Affected Environment
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Chapter 4 Affected Environment The study area for the “Bleeding Kansas and Labette County to the Kansas-Oklahoma the Enduring Struggle for Freedom” border. The southern boundary of the National Heritage Area comprises 12,958 Heritage Area runs along the Labette and square miles, representing approximately Cherokee County lines to the state boundary. 15.8 per cent of the state of Kansas. One (See Figure 4-1. Proposed Basic Boundary main part of the study area is oriented east National Heritage Area Map.) and west along the Kansas River west of the confluence with the Missouri River at Counties included in the Bleeding Kansas Kansas City and the other is oriented north National Heritage Area at this time. and south along the Missouri-Kansas state boundary with additional counties associated Kansas River valley with these two main areas. The study area Clay Douglas Geary includes twenty-three of the one hundred and Johnson Leavenworth Pottawatomie five counties in the state. Riley Shawnee Wabaunsee Wyandotte Currently, this study places the tentative boundaries of the basic Bleeding Kansas Eastern Border National Heritage Area as follows. The east- Allen Anderson Bourbon ern boundary of the entire Heritage Area is Cherokee Coffey Crawford the Kansas-Missouri state line. The northern Franklin Labette Linn boundary of the Kansas River valley area Miami Neosho Wilson runs along the northern border of Woodson Leavenworth County, then south to the northern border of Douglas County, and then west along the county boundaries of POPULATION Shawnee, Pottawatomie, Riley, and Clay Counties. The western boundary is the west- According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Kansas ern border of Clay County. has a population of 1,037,891 households. Of the state’s total population of 2,688,418, The southern boundary of the Kansas River there are 1,328,474 males and 1,359,944 valley area runs south along the Geary females. The counties in the study area have County line, then east along the Wabaunsee an aggregated population of 1,296,441 repre- County line, then north to the Shawnee senting approximately 48.6 per cent of the County line, then east to the Douglas County state’s population. Because the study area line, then south along the Douglas and includes growing towns and suburban areas Franklin County lines to the northern border as well as declining towns and rural areas, of Coffey County. The boundary runs south the rate of growth varies from county to along the Coffey, Woodson, and Wilson county. Overall, the state of Kansas has a County lines, then east to Labette County positive population growth rate of 8.2 per- and south along the western border of cent. 65 designation of the Bleeding Kansas National Heritage Area designation will not have a significant effect on current and future populations in the study area. However, the organiza- tional and promotional links between counties of increasing population and counties of decreasing population may provide wider dispersion of tourism and investment with a corresponding improvement in the economic and social stability of the counties with decreasing population. In the long term, heritage area designation will protect historic and cultural resources in both areas. Where rapid urban and suburban development is taking place, identification and protection of the resources associated with Bleeding Kansas and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom is essential for their survival. In counties where population is declining or stable, designation will provide recognition and help attract the financial capacity required to pro- tect and interpret these resources. This assemblage of buildings, sites, Figure 4-1. Proposed Basic Boundary National Heritage Area landscapes, and institutions is neces- sary to interpret the important stories Population density in the study area varies of Bleeding Kansas and the Enduring considerably from east to west and north to Struggle for Freedom in the study area. south. The average number of persons per square mile in Wyandotte County, for exam- SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ple, is 1,042.9; Johnson County, 946.1; Douglas County, 218.8; and Shawnee Among the residents of the counties in the County, 309.0. To the west, the average study area, household income varies consid- number of persons per square mile in erably. Johnson County in the study area Wabaunsee County is 8.6; Pottawatomie had the highest median household income in County, 21.6; and Geary County, 72.6. To the state. Two counties in the study area, the south, the average number of persons per Wilson and Woodson, had the lowest house- square mile in Miami County is 49.2, hold income. Total nonfarm employment in Bourbon County, 24.1; and