| Great Bend, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| — city — | |
| Barton County Courthouse in Great Bend | |
| Location of Great Bend, Kansas | |
| Detailed map of Great Bend, Kansas | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Barton |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Incorporated | 1872 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.7 sq mi (27.8 km2) |
| • Land | 10.6 sq mi (27.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,850 ft (564 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 15,995 |
| • Density | 1,494.9/sq mi (577.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 67530 |
| Area code(s) | 620 |
| FIPS code | 20-28300[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0475650[3] |
| Website | www.GreatBendKS.net |
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.[1]
Contents |
The first settlers of the area arrived in 1870. Living in sod houses and dugouts, they worked as buffalo hunters since trampling bison herds precluded crop farming.[4] In 1871, the Great Bend Town Company, anticipating the westward construction of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, founded Great Bend at a site roughly three miles west of Fort Zarah on the Santa Fe Trail.[4][5] They named the settlement after its location at the “great bend” of the Arkansas River, the point where the river’s course bends eastward. Settlers arrived over the following year, opening several businesses, and the town began to grow. The railroad reached Great Bend in July 1872, and an election the same month declared the town the permanent county seat. Great Bend was incorporated as a city soon thereafter. The county courthouse and the city’s first public school were built the following year.[5]
Beginning in 1873, following the arrival of the railroad, Great Bend became a shipping point for the cattle trade.[5] This stimulated local business, but also transformed the city into a rowdy, violent cowtown.[4] In 1876, however, the Kansas Legislature extended the legal “dead line” restricting the presence of Texas cattle 30 miles west of Barton County. The cattle trade moved westward accordingly, and the city became more peaceful.[5]
Over the following decades, Great Bend continued to grow and modernize, becoming a center of area commerce. This was despite two disasters which struck the city, a downtown fire in 1878 and a smallpox outbreak in 1882 which resulted in a brief quarantine.[5] In 1886, local speculators began to fund exploration for petroleum in the area. By 1930, the oil and gas industry brought more than $20 million annually to the county.[6] More than 3,000 wells produced during the 1930s, and the influx of workers dramatically increased the city’s population.[4]
The U.S. Army Air Forces opened Great Bend Army Airfield west of the city in 1943. The base served as a World War II training facility for B-29 bomber aircraft personnel.[7] After the war, ownership of the base was transferred to the City of Great Bend which repurposed it for civilian use as Great Bend Municipal Airport.[8]
The city continued to grow through the 1950s, its population peaking at almost 17,000 in 1960. In 1973, the Fuller Brush Company relocated its production facilities to Great Bend, becoming one of the city’s major employers. Despite a decline in population in recent decades, Great Bend continues to serve as a service industry and retail commerce center for central Kansas.[4]
Great Bend is located at (38.3644567, -98.7648073) at an elevation of 1,850 feet (564 m).[3] Lying in the Great Bend Sand Prairie region of the Great Plains, the city is situated on the north side of the Arkansas River where the river's course shifts from northeast to southeast.[9][10] Cheyenne Bottoms, a large inland wetland, is located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) to the northeast.[11] Dry Walnut Creek, a tributary of nearby Walnut Creek, flows east along the northern edge of the city.[12] Located in central Kansas at the intersection of U.S. Route 281 and U.S. Route 56, Great Bend is 95 miles (153 km) northwest of Wichita, 235 miles (378 km) west-southwest of Kansas City, and 345 miles (555 km) east-southeast of Denver.[13][14]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.7 square miles (28 km2), of which 10.6 square miles (27 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), or 1.02%, is water.[2]
