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🗺️ Using the MapState View And Filters

Last Updated: 4/8/2026

State View & Filter Layers

The state-level map view provides an overview of Kansas with nine data layers you can toggle on and off. This guide explains what you see by default, how the filter panel works, and what each layer reveals about Kansas history and infrastructure.

Default State View

When you first load the application or zoom out from a county, you see the state view with these elements visible by default:

  • County Borders: Black outlines of all 105 Kansas counties
  • Railroads: Green dashed lines showing historical rail networks (checked by default)
  • Interstates: Blue solid lines showing major highways (checked by default)
  • Rivers: Light blue lines representing major waterways (checked by default)
  • Lakes: Light blue filled areas for water bodies (checked by default)
  • Cities: Red points marking population centers (checked by default)

The County Population Heat Map and other county-specific layers are unchecked by default.

The Filter Panel

The filter panel appears on the right side of the map, listing all data layers available at your current zoom level. Each layer has a checkbox and a descriptive label.

How Filters Work

Check a box to show the layer on the map. The layer fades in over 500 milliseconds.

Uncheck a box to hide the layer. The layer fades out over 500 milliseconds.

Alphabetical order: Filters appear in alphabetical order by their display label, making it easy to find specific layers.

Zoom-Level Filtering

The filter panel automatically shows only layers available at your current zoom level:

State view: Shows layers that make sense at the full-Kansas scale (railroads, interstates, rivers, lakes, cities, county borders, county population heat map)

County view: Shows layers that provide detail at the zoomed-in scale (schools, healthcare facilities, tracts, plus all state-level infrastructure layers)

When you zoom into a county, state-only layers remain in the filter panel, but county-specific layers appear. When you zoom back out, county-specific layers disappear from the panel.

Filter State Persistence

Important: Filter settings do not persist when you change zoom levels. If you check “Schools” while zoomed into County A, then zoom out to state view and zoom back into County B, “Schools” will be unchecked again. Each zoom level maintains independent filter state.

This design prevents confusion—you won’t accidentally have dozens of schools visible when you zoom into a new county if you had them enabled in a previous county.

The Nine Data Layers

The application provides nine distinct data layers, grouped into two categories:

Infrastructure Layers

These layers show the physical infrastructure that shaped Kansas development:

1. Railroads

What it shows: Historical railroad lines across Kansas, displayed as green dashed lines.

Time-aware: Yes. Only railroads that were in operation by the selected year appear on the map. As you move the timeline slider forward, new rail lines fade in when they reach their “in operation by” year.

Visible at: State and county zoom levels

Why it matters: Railroads were the primary driver of Kansas settlement and economic development from the 1860s through the early 1900s. Counties with early rail access often developed larger towns and more robust economies. Comparing railroad access with population heat maps reveals strong correlations between rail connectivity and population growth.

2. Interstates

What it shows: Major interstate highways (I-70, I-35, I-135, and others) as blue solid lines.

Time-aware: Yes. Interstates appear only after their construction year. Most were built between 1950 and 1980.

Visible at: State and county zoom levels

Why it matters: Interstate highways transformed Kansas transportation in the mid-20th century, shifting economic activity toward counties with highway access. Some rural counties without interstate access experienced population decline as commerce moved to highway corridors.

3. Rivers

What it shows: Major rivers including the Kansas River, Arkansas River, and their tributaries, drawn as light blue lines.

Time-aware: No. Rivers remain constant across all years.

Visible at: State and county zoom levels

Why it matters: Rivers shaped early settlement patterns. Towns often developed at river crossings or along navigable waterways. Rivers also provided water for agriculture and industry.

4. Lakes

What it shows: Natural lakes and reservoirs as light blue filled polygons with blue outlines.

Time-aware: No. Lakes remain constant across all years (though in reality, many reservoirs were constructed in the 20th century).

Visible at: State and county zoom levels

Why it matters: Lakes and reservoirs provide water resources, recreation, and flood control. Some were created as part of federal water projects and influenced local development.

Community & Services Layers

These layers show population centers and public services:

5. Cities

What it shows: Population centers marked as red points. At state zoom, hover over a city to see its name and population. At county zoom, city names and populations are always visible.

