Paola, Kansas

Paola  is a city in Miami County, Kansas, United States. It is also the county seat. In 2020, 5,768 people lived there.

History
At the start of the 19th century, the area was mostly controlled by the Osage people.

Settlement of the area happened when Kaskaskia, Peoria, Wea, and Piankeshaw tribes were forced to move to the area between 1827 and 1832. These created the Confederated Allied Tribe. It was led by Baptiste Peoria, who was of both French and Indian ethnicity. They called their settlement Peoria Village."Miami County 2009 Visitors Guide", pages 13-15

In 1912, James Patterson moved to Paola. He did this to create his winter headquarters for his traveling circus. It was called the Patterson Circus. The circus continued until 1927. A wall mural about it is at 106 W. Peoria. The Patterson's home is still in Paola on the 600 block of north Mulberry. It is the only remaining building from the circus winter headquarters.

Geography
Paola is at  (38.573599, -94.873456). The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  is water.

Climate
Paola has hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.  The Köppen Climate Classification system says that Paola has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

People


2020 census
In 2020, there were 5,768 people, 2,396 households, and 1,440 families living in Paola. Of the households, 60.3% owned their home and 39.7% rented their home.

The median age was 40.5 years. Of the people, 88.2% were White, 2.3% were Black, 0.5% were Native American, 0.4% were Asian, 0.1% were Pacific Islanders, 1.1% were from some other race, and 7.5% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the people.

2010 census
In 2010, there were 5,602 people, 2,173 households, and 1,407 families living in Paola.

Education
 USD 368 offers education to children in grades K-12 with some education opportunities for adults as well.
 Cottonwood Elementary (grades K-2)
 Sunflower Elementary (grades 3-5)
 Hillsdale Elementary (grades K-5) (closed)
 Paola Middle School (grades 6-8)
 Paola High School (grades 9-12)
 Paola Adult Education Center
 Holy Trinity Catholic School is a private school offering education for grades kindergarten through eight.
 Fort Scott Community College is a community college with a satellite campus in Paola.

References

Other websites

City
 City of Paola
 Paola - Directory of Public Officials
 Paola Chamber of Commerce
Schools
 USD 368, local school district
Videos
 Paola Today, youtube.com
 History of Paola, youtube.com
Maps
 Paola City Map , KDOT

Category:Cities in Miami County, Kansas
Category:County seats in Kansas
Category:1855 establishments in Kansas Territory