Wichita is the largest city in Kansas and is the county seat of Sedgewick county as well.
It is in the southern portion of the state, and the joining of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers, and was incorporated as a city in 1870.
Wichita is one of the chief commercial and industrial cities of south central Kansas.
The Kansas Aviation Museum near Wichita
The city was first settled by Native Americans, the Wichitas’ who moved north from Texas and Oklahoma before and during the civil war.
At nearly the same time, a large number of trading posts were being established near the river.
One of these traders, Jesse Chisolm had the distinction of pioneering the Chisolm trail, which was a cattle trail passing from Wichitato Abilene to the rail road center.
After the railroad was extended to Wichita in 1872, the city boomed first as a cow town and then later as the trading center in an agricultural and livestock region.
While the city experienced an economic slump at the end of the 19th century, oil was discovered nearby in 1915, and again the population jumped dramatically and nearly doubled.
The rainforest at the Wichita Zoo is a fun visit
Aircraft manufacturing began in the 1920s, and Wichita remains a center of the aircraft industry today.
In addition, the city also has flour mills, meatpacking plants, and oil refineries.
Major manufactures include camping equipment, heaters and air conditioners, and electronics. Wichita has a number of art and historical museums, a zoo, and a planetarium.
The area surrounding Wichita is a hiker paradise, with many fine trails available in a historical, old west cow town setting
Also opening in Wichita in June of 2008 is the Wichita Botanical gardens, nearing its completion now.
