Analyzing Space Limitations for Duct Installation

Heat flows spontaneously from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature. Heat does not flow spontaneously from lower temperature to higher, but it can be made to flow in this direction if work is performed. The work required to transfer a given amount of heat is usually much less than the amount of heat; this is the motivation for using heat pumps in applications such as the heating of water and the interior of buildings.^[9]

The amount of work required to drive an amount of heat Q from a lower-temperature reservoir such as ambient air to a higher-temperature reservoir such as the interior of a building is: $$\displaystyle W=\frac Q\mathrm COP$$ where

• $\displaystyle W$ is the work performed on the working fluid by the heat pump's compressor.
• $\displaystyle Q$ is the heat transferred from the lower-temperature reservoir to the higher-temperature reservoir.
• $\displaystyle \mathrm COP$ is the instantaneous coefficient of performance for the heat pump at the temperatures prevailing in the reservoirs at one instant.

The coefficient of performance of a heat pump is greater than one so the work required is less than the heat transferred, making a heat pump a more efficient form of heating than electrical resistance heating. As the temperature of the higher-temperature reservoir increases in response to the heat flowing into it, the coefficient of performance decreases, causing an increasing amount of work to be required for each unit of heat being transferred.^[9]

The coefficient of performance, and the work required by a heat pump can be calculated easily by considering an ideal heat pump operating on the reversed Carnot cycle:

• If the low-temperature reservoir is at a temperature of 270 K (−3 °C) and the interior of the building is at 280 K (7 °C) the relevant coefficient of performance is 27. This means only 1 joule of work is required to transfer 27 joules of heat from a reservoir at 270 K to another at 280 K. The one joule of work ultimately ends up as thermal energy in the interior of the building so for each 27 joules of heat that are removed from the low-temperature reservoir, 28 joules of heat are added to the building interior, making the heat pump even more attractive from an efficiency perspective.^{[note 1]}
• As the temperature of the interior of the building rises progressively to 300 K (27 °C) the coefficient of performance falls progressively to 9. This means each joule of work is responsible for transferring 9 joules of heat out of the low-temperature reservoir and into the building. Again, the 1 joule of work ultimately ends up as thermal energy in the interior of the building so 10 joules of heat are added to the building interior.^{[note 2]}

This is the theoretical amount of heat pumped but in practice it will be less for various reasons, for example if the outside unit has been installed where there is not enough airflow. More data sharing with owners and academics—perhaps from heat meters—could improve efficiency in the long run.^[11]

Milestones:

1748

William Cullen demonstrates artificial refrigeration.^[12]

1834

Jacob Perkins patents a design for a practical refrigerator using dimethyl ether.^[13]

1852

Lord Kelvin describes the theory underlying heat pumps.^[14]

1855–1857

Peter von Rittinger develops and builds the first heat pump.^[15]

1877

In the period before 1875, heat pumps were for the time being pursued for vapour compression evaporation (open heat pump process) in salt works with their obvious advantages for saving wood and coal. In 1857, Peter von Rittinger was the first to try to implement the idea of vapor compression in a small pilot plant. Presumably inspired by Rittinger's experiments in Ebensee, Antoine-Paul Piccard from the University of Lausanne and the engineer J. H. Weibel from the Weibel–Briquet company in Geneva built the world's first really functioning vapor compression system with a two-stage piston compressor. In 1877 this first heat pump in Switzerland was installed in the Bex salt works.^[14][16]

1928

Aurel Stodola constructs a closed-loop heat pump (water source from Lake Geneva) which provides heating for the Geneva city hall to this day.^[17]

1937–1945

During the First World War, fuel prices were very high in Switzerland but it had plenty of hydropower.^{[14]: 18â€ÅÂÂÂ}  In the period before and especially during the Second World War, when neutral Switzerland was completely surrounded by fascist-ruled countries, the coal shortage became alarming again. Thanks to their leading position in energy technology, the Swiss companies Sulzer, Escher Wyss and Brown Boveri built and put in operation around 35 heat pumps between 1937 and 1945. The main heat sources were lake water, river water, groundwater, and waste heat. Particularly noteworthy are the six historic heat pumps from the city of Zurich with heat outputs from 100 kW to 6 MW. An international milestone is the heat pump built by Escher Wyss in 1937/38 to replace the wood stoves in the City Hall of Zurich. To avoid noise and vibrations, a recently developed rotary piston compressor was used. This historic heat pump heated the town hall for 63 years until 2001. Only then was it replaced by a new, more efficient heat pump.^[14]

1945

John Sumner, City Electrical Engineer for Norwich, installs an experimental water-source heat pump fed central heating system, using a nearby river to heat new Council administrative buildings. It had a seasonal efficiency ratio of 3.42, average thermal delivery of 147 kW, and peak output of 234 kW.^[18]

1948

Robert C. Webber is credited as developing and building the first ground-source heat pump.^[19]

1951

First large scale installation—the Royal Festival Hall in London is opened with a town gas-powered reversible water-source heat pump, fed by the Thames, for both winter heating and summer cooling needs.^[18]

2019

The Kigali Amendment to phase out harmful refrigerants takes effect.

Exhaust air heat pumps extract heat from the exhaust air of a building and require mechanical ventilation. Two classes exist:

• Exhaust air-air heat pumps transfer heat to intake air.
• Exhaust air-water heat pumps transfer heat to a heating circuit that includes a tank of domestic hot water.

A water-source heat pump works in a similar manner to a ground-source heat pump, except that it takes heat from a body of water rather than the ground. The body of water does, however, need to be large enough to be able to withstand the cooling effect of the unit without freezing or creating an adverse effect for wildlife.^[31] The largest water-source heat pump was installed in the Danish town of Esbjerg in 2023.^[32][33]

A thermoacoustic heat pump operates as a thermoacoustic heat engine without refrigerant but instead uses a standing wave in a sealed chamber driven by a loudspeaker to achieve a temperature difference across the chamber.^[34]

Electrocaloric heat pumps are solid state.^[35]

The International Energy Agency estimated that, as of 2021, heat pumps installed in buildings have a combined capacity of more than 1000 GW.^[4] They are used for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and may also provide domestic hot water and tumble clothes drying.^[36] The purchase costs are supported in various countries by consumer rebates.^[37]

In HVAC applications, a heat pump is typically a vapor-compression refrigeration device that includes a reversing valve and optimized heat exchangers so that the direction of heat flow (thermal energy movement) may be reversed. The reversing valve switches the direction of refrigerant through the cycle and therefore the heat pump may deliver either heating or cooling to a building.

Because the two heat exchangers, the condenser and evaporator, must swap functions, they are optimized to perform adequately in both modes. Therefore, the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER in the US) or European seasonal energy efficiency ratio of a reversible heat pump is typically slightly less than those of two separately optimized machines. For equipment to receive the US Energy Star rating, it must have a rating of at least 14 SEER. Pumps with ratings of 18 SEER or above are considered highly efficient. The highest efficiency heat pumps manufactured are up to 24 SEER.^[38]

Heating seasonal performance factor (in the US) or Seasonal Performance Factor (in Europe) are ratings of heating performance. The SPF is Total heat output per annum / Total electricity consumed per annum in other words the average heating COP over the year.^[39]

Window mounted heat pumps run on standard 120v AC outlets and provide heating, cooling, and humidity control. They are more efficient with lower noise levels, condensation management, and a smaller footprint than window mounted air conditioners that just do cooling.^[40]

In water heating applications, heat pumps may be used to heat or preheat water for swimming pools, homes or industry. Usually heat is extracted from outdoor air and transferred to an indoor water tank.^[41][42]

Large (megawatt-scale) heat pumps are used for district heating.^[43] However as of 2022^[update] about 90% of district heat is from fossil fuels.^[44] In Europe, heat pumps account for a mere 1% of heat supply in district heating networks but several countries have targets to decarbonise their networks between 2030 and 2040.^[4] Possible sources of heat for such applications are sewage water, ambient water (e.g. sea, lake and river water), industrial waste heat, geothermal energy, flue gas, waste heat from district cooling and heat from solar seasonal thermal energy storage.^[45] Large-scale heat pumps for district heating combined with thermal energy storage offer high flexibility for the integration of variable renewable energy. Therefore, they are regarded as a key technology for limiting climate change by phasing out fossil fuels.^[45][46] They are also a crucial element of systems which can both heat and cool districts.^[47]

There is great potential to reduce the energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions in industry by application of industrial heat pumps, for example for process heat.^[48][49] Short payback periods of less than 2 years are possible, while achieving a high reduction of CO₂ emissions (in some cases more than 50%).^[50][51] Industrial heat pumps can heat up to 200 °C, and can meet the heating demands of many light industries.^[52][53] In Europe alone, 15 GW of heat pumps could be installed in 3,000 facilities in the paper, food and chemicals industries.^[4]

The performance of a heat pump is determined by the ability of the pump to extract heat from a low temperature environment (the source) and deliver it to a higher temperature environment (the sink).^[54] Performance varies, depending on installation details, temperature differences, site elevation, location on site, pipe runs, flow rates, and maintenance.

In general, heat pumps work most efficiently (that is, the heat output produced for a given energy input) when the difference between the heat source and the heat sink is small. When using a heat pump for space or water heating, therefore, the heat pump will be most efficient in mild conditions, and decline in efficiency on very cold days. Performance metrics supplied to consumers attempt to take this variation into account.

