The City of Emporia lies 108 miles southwest of Kansas City, 58 miles southwest of Topeka, and 87 miles northeast of Wichita on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills area of Kansas. Emporia has a population of 26,760, based on the 2000 census. There are 9.7797 square miles of land in the City's corporate boundary, while the "planning and protected" area covers approximately 63 square miles.

The City of Emporia was founded on February 20, 1857, incorporated as a village on February 6, 1865, and became a City of the second class in 1870 and a City of the first class on March 12, 1968. The Mayor-Council form of government was started in 1870, and was replaced by the Commission form of government in 1910. On April 8, 1947, the present Commission-Manager plan of government was adopted.

The basic concept of the Commission-Manager Plan is the unification of powers through a Commission elected at large, and a concentration of administrative authority by the appointment of a Manager. The principle of Commission-Manager government is that policy and administration are separate functions. Policy is determined by elected representatives of the people. That policy, as adopted by the Commission, is then administered by a professional City Manager. The Manager administers the affairs of the City through the various operating departments.