Overland Park, Kansas


Overland Park is located in the northeastern part and is the second largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas. CNN has ranked Overland Park as one of the top 10 best cities to live in. Business Development Outlook Magazine ranks the city the "Second Best City in America to Live In". In 2009, the city was ranked as one of the best places to raise your kids in. The city is also ranked 3rd for "America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up". Overland Park is named the "Number One Kid-Friendly City" by Zero Population Group.



To See And To Do In Overland Park


  • The Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
  • Art at the Center
  • Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
  • Oak Park Mall
  • Johnson County Museum
  • Sykes/Lady Overland Park Golf Course
  • Overland Park Farmers Market
  • Town Center Plaza
  • Museum at Prairiefire
  • Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead
  • Historic Downtown


History Of Overland Park - Timeline


In 1724, the first documented European explorers came to the region. In 1821, fur traders operated in the area. In 1905, the American railroad magnate and the founder of Overland Park, William B. Strang Jr, arrived to the region. He purchased 600 acres of land where the old downtown is today. William B. Strang Jr sponsored the Wright brothers and in 1909, Overland Park was the site for the first airplane flight west of the Mississippi with shows by the Wright brothers.

From 1905 to 1921, William B. Strang Jr established several housing developments, an interurban railroad, and an airfield. In 1906, the Strang Line Depot was completed. In 1915, the Strang Carriage House was built. In 1946, the Overland Theater was built. Overland Park was incorporated as a first class city in 1960. It is one of the youngest communities in the USA. In 1960, the Overland Park Police Department was formed.

In 1974, the Oak Park Mall opened. It contains about 185 stores and is the largest shopping mall in the state of Kansas. In 1978, the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead began as a petting zoo. In 1990, the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens opened. In 1994, the Overland Park Historical Society was formed. In 2002, the Overland Park Convention Center opened and hosts about 400 events each year. In 2019, the Overland Park Historical Society purchased the Strang Line Depot.