Common performance metrics are the SEER (in cooling mode) and seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) (commonly used just for heating), although SCOP can be used for both modes of operation.^[54] Larger values of either metric indicate better performance.^[54] When comparing the performance of heat pumps, the term performance is preferred to efficiency, with coefficient of performance (COP) being used to describe the ratio of useful heat movement per work input.^[54] An electrical resistance heater has a COP of 1.0, which is considerably lower than a well-designed heat pump which will typically have a COP of 3 to 5 with an external temperature of 10 °C and an internal temperature of 20 °C. Because the ground is a constant temperature source, a ground-source heat pump is not subjected to large temperature fluctuations, and therefore is the most energy-efficient type of heat pump.^[54]

The "seasonal coefficient of performance" (SCOP) is a measure of the aggregate energy efficiency measure over a period of one year which is dependent on regional climate.^[54] One framework for this calculation is given by the Commission Regulation (EU) No. 813/2013.^[55]

A heat pump's operating performance in cooling mode is characterized in the US by either its energy efficiency ratio (EER) or seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER), both of which have units of BTU/(h·W) (note that 1 BTU/(h·W) = 0.293 W/W) and larger values indicate better performance.

COP variation with output temperature

Pump type and source	Typical use	35 °C (e.g. heated screed floor)	45 °C (e.g. heated screed floor)	55 °C (e.g. heated timber floor)	65 °C (e.g. radiator or DHW)	75 °C (e.g. radiator and DHW)	85 °C (e.g. radiator and DHW)
High-efficiency air-source heat pump (ASHP), air at −20 °C[56]		2.2	2.0	‐	‐	‐	‐
Two-stage ASHP, air at −20 °C[57]	Low source temperature	2.4	2.2	1.9	‐	‐	‐
High-efficiency ASHP, air at 0 °C[56]	Low output temperature	3.8	2.8	2.2	2.0	‐	‐
Prototype transcritical CO 2 (R744) heat pump with tripartite gas cooler, source at 0 °C[58]	High output temperature	3.3	‐	‐	4.2	‐	3.0
Ground-source heat pump (GSHP), water at 0 °C[56]		5.0	3.7	2.9	2.4	‐	‐
GSHP, ground at 10 °C[56]	Low output temperature	7.2	5.0	3.7	2.9	2.4	‐
Theoretical Carnot cycle limit, source −20 °C		5.6	4.9	4.4	4.0	3.7	3.4
Theoretical Carnot cycle limit, source 0 °C		8.8	7.1	6.0	5.2	4.6	4.2
Theoretical Lorentzen cycle limit (CO 2 pump), return fluid 25 °C, source 0 °C[58]		10.1	8.8	7.9	7.1	6.5	6.1
Theoretical Carnot cycle limit, source 10 °C		12.3	9.1	7.3	6.1	5.4	4.8

The carbon footprint of heat pumps depends on their individual efficiency and how electricity is produced. An increasing share of low-carbon energy sources such as wind and solar will lower the impact on the climate.

heating system	emissions of energy source	efficiency	resulting emissions for thermal energy
heat pump with onshore wind power	11 gCO2/kWh[59]	400% (COP=4)	3 gCO2/kWh
heat pump with global electricity mix	436 gCO2/kWh[60] (2022)	400% (COP=4)	109 gCO2/kWh
natural-gas thermal (high efficiency)	201 gCO2/kWh[61]	90%[citation needed]	223 gCO2/kWh
heat pump electricity by lignite (old power plant) and low performance	1221 gCO2/kWh[61]	300% (COP=3)	407 gCO2/kWh

In most settings, heat pumps will reduce CO₂ emissions compared to heating systems powered by fossil fuels.^[62] In regions accounting for 70% of world energy consumption, the emissions savings of heat pumps compared with a high-efficiency gas boiler are on average above 45% and reach 80% in countries with cleaner electricity mixes.^[4] These values can be improved by 10 percentage points, respectively, with alternative refrigerants. In the United States, 70% of houses could reduce emissions by installing a heat pump.^[63][4] The rising share of renewable electricity generation in many countries is set to increase the emissions savings from heat pumps over time.^[4]

Heating systems powered by green hydrogen are also low-carbon and may become competitors, but are much less efficient due to the energy loss associated with hydrogen conversion, transport and use. In addition, not enough green hydrogen is expected to be available before the 2030s or 2040s.^[64][65]

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Vapor-compression uses a circulating refrigerant as the medium which absorbs heat from one space, compresses it thereby increasing its temperature before releasing it in another space. The system normally has eight main components: a compressor, a reservoir, a reversing valve which selects between heating and cooling mode, two thermal expansion valves (one used when in heating mode and the other when used in cooling mode) and two heat exchangers, one associated with the external heat source/sink and the other with the interior. In heating mode the external heat exchanger is the evaporator and the internal one being the condenser; in cooling mode the roles are reversed.

Circulating refrigerant enters the compressor in the thermodynamic state known as a saturated vapor^[66] and is compressed to a higher pressure, resulting in a higher temperature as well. The hot, compressed vapor is then in the thermodynamic state known as a superheated vapor and it is at a temperature and pressure at which it can be condensed with either cooling water or cooling air flowing across the coil or tubes. In heating mode this heat is used to heat the building using the internal heat exchanger, and in cooling mode this heat is rejected via the external heat exchanger.

The condensed, liquid refrigerant, in the thermodynamic state known as a saturated liquid, is next routed through an expansion valve where it undergoes an abrupt reduction in pressure. That pressure reduction results in the adiabatic flash evaporation of a part of the liquid refrigerant. The auto-refrigeration effect of the adiabatic flash evaporation lowers the temperature of the liquid and-vapor refrigerant mixture to where it is colder than the temperature of the enclosed space to be refrigerated.

The cold mixture is then routed through the coil or tubes in the evaporator. A fan circulates the warm air in the enclosed space across the coil or tubes carrying the cold refrigerant liquid and vapor mixture. That warm air evaporates the liquid part of the cold refrigerant mixture. At the same time, the circulating air is cooled and thus lowers the temperature of the enclosed space to the desired temperature. The evaporator is where the circulating refrigerant absorbs and removes heat which is subsequently rejected in the condenser and transferred elsewhere by the water or air used in the condenser.

To complete the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant vapor from the evaporator is again a saturated vapor and is routed back into the compressor.

Over time, the evaporator may collect ice or water from ambient humidity. The ice is melted through defrosting cycle. An internal heat exchanger is either used to heat/cool the interior air directly or to heat water that is then circulated through radiators or underfloor heating circuit to either heat or cool the buildings.

Heat input can be improved if the refrigerant enters the evaporator with a lower vapor content. This can be achieved by cooling the liquid refrigerant after condensation. The gaseous refrigerant condenses on the heat exchange surface of the condenser. To achieve a heat flow from the gaseous flow center to the wall of the condenser, the temperature of the liquid refrigerant must be lower than the condensation temperature.

Additional subcooling can be achieved by heat exchange between relatively warm liquid refrigerant leaving the condenser and the cooler refrigerant vapor emerging from the evaporator. The enthalpy difference required for the subcooling leads to the superheating of the vapor drawn into the compressor. When the increase in cooling achieved by subcooling is greater that the compressor drive input required to overcome the additional pressure losses, such a heat exchange improves the coefficient of performance.^[67]

One disadvantage of the subcooling of liquids is that the difference between the condensing temperature and the heat-sink temperature must be larger. This leads to a moderately high pressure difference between condensing and evaporating pressure, whereby the compressor energy increases.

Pure refrigerants can be divided into organic substances (hydrocarbons (HCs), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), and HCFOs), and inorganic substances (ammonia (NH
₃), carbon dioxide (CO
₂), and water (H
₂O)^[68]).^[69] Their boiling points are usually below −25 °C.^[70]

In the past 200 years, the standards and requirements for new refrigerants have changed. Nowadays low global warming potential (GWP) is required, in addition to all the previous requirements for safety, practicality, material compatibility, appropriate atmospheric life,^{[clarification needed]} and compatibility with high-efficiency products. By 2022, devices using refrigerants with a very low GWP still have a small market share but are expected to play an increasing role due to enforced regulations,^[71] as most countries have now ratified the Kigali Amendment to ban HFCs.^[72] Isobutane (R600A) and propane (R290) are far less harmful to the environment than conventional hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) and are already being used in air-source heat pumps.^[73] Propane may be the most suitable for high temperature heat pumps.^[74] Ammonia (R717) and carbon dioxide (R-744) also have a low GWP. As of 2023^[update] smaller CO
₂ heat pumps are not widely available and research and development of them continues.^[75] A 2024 report said that refrigerants with GWP are vulnerable to further international restrictions.^[76]

Until the 1990s, heat pumps, along with fridges and other related products used chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as refrigerants, which caused major damage to the ozone layer when released into the atmosphere. Use of these chemicals was banned or severely restricted by the Montreal Protocol of August 1987.^[77]

Replacements, including R-134a and R-410A, are hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) with similar thermodynamic properties with insignificant ozone depletion potential (ODP) but had problematic GWP.^[78] HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change.^[79][80] Dimethyl ether (DME) also gained in popularity as a refrigerant in combination with R404a.^[81] More recent refrigerants include difluoromethane (R32) with a lower GWP, but still over 600.

