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is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. The population was 26,760 at the 2000 census. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike. Emporia is the principal city of the Emporia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Lyon and Chase counties.
Located on upland prairie, Emporia was founded on February 20, 1857, drawing its name from ancient Carthaginian Africa. Emporia is particularly known for its newspaper, the
, published in the first half of the 20th century by the legendary newspaperman William Allen White. The paper became the widely perceived model of excellence in small-town journalism.
In 1953, Emporia was the site of the first Veterans Day observance in the United States. At the urging of local shoe cobbler Alvin J. King, U.S. Representative Edward Rees introduced legislation in The United States Congress to rename Armistice Day as Veterans Day. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law on October 8, 1954.
On June 8, 1974, an F4 tornado struck Emporia, killing six people, injuring 200 people, and causing $25 million in damages.