Wichita, Kansas

As the largest city in Kansas, Wichita has a long and storied past, tracing its history back to the opening of the west. Located at the junction of the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers, early records of local settlement indicate initial encampment by the Wichita Indians in 1863. As a railhead destination for Texan cattle drives in the late 19th century, Witchita slowly began further development. A true population explosion, however, did not occur until 1914 when oil was discovered in the area.

Today, Wichita has a population of 344,284 and is home to a number of large businesses. Companies such as Coleman, Mentholatum, Pizza Hut, White Castle, and Koch Industries all began in Wichita. While the historical nickname of Cowtown still holds some relevance to Wichita in relation to its prairie lifestyle, more contemporary sources refer to the city as the Air Capital of the World due to the presence of manufacturing facilities for Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Cessna and Raytheon.

In the process of becoming a developed modern city, Wichita has not forgotten its western roots: the annual Sterling Silver Premium Meats Air Capital Cookoff showcases some of the best barbecue and chilli chefs in the world; the Wichita River Festival is the largest festival in all of Kansas, bringing more than 350,000 people to the area for nine days of concerts, parades, competitions and fireworks; October's Tallgrass Film Festival celebrates cinema in Kansas. And Wichita's annual Jazz Festival pays homage to both early the city's relationship to jazz legend Charlie 'Bird' Parker and the prominent local Beat movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

What's great about Wichita? Average commute times in the city are only 17 minutes; a recent $284-million school bond issue paves the wave for higher standards in local education; 18 different golf courses can be found within the local area; Wichita arts include the Wichita Center for the Arts, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Community Theater, and a Metropolitan Ballet; t he 247-acre (99-hectare) Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita is one of the best zoos in the world.

Famous personalities Kirstie Alley, Don Johnson, Joe Walsh, Stan Kenton, Jeff Probst and Barry Sanders all come from Wichita, Kansas.

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