Topeka, Capital city in Kansas, United States.
Description
Topeka is the state capital in northern Kansas, sitting along both banks of the Kansas River with a population around 125,000. The city spreads over gently rolling hills and shows a mix of low-rise government buildings in the center and broad residential neighborhoods with gardens and parks all around.
History
The settlement began in 1854 just before Kansas Territory was established, and it became the capital in 1861 when Kansas joined the Union. Its role in civil rights grew through local legal challenges in the mid-20th century that sparked nationwide changes in law.
Culture
The city takes its name from the Kansa word meaning "where we dig prairie potatoes," and locals often gather around the Gage Park band shell on summer evenings. The neighborhoods along Huntoon Street show rows of early 20th-century houses with wooden porches and tree-lined sidewalks where people still walk to nearby shops.
Practical
The central part can be explored on foot, while neighborhoods and parks farther out are easier to reach by car. Most public buildings and museums have accessible entrances and remain open year-round.
Did you know?
An old railroad tunnel runs beneath the downtown and was once used for freight trains but now carries utility lines. Some street corners still show cast-iron hydrants from the late 1800s that remain in working order.
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Equality House
3.7 km
Kansas State Capitol
37 mKansas State Capitol
23 m
Topeka High School
656 m
Cedar Crest
6.3 km
Gage Park
4.6 km
Topeka Zoo
4.2 km
Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park
1.1 kmKansas Historical Society
8.5 km
Combat Air Museum
11.3 kmSumner Elementary School
1.1 km
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
1.6 km
Kansas Museum of History
8.5 km
Reinisch Rose Garden and Doran Rock Garden
4.6 km
Yager Stadium
2.6 km
Constitution Hall
822 m
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
997 mCrane Observatory
2.3 km
Ward-Meade House
1.7 km
Church of the Assumption and Rectory
369 m
Memorial Building
273 m
Evel Knievel Museum
2.1 km
Topeka Council of Colored Women's Clubs Building
1.4 kmWard-Meade Park Botanical Gardens
1.7 kmTopeka Boulevard Bridge
1.8 kmWestgate Bridge
5.3 km
Pottawatomie Baptist Mission Building
8.4 km
Discovery Center of Kansas
4.8 kmDiscover hidden gems everywhere you go!
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