refrigerant	20-year GWP	100-year GWP
R-290 propane[82]	0.072	0.02
R-600a isobutane		3[83]
R-32[82]	491	136
R-410a[84]	4705	2285
R-134a[84]	4060	1470
R-404a[84]	7258	4808

Devices with R-290 refrigerant (propane) are expected to play a key role in the future.^[74][85] The 100-year GWP of propane, at 0.02, is extremely low and is approximately 7000 times less than R-32. However, the flammability of propane requires additional safety measures: the maximum safe charges have been set significantly lower than for lower flammability refrigerants (only allowing approximately 13.5 times less refrigerant in the system than R-32).^[86][87][88] This means that R-290 is not suitable for all situations or locations. Nonetheless, by 2022, an increasing number of devices with R-290 were offered for domestic use, especially in Europe.^{[citation needed]}

At the same time,^[when?] HFC refrigerants still dominate the market. Recent government mandates have seen the phase-out of R-22 refrigerant. Replacements such as R-32 and R-410A are being promoted as environmentally friendly but still have a high GWP.^[89] A heat pump typically uses 3 kg of refrigerant. With R-32 this amount still has a 20-year impact equivalent to 7 tons of CO₂, which corresponds to two years of natural gas heating in an average household. Refrigerants with a high ODP have already been phased out.^{[citation needed]}

Financial incentives aim to protect consumers from high fossil gas costs and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,^[90] and are currently available in more than 30 countries around the world, covering more than 70% of global heating demand in 2021.^[4]

Food processors, brewers, petfood producers and other industrial energy users are exploring whether it is feasible to use renewable energy to produce industrial-grade heat. Process heating accounts for the largest share of onsite energy use in Australian manufacturing, with lower-temperature operations like food production particularly well-suited to transition to renewables.

To help producers understand how they could benefit from making the switch, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) provided funding to the Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity (A2EP) to undertake pre-feasibility studies at a range of sites around Australia, with the most promising locations advancing to full feasibility studies.^[91]

In an effort to incentivize energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact, the Australian states of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland have implemented rebate programs targeting the upgrade of existing hot water systems. These programs specifically encourage the transition from traditional gas or electric systems to heat pump based systems.^{[92][93][94][95][96]}

In 2022, the Canada Greener Homes Grant^[97] provides up to $5000 for upgrades (including certain heat pumps), and $600 for energy efficiency evaluations.

Purchase subsidies in rural areas in the 2010s reduced burning coal for heating, which had been causing ill health.^[98]

In the 2024 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) titled "The Future of Heat Pumps in China," it is highlighted that China, as the world's largest market for heat pumps in buildings, plays a critical role in the global industry. The country accounts for over one-quarter of global sales, with a 12% increase in 2023 alone, despite a global sales dip of 3% the same year.^[99]

Heat pumps are now used in approximately 8% of all heating equipment sales for buildings in China as of 2022, and they are increasingly becoming the norm in central and southern regions for both heating and cooling. Despite their higher upfront costs and relatively low awareness, heat pumps are favored for their energy efficiency, consuming three to five times less energy than electric heaters or fossil fuel-based solutions. Currently, decentralized heat pumps installed in Chinese buildings represent a quarter of the global installed capacity, with a total capacity exceeding 250 GW, which covers around 4% of the heating needs in buildings.^[99]

Under the Announced Pledges Scenario (APS), which aligns with China's carbon neutrality goals, the capacity is expected to reach 1,400 GW by 2050, meeting 25% of heating needs. This scenario would require an installation of about 100 GW of heat pumps annually until 2050. Furthermore, the heat pump sector in China employs over 300,000 people, with employment numbers expected to double by 2050, underscoring the importance of vocational training for industry growth. This robust development in the heat pump market is set to play a significant role in reducing direct emissions in buildings by 30% and cutting PM2.5 emissions from residential heating by nearly 80% by 2030.^[99][100]

To speed up the deployment rate of heat pumps, the European Commission launched the Heat Pump Accelerator Platform in November 2024.^[101] It will encourage industry experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to collaborate, share best practices and ideas, and jointly discuss measures that promote sustainable heating solutions.^[102]

As of 2022: heat pumps have no Value Added Tax (VAT) although in Northern Ireland they are taxed at the reduced rate of 5% instead of the usual level of VAT of 20% for most other products.^[103] As of 2022^[update] the installation cost of a heat pump is more than a gas boiler, but with the "Boiler Upgrade Scheme"^[104] government grant and assuming electricity/gas costs remain similar their lifetime costs would be similar on average.^[105] However lifetime cost relative to a gas boiler varies considerably depending on several factors, such as the quality of the heat pump installation and the tariff used.^[106] In 2024 England was criticised for still allowing new homes to be built with gas boilers, unlike some other counties where this is banned.^[107]

The High-efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program was created in 2022 to award grants to State energy offices and Indian Tribes in order to establish state-wide high-efficiency electric-home rebates. Effective immediately, American households are eligible for a tax credit to cover the costs of buying and installing a heat pump, up to $2,000. Starting in 2023, low- and moderate-level income households will be eligible for a heat-pump rebate of up to $8,000.^[108]

In 2022, more heat pumps were sold in the United States than natural gas furnaces.^[109]

In November 2023 Biden's administration allocated 169 million dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act to speed up production of heat pumps. It used the Defense Production Act to do so, because according to the administration, energy that is better for the climate is also better for national security.^[110]

• IPCC (2021). Masson-Delmotte, V.; Zhai, P.; Pirani, A.; Connors, S. L.; et al. (eds.). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis (PDF). Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press (In Press).
  • Forster, P.; Storelvmo, T.; Armour, K.; Collins, W. (2021). "Chapter 7: The Earth's energy budget, climate feedbacks, and climate sensitivity Supplementary Material" (PDF). IPCC AR6 WG1 2021.
• IPCC (2018). Masson-Delmotte, V.; Zhai, P.; Pörtner, H.-O.; Roberts, D.; et al. (eds.). Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty (PDF). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/.
  • Rogelj, J.; Shindell, D.; Jiang, K.; Fifta, S.; et al. (2018). "Chapter 2: Mitigation Pathways Compatible with 1.5°C in the Context of Sustainable Development" (PDF). IPCC SR15 2018. pp. 93–174.
• IPCC (2022). Shula, P. R.; Skea, J.; Slade, R.; Al Khourdajie, A.; et al. (eds.). Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change (PDF). Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, UK and New York, New York, USA: Cambridge University Press (In Press). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  • IPCC (2022). "Industry" (PDF). IPCC AR6 WG3 2022.

• Quaschning, Volker. "Specific Carbon Dioxide Emissions of Various Fuels". Retrieved 22 February 2022.

• Media related to Heat pumps at Wikimedia Commons

 

Archaeological evidence indicates human habitation near the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers, the site of present-day Wichita, as early as 3000 BC.^[17] In 1541, a Spanish expedition led by explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado found the area populated by the Quivira, or Wichita, people. Conflict with the Osage in the 1750s drove the Wichita further south.^[18] Prior to European settlement of the region, the site was in the territory of the Kiowa.^[19]

Claimed first by France as part of Louisiana and later acquired by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it became part of Kansas Territory in 1854 and then the state of Kansas in 1861.^[21][22]

The Wichita people returned in 1863, driven from their land in Indian Territory by Confederate forces in the American Civil War, and established a settlement on the banks of the Little Arkansas.^[23][24][25] During this period, trader Jesse Chisholm established a trading post at the site, one of several along a trail extending south to Texas which became known as the Chisholm Trail.^[26] In 1867, after the war, the Wichita returned to Indian Territory.^[23]

In 1868, trader James R. Mead was among a group of investors who established a town company, and surveyor Darius Munger built a log structure for the company to serve as a hotel, community center, and post office.^[27][28] Business opportunities attracted area hunters and traders, and a new settlement began to form. That summer, Mead and others organized the Wichita Town Company, naming the settlement after the Wichita tribe.^[24] In 1870, Munger and German immigrant William "Dutch Bill" Greiffenstein filed plats laying out the city's first streets.^[28] Wichita formally incorporated as a city on July 21, 1870.^[27]

Wichita's position on the Chisholm Trail made it a destination for cattle drives traveling north from Texas to access railroads, which led to markets in eastern U.S. cities.^[26][29] The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached the city in 1872.^[30] As a result, Wichita became a railhead for the cattle drives, earning it the nickname "Cowtown".^[26][29] Across the Arkansas River, the town of Delano became an entertainment destination for cattlemen thanks to its saloons, brothels, and lack of law enforcement.^[31]

James Earp ran a brothel with his wife Nellie "Bessie" Ketchum. His brother Wyatt was likely a pimp, although historian Gary L. Roberts believes that he was an enforcer or bouncer.^[32] Local arrest records show that Earp's common-law wife Sally and James' wife Nellie managed a brothel there from early 1874 to the middle of 1876.^[33] The area had a reputation for violence until lawmen like Wyatt stepped up enforcement, who officially joined the Wichita marshal's office on April 21, 1875. He was hired after the election of Mike Meagher as city marshal, making $100 per month.^[26][29] By the middle of the decade, the cattle trade had moved west to Dodge City. Wichita annexed Delano in 1880.^[31]