Located near the convergence of North America's humid continental (Köppen Dfa), humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), and semi-arid (Köppen BSk) climate zones, Great Bend experiences hot summers and cold, dry winters.[15] The average temperature is 57 °F (14 °C), and the average relative humidity is 67%.[16][17] Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to an average high of 94 °F (34 °C) in July.[18] The high temperature reaches or exceeds 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 70 days a year and reaches or exceeds 100 °F (38 °C) an average of 13 days a year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point 32 °F (0 °C) an average of 112 days a year. Typically, the first fall freeze occurs by the third week of October, and the last spring freeze occurs by the second week of April.[16] Great Bend receives 27 inches (690 mm) of precipitation during an average year, and there are, on average, 71 days of measurable precipitation each year.[16][18] Annual snowfall averages 17 inches (43 cm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 7 days a year with at least an inch of snow being received on six of those days. Snow depth of at least an inch occurs an average of 23 days a year.[16] On average, January is the coldest month, July is the hottest month, and May is the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Great Bend was 111 °F (44 °C) in 1980; the coldest temperature recorded was -21 °F (-29 °C) in 1989.[18]
| Climate data for Great Bend, Kansas, USA | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) |
85 (29) |
91 (33) |
101 (38) |
102 (39) |
111 (44) |
111 (44) |
110 (43) |
106 (41) |
98 (37) |
90 (32) |
79 (26) |
111 (44) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 45 (7) |
50 (10) |
60 (16) |
71 (22) |
79 (26) |
88 (31) |
94 (34) |
92 (33) |
84 (29) |
72 (22) |
57 (14) |
45 (7) |
69.8 (21.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 33 (1) |
37 (3) |
46 (8) |
56 (13) |
66 (19) |
76 (24) |
81 (27) |
79 (26) |
71 (22) |
58 (14) |
45 (7) |
34 (1) |
56.8 (13.8) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 21 (−6) |
25 (−4) |
33 (1) |
43 (6) |
54 (12) |
63 (17) |
68 (20) |
67 (19) |
58 (14) |
45 (7) |
33 (1) |
23 (−5) |
44.4 (6.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −17 (−27) |
−19 (−28) |
−6 (−21) |
14 (−10) |
25 (−4) |
39 (4) |
45 (7) |
45 (7) |
29 (−2) |
16 (−9) |
−4 (−20) |
−21 (−29) |
−21 (−29) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.61 (15.5) |
0.86 (21.8) |
1.94 (49.3) |
2.36 (59.9) |
4.38 (111.3) |
3.97 (100.8) |
3.41 (86.6) |
3.33 (84.6) |
1.96 (49.8) |
2.05 (52.1) |
0.97 (24.6) |
0.85 (21.6) |
26.69 (677.9) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 4.9 (12.4) |
4.1 (10.4) |
2.6 (6.6) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.3) |
1.0 (2.5) |
3.6 (9.1) |
16.9 (42.9) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.1 | 4.1 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 71.3 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 7.2 |
| Source: National Weather Service;[16] The Weather Channel[18] | |||||||||||||
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 1,071 |
|
|
| 1890 | 2,450 | 128.8% | |
| 1900 | 2,470 | 0.8% | |
| 1910 | 4,622 | 87.1% | |
| 1920 | 4,460 | −3.5% | |
| 1930 | 5,548 | 24.4% | |
| 1940 | 9,044 | 63.0% | |
| 1950 | 12,665 | 40.0% | |
| 1960 | 16,670 | 31.6% | |
| 1970 | 16,133 | −3.2% | |
| 1980 | 16,608 | 2.9% | |
| 1990 | 15,427 | −7.1% | |
| 2000 | 15,345 | −0.5% | |
| 2010 | 15,995 | 4.2% | |
|
|
|||
As of the 2010 census, there were 15,995 people, 6,483 households, and 4,038 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,494.9 people per square mile (577.2/km²). There were 7,113 housing units at an average density of 671.0 per square mile (258.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.0% White, 1.7% African American, 0.6% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 11.0% from some other race, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 19.8% of the population.[1]
There were 6,483 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 3.04.[1]
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males age 18 and over.[1]
As of 2009, the median income for a household in the city was $40,460, and the median income for a family was $44,707. Males had a median income of $34,968 versus $24,676 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,624. About 12.1% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.[19]
Agriculture is the predominant industry in Great Bend, and its grain elevators are visible from miles away. The oil industry flourished from about 1930-1960. There was even an oil well in the city park. But this industry has been on the decline for years. Cattle raising is also an important source of income for many people.
