In Kansas State, the city of Wichita is the biggest city. The population was around 382,360 in the U.S. Census of 2010. The city of Wichita is located in the south central portion of Kansas State. It is situated on the Arkansas River. Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County. In addition, it is the principal city making up the Wichita metropolitan area, which had a population of roughly 630,720 in the year 2011.
The area was initially settled during the Civil War by Wichita Indians. White settlers were eventually attracted to the region settling beside the river junction, where they formed a variety of trading posts. The region rapidly became a top stopping spot along the Chisholm Trail which was a popular cattle-drive route. In 1872, the arrival of railroads brought more prosperity and the city became a central location revolving around cattle and agriculture. In 1915, oil was discovered nearby, and during the 1920s, major aircraft manufacturing plants were established. These economic development spurts were synonymous with an upsurge in the population of the region.
Wichita is the cultural hub of the central plains area. The city has numerous art museums and galleries, and a symphony orchestra. There are history, transportation and aviation museums to enjoy also. Located 22 miles north of Wichita, the Kauffman Museum displays the local culture and the history of the area. It features the Mennonites immigration during the 1870s to Kansas.
There is a living fun re-enactment of the Old West put on by the Old Cowtown Museum. One more well-known event every month of April is the 2 day Wichita Jazz Festival put on at a few places all around Wichita. This festival commemorates the location of the very first recording of famous jazz musician Charles Parker which happened in the year 1940. Each spring there is a 9 day event known as the annual River Festival that is known for a remarkable assortment of fireworks, music and food.
In the neighboring city of Hutchinson, there is the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center that is an affiliate of the Smithsonian. They have and IMAX theatre as well as unique space artifacts from the Soviet and United States space programs. It is an exciting day trip to check out when going to the area.
The main economic sector within the city is manufacturing, particularly manufacturing aircrafts. Numerous big companies like for example Cessna, Boeing, Raytheon, Bombardier and Airbus call the city home and headquarters. Consumer goods, electronics and high-technology industries are several of the other important economic segments which contribute to the city's economy.
The manufacturing business offers a wide variety of jobs like airplanes, industrial-commercial machinery, fabricated metal products, instrumentation and controls and outdoor recreational equipment and supplies. Chemicals, photographic equipment, household appliances, meat products, amusement rides and composite products are other manufacturing sectors that provide jobs.
The county is among the top within regions for large concentration of manufacturing jobs and skilled labor. In addition, the region has lots of businesses using high technology design. The second major economic factor is healthcare and this provides a major employment sector for the city. Several of the top businesses calling the city home consist of Cargill Meat Solutions, Koch Industries, Chance Rides and Coleman Company.
The 2nd largest industry in Wichita is Healthcare. About 28,000 individuals are working within the local area. This field was not forecasted to change in the early 2000s, due to the fact that health-care should remain quite consistent regardless of the economy and therefore this sector was not subject to the same pressures which had an effect on other businesses at that time.
Kansas City opened a critical care tower at Wesley Medical Centre in addition to the Kansas Spine Hospital in the year 2004. The biggest provider of health care services in Kansas is Via Christi Health and during July the year 2010, they were ready to open up a hospital which would have the necessities to serve the northwest area of the city. Located on St. Teresa, Via Christi Hospital would be the 5th hospital of the system serving the community of Wichita.