Untitled Document n what geographers call the central low- land province of the interior plains, along two river valleys on the eastern end of the state of Kansas and butting up against both Kansas Cities lies Johnson County, arguably one of the nation s best places to live, work and play. So long has Johnson County been a place desired that the Johnson County Museum, when trying to settle on a title for its permanent exhibit detailing the county s history, chose Seeking the Good Life. Johnson County contains approximately 476 square miles of land, much of it gently rolling uplands. In the eastern part of the county lies the valley of the Blue River and its tributaries.
Limestone is the major natural resource.
More than half the county is farmland. About a third of it is developed into 20 cities and towns, which range in population from 182 in Mission Woods to more than 150,000 in Overland Park. Temperature norms go from 27.6 degrees Fahrenheit in January to 78.3 degrees Fahrenheit in July, and the normal annual precipitation is 37.22 inches. This pleasant, river-wrapped land was once deemed unsuitable for settlement. The first large group of people to arrive were the Shawnee, moved here by virtue of an 1825 treaty.