of the Interior*
Susan Page, journalist
*
Allison Pitts, social activist
*
Jeff Probst, TV host
*
Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer
*
Nate Robertson,
pitcher*
Danny Roew,
film director*
Leslie Rudd,
Entrepreneur, owner of Dean & DeLuca and Rudd Winery*
Jim Ryun, Olympic medalist, now a
U.S. Representative from Kansas
*
Barry Sanders,
Pro Football Hall of Famer
*
Gale Sayers,
Pro Football Hall of Famer; born in Wichita, but raised in
Omaha, Nebraska*
Mark Shelton of
Manilla Road fame
*
Vernon L. Smith,
Nobel Memorial Prize winner in economics
*
Leon van Speybroeck, X-Ray astronomer
*
Lloyd Stearman, industrialist
*
Deb Stover, author
*
John Cameron Swayze, announcer
*
Darnell Valentine, basketball star
*
Joe Walsh, musician
*
Lynette Woodard, Basketball Hall of Fame
See
Broadcast Media In WichitaThe
Wichita Eagle is the daily newspaper in Wichita. Cable television service for Wichita and surrounding areas are provided by
Cox Communications* Wichita is mentioned in the film "About Schmidt"
* Wichita is mentioned in the song
Seven Nation Army by
the White Stripes.
* Wichita is mentioned in the song
P.R. 2KI by
Tech N9ne.
* Wichita is mentioned in the song
Open up the Border by
Clutch.
* Wichita is mentioned in the song
Jack Straw by
Grateful Dead.
* Wichita is mentioned in the song
True Dreams of Wichita by
Soul Coughing.
* Wichita is mentioned in the film
Big Fish (2003).
* Wichita is mentioned in the film
My Blue Heaven (1990).
* Wichita is mentioned in the film
Leap of Faith (1992).
* Wichita is mentioned in the film
Twister (1996).
* Wichita is the setting for the film
The Big Kahuna (1999), adapted from the play "Hospitality Suite."
* Wichita is the setting for the film
The Ice Harvest (2005), adapted from the
book of the same title.
* Wichita is one of the settings for the film
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987).
* Wichita is one of the settings for the film
Elizabethtown (2005) when Drew Baylor,
Orlando Bloom's character, briefly drives through on his road trip.
* It is also mentioned in the poem
Wichita Vortex Sutra by
beat poet Alan Ginsberg.
Philip Glass has also composed a work by the same title.
*
Wichita Lineman was a popular song, written by
Jimmy Webb and first performed by
Glen Campbell. It has since been recorded by numerous other artists. However, this song is more likely a reference to
a county named Wichita, of which there are two, since the song says "I am a lineman for the county... ...and the Wichita lineman is still on the line."
*
The BTK Killer is mentioned in the song
Teachers Suck by
Tom Green.
*
The Official City of Wichita homepageSix Major Aerospace Companies
Cessna Aircraft CompanySpirit AeroSystems (Formery Boeing Commercial Aircraft Company - Wichita Division)
Boeing Integrated Defense SystemsAirbusBombardierRaytheon Aircraft Company
