Shawnee, city, Johnson County, northeastern Kansas, a residential community near Kansas City; incorporated 1922. Veterinary supplies, dairy products, and cookware are produced locally. Situated on the old Santa Fe Trail, the city has numerous historic buildings, including its first house (1824). The Shawnee tribe, for whom the city is named, established their headquarters here in 1828. The partly restored Shawnee Methodist Mission (founded 1830s) is located nearby. In the 1850s the city (then known as Gum Springs) served briefly as the capital of Kansas Territory. Population 29,653 (1980); 37,993 (1990); 47,996 (2000).
