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East Topeka
The headquarters of state government and the towering Statehouse building
share east Topeka with other bits of history.
East Topeka is home to the downtown area and the Burlington Northern
Santa Fe shops, which are used to build and repair locomotives. The
shops represent one of the great industrial areas of the Midwest.
Generations of shop workers have played an important role in the economic
life-line of the community. Its importance is echoed in the phrase,
"The Santa Fe is the boss of all Topeka things." The area surrounding
the shops was once dubbed "the shop district," as workers settled
near their place of employment.
The region of east Topeka is home to the city's Mexican-American community.
Many laborers arrived in the city to work in the Sante Fe shops in
the early 1920s. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church has become a fixture
in the Hispanic community.
Kansas history is laid to rest in the state's oldest cemetery, located
in east Topeka. It houses monuments of state representatives, governors
and participants of every American war since the War of 1812.
Performances at the Topeka Performing Arts Center, located downtown,
include popular entertainers, touring Broadway shows and symphonies
in an art deco theater. The Georgia Neese Gray performance hall is
the largest performance center in Kansas.
East Topeka is part of the Topeka public schools district. Interstate
70 and US-40 highway serve as the region's southern boundary.
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