Living in Olathe
Olathe is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, about 20 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City. It was incorporated in 1857 and became the county seat in 1859. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population at 150,025 on July 1, 2025, up from 141,291 in 2020, and the city covers 64.7 square miles of land.
The city has older blocks around the courthouse and Santa Fe Street, subdivisions from every decade since, and 1,684 homes built in 2020 or later (ACS 2020-2024). Browse homes for sale in Olathe, or compare it with Overland Park, Lenexa and Shawnee.
Tom Staats, REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty Partners in Overland Park, works with buyers and sellers in Olathe.
Where Olathe is and getting around
Olathe sits near the middle of Johnson County. I-35 runs through the city toward downtown Kansas City, sharing the road with US-56 and US-169, and it was completed through Olathe in 1961. K-7 runs north and south just west of downtown, and K-10 heads west to Lawrence.
From City Hall at 100 E. Santa Fe Street, OpenStreetMap’s fastest route to downtown Kansas City follows I-35 for most of the way: about 22 miles and 30 minutes without traffic. Kansas City International Airport is about 39 miles and 51 minutes, by I-35, I-635 and I-29. Corporate Woods in Overland Park is about 12 miles, and downtown Lawrence is about 30 miles by K-7 and K-10. These times assume no traffic, so drive your own commute at the hour you would travel.
Homes and neighborhoods in Olathe
The American Community Survey (2020-2024) counts 54,594 homes in Olathe. About 72% are single-family detached houses and 9% are attached houses such as townhomes, and about 15% are in buildings with five or more units. About 75% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
The median home was built in 1994. About 38% of homes were built in 2000 or later, about 31% between 1970 and 1989, and about 11% before 1970.
By location and era:
- Downtown Olathe, around the courthouse and Santa Fe Street, is the original town site. The city tripled in size through annexation in 1968.
- Cedar Creek, in the northwest part of the city along Cedar Creek Parkway south of K-10, is listed by the City among Olathe’s developments of the 1980s. The City’s parcel map shows houses there from 1989 on.
- Raintree is on the east side of Mur-Len Road, north of Santa Fe Street (135th Street), with houses built from 1973 to 1999.
- Prairie Highlands surrounds Prairie Highlands Golf Club at 14695 S. Inverness Street in western Olathe, between 143rd and 151st streets. Its houses date from 2001 on.
- Persimmon Pointe is south of 127th Street on the west side of Hedge Lane, with houses built from 2003 to 2017 and townhomes from 2006 to 2012.
- Forest View lies between 119th and 127th streets, from Clare Road east to Hedge Lane, in three parts: the Estates, the Hills and the Meadows. Its houses date from 2006 on.
- Stonebridge is north of 167th Street between Ridgeview Road and Black Bob Road, on both sides of Mur-Len Road, with houses built from 2014 on.
- Boulder Hills is on the west side of Black Bob Road between 167th and 175th streets, with houses built from 2017 on.
The subdivision locations and build years come from the City of Olathe’s subdivision and parcel maps and Johnson County’s road map, read in October 2026.
Listings in these areas change daily; search Olathe homes for sale for what is on the market now.
Home values in Olathe
The median value of owner-occupied homes in Olathe was $364,700 in the American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, with a margin of error of about $5,300. That figure is what owners estimated their homes were worth in the survey. It is not a sale price or an appraisal.
The Johnson County Appraiser sets the appraised value of every home as of January 1 each year. You can look up any property’s appraised value in the county’s Land Records search. For a market estimate of your own home, start with the home valuation page.
Property taxes in Olathe
Kansas assesses homes at 11.5% of appraised value (K.S.A. 79-1439). The tax is the assessed value times the total mill levy, divided by 1,000. One mill is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value.
