BigDaddyData.Com: Kansas Topeka

    {tuh-pee'-kuh}

    Topeka is the capital and among the largest cities of Kansas. Located in the northeastern part of the state and bisected by the Kansas River, the city is the seat of Shawnee County and has a population of 119,883 (1990 census). Topeka is a rail hub and an important shipping and marketing center for the farm products of the surrounding rich agricultural region. The city has varied industries, including flour, tire, and pharmaceutical manufacturing and meat-packing plants. Topeka is the site of Washburn University of Topeka (1865) and of the Menninger Clinic.

    Topeka was founded in 1854 by antislavery colonists led by Charles Robinson and Cyrus Holliday. Holliday later chose the city as the terminus for his railroad--the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe. The city was a center of conflict between free-soil and proslavery factions in Kansas Territory in the mid-19th century. Topeka became the state capital in 1861. The city suffered damage from flooding during the summer of 1993.