Benjamin Hills is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

in Wichita,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. A mixed commercial and residential area, it lies on the north bank of the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

in the northwestern part of the city.

History

In 1908, former Wichita mayor and prominent banker Ben McLean purchased northwest of the city for farming. Upon his death in 1929, the farm was parceled out among his heirs, including his son Drew and daughter-in-law Elizabeth Mabry-McLean. Wichita annexed the farm in 1950, and Elizabeth platted her and her husband's portion for development as a residential neighborhood. A graduate of the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

, she oversaw the landscaping, street layout, and housing design of the development. The neighborhood was named Benjamin Hills in honor of her son, Ben McLean II, who had been killed in action at the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

. In 1956, Elizabeth donated the land for McLean Elementary School and had the McLean House, a pink marble

ranch-style house Ranch (also known as American ranch, California ranch, rambler, or rancher) is a domestic architectural style that originated in the United States. The ranch-style house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and wide open layout. ...

she designed with Wichita architect Glenn E. Benedick, built in Benjamin Hills on North McLean Boulevard. Elizabeth continued to oversee development of the neighborhood following her husband's death in 1965 and lived in the McLean House until her death in 2000.

Geography

Benjamin Hills is located at (37.729722, -97.370556) at an elevation of . It consists of the area between 29th Street to the north, the Little Arkansas River to the east, 21st Street and the Arkansas River to the south, and Interstate 235 to the west. The Pleasant Valley neighborhood lies to the north, El Pueblo lies to the east, North Riverside lies to the southeast, Indian Hills Riverbend lies to the south, and Northwest Big River lies to the southwest.

Government

For the purposes of representation on the Wichita City Council, Benjamin Hills is in Council District 6. For the purposes of representation in the

Kansas Legislature The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state senators. ...

, the neighborhood is in the 25th and 29th districts of the Kansas Senate and the 92nd district of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

Education

Wichita Public Schools Wichita USD 259 is a public unified school district headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States. The district includes most of the cities of Wichita, Bel Aire, Eastborough, and Kechi. Overview The largest school district in the state of ...

operates one school in Benjamin Hills: McLean Science & Technology Magnet Elementary School.

Parks and recreation

The city's Department of Park and Recreation maintains two parks in the neighborhood. Located at the corner of Columbine Lane and Halstead Street, Columbine Park spans and includes a basketball court, softball diamond, and tennis courts. The K-9 Rooster Dog Park, formerly the Meridian Dog Park, sits on the north bank of the Arkansas River off Meridian Avenue.

Transportation

Amidon Street, which runs north–south, is the main arterial road through Benjamin Hills. 21st Street and 25th Street are the primary east–west routes. The Interstate 235 freeway runs northeast–southwest along the western edge of the neighborhood and is accessible via an interchange at 25th Street. Wichita Transit offers bus service in Benjamin Hills on its 15 and 17 routes.

References

{{authority control Geography of Wichita, Kansas Neighborhoods in Kansas