Linn County, Kansas for 2001 was 1,347,700. Goods pro- 16.0. ducing industries employed 265,500 resi- dents. Service-providing industries Based on the feasibility study, it appears that employed 1,082,200 residents. Federal, 66 state, and local governments employed County to a high in Coffey County. Other 248,100 residents. The major employment counties with relatively higher tax per capita bases in the study area are located in the rates are Johnson, Linn, and Pottawatomie. Kansas City, Lawrence, and Topeka metro- Coffey, Linn, and Pottawatomie Counties politan areas. have the lowest mill levies. Wyandotte County has the highest mill levy with rela- In the study area, the highest property values tively higher levies in Bourbon, Clay, Geary, per capita were found in three counties and Shawnee Counties.1 Table 4.1 Demographic and Socioeconomic Data County Population Population Median Household Non-farm As in the analysis 2000 Change 1980-2000 Income (1999 est.) Employment of the impact on Allen 14,385 -1,269 $32,155 8,696 population, the Anderson 8,1101 -639 $32,140 3,519 effect is difficult to Bourbon 15,379 -590 $30,410 8,666 Cherokee 22,605 301 $30,124 9,696 assess, but it Clay 8,822 -980 $34,384 5,618 appears that her- Coffey 8,865 -505 $36,633 62,068 itage area designa- Crawford 38,242 326 $29,642 22,299 tion will have a Douglas 99,962 32,322 $37,36 62,068 modest positive Franklin 24,784 2,722 $38,391 11,808 impact on socioe- Geary 27,947 -1,905 $30,342 25,358 conomic condi- Johnson 451,086 180,817 $62,887 363,250 tions. Even a Labette 22,835 -2,847 $30,506 14,350 small increase in Leavenworth 68,691 13,882 $46,037 31,962 Linn 9,570 1,336 $34,020 3,211 tourism and invest- Miami 28,351 6,733 $44,865 11,206 ment in those Neosho 16,997 -1,970 $31,881 10,169 counties with static Pottawatomie 18,209 3,427 $40,369 10,750 or declining popu- Riley 62,843 -662 $33,360 34,929 lations will pro- Shawnee 169,871 14,955 $39,831 122,068 vide greater Wabaunsee 6,885 18 $40,201 2,201 socioeconomic sta- Wilson 10,332 -1,796 $29,499 5,165 bility and prosperi- Woodson 3,788 -812 $25,565 1,440 ty. Heritage area Wyandotte 157,882 -14,453 $31,816 94,187 designation will provide two gener- where regional electrical generating plants al benefits—a better balance between are located. These are Coffey, Linn, and tourism and heritage investment in urban and Pottawatomie Counties. Other counties with rural counties coupled with recognition that relatively higher property values per capita attracts visitation and investment from out- are Johnson, Douglas, and Miami. The low- side Kansas. In the long term, heritage area est property values per capita are found in designation will protect and then enhance Geary, Riley, and Bourbon Counties. The interpretation of the buildings, sites, land- Fort Riley military reservation is located in scapes, and institutions related to the Geary and Riley Counties. Property tax per Bleeding Kansas and Enduring Struggle for capita rates range from a low in Cherokee Freedom theme. 67 1 For property tax information, see http://www.ksrevenue.org/pvdstatistics.htm. LAND USE consisting of a county seat town with smaller towns and villages in a generally rural area. The study area is a mosaic of urban centers, suburban communities, smaller towns, and In the counties near Kansas City, Kansas, rural areas. The Kansas River valley area more of the land is built out while the west- lies along the I-70 highway corridor with I- ern and southern counties are less developed. 35 cutting diagonally across the northern For example, Johnson County has 44.5 per- area. The river valley area includes the cent of the land area in farms. Wyandotte major towns of Overland Park, Olathe, County has 23.1 percent of the land area in Lawrence, Topeka (the state capital), farms. Most of the study area has a landcov- Manhattan, and Junction City. The eastern er/land use designation of agricultural land. border area includes the county seat towns of The counties of Allen, Anderson, Clay, Paola, Ottawa, Mound City, Garnett, Fort Coffey, Franklin, Miami, Pottawatomie, Scott, Iola, Yates Center, Fredonia, and Wabaunsee, Wilson, and Woodson have Columbus. Both areas, however, encompass more than 75 percent of the land area in a rich array of natural, cultural, scenic, and farms. The counties of Cherokee, Douglas, recreational resources. The river valley area Geary, Leavenworth, Linn, Shawnee, and is more developed with urban and suburban Riley have more than 60 percent of the land communities. The eastern border area is typ- area in farms. ical of most of Kansas with development Table 4.2 Land Use County % % % % % % Residential Commercial Cropland Grassland Woodland Water Allen 0.87 0.12 41.7 54.14 2.24 0.51 Anderson 0.26 0.1 38.05 54.57 6.43 0.45 Bourbon 0.31 0.09 43.65 42.75 12.51 0.45 Cherokee 0.88 0.12 60.01