<Tr> <Th> Kansas Highways </Th> <Td> K - 96 K - 42 K - 15 K - 254 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> wichita.gov </Td> </Tr> <P> Wichita (/ ˈwɪtʃɪtɔː / WITCH - i - taw) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas . Located in south - central Kansas on the Arkansas River, it is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area which had an estimated population of 644,610 in 2015 . As of 2017, the city of Wichita had an estimated population of 391,586 . </P> <P> The city began as a trading post on the Chisholm Trail in the 1860s and was incorporated in 1870 . It subsequently became a destination for cattle drives north from Texas to railroads, earning it the nickname "Cowtown". In the 1920s and' 30s, businessmen and aeronautical engineers established aircraft manufacturing companies in Wichita, including Beechcraft, Cessna, and Stearman Aircraft . The city became a U.S. aircraft production hub and became known as "The Air Capital of the World". Textron Aviation, Learjet, Airbus, and Spirit AeroSystems continue to operate design and manufacturing facilities in Wichita, and the city remains as a major center of the American aircraft industry . Wichita is also home to McConnell Air Force Base . </P>

The largest city in kansas on the arkansas river