SHAWNEE, Kan. — The numbingly similar tract homes, endless strip malls and multiple minivans filled with youth soccer players indelibly mark this former American Indian mission territory as a Kansas City suburb.
Look deeper, and a more nuanced portrait of Johnson County, Kan., emerges: an economic powerhouse that has eclipsed its big-city neighbor in political influence. An educated community with a vibrant arts scene. And a cultural melting pot where Brazilian grocers and Vietnamese nail salons blend in with the Wal-Marts and Burger Kings.
Suburban America has been the butt of jokes and stereotypes for decades. The portrayal persists in Hollywood, which continues to zing the ‘burbs with over-the-top tales of conniving, desperate housewives and wayward soccer moms in bed with Mexican drug lords.
Enough, say Johnson County civic leaders. They are planning a National Museum of Suburban History. Their contention: With more than 50 percent of the country living in places like Shawnee, it is past time to take the suburbs seriously.
“That’s a major shift in how we live,” said Johnson County Museum Director Mindi Love. “There hasn’t been a recognition of that change. And there hasn’t been a lot of serious study on why that’s happening.”
That’s starting to change. In addition to the national museum, which remains in the planning stage, academia is also slowly embracing suburban studies as a legitimate field of scholarly inquiry.
Southern California and Long Island, N.Y., are two places that host centers for suburban studies.
