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Johnson County Administration Building in Olathe, Kansas. Photo by Susan Howell.
 Johnson County Administration Building

Johnson County

County Seat: Olathe
Founded: 1855
Population:
    · 451,086   (2000)
    · 335,034   (1990)
    ·   18,104   (1900)
Area: 477 Square Miles
Standard Abbreviation: JO   
Location of Johnson County, Kansas

* History

Map of Johnson County, KS in 1899
Organized in 1855.  County seat Olathe.  Named for Rev. Thomas Johnson, who in 1829 established a mission among the Shawnee Indians about eight miles southwest of Kansas City.  Mr. Johnson took the Pro-Slavery side of politics, and was the President of the first Territorial Council.  He was shot and killed, in January 1865.
 
Map and text from History of Kansas, Noble Prentis, (Winfield: E.P. Greer. 1899)
 
It's hard to believe that in 1900, Johnson County had fewer people than Jewell County. Today, the area's population is exploding, and new office parks and subdivisions seem to sprout overnight.
 
William G. Cutler's History of Kansas, first published in 1883, tells about early Johnson County.
 
The Special Collections of the Ablah Library at WSU contain historical images of Olathe, Spring Hill, and Wilder.
 
The Kansas State Historical Society also has more historical data for Johnson County online including a rich bibliography and lists of cemeteries, post offices, and newspapers.

* Cities, Towns, & Villages of Johnson County

                           2000
    Town                Population  ZIP         Year  Elevation
    =================   ==========  =========   ====  =========
    Aubry                                               1090
    Bonita                                              1102
    Cedar                       26  67628                825
    Chouteau                                             770
    Clare                                               1028
    Craig                                                838
    De Soto                  4,561  66018-019            842
    Edgerton                 1,440  66021               1000
    Elmhurst                                            1070
    Fairway                  3,952  66205                950
    Frisbie                                              786
    Gardner                  9,396  66030-031           1160
    Holliday                                             800
    Kenneth                                              872
    Lackmans                                            1051
    Lake Quivira               932  66106                890
    Leawood                 27,656  66209                850
    Lenexa                  40,238  67645                860
    Merriam                 11,008  66202               1000
    Mission                  9,727                      1000
    Mission Hills            3,593  66208                950
    Mission Woods              165  66205                900
    Monticello                                          1010
    Morse                                               1085
    Ocheltree                                           1079
    Olathe                  92,962  66061-66062  1856   1040
    Overland Park          149,080  66210               1000
    Prairie Village         22,072  66202               1050
    Redel                                                900
    Roeland Park             6,817  66202                930
    Shawnee                 47,996  66203               1000
    Spring Hill              2,727  66083               1050
    Stanley                                             1000
    Stilwell                                            1067
    Westwood                 1,533
    Westwood Hills             378                       900
    Wilder                                               776
    Zarah                                                841
U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts about Johnson County

* Libraries

* Museums

* Johnson County School Systems

* Colleges & Universities

* Newspapers

* More Data About Johnson County

Health Data

* Genealogy

* Johnson County Offices

 
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Last updated on November 8, 2006 by Brig C. McCoy, COUNTIES@KSLIB.INFO
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photos by Susan Howell,
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