BlockBefore

Olathe, Kansas

26 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1991. It stands in Olathe City. It lies in ZIP code area 66061. The Survey maps it on the Olathe quadrangle. 141,290 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,033 feet above sea level.

Olathe within Johnson County

On record in Olathe

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 8 records

Population over time

2 figures

Olathe grew from 125,872 to 141,290 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010125,872
2020141,290+15,418 (+12%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 26 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

169 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 169 fires within 5 miles of Olathe between 2003 and 2020, burning about 172 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 23 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined86
Debris and open burning29
Arson/incendiarism23
Smoking17
Equipment and vehicle use4
Fireworks4
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Natural2
Recreation and ceremony1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 September 2017Arson/incendiarismunder an acreJohnson County2470096
30 September 2006Debris and open burning1.0 acresJohnson Countynot named
3 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service2460103
29 September 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreJohnson Countynot named
24 September 2018Arson/incendiarismunder an acreKansas Forest Service2670110
23 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service2660016
20 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service2630165
14 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service2570065

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Johnson County

Storms near this place

60 of 145 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Olathe in 145 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 74 hail, 58 thunderstorm wind, 9 flash flood, 2 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2002Thunderstorm WindOlathe$250,000Thunderstorm winds ripped off portions of a roof on a VFW building and a Toys "R" Us building. Numerous trees were uprooted. Tractor trailer rigs were overturned. Power lines were also downed and power poles were snapped in two. The downtown jail reported damage.
August 1999Thunderstorm WindOlathe$200,000no account filed
May 1999Thunderstorm WindOlathe$150,000Thunderstorm winds ripped a 2500 square foot section of roof off a business in Olathe and damaged a billboard along Interstate 35.
June 2003HailOlathe$150,000no account filed
June 1994Thunderstorm WindOlathe$50,000High winds from a thunderstorm downed a tree into a home.
May 1993Thunderstorm WindOlathe$50,000A barn and power lines were blown down at 175th Street and Ridgeview.
September 1993Thunderstorm WindOlathe$50,000The severe storms broke a number of power poles on the west side Olathe.
July 2001LightningOlathe$25,000no account filed
July 2025Flash FloodOlathe$10,000Multiple vehicles in water. Flooding reported on second story of home.
June 2001Flash FloodOlathe$5,000Flash flooding on highway 7, west of Dennis and Santa Fe. Water high enough to drown out cars.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindOlathe$4,000Thunderstorm winds up to 70 mph, caused damage from 151st and Lone Elm Road, to the 1100 block of South Clairborne Road. Ten to twenty trees were reported down, along with 3 light poles. The wall of a building collapsed, and an overhead door was blown in. A home also had several windows blown out.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindOlathe$2,000Roof damage was reported to a drywall company on 159th Street.
May 2001Thunderstorm WindOlathe$2,000Thunderstorm winds blew 150 foot section from a wall down, at a new construction site.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindOlathe$500Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph. Amateur radio tower was blown over at 139th and Blackbob.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Downed tree limbs reported on Logan Street in Olathe.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Transformers blown out near downtown Olathe.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Large tree downed in NE Olathe.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Lane blocked by downed tree south of 135th and Mur-Len Road.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Large tree snapped at Olathe Community Center.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Large tree down on house with significant damage in Olathe.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Social media photo of a large tree uprooted in Olathe.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Downed wires near Rogers Road in Olathe.
May 2024HailOlathe-Quarter sized hail was reported in northwest Olathe.
May 2024HailOlathe-Quarter sized hail was reported in north Olathe.
May 2024HailOlathe-Ping pong ball sized hail was reported on the northwest side of Olathe.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Tree limbs and power wires downed in Olathe.
May 2024HailOlathe-Golf ball sized hail was reported on the northwest side of Olathe.
May 2024HailOlathe-Ping pong ball sized hail was reported on the north side of Olathe.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Several reports of wires down and power outages in the area near Cedar Street.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Estimated 60 mph gusts in Olathe.
August 2021Flash FloodOlathe-Santa Fe and Lindenwood Streets were flooded due to heavy rain.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Wind gust measured at KOJC.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Several images and video came into the office and local media of strong winds in the 120th and Iowa area of Olathe. Most of the damage was from loose objects and small tree limbs.
June 2019HailOlathe-This report was received via MPing.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindOlathe-An Emergency Manager reported a 60 mph wind.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindOlathe-A tree with a 6 inch diameter snapped near the Olathe Cemetery.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Emergency Management reported a 10 inch tree limb broken in Olathe.
August 2017Flash FloodOlathe-Several feet of running water was reported running over the road at 143rd and Locust.
May 2016HailOlathe-This report was gathered via social media.
September 2016FloodOlathe-There was standing water at the intersection of Highway 7 and Elm in Olathe.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindOlathe-A trained spotter reported a 70 mph wind gust in Olathe.
September 2015HailOlathe-Reported via MPing.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Multiple trees were blown down within the city of Olathe.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Numerous power lines blown down in the county.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Small pieces of debris were noted on the ground.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindOlathe-A storm chaser reported measured winds of 65 mph near Olathe, Kansas.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindOlathe-A member of the public reported an estimated 60 mph wind near Olathe, Kansas.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 70 mph.
May 2013Flash FloodOlathe-Cars were reported stranded due to high water, around 151st and Lindenwood, and at 139th and Mur-Lin.
May 2012Flash FloodOlathe-Numerous streets in Olathe were reported flooded.
May 2012HailOlathe-The hail was reported at Santa Fe and Merlin.
May 2012HailOlathe-The hail was reported at the intersection of 139th Street and Interstate 35.
May 2012HailOlathe-The hail was reported at the intersection of Interstate 435 and Interstate 35.
May 2012HailOlathe-The hail was reported at 115th and Pflumm.
May 2012Tornado (EF0)Olathe-A brief EF0 tornado touched down at 1615CST near Santa Fe and Highway 7. The tornado lifted at 1616CST with no damage reported.
May 2012HailOlathe-One inch hail was reported at South Ridgeview Road and West 116th Street.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph, at the corner of 199th and Blackbob Road.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindOlathe-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindOlathe-The ASOS in Gardner measured a thunderstorm wind gust at 59 mph.

Every storm recorded in Johnson County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Lackmans4.2 miles26
Clare4.7 miles20
Bonita4.9 miles20
Morse5.5 miles20
Craig5.8 miles26
Lenexa6.7 miles24
Gardner7.5 miles19
Ocheltree7.8 miles20

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on OlatheAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q593022The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 479198. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.