Stilwell, Kansas

Unincorporated community in Kansas, United States

Stilwell, Kansas

Unincorporated community

Stilwell

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Stilwell

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Coordinates: 38°46′09″N 94°39′23″W﻿ / ﻿38.76917°N 94.65639°W﻿ / 38.76917; -94.65639
Country| United States
State| Kansas
County| Johnson
Time zone| UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code|

66085

GNIS ID| 479569 [1]

Stilwell is an unincorporated community in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.[1]

## History[edit]

Stilwell had its start when the Missouri Pacific Railroad began to plan to extend the railroad from Kansas City into the south.[2] The railroad was initially planned to run through the town of Aubry, but due to the topography, the railroad decided to place the tracks a half mile to the east. This lead Michael O'Keefe, J. Larkin, W. A. Kelly, and A. J. Norman to file a plat for Mt. Auburn in 1886, which would eventually become Stilwell.[3] The first post office in Stilwell was established in June 1888 and the population of Aubry eventually declined.[4] It was renamed to Stilwell in 1889.[5] Like many towns along the line to the Gulf of Mexico, it is named for Arthur Stilwell, founder of what became the Kansas City Southern Railroad.[6]

Stilwell is mostly agricultural land, largely sod farms[citation needed], but in recent years has spawned suburban neighborhoods. Stilwell has affordable land and some farms are abandoned; however the large population growth of Overland Park, Kansas increased the demand for new neighborhoods, raising the land value in some areas.

### Climate[edit]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Stilwell has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[7]

## Notable people[edit]

* Gary Burrell (1937-2019), engineer and entrepreneur, co-founder of Garmin GPS technology company
* Tara Cunningham, Gold Medalist in Women's Weightlifting at 2000 Summer Olympics
* Michael Stevens, host of the YouTube channel Vsauce
* Tom Watson, American professional golfer

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Stilwell, Kansas", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior
2. ^ Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume 2. Standard Publishing Company. p. 766.
3. ^ Blair, Ed (1915). History of Johnson County, Kansas. Standard Publishing Company. p. 173.
4. ^ "Kansas Post Offices, 1828-1961, page 2 (archived)". Kansas Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2014.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
5. ^ House Journal of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Kansas: Sixth Biennial Session, Begun at Topeka, January 8, 1889. 1889. p. 1387.
6. ^ "Aubry-Stilwell". Retrieved March 30, 2022.
7. ^ Climate Summary for Stilwell, Kansas

## Further reading[edit]

See also: List of books about Johnson County, Kansas

## External links[edit]

* Johnson County maps: Current, Historic, KDOT

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Johnson County, Kansas, United States

County seat: Olathe

Cities|

* Bonner Springs‡
* De Soto‡
* Edgerton
* Fairway
* Gardner
* Lake Quivira‡
* Leawood
* Lenexa
* Merriam
* Mission
* Mission Hills
* Mission Woods
* Olathe
* Overland Park
* Prairie Village
* Roeland Park
* Shawnee
* Spring Hill‡
* Westwood
* Westwood Hills

Map of Kansas highlighting Johnson County

Unincorporated
communities|

* Aubry
* Bonita
* Clare
* Ocheltree
* Stilwell
* Wilder

Townships|

* Aubry
* Gardner
* Lexington
* McCamish
* Olathe
* Oxford
* Shawnee
* Spring Hill

Footnotes|

‡This community also has portions in an adjacent county or counties.

* Kansas portal
* United States portal

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