Topeka, Kansas

"Topeka" redirects here. For other uses, see Topeka (disambiguation).

Topeka, Kansas
State capital city
Downtown skyline from Burnett's Mound
Kansas State Capitol
Constitution Hall
Topeka Public Library
Topeka High School
Railyard buildings at Great Overland Station
Flag of Topeka, Kansas
Flag
Official seal of Topeka, Kansas
Seal
Location within Shawnee County and Kansas
Location within Shawnee County and Kansas
Map
Interactive map of Topeka
Coordinates: 39°02′05″N 95°41′44″W / 39.03472°N 95.69556°W / 39.03472; -95.69556[1]
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountyShawnee
Founded1854
Incorporated1857
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • MayorMike Padilla (D)[2]
 • City ManagerStephen Wade [3]
Area
[4]
 • State capital city62.76 sq mi (162.53 km2)
 • Land61.44 sq mi (159.14 km2)
 • Water1.31 sq mi (3.39 km2)
Elevation
[1]
938 ft (286 m)
Population
 (2020)[5][6]
 • State capital city126,587
 • Estimate 
(2021)[7]
125,963
 • RankUS: 222nd
KS: 5th
 • Density2,000/sq mi (780/km2)
 • Urban
150,003 (US: 217th)
 • Metro
232,670 (US: 200th)
DemonymTopekan
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
66601–66612, 66614–66622, 66624–66626, 66628–66629, 66636–66637, 66642, 66647, 66652–66653, 66667, 66675, 66683, 66692, 66699[8]
Area code785
FIPS code20-71000
GNIS ID485655[1]
Websitetopeka.org

Topeka (/təˈpiːkə/ tə-PEE-kə)[9][10] is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County.[1] It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 126,587.[5][6] The Topeka metropolitan statistical area, which includes Shawnee, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, and Wabaunsee Counties, had a population of 233,870 in the 2010 census.

The city, laid out in 1854, was one of the Free-State towns founded by Eastern antislavery men immediately after the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Bill. In 1857, Topeka was chartered as a city.

The city is well known for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and declared racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional.[11]

  1. ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Topeka, Kansas
  2. ^ "Mayor - City of Topeka". www.topeka.org. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Topeka-CityManager was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Profile of Topeka, Kansas in 2020". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "QuickFacts; Topeka, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusEst2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. 2012. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  9. ^ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917], Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.), English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 3-12-539683-2
  10. ^ "Topeka". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  11. ^ "Supreme Court of the United States Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954) (USSC+)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.