Claim: Kansas is a part of the Midwestern United States.

Wichita -LRB- -LSB- ˈwɪtʃᵻtɔː -RSB- -RRB-  is the largest city in the state of Kansas and the 50th-largest city in the United States . Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River , Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area . As of the 2010 United States Census , the city population was 382,368 ; as of 2014 , it was estimated to have increased to 389,965 . In 2015 , the estimated population of the Wichita metropolitan area was 644,610 , and that of the larger Wichita-Winfield combined statistical area was 680,398 .   The city began as a trading post on the Chisholm Trail in the 1860s , then was incorporated in 1870 . It subsequently became a key destination for cattle drives traveling north from Texas to access railroads , earning it the nickname `` Cowtown '' . In the 1920s and 1930s , businessmen and aeronautical engineers established a number of successful aircraft manufacturing companies in Wichita including Beechcraft , Cessna , and Stearman Aircraft . The city transformed into a hub of U.S. aircraft production and became known as `` The Air Capital of the World '' . Beechcraft , Cessna , -LRB- both now part of Textron Aviation -RRB- and other firms including Learjet , Airbus and Spirit AeroSystems continue to operate design and manufacturing facilities in Wichita today , and the city remains a major center of the U.S. aircraft industry . Wichita is also home to McConnell Air Force Base . In 1937 , the city of Wichita established their official flag .   As an industrial hub and the largest city in the state , Wichita is an area center of culture , media , and trade . It hosts several large museums , theatres , parks , and entertainment venues , notably Intrust Bank Arena . Several universities are located in the city including Wichita State University , the third largest in the state . The city 's daily newspaper , The Wichita Eagle , has the highest circulation of any newspaper in Kansas , and the Wichita broadcast television market includes the western two-thirds of the state . Wichita is also home to the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center and Kansas 's largest airport , Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport .