Topeka is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is located along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. The name "Topeka" is a Kansa-Osage word that means "place where we dig potatoes", or "a good place to dig potatoes". As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 126,587. The Kansas State Capitol, which houses the executive and legislative branches of government for the state of Kansas, is located in Topeka.