Johnson County, Kansas, is one of the prettiest and best places to live, work and play in the United States. (American City Business Journals Inc. recently ranked it NO. 7 out of 3,141 counties for quality of life and NO. 6 among most educated.) It has a national reputation for residential and educational excellence. Part of the 15-county Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area, Johnson County is just west of Kansas City, MO., and south of Kansas City, KS., along two river valleys in eastern Kansas.
It was founded in 1855 and named for a 19th century Methodist missionary. Today it is home to more than 516,000, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Much of its 476 square miles is gently rolling uplands. The Kansas River cuts a valley along the west half of the county's northern border; Cedar, Kill, Captain and Mill creeks flow through the county north to the river. In the east lies the Blue River and its tributaries. Elevations go from 742 feet in the Kansas River valley to 1,134 feet in the county's south center.
Less than half of Johnson County is incorporated into 19 cities and towns, ranging in population from 160 to more than 160,000. Temperatures range from an average low of 29 degrees to an average high of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Average rain, in a normal year, is about 40 inches, from April through June.
The Shawnee Indians were the first large group of people to settle in the area when moved here by an 1825 treaty. The entire county was once part of the Shawnee Indian Reservation. Thomas Johnson established the Shawnee Indian Methodist Mission and is the county's namesake.
After World War II, when the GI's returned, Johnson County population numbers soared. Commercial growth followed residential growth in the 1950's.
It's a headquarters or regional center for companies like Sprint, Nextel, Garmin, YRC Worldwide, Federal Express, Universal Underwriters and Applebees. Bisected by interstates and served by an international airport. In the decade from 1991-2001, the county added 126,000 new jobs, accounting for 54 percent of the job growth in the Metro and 44 percent of the state's job growth.
Served by six strong school districts. All boast strong standardized test scores, low dropout rates, high graduate-to-college numbers and big commitments to innovation, technology and life learning. Johnson County Community College, one of the finest community colleges in the country serves traditional and nontraditional students in credit and noncredit programs.
Seven major hospitals and dozens of specialty clinics and medical services operate in Johnson County. Low crime rates, award winning parks and recreation districts, historic sites and museums, and good housing selection in all price ranges add to the quality of life.
