El Pueblo, Wichita, Kansas facts for kids

El Pueblo is a neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas, United States. A mixed commercial and residential area on the east bank of the Little Arkansas River, it is the cultural and historical center of the city’s Hispanic community.

History

In the 1910s and 1920s, railroad workers recruited from Mexico settled the area along north Broadway Street called “the North End”. The area became Wichita’s first barrio and the seat of the local Mexican American community. The portion east of Broadway became known as El Huarache; the area west of Broadway and north of 21st Street became El Pueblo. In the following decades, immigrants from Mexico and other parts of Latin America continued to settle in the neighborhood, bolstering and broadening its Hispanic character.

In recent years, community organizations have formed to both preserve the neighborhood’s heritage and encourage economic development. The area has become well-known locally for its Latin American restaurants and marketplace.

Geography

El Pueblo is located at 37°43′51″N 97°20′56″W / 37.73083°N 97.34889°W / 37.73083; -97.34889 (37.73083, -97.34889) at an elevation of 1,314 feet (401 m). It consists of the area between 29th Street to the north, 21st Street to the south, the Little Arkansas River to the west, and Broadway Street to the east. It borders the BNSF/Union Pacific rail corridor to the east, the Midtown and North Riverside neighborhoods to the south, and Benjamin Hills across the river to the west. Chisholm Creek, a tributary of the Arkansas River flows southeast through the eastern portion of the neighborhood.

Parks and recreation

• Evergreen Park
• Schell Park

Culture

Events

The community in El Pueblo holds multiple events throughout the year to commemorate Hispanic holidays, including Cesar Chavez Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Puerto Rican Day.

Points of interest

• NoMar International Market

Education

Wichita Public Schools operates one school in El Pueblo: Cloud Elementary School.

The Evergreen Branch of the Wichita Public Library, the second largest branch library in the city, is in El Pueblo at the corner of North Arkansas and West 25th Street.

Transportation

Arkansas Street is the primary north-south street through El Pueblo; 25th Street is the main east-west street. Other arterial roads include: Broadway, which runs north-south along the eastern edge of the neighborhood; 21st Street, which runs east-west along its southern edge; and 29th Street, which runs east-west along its northern edge.

Wichita Transit offers bus service in El Pueblo on its 13, 15, and 17 routes.

BNSF Railway operates freight rail lines which run north-south immediately east of the neighborhood, parallel to Broadway.