De Soto, Kansas

De Soto is a city in Johnson and Leavenworth counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Most of the city, , is in Johnson County. In 2010, 5,720 people lived there.
History
De Soto was platted in spring 1857. It was named after sixteenth-century Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto.
Geography
De Soto is in northwestern Johnson County and southern Leavenworth County at (38.9791709, -94.9685783). It is along Kansas River. The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of . Of that, are land and , or 1.15%, are water.
People
2010 census
The 2010 census says that there were 5,720 people, 2,007 households, and 1,523 families living in De Soto.
Economy
Two local companies, Great American Bank and Custom Foods, Inc., and one national company, Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs, are headquartered in De Soto. Huhtamaki Americas, Inc. and Engineered Air, two international companies, chose De Soto for their North American headquarters. Merck Animal Health, one of the world's biggest manufacturers of animal health supplies, chose De Soto for one of its U.S. manufacturing facilities.
Biggest employers
as of January 2017, the largest employers in the city are:
Government
The De Soto government is made of a mayor and five council members. It has a president that is chosen by the council.
Mayor
Rick Walker (term expires 2022)
City Council President
Lori Murdock (term expires 2020)
City Council
Danny Lane (term expires 2020)
Kevin Ritter (term expires 2021)
Kevin Honomichl (term expires 2022)
Rob Daniels (term expires 2022)
Education
The city of De Soto is served by the De Soto school district.
De Soto School District
Other local education institutions near De Soto include:
University of Kansas
Ottawa University adult campus
University of Kansas-Edwards Campus
Johnson County Community College
Baker University Overland Park Campus
Emporia State University - Overland Park Campus (Metro Learning Center)
Library
The Johnson County Library System maintains the De Soto Downtown Library.
Media
Newspapers
The De Soto Explorer was started in 1998, and it was De Soto's main news source for 14 years. It closed in 2012. In the fall of 2015, Discovering De Soto magazine released its first preview edition. In 2017, the De Soto City Council funded issues of Discovering De Soto. This was done in order to distribute the magazine by mail and around local businesses. In 2018, the De Soto City Council funded issues of Discovering De Soto for the year.
The Kansas City Star and the Lawrence Journal-World both cover and deliver to De Soto.
Television
All Kansas City stations broadcast in De Soto.
Radio
All Topeka and Kansas City stations broadcast in De Soto.
Transportation
Road
Several highways go to De Soto:
runs through most portions of southern De Soto. Two exits have a direct connection to De Soto.
Exit - Edgerton Road
Exit - Lexington Avenue, formerly (Decommissioned in 1999)
Exit - Kill Creek Road
runs about north of De Soto. Two junctions have a direct connection to De Soto.
Junction - 189th Street (Leavenworth County)
Junction - 158th Street (Leavenworth County)
S. Wyandotte Road / 158th Street (Leavenworth County)
(Leavenworth County)
(Leavenworth County)
(Leavenworth County)
Rail
In 1857, the Atchison, Topeka, Santa Fe Railway built a railroad through northern parts of town. It was built parallel to the river. De Soto's train depot was built along a siding around 1860.