Editing Johnson County, Kansas (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Olathe kansas city hall 2009.jpg|thumb|right|[[Olathe, Kansas|Olathe]] City Hall (2009)]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|480|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|473|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|6.5|sqmi}} (1.4%) is water.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

===Topography===
The natural [[topography]] of the county consists of gently rolling terrain. The [[Kansas River]] forms a portion of the northwestern boundary of the county. The elevation generally increases from north to south as the distance from the Kansas and [[Missouri River|Missouri]] rivers increases.

===Watersheds and streams===
The county is drained by the watersheds of the [[Kansas River|Kansas]], [[Blue River (Missouri)|Blue]], and [[Marais des Cygnes River|Marais des Cygnes]], all of which are part of the [[Missouri River]] watershed. Located in northeastern Kansas, the county receives plentiful rainfall. The county contains numerous small streams, including Kill Creek, Mill Creek, Turkey Creek, Indian Creek, Brush Creek, Tomahawk Creek, the Blue River, Bull Creek and Little Bull Creek.

Kill Creek begins in the southwestern portion of the county and flows northward into the Kansas River at [[DeSoto, Kansas|De Soto]]. Mill Creek begins in the central portion of the county in Olathe, flowing northward it empties into the Kansas River at [[Shawnee, Kansas|Shawnee]]. Turkey Creek and Brush Creek each begin in northeastern Johnson County. Turkey Creek flows northeastward into [[Wyandotte County, Kansas|Wyandotte County]] and joins the [[Kansas River]] just before its confluence with the Missouri River at [[Kaw Point]]. Brush Creek flows east-northeastward through [[Prairie Village, Kansas|Prairie Village]] and [[Mission Hills, Kansas|Mission Hills]], entering Kansas City, Missouri, within the median of [[Ward Parkway]] and passing the [[Country Club Plaza]] before emptying into the Blue River east of the Country Club Plaza and north of [[Swope Park]]. Indian Creek begins in the southern portion of Olathe and Tomahawk Creek begins in southern Overland Park. Each flows northeastward meeting in [[Leawood, Kansas|Leawood]], where the stream retains the name of Indian Creek, just before crossing the state line and entering the [[Blue River (Missouri River tributary)|Blue River]] in Kansas City, Missouri. The Blue River begins in rural southern Johnson County and flows north-northeastward through the southeastern portion of the county and crossing the state line just east of the intersection of 151st Street and Kenneth Road in southern [[Overland Park]]. The Blue River flows through southern and eastern Kansas City before joining the Missouri River. Bull Creek and Little Bull Creek begin in rural southwestern Johnson County and flow southward where they enter [[Hillsdale Lake]] before continuing into [[Franklin County, Kansas|Franklin County]], eventually joining the Marais des Cygnes at [[Paola, Kansas|Paola]].

===Flora and fauna===
The county consists primarily of prairie grassland, with corridors of forested areas along streams and rivers.

===Adjacent counties===
* [[wyandotte County, Kansas|Wyandotte County]] (north)
* [[Jackson County, Missouri|Jackson County]], [[Missouri]] (east)
* [[Cass County, Missouri|Cass County]], [[Missouri]] (southeast)
* [[Miami County, Kansas|Miami County]] (south)
* [[Franklin County, Kansas|Franklin County]] (southwest)
* [[Douglas County, Kansas|Douglas County]] (west)
* [[Leavenworth County, Kansas|Leavenworth County]] (northwest)