Merriam

History

Merriam was incorporated as a third class city on October 23, 1950, and established second class city status on January 18, 1957. The city was named in honor of Charles Merriam, a one-time secretary/treasurer of the then Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf railroad (later the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway) which ran through the area.

Geography

Merriam is bordered by the cities of Overland Park to the east and south, Shawnee to the west, and Kansas City, Kansas to the north (in Wyandotte County); the city of Lenexa is less than one mile to the southwest. The city straddles approximately three miles of Interstate 35 from near (southwest) of its junction with Interstate 635 south to 75th Street. Shawnee Mission Parkway, an east–west road, nearly bisects the city. U.S. Routes 59 and 69 follow the Interstate to the south of the city and follow Shawnee Mission Parkway to the east from its junction with the Interstate. Turkey Creek, following a roughly parallel path to the Interstate, flows through the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  29,581
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,876
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  23,526
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  23,270
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,630
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,757
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17,942
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  17,376

Most recent

• M 3.5 — 2024-03-15
  2 km NE of Ferrelview, Missouri
• M 2.6 — 2018-07-20
  1 km WNW of Saint Joseph, Missouri
• M 3.1 — 2007-03-23
  5 km N of Nortonville, Kansas
• M 3.3 — 2005-05-18
  Missouri