Roeland Park is a city in Johnson County,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, United States, and located within the

Kansas City metropolitan area The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,871.

History

The community was named after John Roe, an immigrant from Ireland who settled on in 1883, on part of which Roeland Park now stands. The Roe Home was built in 1891 and razed in 1958 to make room for the interchange at Roe Boulevard and Shawnee Mission Parkway. The area that would become Roeland Park was first developed in 1905 as a

streetcar suburb A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Such suburbs developed in the United States in the years before the automobile, when ...

, known as Southridge, by

William Strang William Strang (13 February 1859 – 12 April 1921) was a Scottish painter and printmaker, notable for illustrating the works of John Bunyan, Bunyan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Coleridge and Rudyard Kipling, Kipling. Early life Strang was bor ...

. Strang's Missouri and Kansas Interurban Railway went through Roeland Park on its way from Rosedale to downtown Overland Park. Single-family home construction in this area accelerated during the late 1930s and 1940s as more developers subdivided land purchased from farmers. Incorporation of the city of Roeland Park occurred on July 2, 1951, led by developer Charles Vawter and his Roeland Park Homes Association. A series of annexations occurred between 1951 and 1959 leading to the present-day city boundaries. Roeland Park's original pool was built in 1958 on land donated by the Roe Estate. The new pool facility is located on the east side of the Community Center at 4843 Rosewood Drive. The Community Center address is 4850 Rosewood Drive and offers many different programs throughout the year. A fabric dome which covers the main pool is in place from September to May, allowing residents to use the main pool throughout the year. In 2023, Michael Poppa was appointed mayor, becoming the first openly gay mayor of any large city in Johnson County. Poppa succeeded previous mayor, Mike Kelly, who was elected chairman of the Johnson County board of commissioners.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 6,871 people, 3,144 households, and 1,668 families in Roeland Park. The population density was 4,241.4 per square mile (1,639.9/km). There were 3,309 housing units at an average density of 2,042.6 per square mile (789.7/km). The racial makeup was 80.48% (5,530)

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.71% (255) black or African-American, 0.42% (29) Native American, 1.96% (135) Asian, 0.17% (12)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 4.03% (277) from other races, and 9.21% (633) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race was 13.8% (934) of the population. Of the 3,144 households, 24.2% had children under the age of 18; 39.6% were married couples living together; 32.1% had a female householder with no husband present. 35.4% of households consisted of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.1 and the average family size was 2.8. 18.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 76.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 75.3 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $73,786 (with a margin of error of +/- $8,457) and the median family income $87,727 (+/- $12,353). Males had a median income of $55,417 (+/- $10,368) versus $39,659 (+/- $10,836) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $45,406 (+/- $5,076). Approximately, 10.8% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 9.5% of those under the age of 18 and 11.1% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 6,731 people, 3,065 households, and 1,732 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,282 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 3.8% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 10.4% of the population. There were 3,065 households, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.5% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 34.1 years. 20% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 36% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 6,817 people, 3,007 households, and 1,798 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,115 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.39%

, 1.97%

, 0.45% Native American, 1.42% Asian, 0.10%

, 2.16% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 6.65% of the population. There were 3,007 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were

living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $51,455, and the median income for a family was $61,750. Males had a median income of $40,504 versus $32,212 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $26,220. About 3.0% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the

, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The community is served by Shawnee Mission USD 512 public school district. Roesland Elementary School, St. Agnes Elementary School and Bishop Miege High School are all located within the city.

Libraries

The Johnson County Library serves residents of Roeland Park. The library's Cedar Roe branch is in Roeland Park.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Roeland Park include: * John D. Carmack (1970- ), computer programmer, co-founder of video game company

id Software id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...

Sharice Davids Sharice Lynnette Davids (; born May 22, 1980) is an American politician, attorney, and former mixed martial artist serving as the U.S. representative from since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents a district that includes ...

(1980- ), member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from * Catherine Fox (1977- ), swimmer, winner of two gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia * Mike Gardner (1967- ), football coach * Nia Williams (1990- ), soccer defender *

Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...

(1950- ), television personality and author, lived in Roeland Park during high school and married his first wife at the former Southridge Presbyterian Church * Ardie Davis, barbecue judge

References

External links

City of Roeland Park

Roeland Park - Directory of Public Officials

History of Roeland Park

Roeland Park city map
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Johnson County, Kansas Kansas City metropolitan area 1951 establishments in Kansas