Time-aware: Partially. City locations update based on available geographic data for each decade. Population labels show the correct population for the selected year, but only for years 1970–2020 where city population data is available.

Visible at: State and county zoom levels

Why it matters: Cities are the economic and social hubs of Kansas. Tracking which cities grew and which declined helps explain regional population trends. Comparing city growth with railroad and interstate access often reveals strong correlations.

6. County Population Heat Map

What it shows: Color-coded county fills where darker blue indicates higher population and lighter blue indicates lower population. Counties with no data for a given year appear light gray.

Time-aware: Yes. The color intensity updates for each decade based on that year’s census data. The normalization scale adjusts for each year to show relative population differences within that decade.

Visible at: State zoom only

Why it matters: This is the primary visualization for understanding population distribution across Kansas. Watch the heat map change over time to see which regions grew (darkening blue) and which declined (lightening blue). Eastern Kansas and counties along major transportation routes typically show darker shades.

7. Schools

What it shows: Educational facilities as small black points. Hover over a school to see detailed information including building name, district, building number, level (elementary, middle, high school), opening date, homepage, and address.

Time-aware: No. Schools show current data and do not change based on the timeline slider.

Visible at: County zoom only

Why it matters: Schools are essential community infrastructure. Counties with declining populations often experience school closures or consolidation. The presence or absence of schools can indicate community vitality.

Status: Fully implemented and functional.

8. Healthcare Facilities

What it shows: Hospitals, pharmacies, EMS stations, laboratories, public health centers, urgent care facilities, and VA facilities. Each type uses a distinct color and letter symbol:

  • H (red): Hospitals
  • P (green): Pharmacies
  • A (blue): EMS
  • L (orange): Laboratories
  • S (light blue): Public Health
  • + (purple): Urgent Care
  • V (dark gray): VA Facilities

Hover over a facility to see its name, type, address, city, and additional details like bed count or trauma level for hospitals. A legend appears in the top-right corner when this layer is enabled.

Time-aware: No. Healthcare facilities show current data.

Visible at: County zoom only

Why it matters: Access to healthcare is a critical factor in community sustainability. Rural counties without nearby hospitals or clinics may struggle to retain residents, especially older populations. Comparing healthcare access with population trends can reveal correlations between medical services and population stability.

Status: Fully implemented and functional.

9. Tracts

What it shows: Census tract boundaries as red dashed lines. Tracts are smaller geographic units within counties used for detailed demographic analysis.

Time-aware: No. The current implementation shows 2000 census tracts.

Visible at: County zoom only

Why it matters: Tracts allow for more granular analysis than county-level data. Within a single county, some tracts may be growing while others decline. This layer is particularly useful for urban counties where population distribution varies significantly within county boundaries.

Status: Fully implemented and functional.

Using Filters to Test Hypotheses

The filter system lets you isolate specific factors to test relationships:

Example 1: Railroads and Population Growth

  1. Enable only “County Population Heat Map” and “Railroads”
  2. Set the timeline to 1880 (early railroad era)
  3. Notice which counties have rail access
  4. Advance the timeline to 1920
  5. Observe whether counties with early rail access show darker blue (higher population)

Example 2: Interstate Access and Modern Population

  1. Enable “County Population Heat Map” and “Interstates”
  2. Set the timeline to 1950 (pre-interstate era)
  3. Note the population distribution
  4. Advance to 1980 (post-interstate construction)
  5. Compare population changes in counties with and without interstate access

Example 3: Healthcare and Rural Decline

  1. Zoom into a rural county
  2. Enable “Healthcare Facilities” and “Cities”
  3. Check whether the county has hospitals or clinics
  4. Zoom out and enable “County Population Heat Map”
  5. Compare population trends in counties with and without healthcare facilities

Tips for Effective Filter Use

Start simple: Enable one or two layers at a time to avoid visual clutter.

Use infrastructure layers for context: Railroads, interstates, and rivers provide geographic context for understanding population patterns.

Combine time-aware layers: Pair the population heat map with railroads or interstates to see how infrastructure development correlates with population change.

Zoom in for detail: County-specific layers (schools, healthcare, tracts) reveal local factors that state-level data might miss.

Experiment: Try different combinations of layers to discover unexpected patterns.

What’s Next

Now that you understand the data layers:

Navigating The MapTimeline And Playback