Paola, Kansas
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1983. It stands in Paola City. It lies in ZIP code area 66071. It stands on Walnut Creek. The Survey maps it on the Paola West quadrangle. 5,768 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 915 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Paola
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 7 records
Jackson Hotellisted 2008
Miami County Courthouselisted 1973- First Presbyterian Church of Paolalisted 2025
- Fowler and Baehr Buildingslisted 2025
- Martin Farmlisted 2019
- Miami County Mercantile Companylisted 2021
- Ursuline Academy - Auditoriumlisted 2025
Population over time
2 figuresPaola grew from 5,602 to 5,768 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 5,602 | |
| 2020 | 5,768 | +166 (+3%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 17 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1887 USGS Olathe quadrangle1:125000
- 1893 USGS Olathe quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1947 USGS Lawrence quadrangle1:250000
- 1950 USGS Lawrence quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Lawrence quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1957 USGS Paola West quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Lawrence quadrangle1:250000
- 1983 USGS Olathe quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
90 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 90 fires within 5 miles of Paola between 2015 and 2020, burning about 468 acres in total. None started naturally. 8 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/undetermined | 45 |
| Debris and open burning | 29 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 8 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Miami County | 236 |
| 4 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Miami County | 234 |
| 12 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Miami County | 242 |
| 8 August 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Miami County | 202 |
| 6 July 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 186 |
| 24 July 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 210 |
| 12 July 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 199 |
| 11 July 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 197 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 64 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Paola in 64 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 34 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 5 lightning, 2 flash flood. The reports record 1 death and 1 injury. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2018 | Flood | Paola | 1 killed | From FOX 4 Kansas City: Miami County Sheriffs Office confirmed to FOX4 that a missing 78-year-old woman has been found dead. Authorities found Hazel Phillips inside her vehicle near Hospital Drive south of 327th Street Friday morning. According to deputies, someone noticed the roof of a silver car showing after flood waters in the area receded and alerted authorities. Osawatomie Fire Department pulled the car from the water and determined it belonged to Phillips. Phillips was still inside. Phillips family reported her missing Wednesday. They said they last spoke to her Tuesday night when she told them she was going to Drexel, Missouri, on Wednesday morning. ||https://fox4kc.com/2018/10/12/missing-78-year-old-miami-county-woman-found-dead-in-vehicle-pulled-from-flood-waters/ . |
| July 1996 | Lightning | Paola | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Lightning | Paola | $300,000 | House struck by lightning and totally destroyed by fire. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Paola | $50,000 | Softball sized hail (4 inch) reported on north side of Paola. |
| July 1997 | Lightning | Paola | $50,000 | Lightning struck a house causing a fire during a thunderstorm. Several rooms of the house were damaged. |
| September 2000 | Lightning | Paola | $7,000 | Lightning downed half of a tree, which fell on a 1994 Honda, rendering the vehicle a total loss. |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | $7,000 | no account filed |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | $6,000 | Severe thunderstorms produced up to Golfball size hail in the Hillsdale lake area, with damaging winds striking Paola. Several tree limbs fell onto a car in Paola, causing substantial damage. |
| July 2011 | Lightning | Paola | $1,000 | A transformer was hit by lightning and set on fire, at 247th and Metcalf. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Paola | - | Two inch hail reported south of Paola. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Paola | - | Hail larger than baseballs on the east side of Paola. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Paola | - | Tennis ball sized hail measured in downtown Paola. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Downed wires in Paola. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Paola | - | Golf ball sized hail reported at Paola Golf Club north of town. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Downed power lines near Pressonville Road and Highway 68 with power outages reported. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Downburst from decaying thunderstorm resulted in damage to multiple rural properties near Paola. A barn door was torn off in one circumstance. Damage to multiple loose structures and outbuildings. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Emergency management reports several trees down. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Strong winds caused damage and destruction of several outbuildings in the Paola area. Several residences had major roof damage and power lines were down all across the county. |
| September 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | A 60 mph wind gust was reported by law enforcement. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Several trees were down blocking a roadway near Paola. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Numerous trees were reported down in Paola. Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Paola | - | The Miami County Sheriff's Office, reported 2 inches of rain in 20 minutes. Old Kansas City Road, between Paola and 327th Street, was closed due to high water. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Considerable number of tree limbs down across town. |
| March 2004 | Flash Flood | Paola | - | 160/7 Highway closed briefly due to high water from heavy rains. |
| September 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | The Miami County Sheriff's Department estimated wind gusts at 70 mph. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Trees 10 to 16 inches in diameter were downed. |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Severe thunderstorm winds knocked several large trees down 4 miles east of Paola. |
| June 1998 | Hail | Paola | - | The same severe thunderstorm responsible for the damaging winds throughout Miami County also produced quarter-size hail in Paola. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | The Miami County Sheriff's Department reported six inch tree limbs downed by severe thunderstorm winds in Paola and Osawatamie. Spotters recorded a 70 MPH wind gust 8 miles northeast of Paola which downed a large tree. |
| March 1998 | Hail | Paola | - | Nickel-size hail was reported by the public 3 miles northwest of Paola. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | The Paola Police reported 60 MPH winds during a severe thunderstorm 4 miles southwest of Paola. |
| August 1997 | Hail | Paola | - | Dime-size hail was reported 2 miles north of Paola. |
| May 1997 | Hail | Paola | - | A slow moving super cell type severe thunderstorm developed over Miami County during the evening and produced numerous reports of large hail. Golfball-size hail was reported in and around Paola. Softball-size hail, approximately 4.5 inches in diameter, was reported by a spotter 3 miles southeast of Hillsdale. |
| May 1997 | Hail | Paola | - | A Ham radio operator reported golfball-size hail in the community of Hillsdale Lake about 8 miles northwest of Paola. |
| April 1995 | Hail | Paola | - | Hail up to dime-size occurred in many areas across the entire county between 2330 and 2400 CST. Accumlated several inches deep. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | Thunderstorms downed trees throughout Miami County, including the southern portion of Spring Hill and around Paola. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | A repeat of thunderstorm activity produced over four inches of rain leading to flash flooding of several county roads in Paola, Hillsdale, and Oak Grove. |
| April 2019 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| October 2014 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| March 2011 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| February 2011 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| September 2007 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| February 2007 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| February 2007 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| March 2005 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| March 2002 | Hail | Paola | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paola | - | no account filed |
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.
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 Paola | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2117001 | The 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 479745. 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.