Rapid immigration resulted in a speculative land boom in the late 1880s, stimulating further expansion of the city. Fairmount College, which eventually grew into Wichita State University, opened in 1886; Garfield University, which eventually became Friends University, opened in 1887.^[34][35] By 1890, Wichita had become the third-largest city in the state after Kansas City, and Topeka, with a population of nearly 24,000.^[36] After the boom, however, the city entered an economic recession, and many of the original settlers went bankrupt.^[37]

In 1914 and 1915, deposits of oil and natural gas were discovered in nearby Butler County. This triggered another economic boom in Wichita as producers established refineries, fueling stations, and headquarters in the city.^[38] By 1917, five operating refineries were in Wichita, with another seven built in the 1920s.^[39] The careers and fortunes of future oil moguls Archibald Derby, who later founded Derby Oil, and Fred C. Koch, who established what would become Koch Industries, both began in Wichita during this period.^[38][40]

The money generated by the oil boom enabled local entrepreneurs to invest in the nascent airplane-manufacturing industry. In 1917, Clyde Cessna built his Cessna Comet in Wichita, the first aircraft built in the city. In 1920, two local oilmen invited Chicago aircraft builder Emil "Matty" Laird to manufacture his designs in Wichita, leading to the formation of the Swallow Airplane Company. Two early Swallow employees, Lloyd Stearman and Walter Beech, went on to found two prominent Wichita-based companies, Stearman Aircraft in 1926 and Beechcraft in 1932, respectively. Cessna, meanwhile, started his own company in Wichita in 1927.^[1] The city became such a center of the industry that the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce dubbed it the "Air Capital of the World" in 1929.^[13][41][42]

Over the following decades, aviation and aircraft manufacturing continued to drive expansion of the city. In 1934, Stearman's Wichita facilities became part of Boeing, which would become the city's largest employer.^[43] Initial construction of Wichita Municipal Airport finished southeast of the city in 1935. During World War II, the site hosted Wichita Army Airfield and Boeing Airplane Company Plant No. 1.^[44] The city experienced a population explosion during the war when it became a major manufacturing center for the Boeing B-29 bomber. The wartime city quickly grew from 110,000 to 184,000 residents, drawing aircraft workers from throughout the central U.S.^[13][45] In 1951, the U.S. Air Force announced plans to assume control of the airport to establish McConnell Air Force Base. By 1954, all nonmilitary air traffic had shifted to the new Wichita Mid-Continent Airport west of the city.^[44] In 1962, Lear Jet Corporation opened with its plant adjacent to the new airport.^[46]

Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, several other prominent businesses and brands had their origins in Wichita. A. A. Hyde founded health-care products maker Mentholatum in Wichita in 1889.^[47][48] Sporting goods and camping-gear retailer Coleman started in the city in the early 1900s.^[47][49] A number of fast-food franchises started in Wichita, beginning with White Castle in 1921 and followed by many more in the 1950s and 1960s including Pizza Hut in 1958. In the 1970s and 1980s, the city became a regional center of health care and medical research.^[47][50]

Wichita has been a focal point of national political controversy multiple times in its history. In 1900, famous temperance extremist Carrie Nation struck in Wichita upon learning the city was not enforcing Kansas's prohibition ordinance.^[47] The Dockum Drug Store sit-in took place in the city in 1958 with protesters pushing for desegregation.^[51] In 1991, thousands of anti-abortion protesters blockaded and held sit-ins at Wichita abortion clinics, particularly the clinic of George Tiller.^[52] Tiller was later murdered in Wichita by Scott Roeder in 2009.^[53]

Except for a slow period in the 1970s, Wichita has continued to grow steadily into the 21st century.^[36] In the late 1990s and 2000s, the city government and local organizations began collaborating to redevelop downtown Wichita and older neighborhoods in the city.^[28][31][54] Intrust Bank Arena opened downtown in 2010.^[55]

Boeing ended its operations in Wichita in 2014.^[56] However, the city remains a national center of aircraft manufacturing with other companies including Spirit AeroSystems and Airbus maintaining facilities in Wichita.^[27][57]

Wichita Mid-Continent Airport was officially renamed Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport after the Kansas native and U.S. President in 2015.^[58]

Wichita is in south-central Kansas at the junction of Interstate 35 and U.S. Route 54.^[59] Part of the Midwestern United States, it is 157 mi (253 km) north of Oklahoma City, 181 mi (291 km) southwest of Kansas City, and 439 mi (707 km) east-southeast of Denver.^[60]

The city lies on the Arkansas River near the western edge of the Flint Hills in the Wellington-McPherson Lowlands region of the Great Plains.^[61] The area's topography is characterized by the broad alluvial plain of the Arkansas River valley and the moderately rolling slopes that rise to the higher lands on either side.^[62][63]

The Arkansas follows a winding course, south-southeast through Wichita, roughly bisecting the city. It is joined along its course by several tributaries, all of which flow generally south. The largest is the Little Arkansas River, which enters the city from the north and joins the Arkansas immediately west of downtown. Further east lies Chisholm Creek, which joins the Arkansas in the far southern part of the city. The Chisholm's own tributaries drain much of the city's eastern half; these include the creek's West, Middle, and East Forks, as well as further south, Gypsum Creek. The Gypsum is fed by its own tributary, Dry Creek. Two more of the Arkansas's tributaries lie west of its course; from east to west, these are Big Slough Creek and Cowskin Creek. Both run south through the western part of the city. Fourmile Creek, a tributary of the Walnut River, flows south through the far eastern part of the city.^[64]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 163.59 sq mi (423.70 km²), of which 4.30 sq mi (11.14 km²) are covered by water.^[65]

As the core of the Wichita metropolitan area, the city is surrounded by suburbs. Bordering Wichita on the north are, from west to east, Valley Center, Park City, Kechi, and Bel Aire. Enclosed within east-central Wichita is Eastborough. Adjacent to the city's east side is Andover. McConnell Air Force Base is in the extreme southeast corner of the city. To the south, from east to west, lie Derby and Haysville. Goddard and Maize border Wichita to the west and northwest, respectively.^[66]

Wichita lies within the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), typically experiencing hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. Located on the Great Plains, far from any large moderating influences such as mountains or large bodies of water, Wichita often experiences severe weather with thunderstorms occurring frequently during the spring and summer. These occasionally bring large hail and frequent lightning. Particularly destructive ones have struck the Wichita area several times in the course of its history - in September 1965, during the Andover, Kansas tornado outbreak of April 1991, and during the Oklahoma tornado outbreak of May 1999.^[67][68][69] Winters are cold and dry; since Wichita is roughly midway between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico, cold spells and warm spells are equally frequent. Warm air masses from the Gulf of Mexico can raise midwinter temperatures into the 50s and even 60s (°F), while cold-air masses from the Arctic can occasionally plunge the temperature below 0 °F. Wind speed in the city averages 13 mph (21 km/h).^[70] On average, January is the coldest month (and the driest), July the hottest, and May the wettest.

The average temperature in the city is 57.7 °F (14.3 °C).^[71] Over the course of a year, the monthly daily average temperature ranges from 33.2 °F (0.7 °C) in January to 81.5 °F (27.5 °C) in July. The high temperature reaches or exceeds 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 65 days a year and 100 °F (38 °C) an average of 12 days a year. The minimum temperature falls to or below 10 °F (−12 °C) on an average 7.7 days a year. The hottest temperature recorded in Wichita was 114 °F (46 °C) in 1936; the coldest temperature recorded was −22 °F (−30 °C) on February 12, 1899. Readings as low as −17 °F (−27 °C) and as high as 111 °F (44 °C) occurred as recently as February 16, 2021, and July 29–30, 2012, respectively.^[72] Wichita receives on average about 34.31 inches (871 mm) of precipitation a year, most of which falls in the warmer months, and experiences 87 days of measurable precipitation. The average relative humidity is 80% in the morning and 49% in the evening.^[70] Annual snowfall averages 12.7 inches (32 cm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of nine days per year with at least an inch of snow falling on four of those days. Snow depth of at least an inch occurs an average of 12 days per year.^[71] The average window for freezing temperatures is October 25 through April 9.^[72]

Wichita is consistently ranked as one of the worst major cities in the nation for seasonal allergies, due largely to tree and grass pollen (partly from surrounding open plains and pastureland), and smoke from frequent burning of fields by the region's farmers and ranchers, driven by the strong Kansas winds.^[74][75] The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, ranked Wichita—out of the nation's 100 largest cities—6th worst for people with allergies in 2016,^[76] 3rd worst in 2021,^[77] 2nd worst in 2022,^[78] and worst nationwide in 2023.^{[74][79][80][81][82]}

Wichita has several recognized areas and neighborhoods. The downtown area is generally considered to be east of the Arkansas River, west of Washington Street, north of Kellogg, and south of 13th Street. It contains landmarks such as Century II, the Garvey Center, and the Epic Center. Old Town is also part of downtown; this 50-acre (0.20 km²) area is home to a cluster of nightclubs, bars, restaurants, a movie theater, shops, and apartments and condominiums, many of which make use of historical warehouse-type spaces.

