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An
Overview of Topeka
Cyrus Holliday almost single-handedly built Topeka's skyline.
He never set limestone or watched concrete harden at the base of the
Statehouse. 
He died nearly seven decades before a bank constructed the city's
second-largest building on Kansas Avenue.
Escorted by the Kansas River, Holliday headed west through an unexplored
territory. He departed Lawrence and travelled about 25 miles before
constructing a small, log cabin by the river near what is the intersection
of First Street and Kansas Avenue.
Holliday and eight other men established the Topeka Association on
Dec. 5, 1854, and a new city was born. Population: 9.
They divided the new town into 100 shares split between the founders
and future settlers. Holliday had big dreams for Topeka, expecting
the city to swell to 40,000 residents and become the state's capital
city. He planned for the expansion four streets Sixth, Eighth, 10th
and Topeka Boulevard to accommodate congestion in the booming town.
The city continued its patterns of growth, and today about 126,000
people reside in Topeka, with more than 178,000 people in Shawnee
County. The city covers 57 square miles, while the county encompasses
545 square miles. Topeka also experiences four distinct seasons. The
city's average high temperature reaches 37 degrees in January, while
the typical night brings a low of about 16 degrees. Although the mercury
can soar above the century mark during the summer months, the average
high in July is about 89 degrees. The average low is 68.
Nearly 70 percent of the city's annual precipitation falls between
April and September. Topeka receives about 33 inches of precipitation
and 21 inches of snowfall annually.
Since the days when the Kansas River snaked through barren countryside,
Topeka has become a crossroad for major highways. Interstate highways
70, 470 and 335, and U.S. highways 24, 40 and 75 converge in the city
and offer easy access to other locations in the Midwest. USAir Express
offers commercial air service at Forbes Field, located seven miles
south of downtown.
Northeast Kansas is the state's educational hub, with three universities
in the area and several school districts serving Shawnee County. The
Topeka Public School District earned the prestigious U.S. Department
of Education National Schools of Excellence Award. The district has
21 elementary  schools,
six middle schools and three high schools, with an enrollment of 14,149
in the 1997-98 school year.
The city has a Catholic school system, which includes seven elementary
schools and a high school. Topeka is served by several private schools
and two technical schools.
Washburn University, which is home to about 6,000 students, is located
in the heart of the city. The university offers more than 90 educational
programs, leading to degrees in more than 45 areas, as well as graduate
degrees in law, business, education, psychology, social work and criminal
justice.
The University of Kansas, in Lawrence, is located 20 miles east of
Topeka and Kansas State University, in Manhattan, is located 50 miles
west of the city.
Naturists will enjoy the city's parks and Lake Shawnee. Gage Park
is a 160-acre park with numerous recreational facilities, including
swimming, tennis and volleyball. The Topeka Zoological Park is home
to about 400 animals, and includes the Tropical Rainforest, the Waterbird
Lagoon and the Lion's Pride exhibit. Lake Shawnee Recreational Area
is a man-made 411-acre lake that offers fishing, boating, sailing
and swimming.
The performing arts scene is also alive in the city. Founded in 1936,
the Topeka Civic Theatre has new hit comedies, cutting-edge dramas
and Broadway musicals in an intimate atmosphere. The Performing Arts
Center, the city's newest multi-purpose performance and convention
facility, features state-of-the-art acoustics that make the 2,600-seat
Georgia Neese Gray Performance Hall the ideal environment for local
dance companies, symphonies and popular entertainment.
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