Wichita Facts
How much do you know about Wichita, KS? Test your knowledge with these fun facts about Wichita:
- Wichita is known as the "Air Capital of the World."
- Wichita is the birthplace of Pizza Hut and White Castle fast-food chains.
- A.A. Hyde discovered Mentholatum in 1894 in the current The Spice Merchant & Company building.
- In 2008, the NAACP recognized Wichita as the site of the first sit-in by African Americans at an all-white lunch counter in July 1958.
- Actress Kirstie Alley, best known for her role as Rebecca Howe in "Cheers," was born in Wichita on Jan. 12, 1951.
- First electric guitar was played at the Shadowland Ballroom in Wichita by Wichitan Gage Brewer in 1932.
Wichita's Numbers
- 5-million longhorns driven up the Chisholm Trail to the Wichita railhead
- Population of Wichita - 389,877 (as of 2019); 640,218 (MSA as of 2019)
- 8,100+ hotel rooms
- 1,200+ restaurants
- 220+ days of sunshine
- 144 parks, greenways and recreational corridors
- 100+ miles of bicycle and walking paths
- 35% of all U.S. manufactured general aviation aircraft
- 30+ annual festivals and major events
- Hundreds of performances during Riverfest
- 21 live theaters
- 19 museums
- 30+ art galleries
- 11 shopping districts
- 12 golf courses
- 9 disc golf courses
- 10 local breweries
- More than 23 food trucks in the Wichita Food Truck Coalition
- 7th largest zoo in the United States with third-largest elephant exhibit
- One of 7 wildlife parks with Humane Certified Award
- Largest dinosaur theme park in the country
- 3 Universities
Wichita's Weather
- Average annual rainfall: 28.61 inches
- Average annual snowfall: 15 inches
- Coldest month: January
- Hottest month: July
- Air quality index in Wichita is 21% better than the national average
- Pollution index in Wichita is 95% better than the national average