Two notable residential areas of Wichita are Riverside and College Hill. Riverside is northwest of downtown, across the Arkansas River, and surrounds the 120-acre (0.49 km²) Riverside Park.^[83] College Hill is east of downtown and south of Wichita State University. It is one of the more historic neighborhoods, along with Delano on the west side and Midtown in the north-central city.^[84]

Four other historic neighborhoods—developed in southeast Wichita (particularly near Boeing, Cessna and Beech aircraft plants) -- are among the nation's few remaining examples of U.S. government-funded temporary World War II housing developments to support war factory personnel: Beechwood (now mostly demolished), Oaklawn, Hilltop (the city's highest-density large neighborhood), and massive Planeview (where over 30 languages are spoken) -- in all, home to about a fifth of the city's population at their peak. Though designed as temporary housing, all have remained occupied into the 21st century, most becoming low-income neighborhoods.^{[85][86][87][88][89]}

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	689		—
1880	4,911		612.8%
1890	23,853		385.7%
1900	24,671		3.4%
1910	52,450		112.6%
1920	72,217		37.7%
1930	111,110		53.9%
1940	114,966		3.5%
1950	168,279		46.4%
1960	254,698		51.4%
1970	276,554		8.6%
1980	279,272		1.0%
1990	304,011		8.9%
2000	344,284		13.2%
2010	382,368		11.1%
2020	397,532		4.0%
2023 (est.)	396,119	[7]	−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[90] 2010–2020[6]

In terms of population, Wichita is the largest city in Kansas and the 51st largest city in the United States, according to the 2020 census.^[6]

Wichita has an extensive history of attracting immigrants. Starting in 1895, a population of Lebanese Americans moved to the city, many of whom were Orthodox Christians. A second wave of Lebanese migrants moved to Wichita to flee the Civil War in their homeland.^[91] Thousands of immigrants from Vietnam moved to Wichita in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.^[92]

Wichita, Kansas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop. 2000[93]	Pop. 2010[94]	Pop. 2020[95]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	246,924	246,744	233,703	71.72%	64.53%	58.79%
Black or African American alone (NH)	38,732	42,676	42,228	11.25%	11.16%	10.62%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	3,525	3,424	3,400	1.02%	0.90%	0.86%
Asian alone (NH)	13,543	18,272	19,991	3.93%	4.78%	5.03%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	168	311	429	0.05%	0.08%	0.11%
Other race alone (NH)	528	472	1,585	0.15%	0.12%	0.40%
Mixed race or multiracial (NH)	7,752	12,121	23,410	2.25%	3.17%	5.89%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	33,112	58,348	72,786	9.62%	15.26%	18.31%
Total	344,284	382,368	397,532	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

The 2020 United States census counted 397,532 people, 154,683 households, and 92,969 families in Wichita. The population density was 2,454.1 per square mile (947.5/km²). There were 172,801 housing units at an average density of 1,066.7 per square mile (411.9/km²).^[96]

The U.S. census accounts for race by two methodologies. "Race alone" and "Race alone less Hispanics" where Hispanics are delineated separately as if a separate race.

The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 63.39% (251,997) white, 10.95% (43,537) black or African-American, 1.33% (5,296) Native American, 5.09% (20,225) Asian, 0.12% (482) Pacific Islander, 7.41% (29,444) from other races, and 11.71% (46,551) from two or more races.^[97]

The racial and ethnic makeup (where Hispanics are excluded from the racial counts and placed in their own category) was 58.79% (233,703) White (non-Hispanic), 10.62% (42,228) Black (non-Hispanic), 0.86% (3,400) Native American (non-Hispanic), 5.03% (19,991) Asian (non-Hispanic), 0.11% (429) Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic), 0.40% (1,585) from other race (non-Hispanic), 5.89% (23,410) from two or more races, and 18.31% (72,786) Hispanic or Latino.^[95]

Of the 154,683 households, 26.6% had children under the age of 18; 42.6% were married couples living together; 29.4% had a female householder with no spouse present. 33.2% of households consisted of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.2.

24.6% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 95.7 males.

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey^[98] estimates show that the median household income was $53,466 (with a margin of error of +/- $1,028) and the median family income $69,930 (+/- $1,450). Males had a median income of $38,758 (+/- $1,242) versus $26,470 (+/- $608) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $31,875 (+/- $408). Approximately, 10.9% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under the age of 18 and 8.7% of those ages 65 or over.

As of the census of 2010, 382,368 people, 151,818 households, and 94,862 families were residing in the city. The population density was 2,304.8 inhabitants per square mile (889.9/km²). The 167,310 housing units had an average density of 1,022.1 per square mile (394.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.9% White, 11.5% African American, 4.8% Asian, 1.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.2% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 15.3% of the population.^[99]

Of the 151,818 households, 33.4% had children under 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were not families. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48, and the average family size was 3.14.^[99]

The median age in the city was 33.9 years; 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between 18 and 24; 26.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11.5% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.^[99]

The median income for a household in the city was $44,477, and for a family was $57,088. Males had a median income of $42,783 versus $32,155 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,517. About 12.1% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.^[99]

Wichita is the principal city of both the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and the Wichita-Winfield Combined Statistical Area (CSA).^[100][101] The Wichita MSA encompasses Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey, and Sumner counties and, as of 2010, had a population of 623,061, making it the 84th largest MSA in the United States.^{[100][102][103]}

The larger Wichita-Winfield CSA also includes Cowley County and, as of 2013, had an estimated population of 673,598.^[104] Nearby Reno County is not a part of the Wichita MSA or Wichita-Winfield CSA, but, were it included, it would add an additional population of 64,511 as of 2010.^[105]

It is the birthplace of famous restaurants such as White Castle and Pizza Hut.^[106][107] A survey of well-known Kansas-based brands conducted by RSM Marketing Services and the Wichita Consumer Research Center showed many of the top-25 Kansas-based brands such as Koch, Coleman, Cessna, Pizza Hut, Beechcraft, Freddy's, and more are based in Wichita.^[108]

Wichita's principal industrial sector is manufacturing, which accounted for 21.6% of area employment in 2003. Aircraft manufacturing has long dominated the local economy, and plays such an important role that it has the ability to influence the economic health of the entire region; the state offers tax breaks and other incentives to aircraft manufacturers.^[109]

Healthcare is Wichita's second-largest industry, employing about 28,000 people in the local area. Since healthcare needs remain fairly consistent regardless of the economy, this field was not subject to the same pressures that affected other industries in the early 2000s. The Kansas Spine Hospital opened in 2004, as did a critical-care tower at Wesley Medical Center.^[110] In July 2010, Via Christi Health, which is the largest provider of healthcare services in Kansas, opened a hospital that will serve the northwest area of Wichita. Via Christi Hospital on St. Teresa is the system's fifth hospital to serve the Wichita community.^[111] In 2016, Wesley Healthcare opened Wesley Children's Hospital, the first and only children's hospital in the Wichita area.^[112]

Thanks to the early 20th-century oil boom in neighboring Butler County, Kansas, Wichita became a major oil town, with dozens of oil-exploration companies and support enterprises. Most famous of these was Koch Industries, today a global natural-resources conglomerate. The city was also at one time the headquarters of the former Derby Oil Company, which was purchased by Coastal Corporation in 1988.

Koch Industries and Cargill, the two largest privately held companies in the United States,^[113] both operate headquarters facilities in Wichita. Koch Industries' primary global corporate headquarters is in a large office-tower complex in northeast Wichita. Cargill Meat Solutions Div., at one time the nation's third-largest beef producer, is headquartered downtown. Other firms with headquarters in Wichita include roller-coaster manufacturer Chance Morgan, gourmet food retailer Dean & Deluca, renewable energy company Alternative Energy Solutions, and Coleman Company, a manufacturer of camping and outdoor recreation supplies. Air Midwest, the nation's first officially certificated "commuter" airline, was founded and headquartered in Wichita and evolved into the nation's eighth-largest regional airline prior to its dissolution in 2008.^[114]

As of 2013, 68.2% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force; 0.6% was in the armed forces, and 67.6% was in the civilian labor force with 61.2% employed and 6.4% unemployed. The occupational composition of the employed civilian labor force was 33.3% in management, business, science, and arts; 25.1% in sales and office occupations; 17.2% in service occupations; 14.0% in production, transportation, and material moving; and 10.4% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were educational services, health care, and social assistance (22.3%); manufacturing (19.2%); and retail trade (11.0%).^[99]

The cost of living in Wichita is below average; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the city is 84.0.^[115] As of 2013, the median home value in the city was $117,500, the median selected monthly owner cost was $1,194 for housing units with a mortgage and $419 for those without, and the median gross rent was $690.^[99]

From the early to late 20th century, aircraft pioneers such as Clyde Cessna, Emil Matthew "Matty" Laird, Lloyd Stearman, Walter Beech, Al Mooney and Bill Lear began aircraft-manufacturing enterprises that led to Wichita becoming the nation's leading city in numbers of aircraft produced, earning Wichita, in 1928, the 1929 title "Air Capital City" from the nation's Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce — a title the city would claim permanently.^{[13][116][117][118]}

The aircraft corporations E. M. Laird Aviation Company (the nation's first successful commercial airplane manufacturer), Travel Air (started by Beech, Stearman, and Cessna), Stearman, Cessna, Beechcraft, and Mooney were all founded in Wichita between 1920 and early 1932.^{[116][117][118][14]} By 1931, Boeing (of Seattle, Washington) had absorbed Stearman, creating "Boeing-Wichita", which would eventually grow to become Kansas' largest employer.^{[15][119][120]} During World War II, employment peak at Boeing-Wichita was 29,795 in December 1943.^[121]