Great Bend is a city of the second class with a mayor-council form of government.[20] The city council consists of eight members, two elected from each city ward for two-year terms. The mayor is elected at-large, also for a two-year term. The mayor and city council together constitute the city's Governing Body which sets goals, establishes policies, and approves all ordinances and resolutions.[21] The council meets on the first and third Monday of each month.[20]
Great Bend Public Schools (USD 428) serves approximately 3,000 students and operates eight schools in the city:[22]
|
|
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City oversees one school in Great Bend, Holy Family School (Pre-K-6).[23] In addition, there is one non-denominational Christian school in the city, Central Kansas Christian Academy (K-8).[24]
Barton Community College, a two-year public college, is located approximately three miles northeast of Great Bend.[25][26]
Great Bend was located on the National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, that was established in 1912. Currently, two U.S. Highways and two Kansas state highways pass through the city. U.S. Route 281 runs north-south through Great Bend, intersecting U.S. Route 56, K-96, and K-156 which run concurrently east-west through the city. K-96 splits from U.S. 56 and K-156 in western Great Bend, exiting the city to the northwest. U.S. 56 and K-156 continue concurrently west, then turn south and ultimately southwest.[27]
Great Bend Municipal Airport is located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the city.[27] Used primarily for general aviation, it hosts one commercial airline with daily flights to Denver.[28][29]
A Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad line runs east-west through the city with a second line branching off to the northwest, paralleling K-96.[12]
The city government's Public Works Department is responsible for water distribution, waste water treatment, and sewer maintenance. One of the few cities in the area not to have a water treatment plant or water tower, Great Bend obtains its water supply directly from ten wells located throughout the city.[30] Waste water is treated and recycled at the city's Wastewater Treatment Facility and then emptied into the Arkansas River.[31] Two regional energy cooperatives, Midwest Energy, Inc. and Wheatland Electric, provide electric power.[32] Local residents primarily use natural gas for heating fuel; Midwest Energy and Kansas Gas Service both provide natural gas service.[32][33]
There are two primary medical facilities in the city. Great Bend Regional Hospital, a 33-bed general medical and surgical facility, is the city's sole hospital.[34] St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center, formerly Central Kansas Medical Center, is an outpatient care facility affiliated with Catholic Health Initiatives.[35]
The Great Bend Tribune is the city's daily newspaper with a circulation of over 6,200 copies.[36]
Great Bend is a center of broadcast media for central Kansas.[37][38] Two AM and ten FM radio stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from the city.[37] Two television stations, one NBC affiliate and one ABC affiliate, also broadcast from the city.[38] Both are satellite stations of their respective affiliates in Wichita as Great Bend is part of the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.[38][39]
From 1947 to 1989, Great Bend was the home of the Argonne Rebels Drum and Bugle Corps. Under the direction individuals including Glenn and Sandra Opie, the corps achieved national fame, most notably, American Legion national championships in 1971, 1972, and 1973. They were also ranked 3rd at the American Legion contest in 1956, and 5th at the Drum Corps International contest in 1972.
Greyhound racing got its start in the United States in the bottoms in 1887 during a formal coursing event.[40]
In November 1959, Perry Smith and Richard Hickok stopped for dinner in Great Bend on their 400 mile journey to Holcomb, KS, where they murdered the Clutter family. Author Truman Capote wrote a ground breaking book In Cold Blood about the murder. In 1967, part of the movie, by the same name, was filmed in Great Bend.
In the 1993 novel, The Death and Life of Superman by Roger Stern, Jonathan and Martha Kent fly from the Metropolis airport to the Great Bend airport and proceed to drive to Smallville,[41] which would put Smallville somewhere in central Kansas.
Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Great Bend include:
|
|||||||||||||||||