For 2025, a home in the city of Olathe and in Olathe Public Schools paid these levies:
| Taxing unit | 2025 mills |
|---|---|
| State of Kansas | 1.500 |
| Johnson County | 17.290 |
| Johnson County Park and Recreation District | 3.023 |
| Johnson County Community College | 7.873 |
| City of Olathe (includes fire and the Olathe Public Library) | 23.334 |
| Olathe Public Schools (USD 233) | 61.948 |
| Total | 114.968 |
Olathe funds its own public library through the city levy, so the Johnson County Library levy does not apply in Olathe. Elsewhere in the city the 2025 total depends on the school district: 109.440 mills in Blue Valley USD 229, 112.779 in Gardner Edgerton USD 231, 115.062 in De Soto USD 232 and 123.673 in Spring Hill USD 230, with recreation commission levies included where they apply.
Kansas exempts the first $75,000 of a home’s appraised value from the 20-mill statewide school levy (K.S.A. 79-201x), which the county shows as a $172.50 school general credit for 2025. A home appraised at $400,000 has an assessed value of $46,000. At 114.968 mills that is $5,288.53, less the $172.50 credit, or about $5,116 before any special assessments.
The Appraiser mails notices of appraised value on or before March 1. You can appeal within 30 days of the mailing date, or pay under protest when taxes are due. Tax statements go out in mid-November; the first half is due December 20 and the second half May 10.
School districts serving Olathe
Olathe Public Schools (USD 233) covers about three quarters of the city’s land, by the county’s tax-unit map. Parts of Olathe are in other districts: Blue Valley USD 229 on the east side, Spring Hill USD 230 to the south, Gardner Edgerton USD 231 to the southwest and De Soto USD 232 to the northwest.
District lines do not follow city limits or subdivision names, and schools are assigned by address. Olathe Public Schools’ board is scheduled to act on proposed school closures in October 2026 and plans to set new attendance boundaries by January 2027 for the 2027-28 school year, so check each address with the district. More on the districts: Olathe Public Schools, Blue Valley, Spring Hill, Gardner Edgerton, De Soto, and how attendance boundaries work.
Utilities in Olathe
The City of Olathe provides trash, water, sewer and stormwater service to portions of the city, and WaterOne supplies water to some Olathe properties. Johnson County’s service-area maps show Evergy for electricity and Atmos Energy for natural gas, with some areas on Johnson County Wastewater for sewer or Johnson Rural Water District 7 for water.
Providers can change from one street to the next. The county’s Location Services tool lists the providers for a specific address.
Parks and places in Olathe
The City of Olathe counts 40 neighborhood and community parks, 3,596 acres of park land, 47 miles of public trails and 27 miles of bike lanes. Its parks include Lake Olathe Park at 625 S. Lakeshore Drive, and the Indian Creek Trail runs 8 miles.
Johnson County Park and Recreation District runs Heritage Park at 16000 Pflumm Road, 1,238 acres with a 40-acre lake, a 30-acre dog off-leash area and Heritage Park Golf Course. Ernie Miller Park, at 909 N. K-7 Highway, is a 116-acre nature park with three miles of trails. The paved Mill Creek Streamway trail runs more than 17 miles from the Kansas River south to Olathe.
The Olathe Community Center opened in July 2014 at Kansas City Road and Ridgeview Road. Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm is a City of Olathe historic site. The Olathe Public Library has two branches: Downtown at 260 E. Santa Fe Street and Indian Creek at 16100 W. 135th Street.
Flood zones in Olathe
FEMA’s flood maps for Olathe follow its creeks and their tributaries, including Cedar Creek, Little Cedar Creek, Mill Creek, Indian Creek, Coffee Creek and Tomahawk Creek. Lots along a creek or tributary can fall inside a mapped zone.
Search the address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center before you make an offer, and ask an insurance agent for a flood quote if any part of the lot is in a zone.
Golf in Olathe
Three golf courses are inside the city:
- Prairie Highlands Golf Club, private, a par-72 course of about 7,100 yards in western Olathe
- Shadow Glen Golf Club, private, at 26000 Shadow Glen Drive
- Heritage Park Golf Course, a public course run by Johnson County Park and Recreation District, par 71
More on golf around the county: golf course communities in Johnson County and public and private golf clubs.
Youth sports near Olathe
The Garmin Olathe Soccer Complex has turf fields used for Heartland Soccer League play and tournaments such as the Heartland Spring Cup. Other baseball, volleyball and multi-sport facilities around the metro are listed in the youth sports facilities guide.