Today, Cessna Aircraft Co. (the world's highest-volume airplane manufacturer) and Beechcraft remain based in Wichita, having merged into Textron Aviation in 2014, along with Learjet and Boeing's chief sub-assembly supplier, Spirit AeroSystems. Airbus maintains a workforce in Wichita, and Bombardier (parent company of Learjet) has other divisions in Wichita, as well. Over 50 other aviation businesses operate in the Wichita MSA, as well as over 350 suppliers and subcontractors to the local aircraft manufacturers. In total, Wichita and its companies have manufactured an estimated 250,000 aircraft since Clyde Cessna's first Wichita-built aircraft in 1916.^{[15][16][116][117][13]}

In the early 2000s, a national and international recession combined with the after-effects of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to depress the aviation subsector in and around Wichita. Orders for new aircraft plummeted, prompting Wichita's five largest aircraft manufacturers, Boeing Co., Cessna Aircraft Co., Bombardier Learjet Inc., Hawker Beechcraft, and Raytheon Aircraft Co.—to slash a combined 15,000 jobs between 2001 and 2004. In response, these companies began developing small- and mid-sized airplanes to appeal to business and corporate users.^[110]

In 2007, Wichita built 977 aircraft, ranging from single-engine light aircraft to the world's fastest civilian jet; one-fifth of the civilian aircraft produced in United States that year, plus numerous small military aircraft.^{[117][16][122]} In early 2012, Boeing announced it would be closing its Wichita plant by the end of 2013,^[120][123] which paved the road for Spirit Aerosystems to open its plant (actually, the Boeing-Wichita factory, still producing the same aircraft assemblies for Boeing, but officially under a different corporation).^[13][124]

Wichita is home to several art museums and performing arts groups. The Wichita Art Museum is the largest art museum in the state of Kansas and contains 7,000 works in permanent collections.^[125] The Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University is a modern and contemporary art museum with over 6,300 works in its permanent collection.^[126]

Wichita is the music hub of central Kansas, and draws major acts from around the world, performing at various concert halls, arenas, and stadiums around the area. Most major rock'n'roll and pop-music stars, and virtually all country music stars, perform there during their career.^{[citation needed]}

Music Theatre Wichita, Wichita Grand Opera (both nationally renowned),^[127] and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra perform regularly at the Century II Convention Hall downtown. Concerts are also regularly performed by the nationally noted schools of music at Wichita's two largest universities.^[127][128]

The Orpheum Theatre, a classic movie palace built in 1922, serves as a downtown venue for smaller shows. The Cotillion, a special events facility built in 1960, serves a similar purpose as a music venue.

The Wichita River Festival has been held in the Downtown and Old Town areas of the city since 1972. It has featured events, musical entertainment, sporting events, traveling exhibits, cultural and historical activities, plays, interactive children's events, a flea market, river events, a parade, block parties, a food court, fireworks, and souvenirs for the roughly 370,000+ patrons who attend each year.^[129] In 2011, the festival was moved from May to June because of rain during previous festivals. The Wichita River Festival has seen immense growth, with record numbers in 2016 and again in 2018.^[130] Much of that growth is attributed to attractive musical acts at the festival.^[131]

Wichita customarily holds major parades for the River Festival, Christmas season (shortly after Thanksgiving), Veterans Day, Juneteenth, and St. Patrick's Day.^[132]

The annual Wichita Black Arts Festival, held in the spring, celebrates the arts, crafts, and creativity of Wichita's large African-American community. It usually takes place in Central-Northeast Wichita. A Juneteenth event and parade also are common annual events.

The annual Wichita Asian Festival, usually held at Century II in October, displays the native arts, crafts, cultural performances and foods of Wichita's large, diverse Asian community from the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia. The event includes many varied performances of Asian music, dance, acrobatics and martial arts, talent pageant, and vendors of Asian arts and crafts.^{[133][134][135][136]} Dozens of food vendors serve the cuisine of most Asian nations.^{[137][135][134]}

The International Student Association at Wichita State University presents an annual international cultural exhibition and food festival, on the campus at WSU, providing an inexpensive sampling of global culture and cuisine to the general public.

One or more large Renaissance fairs occur annually, including the "RenFair" in conjunction with the "Kingdom of Calontir" of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). The fairs vary in length from one day to a week, typically at Sedgwick County Park or Newman University.

The Wichita Public Library's Academy Awards Shorts program is reportedly the oldest annual, complete, free public screening outside of Hollywood of the full array of short films nominated for an Academy Award ("Oscar"). In late winter, shortly before the Academy Awards ceremonies, the films—including all nominated documentary, live action, and animated shorts—are presented, free, at the Library and in local theaters and other venues around Wichita. Wichita's former Congressman, Motion Picture Association President Dan Glickman, has served as honorary chair of the event, and some of the filmmakers have attended and visited with the audiences.^{[138][139][140][141][142][143]}

The Tallgrass Film Festival has been held in downtown Wichita since 2003. It draws over 100 independent feature and short films from all over the world for three days each October. Notable people from the entertainment industry have attended the festival.^[144]

Aviation-related events are common in the Wichita area, including air shows, fly-ins, air races, aviation conferences, exhibitions, and trade shows. The city's two main air shows, which are generally held in alternating years, are the city-sponsored civilian Wichita Flight Festival^[145] (originally the "Kansas Flight Festival") and the military-sponsored McConnell Air Force Base Open House and Airshow.^[146]

A wide range of car shows are also common in Wichita,^{[147][148][149][150]} including the Blacktop Nationals,^{[151][152][153]} the Automobilia show (claiming over 1,000 vehicles on display^[154]),^[155] and the Riverfest Classic Car Show,^[156] each of which fill much of downtown Wichita.^{[152][155][156]} Wichita is also home to the large Cars for Charities Rod & Custom Car Show (started in 1957 as the Darryl Starbird Show), one of the longest-running indoor car shows in the nation.^{[157][158][159][160]}

Museums and landmarks devoted to science, culture, and area history are located throughout the city. Several lie along the Arkansas River west of downtown, including the Exploration Place science and discovery center, the Mid-America All-Indian Center, the Old Cowtown living history museum, and The Keeper of the Plains statue and its associated display highlighting the daily lives of Plains Indians. The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum in downtown Wichita occupies the original Wichita city hall, built in 1892. The museum contains artifacts that tell the story of Wichita and Sedgwick County starting from 1865 and continuing to the present day.^[161] Nearby is the 1913 Sedgwick County Memorial Hall and Soldiers and Sailors Monument. East of downtown is the Museum of World Treasures and railroad-oriented Great Plains Transportation Museum. The Coleman Factory Outlet and Museum was at 235 N St. Francis street and was the home of the Coleman Lantern until it closed in 2018.^[162] Wichita State University hosts the Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology. The Kansas Aviation Museum, housed in the Terminal and Administration building of the former Municipal Airport, is in southeast Wichita adjacent to McConnell Air Force Base. The Original Pizza Hut Museum is also located on the Wichita State University campus for pizza lovers and fans to visit.

The Sedgwick County Zoo in the northwest part of Wichita is the most popular outdoor tourist attraction in the state of Kansas, and is home to more than 2,500 animals representing 500 different species.^[163] The zoo is next to Sedgwick County Park and the Sedgwick County Extension Arboretum.

Intrust Bank Arena is the city's primary event venue, featuring 22 suites, 2 party suites, 40 loge boxes and over 300 premium seats with a total potential capacity of over 15,000.^[164] This arena in the middle of Wichita opened in January 2010.^[165]

Located immediately east of downtown is Old Town, the city's entertainment district. In the early 1990s, developers transformed it from an old warehouse district into a mixed-zone neighborhood with residential space, nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, and museums.^[166]

Moody's Skidrow Beanery, at 625 E. Douglas in what was to become Old Town, was one of the more famous places in Wichita in the 1960s. It was the scene of a nationally followed First Amendment struggle^[167] and was visited by Allen Ginsberg in 1966 (the name had been changed to the Magic Theatre Vortex Art Gallery) where he first read his long poem "Wichita Vortex Sutra."

Wichita is also home to two major indoor shopping malls: Towne East Square, managed by Simon Property Group, and Towne West Square. Towne East is home to four anchor stores and has more than 100 tenants. Towne West Square, which was put into foreclosure in 2019,^[168] was still operational as of 2021. The oldest mall, Wichita Mall, was for many years largely a dead mall, but has since been converted into office space.^[169] There are also two large outdoor shopping centers, Bradley Fair (which hosts jazz concerts and art festivals) located on the city's northeast side and New Market Square located on the city's northwest side. Each establishment consists of over 50 stores spread out on several acres.

In 1936, the Wichita post office contained two oil-on-canvas murals, Kansas Farming, painted by Richard Haines and Pioneer in Kansas by Ward Lockwood. Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department. The post office building became the Federal Courthouse at 401 N. Market Street and the murals are on display in the lobby.^[170]

Wichita also has a number of parks and recreational areas such as Riverside Park, College Hill Park, and McAdams Park.

