Wichita, city in south central Kansas and seat of Sedgwick County. It is located at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers. The largest city in the state, Wichita is one of the nation's principal aircraft-manufacturing centers; other products include computer, photographic, electronic, and camping equipment; chemicals; petroleum products; printed materials; amusement park rides; and a great variety of processed foods. McConnell Air Force Base is nearby. Wichita is a rail and highway junction and is served by Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. Wichita also is a regional health care and entertainment center.
The city is the site of Wichita State University (1895), Friends University (1898), Kansas Newman College (1933), and the University of Kansas School of Medicine (1979). Local attractions include the Mid-America All-Indian Center Museum, featuring a collection of artifacts from Plains, Southwest, Northwest Coast and Inuit peoples; the Omnisphere and Science Center, a planetarium; and the Kansas Aviation Museum, based in the former Wichita Air Terminal Building.
