Facts About Olathe
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The city’s name ‘Olathe’ is derived from the Shawnee word for beautiful.
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Olathe is part of the Kansas City major metropolitan area, located on interstate 35 just 19 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City. County Seat to Johnson County, one of the wealthiest counties in the United States.
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Olathe was founded by Dr John T. Barton in the spring of 1857. He rode to the centre of Johnson County and staked two-quarter sections of land as the town site
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Olathe hosts the annual Johnson County Old Settlers Days celebration, a tradition since 1898.
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Olathe was incorporated in 1857, and while not the first city in Johnson County, its rapid growth led to it being named the county seat in October 1859.
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The city of Olathe has a total area of 60.42 square miles of which 59.66 square miles are land and 0.76 square miles is covered by water.
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Olathe’s Black Bob Park is named after Hathawekela Shawnee Chief Black Bob.
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Olathe sister city is Ocotlán, Jalisco, Mexico and has friendship city status with Maebashi, Gunma, Japan.
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The city of Olathe is known as the cowboy capital.
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In 2021, the City of Olathe was named one of the Safest Cities in the U.S. by the SmartAsset website.
