Everywhere you’ve driven this last month you’ve probably spotted an orange cone — or two dozen. Johnson County is among one of several counties undergoing massive changes as Kansas becomes a more desirable place to live.
According to Aterio.io the population in Kansas grew about 48% in 2023 and 65% in 2024.
Maybe it’s due to the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl wins or because of the Midwest charm it holds, but our metro is booming.
The highway renovations and neighborhood complexes that are popping up don’t go unnoticed. New schools are being built to keep up with the growing population, and in just 15 years, the Blue Valley School District added CAPS, Southwest High School, Aubry Bend Middle and Timber Creek Elementary. A new school will be feeding into Southwest come August 2026.
All these changes are happening farther south due to the dense population of northeastern Kansas. One popular development is the BluHawk Shopping Center.
Freshman Vida Williams goes to BluHawk weekly.
“I go there before church, to eat and hang out with my friends,” she said.
With dozens of stores and restaurants opening in the area, it is hard to choose just one to love.
“I’d either say Panera or Freddy’s [are my favorite] because you can eat and chill,” Williams said.
Eleven other students agree that either Panera or Freddy’s is their top pick. Several other students said Andy’s Frozen Custard is their go-to.
Besides food, the shopping and recreation offered is a hit among teens.
“I [also] love the new sports center they added,” Williams said. “That’s really cool.”
Sophomore Rayan Rastgoftar drafts the BluHawk Sports Center as his first pick as well.
“They have a variety of things you can do — there are arcade games, bowling and darts,” he said. “There’s also a bunch of recreational stuff, like basketball courts [and] a hockey arena, so you can do all sorts of things.”
With the evolution of Johnson County and its infrastructure, many opinions arise.
“I think it’s a lot different than what it was a few years ago,” Rastgoftar said. “Before, it had [only] a few locations [and] restaurants, but now they’ve expanded a lot. It’s growing, and I saw on a sign that they’re doing a bunch of development [and it’s going] to become a new, suburban center with a lot of shops.”
“I’m super excited,” Williams said. “There’s going to be so many new opportunities, places to explore and have fun with friends.”