The Wichita Public Library is the city's library system, presently consisting of a central facility, the Advanced Learning Library in Delano and six branch locations in other neighborhoods around the city.^[171] The library operates several free programs for the public, including special events, technology training classes, and programs specifically for adults, children, and families.^[172] As of 2009, its holdings included more than 1.3 million books and 2.2 million items total.^[173]

Wichita is home to several professional, semi-professional, non-professional, and collegiate sports teams. Professional teams include the Wichita Thunder ice hockey team and the Wichita Force indoor football team. The Wichita Wind Surge, a Minor League Baseball team of the Double-A Central play at Riverfront Stadium on the site of the former Lawrence–Dumont Stadium.^[174] Their 2020 debut was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[175] In 2021, the team dropped down to the Double-A Central (From Triple-A) without having played a Triple-A game due to Major League Baseball's realignment of the minor leagues. The city hosts the Air Capital Classic, a professional golf tournament of the Korn Ferry Tour first played in 1990.

Defunct professional teams which used to play in Wichita include the Wichita Aeros and Wichita Wranglers baseball teams, the Wichita Wings indoor soccer team, the Wichita Wind (farm team to the Edmonton Oilers National Hockey League team in the early 1980s) and the Wichita Wild indoor football team. Semi-pro teams included the Kansas Cougars and Kansas Diamondbacks football teams.^[176][177] Non-professional teams included the Wichita Barbarians rugby union team and the Wichita World 11 cricket team.^[178][179]

Collegiate teams based in the city include the Wichita State University Shockers, Newman University Jets, and the Friends University Falcons. The WSU Shockers are NCAA Division I teams that compete in men's and women's basketball, baseball, volleyball, track and field, tennis, and bowling. The Newman Jets are NCAA Division II teams that compete in baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, wrestling, volleyball, and cheer/dance. The Friends Falcons compete in Region IV of the NAIA in football, volleyball, soccer, cross country, basketball, tennis, track and field, and golf.

Several sports venues are in and around the city. Intrust Bank Arena, downtown, is a 15,000-seat multi-purpose arena that is home to the Wichita Thunder. Lawrence–Dumont Stadium, just west of downtown, was a medium-sized baseball stadium that has been home to Wichita's various minor-league baseball teams over the years. It was also home to the minor-league National Baseball Congress and the site of the Congress's annual National Tournament.

Wichita Ice Arena, just west of downtown, is a public ice-skating rink used for ice-skating competitions. Century II has been used for professional wrestling tournaments, gardening shows, sporting-goods exhibitions, and other recreational activities. The WSU campus includes two major venues: Eck Stadium, a medium-sized stadium with a full-sized baseball field that is home to the WSU Shocker baseball team, and Charles Koch Arena, a medium-sized, dome-roofed circular arena with a collegiate basketball court that hosts the WSU Shocker basketball team. Koch Arena is also used extensively for citywide and regional high school athletic events, concerts, and other entertainments. Just north of the city is 81 Motor Speedway, an oval motor-vehicle racetrack used extensively for a wide range of car, truck, and motorcycle races, and other motorsports events. Neighboring Park City is home to Hartman Arena and the Sam Fulco Pavilions, a moderate-capacity low-roofed arena developed for small rodeos, horse shows, livestock competitions, and exhibitions.

Wichita is also home to two sports museums, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.^[180][181]

Team	Founded	League	Sport
Wichita Thunder	1992	ECHL	Ice hockey
Wichita Wind Surge	2020	Double-A Central	Baseball
Wichita Wings	2019	MASL 2	Indoor soccer

School	School nickname	Level	# of teams
Wichita State University	Shockers	NCAA Division I	15
Newman University	Jets	NCAA Division II	16
Friends University	Falcons	NAIA	15

Under state statute, Wichita is a city of the first class.^[182] Since 1917, it has had a council–manager form of government.^[183] The city council consists of seven members popularly elected every four years with staggered terms in office. For representative purposes, the city is divided into six districts with one council member elected from each. The mayor is the seventh council member, elected at large. The council sets policy for the city, enacts laws and ordinances, levies taxes, approves the city budget, and appoints members to citizen commission and advisory boards.^[184] It meets each Tuesday.^[182] The city manager is the city's chief executive, responsible for administering city operations and personnel, submitting the annual city budget, advising the city council, preparing the council's agenda, and oversight of non-departmental activities.^[183] As of 2024, the city council consists of Mayor Lily Wu, Brandon Johnson (District 1), Becky Tuttle (District 2), Mike Hoheisel (District 3), Dalton Glasscock (District 4), J.V. Johnston (District 5), and Maggie Ballard (District 6).^[185] The city manager is Robert Layton.^[186]

The Wichita Police Department, established in 1871, is the city's law enforcement agency.^[187] With over 800 employees, including more than 600 commissioned officers, it is the largest law enforcement agency in Kansas.^[188] The Wichita Fire Department, organized in 1886, operates 22 stations throughout the city. Organized into four battalions, it employs over 400 full-time firefighters.^[189]

As the county seat, Wichita is the administrative center of Sedgwick County. The county courthouse is downtown, and most departments of the county government base their operations in the city.^[190]

Many departments and agencies of the U.S. Government have facilities in Wichita. The Wichita U.S. Courthouse, also downtown, is one of the three courthouses of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.^[191] The U.S. Air Force operates McConnell Air Force Base immediately southeast of the city.^[192] The campus of the Robert J. Dole Department of Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center is on U.S. 54 in east Wichita.^[193] Other agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation,^[194] Food and Drug Administration,^[195] and Internal Revenue Service^[196] among others, have offices around the city.

Wichita lies within Kansas's 4th U.S. Congressional District, represented since 2017 by Republican Ron Estes. For the purposes of representation in the Kansas Legislature, the city is in the 16th and 25th through 32nd districts of the Kansas Senate and the 81st, 83rd through 101st, 103rd, and 105th districts of the Kansas House of Representatives.^[182]

With over 50,000 students, Wichita USD 259 is the largest school district in Kansas.^[197] It operates more than 90 schools in the city including 12 high schools, 16 middle schools, 61 elementary schools, and more than a dozen special schools and programs.^[198] Outlying portions of Wichita lie within suburban public unified school districts including Andover USD 385, Circle USD 375, Derby USD 260, Goddard USD 265, Haysville USD 261, Maize USD 266, and Valley Center USD 262. Some of these schools, despite being in other school districts, are within the Wichita city limits.^[199]

There are more than 35 private and parochial schools in Wichita.^[200] The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita oversees 16 Catholic schools in the city including 14 elementary schools and two high schools, Bishop Carroll Catholic High School and Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School.^[201] The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod operates three Lutheran schools in the city, Bethany Lutheran School (Grades PK-5), Holy Cross Lutheran School (PK-8), and Concordia Academy (9-12).^[202][203] There are also two Seventh-day Adventist schools in Wichita, Three Angels School (K-8) and Wichita Adventist Christian Academy (K-10).^[204][205] Other Christian schools in the city are Calvary Christian School (PK-12), Central Christian Academy (K-10), Classical School of Wichita (K-12), Sunrise Christian Academy (PK-12), Trinity Academy (K-12), Wichita Friends School (PK-6), and Word of Life Traditional School (K-12). In addition, there is an Islamic school, Annoor School (PK-8), operated by the Islamic Society of Wichita. Unaffiliated private schools in the city include Wichita Collegiate School, The Independent School, and Northfield School of the Liberal Arts, as well as three Montessori schools.^[206]

Wichita has several colleges, universities, technical schools and branch campuses of other universities around the state. These include the following:

• Wichita State University
• Friends University
• Newman University
• University of Kansas - School of Medicine Wichita Campus (KU Wichita)
• Wichita Technical Institute

Three universities have their main campuses in Wichita. The largest is Wichita State University (WSU), a public research university classified by Carnegie as "R2: Doctoral Universities – Higher Research Activity." WSU has more than 14,000 students and is the third-largest university in Kansas.^[207][208] WSU's main campus is in northeast Wichita with multiple satellite campuses around the metro area.^[209] Friends University, a private, non-denominational Christian university, has its main campus in west Wichita as does Newman University, a private Catholic university.^[210][211] Wichita Area Technical College, founded in 1995, was merged into Wichita State University's College of Applied Sciences and Technology in 2018, and is now known as WSU Tech.

Several colleges and universities based outside Wichita operate satellite locations in and around the city. The University of Kansas School of Medicine has one of its three campuses in Wichita.^[212] Baker University, Butler Community College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Southwestern College, Tabor College, Vatterott College, and Webster University have Wichita facilities as do for-profit institutions including Heritage College and University of Phoenix.^{[213][214][215][216]}

The Wichita Eagle, which began publication in 1872, is the city's major daily newspaper.^[217] It was founded and edited for forty years by Marshall Murdock (1837-1908), a major player in local and state Republican politics, as well as doubling as postmaster.^[218] Colloquially known as The Eagle. In 1960, the Wichita Eagle purchased Beacon Newspaper Corp. After purchasing the paper, the Wichita Eagle begin publishing the Eagle, which was a morning and afternoon newspaper, and the Beacon which was the evening paper.^[219] The Wichita Business Journal is a weekly newspaper that covers local business events and developments.^[220] Several other newspapers and magazines, including local lifestyle, neighborhood, and demographically focused publications are also published in the city.^[221] These include: The Community Voice, a weekly African American community newspaper;^[222] El Perico, a monthly Hispanic community newspaper;^[223][224] The Liberty Press, monthly LGBT news;^[225] Splurge!, a monthly local fashion and lifestyle magazine;^[226] The Sunflower, the Wichita State University student newspaper.^[227] The Wichita media market also includes local newspapers in several surrounding suburban communities.

