Topeka, Kansas

Topeka is the capital of the U.S. state of Kansas and county seat of Shawnee County.

This current industrial site was once an important railroad town because of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. North of Topeka are some Indian reservations with casinos.

Topeka gained special significance as the starting point of the American Pentecostal movement at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1954, Monroe Elementary School in Topeka was one of four elementary schools where racial segregation was challenged in court. In the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn this discrimination. The Monroe School was designated a memorial in 1992 as the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.

Topeka was the birthplace of Charles Curtis, the 31st Vice President of the United States, in 1860. Three US Navy ships have been christened USS Topeka in honor of the city, and currently a nuclear submarine bears that name.

For the duration of March 2010, the city renamed itself "Google". Google retaliated with an April Fool's joke on April 1, 2010, when it declared on the Google Blog that it had renamed itself "Topeka" and replaced the Google logo with "Topeka" on the US Google page. It also renamed itself "ToPikachu" on the release days of Pokémon Red and Blue and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Evoli!

History

In the 1840s, after the discovery of the South Pass as an easy way to cross the Rocky Mountains, the settlement of the Pacific Northwest began via the Oregon Trail. In the area of the later city of Topeka, a regular ferry service was then established to cross the Kansas River. However, it was not until 1854 that the first log cabins were erected. Topeka was subsequently quickly visited by river steamers trading for lumber, wheat, meat, and potatoes. The city's importance to commerce spurred its growth and the development of important infrastructure.

The Kansas Territory that now emerged was the scene of bloody conflicts between abolitionists and supporters of slavery (Bleeding Kansas) until Kansas was admitted to the Union in 1861 as the 34th state. After Topeka was designated the capital, construction of the Kansas State Capitol began in 1866. During the American Civil War, a fort was built to protect the city. The city's development was slowed by the war and a drought. During this time, however, many new residents - often African Americans - came to town.

In 1865, Lincoln College (now Washburn University) was founded. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, founded in 1858, began connecting Topeka to neighboring cities via rail lines. A real estate boom that began in the 1880s led to a doubling of the population - and ultimately the ruin of many investors. In the early years of the 20th century, the automobile industry became increasingly important.

Widespread racial segregation in public schools across much of the United States prompted Topeka resident Oliver Brown to file suit against the local school board. The case was eventually heard by the United States Supreme Court (Brown v. Board of Education) and led to the overturning of the "separatebut equal" principle that had applied until then.

Established during World War II, the air base was developed into a major Strategic Air Command base in the 1950s. After the base closed in 1976, parts of the facility are now used for both civilian and military purposes (by the Kansas Air National Guard).

One site in Topeka has National Historic Landmark status, the Sumner Elementary School / Monroe Elementary School, which were the subject of the civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education. 64 structures and sites in the city are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (as of November 4, 2018).

Monroe Elementary School (2013)

Population

Population development
Year	Inhabitants¹
1980	118.690
1990	119.883
2000	123.978
2010	127.474
2016	126.808

76.2% of Topeka's population is of European descent, 11.3% is African American, 1.4% Native American, 1.3% Asian. Slightly more women (52.2%) than men (47.8%) live in the city. 12.5% of the population lives below the poverty line.