Facts About Shawnee
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The county was named in honour of Rev. Thomas Johnson and is among the first counties to be established in the Kansas Territory in 1855.
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Shawnee is the 7th largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
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The city has a total area of 42.86 square miles, of which, 41.85 square miles is land and 1.01 square miles is water.
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Shawnee is in Johnston County and was founded in 1855.
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A Shawnee Indian mission had been established at the present site of Shawnee in 1831. Shawnee was laid out as a town in 1857.
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The city of Shawnee is twinned with the following sister cities Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany; Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland & Pittem, Belgium.
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The town was known as Gum Springs, prior to its name change, it was home to the Kansas territory’s first legislature and capital, and it was the first county seat.
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The estimated population of Shawnee is 31,361, as of 2020.
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Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Shawnee include energy executive Linda Cook, former Attorney General of Kansas Phill Kline, and comedian Chris Porter.
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The first newspaper in Kansas, in 1835, the Shawnee Sun, was printed in the Shawnee language at the Baptist Mission.
