A city in northeastern
Kansas having the fifth largest population in the state, with over 114,000 residents. It is located in the Kansas City metropolitan area; only 20
miles southwest of the downtown area. Olathe is the
home of Mahaffie House, a 19th century stagecoach stop along what used to be the Santa Fe Trail, The Great Mall of The Great Plains, the largest outlet mall in the midwest, the headquarters of Garmin International, who manufactures GPS systems, and Mid-
America Nazerene University, as well as the
Kansas Sate School for the Deaf. Founded in the mid 1800's, Olathe is a town that retains old traditions, while developing into a booming 21st century city. Old Settler's Days are one of those traditions, being celebrated annually every year since 1898. Every
September during the first
Thursday-Friday after Labor
Day, the main streets of downtown Olathe are transformed into a carnival, with rides, games, and vendors. On the last
day of Old Settler's, thousands of people gather to watch the annual parade, which showcases
local school marching bands, small businesses, and various organizations in the city. It's truly a classic small town
America experience.
Olathe's school district is nationally recognized as one of the best in the nation. With 32 elementary schools, 8 jr. high schools, and 4 high schools, it's also one of the largest school districts in the state. It is also one of the few school districts in the nation to have jr. high as grades 7-9, and high school as grades 10-12. To honor the many historic trails that used to pass through the city, all of Olathe's junior high schools are trail names--Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, California Trail, Chisholm Trail, Frontier Trail, Pioneer Trail, Prairie Trail, and
Indian Trail. The high schools also have
pretty themed names. There's Olathe North, Olathe South, Olathe East, and Olathe Northwest. Olathe North and Olathe Northwest offer special programs called 21st century programs that allow students to take things like Marine Biology, Culinary Arts, Engineering, Video
Game design/Animation, and sports medicine in state-of-the-
art professional facilites. Few high schools in the country have these programs, and most of the teachers of the programs in Olathe write the curriculum themselves. (For more on my lovely high school, visit my Olathe North page.)
In conclusion: Generally, Olathe is a great city to live in. I like living here, though it does seem to get a bit slow and boring at times. But the people here are awesome, if not slightly competetive. If you ever come to Olathe, we'll make sure you're taken care of. ;-)
