Regional Context

The K-96 Corridor is located in south central Kansas between Wichita and Hutchinson. The K-96 Corridor is approximately 40 miles long and runs through both Sedgwick County and Reno County. Municipalities located on the corridor are Maize, Mount Hope, Haven, and South Hutchinson. Major junctions along the corridor include U.S. HWY 50, K-17, and K-296. The following graphic shows the corridor in relation to communities in the region.

Between Wichita and Hutchinson, K-96 is a major commuter route. Many area residents live in one community and work in another. In addition, residents of the smaller “bedroom” communities use the regional entertainment, recreational, healthcare, and retail opportunities only found in Wichita or Hutchinson.

The K-96 Corridor is in close proximity to Interstate 135. I-135 runs north and south and connects I-70 to I-35. From I-35, commuters have direct access to metropolitan areas such as Kansas City and Oklahoma City.

Figure 3-1: Regional Context Map

K-96 was named after F.W. “Woody” Hockaday, a service station operator in Wichita. Woody placed signs along K-96 advertising the service station. The Kansas-Colorado Boulevard was determined to be the road with the highest number of Hockaday signs, so the state allowed him to choose the number. Woody’s phone number was 96.

The stretch of K-96 between Hutchinson and Wichita originally meandered through the countryside going from farm town to farm town. In the mid-20^th Century, an effort was made to “straighten out” K-96, reducing the number of bends and drive time. By 1973, the Hutchinson-Wichita stretch of K-96 was changed into a diagonal line, running northwest to southeast. The upgraded stretch of road was called the “State Fair Freeway”.

Corridor Demographics

The K-96 Corridor runs through twelve U.S. Census block groups. The twelve block groups with the study area are roughly 320 square miles in size. The graphic below illustrates the block groups. The following corridor demographics are derived from the twelve block groups.

As of 2000, the block groups located along the K-96 Corridor, had a total population of 14,864. This is an increase of 1,720 people (13%) since 1990. It should be noted that the corridor has experienced substantial growth in population since the completion of the 2000

Figure 3-2: Census Block Map

Census. In particular, the City of Maize has seen its population increase dramatically, due to the increased development adjacent to the City of Wichita. Unfortunately, amended data at the Census Block level was not available for inclusion in this report. To maintain consistency in information, 2000 Census Block data was used for this report.

The vast majority of the corridor’s racial composition is White. In 2000, 96% of the total population classified themselves as White. This is slightly lower than in 1990 when 98% of the total population classified themselves as White. In 2000, the racial category “Other” had the second highest total at 418 people, or 3% of the total population. The category “Other” also had the greatest percentage increase, between 1990 and 2000, of over 429%.

The corridor’s ethnic composition in 2000 was predominately non-Hispanic. The corridor’s Hispanic population comprised only 2.5%, or 366 people, of the total population. However, the Hispanic population grew by over 130% in the ten-year period.

The population of the corridor was divided into six age groups; under 5, 5-17, 18-29, 30-49, 50-64, 65 and up. Between 1990 and 2000, four of the six categories grew in size at a greater rate than the 13% growth rate of the total population. The age group that experienced the greatest growth was the 50-64, growing by almost 22%. The two age groups that grew below 13% were 5-17 and 18-29. The 5-17 category grew by just under 6% and the 18-29 category actually decreased by –1.3%.

The age demographics show that the population is aging. The older age groups are increasing in size disproportionately faster than the younger groups. The low growth in the 5-17 age group suggests that fewer families and more “empty nesters” are residing along the corridor. Likewise, the negative growth experienced in the 18-29 age group suggests that young adults are leaving the area when they leave home. However, some adults potentially are returning to the area to start or raise their family.

Table 1: Demographic Trends

Figure 3-4: Race & Ethnicity Trends

Figure 4 shows in greater detail the racial, ethnic, sex, and age cohort demographic trends between 1990 and 2000.

The number of housing units increased within the twelve census block groups located on the corridor. Between 1990 and 2000 the number of housing units increased by 642 units or 13%.

Figure 3-5: Housing Unit Trend

During the same ten-year period, the percentage of owner occupied housing to renter occupied stayed the same. Roughly 84% of the occupied housing is owner occupied, while 16% of the units are occupied by renters. However, even with a 13% increase in housing stock, the number of vacant dwelling units dropped by 8% from 317 to 292 units.