Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of highways K-99, U.S. Route 50, Interstates 335 and 35 (Kansas Turnpike). It is home to Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College, and two annual sporting events: Unbound Gravel (gravel bicycle race) and Dynamic Discs Open (disc golf tournament).
History
thumb|left|Sixth Avenue c. 1912
thumb|left|Aerial image of Emporia, 1944
Located on upland prairie, Emporia was founded in 1857, drawing its name from ancient Carthage, a place known in history as a prosperous center of commerce.
In 1864, the Union Pacific Railway, Southern Branch (later incorporated into the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad) received land grants to build from Fort Riley to Emporia. The road eventually reached Emporia in 1869, becoming the first railroad to serve the burgeoning town. In July 1870, a second railroad, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached Emporia, and in the years following the American Civil War the city became a booming railroad hub. In 1888, railroad executive and educator John Byers Anderson donated his personal library to the College of Emporia to commemorate his 50th wedding anniversary, and his former mentee Andrew Carnegie donated additional funds to build a library in Anderson's honor (conditioned upon the new college paying off its mortgage).
In 1953, Emporia was the site of the first Veterans Day observance in the United States. At the urging of local cobbler Alvin J. King, U.S. Representative Edward Rees introduced legislation in The United States Congress to rename Armistice Day as Veterans Day. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law on October 8, 1954.
On June 8, 1974, an F4 tornado struck Emporia, killing 6 people, injuring 200, and causing $25 million in damages.
On March 6, 1988, an armed gunman walked into the Calvary Baptist Church during services and opened fire. Cheunphon Ji, the 29-year-old gunman, had no particular target, killing one person and injuring four others.
Geography
Emporia is located in east-central Kansas. It lies along the Kansas Turnpike at its intersection with Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 50, southwest of Kansas City, southwest of Topeka, and northeast of Wichita on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The Neosho River flows along the northern side of the city. The Cottonwood River, one of its tributaries, flows along the city's southern edge and of two large city parks, Peter Pan and Soden's Grove; the two rivers meet near the eastern boundary of Emporia and flow southeast to join the Arkansas River in Oklahoma.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Emporia has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Emporia was on July 15, 1934, and August 14, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 4, 1947.
|source 2 = National Weather Service