Topeka, Kansas
Topeka (/təˈpiːkə/ tə-PEE-kə) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. 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. The Topeka metropolitan statistical area, which includes Shawnee, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, and Wabaunsee Counties, had a population of 233,870 in the 2010 census.
Topeka, Kansas | |
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Downtown skyline from Burnett's Mound | |
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Flag Seal | |
Location within Shawnee County and Kansas | |
Interactive map of Topeka | |
| Coordinates: 39°02′05″N 95°41′44″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Shawnee |
| Founded | 1854 |
| Incorporated | 1857 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Mike Padilla (D) |
| • City Manager | Stephen Wade |
| Area | |
| • State capital city | 62.76 sq mi (162.53 km2) |
| • Land | 61.44 sq mi (159.14 km2) |
| • Water | 1.31 sq mi (3.39 km2) |
| Elevation | 938 ft (286 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • State capital city | 126,587 |
| • Estimate (2021) | 125,963 |
| • Rank | US: 222nd KS: 5th |
| • Density | 2,000/sq mi (780/km2) |
| • Urban | 150,003 (US: 217th) |
| • Metro | 232,670 (US: 200th) |
| Demonym | Topekan |
| Time zone | UTC-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 |
| Area code | 785 |
| FIPS code | 20-71000 |
| GNIS ID | 485655 |
| Website | topeka.org |
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.