The Wichita radio market includes Sedgwick County and neighboring Butler and Harvey counties.^[228] Six AM and more than a dozen FM radio stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from the city.^[229]

Wichita is the principal city of the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market, which comprises the western two-thirds of the state.^[230] All of the market's network affiliates broadcast from Wichita with the ABC, CBS, CW, FOX and NBC affiliates serving the wider market through state networks of satellite and translator stations.^{[231][232][233][234][235][236]} The city also hosts a PBS member station, a Univision affiliate, and several low-power stations.^[237][238]

The 1980 horror film, The Attic, was set and filmed in Wichita.^[239][240] Scenes from the films Mars Attacks! and Twister were filmed in Wichita.^[241]

Wichita suffered severe floods of the Arkansas river in 1877, 1904, 1916, 1923, 1944, 1951 and 1955. In 1944 the city flooded 3 times in 11 days.^[242] As a result of the 1944 flood, the idea for the Wichita-Valley Center Floodway (locally known as the "Big Ditch") was conceived. The project was completed in 1958. The Big Ditch diverts part of the Arkansas River's flow around west-central Wichita, running roughly parallel to the Interstate 235 bypass.^[64][243] A second flood control canal lies between the lanes of Interstate 135, running south through the central part of the city. Chisholm Creek is diverted into this canal for most of its length.^[64][244] The city's flood defenses were tested in the Great Flood of 1993. Flooding that year kept the Big Ditch full for more than a month and caused $6 million of damage to the flood control infrastructure. The damage was not fully repaired until 2007.^[245] In 2019, the Floodway was renamed the MS Mitch Mitchell Floodway in honor of the man credited for its creation.^[246]

Evergy provides electricity.^[247] Kansas Gas Service provides natural gas.^[248] The City of Wichita provide water and sewer.^[249] Multiple privately owned trash haulers, licensed by the county government, offer trash removal and recycling service.^[250] Cox Communications and Spectrum offer cable television, and AT&T U-Verse offers IPTV.^[251] All three also offer home telephone and broadband internet service.^[252] Satellite TV is offered by DIRECTV and DISH. Satellite internet is available from Viasat, Hughes, and soon Starlink.

Ascension Via Christi operates three general medical and surgical hospitals in Wichita—Via Christi Hospital St. Francis, Via Christi Hospital St. Joseph, and Via Christi Hospital St. Teresa—and other specialized medical facilities.^[253] The Hospital Corporation of America manages a fourth general hospital, Wesley Medical Center, along with satellite locations around the city.^[254] All four hospitals provide emergency services. In addition, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs runs the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, a primary and secondary care facility for U.S. military veterans.^[193]

The average commute time in Wichita was 18.2 minutes from 2013 to 2017.^[255] Several federal and state highways pass through the city. Interstate 35, as the Kansas Turnpike, enters the city from the south and turns northeast, running along the city's southeastern edge and exiting through the eastern part of the city. Interstate 135 runs generally north-south through the city, its southern terminus lying at its interchange with I-35 in south-central Wichita. Interstate 235, a bypass route, passes through north-central, west, and south-central Wichita, traveling around the central parts of the city. Both its northern and southern termini are interchanges with I-135. U.S. Route 54 and U.S. Route 400 run concurrently through Wichita as Kellogg Avenue, the city's primary east-west artery, with interchanges, from west to east, with I-235, I-135, and I-35. U.S. Route 81, a north–south route, enters Wichita from the south as Broadway, turns east as 47th Street South for approximately half a mile, and then runs concurrently north with I-135 through the rest of the city. K-96, an east–west route, enters the city from the northwest, runs concurrently with I-235 through north-central Wichita, turns south for approximately a mile, running concurrently with I-135 before splitting off to the east and traveling around northeast Wichita, ultimately terminating at an interchange with U.S. 54/U.S. 400 in the eastern part of the city. K-254 begins at I-235's interchange with I-135 in north-central Wichita and exits the city to the northeast. K-15, a north–south route, enters the city from the south and joins I-135 and U.S. 81 in south-central Wichita, running concurrently with them through the rest of the city. K-42 enters the city from the southwest and terminates at its interchange with U.S. 54/U.S. 400 in west-central Wichita.^[64]

Wichita Transit operates 53 buses on 18 fixed bus routes within the city. The organization reports over 2 million trips per year (5,400 trips per day) on its fixed routes. Wichita Transit also operates a demand response paratransit service with 320,800 passenger trips annually.^[256] A 2005 study ranked Wichita near the bottom of the fifty largest American cities in terms of percentage of commuters using public transit. Only 0.5% used it to get to or from work.^[257]

Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service northeast to Topeka and south to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Bus service is provided daily north towards Salina and west towards Pueblo, Colorado by BeeLine Express (subcontractor of Greyhound Lines).^[258][259] The Greyhound bus station that was built in 1961 at 312 S Broadway closed in 2016, and services relocated 1 block northeast to the Wichita Transit station at 777 E Waterman.^[260]

The Wichita Airport Authority manages the city's two main public airports, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Colonel James Jabara Airport.^[261] Located in the western part of the city, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport is the city's primary airport as well as the largest airport in Kansas.^[64][261] Seven commercial airlines (Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest & United) serve Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport with non-stop flights to several U.S. airline hubs.^[262] Jabara Airport is a general aviation facility on the city's northeast side.^[263] The city also has several privately owned airports. Cessna Aircraft Field and Beech Factory Airport, operated by manufacturers Cessna and Beechcraft, respectively, lie in east Wichita.^[264][265] Two smaller airports, Riverside Airport and Westport Airport, are in west Wichita.^[266][267]

Two Class I railroads, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad (UP), operate freight rail lines through Wichita.^[268] UP's OKT Line runs generally north-south through the city; north of downtown, the line consists of trackage leased to BNSF.^[64][269] An additional UP line enters the city from the northeast and terminates downtown.^[64] BNSF's main line through the city enters from the north, passes through downtown, and exits to the southeast, paralleling highway K-15.^[64][270] The Wichita Terminal Association, a joint operation between BNSF and UP, provides switching service on three miles (5 km) of track downtown.^[271] In addition, two lines of the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad enter the city, one from the northwest and the other from the southwest, both terminating at their junction in west-central Wichita.^[64]

Wichita has not had passenger rail service since 1979.^[272] The nearest Amtrak station is in Newton 25 miles (40 km) north, offering service on the Southwest Chief line between Los Angeles and Chicago.^[268] Amtrak offers bus service from downtown Wichita to its station in Newton as well as to its station in Oklahoma City, the northern terminus of the Heartland Flyer line.^[273]

A 2014 study by Walk Score ranked Wichita 41st most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities.^[274]

After numerous citizen surveys showed Wichitans want better bicycle infrastructure, The Wichita Bicycle Master Plan, a set of guidelines toward the development of a 149-mile Priority Bicycle Network, was endorsed by the Wichita City Council on February 5, 2013, as a guide to future infrastructure planning and development. As a result, Wichita's bikeways covered 115 miles of the city by 2018. One-third of the bikeways were added between 2011, when the plan was still in development, and 2018.^[275][276]

Wichita is mentioned in the 1968 hit song "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell. It is also mentioned in the songs "I've Been Everywhere", and "Seven Nation Army".

Allen Ginsberg wrote about a visit to Wichita in his poem "Wichita Vortex Sutra", for which Philip Glass subsequently wrote a solo piano piece.^[277]

The stage play Hospitality Suite takes place in Wichita as does its 1999 film adaptation, The Big Kahuna.^[278] The city is the setting for the comic strip Dennis the Menace.^[279]

The films Wichita (1955) and portions of Wyatt Earp (1994), both of which dramatize the life and career of former Wichita lawman Wyatt Earp, are set in Wichita,^[280][281] as were early episodes of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955-1961),^[282][283] the first adult-oriented western TV series.^[284][285] The short-lived 1959–1960 television western Wichita Town was set during the city's early years.^[286]

Other films wholly or partially set in the city include Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1979),^[287] Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987),^[288] The Ice Harvest (2005),^[289] and Knight and Day (2010). In the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven, the lead character is identified as a Wichita lawman.^[290][291]

Wichita's Old Cowtown Museum, a re-creation of early Wichita, has served as a setting for various western- and pioneer-themed films,^[292] including two of the Sarah Plain and Tall trilogy.^[293][294] A Wichita-area airport served as settings for The Gypsy Moths.^[295][296]

• Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico - November 25, 1975^[297]
• Kaifeng, Henan, China - December 3, 1985^[298]
• Orléans, Loiret, France - August 16, 1944,^[299][300] through Sister Cities International
• Tlalnepantla de Baz, State of Mexico, Mexico^[301]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Sedgwick County, Kansas
• Abilene Trail
• Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway
• Joyland Amusement Park
• Wichita Public Schools
• McConnell Air Force Base
• USS Wichita, 3 ships

• Wichita : Illustrated History 1868 to 1880; Eunice S. Chapter; 52 pages; 1914. (Download 3MB PDF eBook)
• History of Wichita and Sedgwick County Kansas : Past and present, including an account of the cities, towns, and villages of the county; 2 Volumes; O.H. Bentley; C.F. Cooper & Co; 454 / 479 pages; 1910. (Volume1 - Download 20MB PDF eBook), (Volume2 - Download 31MB PDF eBook)

• City of Wichita
• Wichita - Directory of Public Officials
• Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce
• Wichita Photo Archives - Wichita State University
• Wichita city map, KSDOT