Some might say the area is confined to north of Seward Avenue. Others argue the logical choice is Division Street. Regardless of where Topeka ends and Oakland begins, the area was an 1880s suburb of Topeka and was a separate town until 1924. Downtown Oakland is also the point of some contention, although the main downtown area is located near the intersection of Chester and Thomas streets. Chester Thomas was a founder of the Oakland community, but a separate downtown area along Sardou Avenue doesn't bear his namesake.
Visitors often say Oakland has a different look and feel than Topeka.
The area is an older section of the city, but is unlike other aging parts of town. Oakland has several older homes, including houses that once belonged to early French settlers. The Oakland area also could have boosted the city into the airplane industry, but a manufacturing plant in north Oakland closed its doors in the 1920s. A new interchange will connect the Oakland Expressway to Interstate 70 and the Kansas Turnpike, creating a transportation loop around Topeka. Don't get lost looking around Topeka and the vicinity, know exactly where you are, and what's around you with these immersive maps available in a variety of formats.