Topeka, Kansas

Several ships of the US Navy have been named USS Topeka in honor of the city.

History Topeka was the home of Linda Brown, defendent in Brown v. Board of Education which was the case responsible for eliminating the standard of separate but equal, and demanding racial integration in the schools in the US.

It is interesting to note that only the elementary schools were segregated in Topeka, and that Topeka High School had been fully integrated since its inception in the late 1890s.

Topeka is sometimes cited as the home of Pentecostalism as it was the site of Charles Fox Perham's Bethal Bible College where Glossolalia was first claimed as the evidence of salvation in 1901.

Also home to Reverend Charles Sheldon, author of In His Steps. Topeka was the site where the famous question "What would Jesus do?" originated in a sermon of Sheldon's at Central Congregational Church.

Topeka is also home to the controversial anti-homosexual minister Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church.

Geography Topeka is located at 39°2'21" North, 95°41'22" West (39.039200, -95.689508)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 147.6 km² (57.0 mi²). 145.1 km² (56.0 mi²) of it is land and 2.5 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.70% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 122,377 people, 52,190 households, and 30,687 families residing in the city. The population density is 843.6/km² (2,185.0/mi²). There are 56,435 housing units at an average density of 389.0/km² (1,007.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 78.52% White, 11.71% African American, 1.31% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.06% from other races, and 3.26% from two or more races. 8.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 52,190 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% are married couples living together, 13.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% are non-families. 35.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 2.94.

In the city the population is spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $35,928, and the median income for a family is $45,803. Males have a median income of $32,373 versus $25,633 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,555. 12.4% of the population and 8.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.7% are under the age of 18 and 8.2% are 65 or older.

External Link

• http://cjonline.com/webindepth/sheldon/