De Soto, Kansas

De Soto /dəˈsoʊtoʊ/ is a city in Johnson and Leavenworth counties in the U.S. state of Kansas.^[1] It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Most of the city, 11.13 square miles (28.8 km²), is in Johnson County. In 2020, 6,118 people lived there.^[3]

De Soto, Kansas
City
De Soto City Hall (2022)
Location within Johnson County and Kansas
KDOT map of Johnson County (legend)
Coordinates: 38°58′07″N 94°57′18″W[1]
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Counties	Johnson, Leavenworth
Townships	Lexington, Sherman
Founded	1828
Platted	1857
Incorporated	October 1, 1897
Named for	Hernando de Soto
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
Area [2]
• Total	11.45 sq mi (29.66 km2)
• Land	11.26 sq mi (29.15 km2)
• Water	0.20 sq mi (0.51 km2)
Elevation [1]	853 ft (260 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	6,118
• Density	530/sq mi (210/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	66018, 66019, 66025, 66061
Area code	913
FIPS code	20-17850
GNIS ID	485562[1]
Website	desotoks.us

History

De Soto was platted in spring 1857. It was named after sixteenth-century Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto.^[4]

Geography

De Soto is in northwestern Johnson County and southern Leavenworth County at 38°58′45″N 94°58′7″W (38.9791709, -94.9685783).^[1] It is along Kansas River.^[5] The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of 11.45 square miles (29.66 km²). Of that, 11.25 square miles (29.15 km²) are land and 0.20 square miles (0.51 km²), or 1.7%, are water.^[2]

People

Census	Pop.		%±
1860	35		—
1870	102		191.4%
1880	141		38.2%
1890	223		58.2%
1900	226		1.3%
1910	240		6.2%
1920	255		6.3%
1930	384		50.6%
1940	383		−0.3%
1950	518		35.2%
1960	1,271		145.4%
1970	1,839		44.7%
1980	2,061		12.1%
1990	2,291		11.2%
2000	4,561		99.1%
2010	5,720		25.4%
2020	6,118		7.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 2010-2020[3]

2020 census

The 2020 census says that there were 6,118 people, 2,295 households, and 1,635 families living in De Soto. Of the households, 67.0% owned their home and 33.0% rented their home.

The median age was 39.4 years. Of the people, 79.9% were White, 1.0% were Native American, 0.9% were Black, 0.7% were Asian, 7.2% were from some other race, and 10.4% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.9% of the people.^[6][7]

2010 census

The 2010 census says that there were 5,720 people, 2,007 households, and 1,523 families living in De Soto.^[8]

Economy

Two local companies, Great American Bank and Custom Foods, Inc., and one national company, Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs, are headquartered in De Soto. Huhtamaki Americas, Inc. and Engineered Air, two international companies, chose De Soto for their North American headquarters. Merck Animal Health, one of the world's biggest manufacturers of animal health supplies, chose De Soto for one of its U.S. manufacturing facilities.

Biggest employers

as of January 2017, the largest employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	De Soto USD #232	1,655
2	Huhtamaki	640
3	Engineered Air	270
4	Merck Animal Health	180
5	Rehrig Pacific	110
6	Custom Foods Inc	108
7	Goodcent's Deli Fresh Subs Headquarters	95
8	Hillside Village	86
9	Harps Food Stores	31

Government

The De Soto government is made of a mayor and five council members. It has a president that is chosen by the council.

Mayor

• Rick Walker (term expires 2022)

City Council President

• Lori Murdock (term expires 2020)

City Council

• Danny Lane (term expires 2020)
• Kevin Ritter (term expires 2021)
• Kevin Honomichl (term expires 2022)
• Rob Daniels (term expires 2022)

Education

The city of De Soto is served by the De Soto school district.

• De Soto School District

Other local education institutions near De Soto include:

• University of Kansas
• Ottawa University adult campus
• University of Kansas-Edwards Campus
• Johnson County Community College
• Baker University Overland Park Campus
• Emporia State University - Overland Park Campus (Metro Learning Center)

Library

The Johnson County Library System maintains the De Soto Downtown Library.

Media

Newspapers

The De Soto Explorer was started in 1998, and it was De Soto's main news source for 14 years. It closed in 2012. In the fall of 2015, Discovering De Soto magazine released its first preview edition.^[9] In 2017, the De Soto City Council funded issues of Discovering De Soto. This was done in order to distribute the magazine by mail and around local businesses. In 2018, the De Soto City Council funded issues of Discovering De Soto for the year.^[10]

The Kansas City Star and the Lawrence Journal-World both cover and deliver to De Soto.

Television

All Kansas City stations broadcast in De Soto.

Radio

All Topeka and Kansas City stations broadcast in De Soto.

Transportation

Road

Several highways go to De Soto:

• K-10 runs through most portions of southern De Soto. Two exits have a direct connection to De Soto.
  • Exit – Edgerton Road
  • Exit – Lexington Avenue, formerly K-285 (Decommissioned in 1999)
  • Exit – Kill Creek Road
• K-32 runs about 5 miles (8 km) north of De Soto. Two junctions have a direct connection to De Soto.
  • Junction – 189th Street CR-26(Leavenworth County)
  • Junction – 158th Street CR-2(Leavenworth County)
• S. Wyandotte Road / 158th Street CR-2(Leavenworth County)
• CR-3(Leavenworth County)
• CR-26(Leavenworth County)
• CR-32(Leavenworth County)

Rail

In 1857, the Atchison, Topeka, Santa Fe Railway built a railroad through northern parts of town. It was built parallel to the river. De Soto's train depot was built along a siding around 1860.^[11]

Famous people

Notable people who were born in and/or have lived in De Soto include:

• Stanley Adams (1922-1999), U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, Medal of Honor Recipient^[12]
• John Anderson, Jr. (1917-2014), 36th Governor of Kansas^[source?]
• Howard Gloyd (1902-1978), herpetologist^[13]
• Greyson Jenista (1996), Atlanta Braves minor league, right fielder
• Frank Lee (1873-1952), U.S. Representative from Missouri^[14]
• John Outland (1871-1941), American Football Player and Coach
• Kenneth Spencer (1902-1960)

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: De Soto, Kansas
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
3. "QuickFacts: De Soto city, Kansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
4. Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. Standard Publishing Company. p. 516. ISBN 9780722249055.
5. "City of De Soto Official Zoning Map" (PDF). City of De Soto. May 30, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
6. "DP1: PROFILE OF GENERAL POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
7. "P16: HOUSEHOLD TYPE". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
8. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
9. Discovering Desoto online magazine.
10. "Google Drive: Sign-in".
11. "Topeka – Lawrence – Kansas City (Corridor H)". Archived from the original on 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
12. "Johnson County to remember a Kansas Congressional Medal of Honor recipient on Veterans Day". Johnson County, Kansas. Archived from the original on 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
13. "KHS Distinguished Life Members". Kansas Herpetological Society. Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
14. "Lee, Frank Hood (1873-1952)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. U.S. Congress. Retrieved 2016-04-01.

Other websites

• City of De Soto official website
• De Soto - Directory of Public Officials
• De Soto Chamber of Commerce
• De Soto City Map, KDOT
• De Soto, Kansas at the Open Directory Project
• Grandpa's Old Ford Garage on YouTube, from Hatteberg's People on KAKE TV news