Wichita, Kansas - Background Statement

Wichita, Kansas is a regional trading center for southeastern Kansas located in Sedgwick County, Kansas at the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers. Acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, development came late to this area perhaps due in part to its characterization as “incapable of cultivation” by Zebulon Pike who crossed the area on his way west in 1806. Later, in 1820, Major Stephen H. Long referred to this area as “the great American desert,” a notion that seems to linger to this day along with images of tornadoes from The Wizard of Oz.

Nonetheless, the general westward expansion of America brought Indian traders, speculators and eventually settlers in the mid 1860s. Largely inhabited by Native Americans, the Wichita area opened fully to settlers in 1867 after a peace treaty ceded the land to the United States. The bottom of an inland sea in prehistoric times, the area featured few geographic landmarks short of the legendary one foot thick layer of top soil that would prove it an excellent agricultural site. Trading posts and small businesses grew quickly at the chosen site for the new town. By 1880, Wichita was booming, its growth propelled by agriculture, manufacturing, and land speculation. Community leaders shared a strong work ethic, vision and a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit. This force of will inevitably transformed the “great American desert” into “the breadbasket of the world.” Mirroring national trends, this rapid economic expansion fostered boom and bust cycles in Wichita’s subsequent history. Early entrepreneurs brought prosperity to the city in the 1920’s through inventions as diverse as Coleman lanterns, Hyde Mentholatum and airplanes. By the end of the second World War, aircraft production had become the town’s major industry with Boeing, Cessna, and Beech manufacturing plants encircling the growing city, employing 50,000 workers.

In the mid 1970s the oil and gas industry in Kansas geared up as the price of oil increased. Agricultural trends kept land prices at 100 year highs. The boom ended by 1982 as agriculture, oil & gas and general aviation were all in decline, leading Wichita into a deep economic recession. For the first time in 100 years, land prices decreased and with them, the staple of Kansas libraries, property taxes.

Aviation giants Boeing, Cessna and Learjet soon rebounded by developing new products and markets. The Raytheon Starship and Cessna’s Citation X, the world’s fastest business jet, are current examples. Today, Wichita’s dependence on manufacturing has stabilized at 25%, and its leading industries have demonstrated an ability to compete successfully in international markets. Unemployment rarely rises above 7% and the city’s enduring entrepreneurial spirit appears to be alive and well.

Geographically, Wichita comprises 11% of Sedgwick County, an expanse of 1007 square miles. The city has a population of 303,000 with another 100,000 people in the remainder of the county. 84% of the population is White, 11% African American, 2% Hispanic, 2% Asian and 1% Native American. The median family income is $28,024. The Wichita Public Library serves the entire south central Kansas region, but currently receives the majority of its financial support from the General Fund of the City of Wichita. Since 1982 the number of full time equivalent Library employees has decreased from 117 to 102.5. State grants are utilized annually to underwrite 6.0 additional full-time equivalent positions. Repeated attempts to secure financial assistance from Sedgwick County have failed, but no individual is restricted from Library access. Interlibrary loan and electronic resources are shared freely. Usage of Library resources in all formats has steadily increased over the past decade. Wichita is home to a number of colleges, including Wichita State University, Kansas Newman College, and Friends University. Though a relatively young city, Wichita has three art museums, the Wichita Art Museum, the Wichita Center for the Arts and the Edwin A. Ulrich Museum. Additionally, cultural life is enhanced by the Wichita Symphony, Music Theater of Wichita and numerous small theater and performing arts groups. A multi- million dollar science center is planned to debut in 1999 in downtown Wichita. The Wichita community is served by one public library system, featuring a large facility in the center of downtown Wichita, two district libraries and nine neighborhood branches. Additionally, there are four academic libraries, several specialty libraries and large technical collections at various manufacturing facilities.

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