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 August 1958 (Dockum Drug Store Sit-In)
- 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 - 389,255 (as of 2018); 644,510 (MSA as of 2017)
- 8,100+ Hotel Rooms
- 1,200+ Restaurants
- 225 days of sunshine
- 162 performances during Riverfest
- 43 percent of U.S. manufactured general aviation shipped out of Kansas
- 67 percent of general aviation aircraft produced worldwide is manufactured in Kansas
- 19 Museums
- 39 Art Galleries
- 13 Golf Courses
- 28 Great Attractions
- 21 Live Theaters
- 3 Universities
- More than 100 miles of bicycle and walking paths
- More than 23 food trucks in the Wichita Food Truck Coalition
- 32 annual festivals
- 11 Shopping Districts
- 10 local breweries; 1 taproom
- 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
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
