Great Bend, Kansas

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Great Bend, Kansas
city
Barton County Courthouse in Great Bend
Location of Great Bend, Kansas
Detailed map of Great Bend, Kansas
Coordinates: 38°21′52″N 98°45′53″W / 38.36444°N 98.76472°W / 38.36444; -98.76472Coordinates: 38°21′52″N 98°45′53″W / 38.36444°N 98.76472°W / 38.36444; -98.76472
Country United States
State Kansas
County Barton
Founded 1871
Incorporated 1872
Area[1]
 • Total 10.71 sq mi (27.74 km2)
 • Land 10.60 sq mi (27.45 km2)
 • Water 0.11 sq mi (0.28 km2)
Elevation 1,850 ft (564 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 15,995
 • Estimate (2012[3]) 15,923
 • Density 1,509.0/sq mi (582.6/km2)
 • µSA 27,557
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[4]
Website GreatBendKS.net

Great Bend is a city and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States.[5] It was named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.[6]

History

1915 Railroad Map of Barton County

For millennia, the land now known as Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans. In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1867, Barton County was founded.

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.[7] 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.[7][8] 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.[8]

In 1873, following the arrival of the railroad, Great Bend became a shipping point for cattle.[8] This stimulated local business, but also transformed the city into a rowdy, violent cowtown.[7] In 1876 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.[8]

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.[8] 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.[9] More than 3,000 wells produced during the 1930s, and the influx of workers dramatically increased the city’s population.[7]

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.[10] 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.[11]

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.[7]

Geography

2005 KDOT map of Barton County showing Great Bend and surrounding communities (map legend)

Great Bend is located at 38°21′52″N 98°45′53″W / 38.36444°N 98.76472°W / 38.36444; -98.76472 (38.3644567, -98.7648073) at an elevation of 1,850 feet (564 m).[4] 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.[12][13] Cheyenne Bottoms, a large inland wetland, is located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) to the northeast.[14] Dry Walnut Creek, a tributary of nearby Walnut Creek, flows east along the northern edge of the city.[15] 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.[16][17]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.71 square miles (27.74 km2), of which 10.60 square miles (27.45 km2) is land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km2) is water.[1]

Climate

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.[18] The average temperature is 57 °F (14 °C), and the average relative humidity is 67%.[19][20] 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.[21] 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. The first fall freeze typically takes place by the third week of October, and the last spring freeze by the second week of April.[19] 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.[19][21] Annual snowfall averages 17 inches (43 cm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of seven 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.[19] On average, January is the coldest month, July the hottest and May is the wettest. 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.[21]

Climate data for Great Bend, Kansas
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
(20.9)
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
(6.8)
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
(42.8)
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;[19] The Weather Channel[21]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18801,071
—
18902,450128.8%
19002,4700.8%
19104,62287.1%
19204,460−3.5%
19305,54824.4%
19409,04463.0%
195012,66540.0%
196016,67031.6%
197016,133−3.2%
198016,6082.9%
199015,427−7.1%
200015,345−0.5%
201015,9954.2%
Est. 201215,923−0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

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 1,509.0 inhabitants per square mile (582.6 /km2). There were 7,113 housing units at an average density of 671.0 per square mile (259.1 /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 other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 19.8% of the population.[6]

There were 6,483 households of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife 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.[6]

The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 16.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.[6]

As of 2010, the median income for a household was $42,293, and the median income for a family was $46.969. Males had a median income of $33,623 versus $25,038 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,529. About 10.2% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.[6]

Economy

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.

Government

Great Bend is a city of the second class with a mayor-council form of government.[22] 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.[23] The council meets on the first and third Monday of each month.[22]

As the county seat, Great Bend is the administrative center of Barton County. The county courthouse is located downtown, and most departments of the county government base their operations in the city.[24]

Great Bend lies within Kansas's 1st U.S. Congressional District. For the purposes of representation in the Kansas Legislature, the city is located in the 33rd district of the Kansas Senate and the 112th district of the Kansas House of Representatives.[22]

Education

Primary and secondary education

Great Bend Public Schools (USD 428) serves approximately 3,000 students and operates eight schools in the city:[25]

  • Washington Early Childhood Center (Grades Pre-K)
  • Eisenhower Elementary School (K–6)
  • Jefferson Elementary School (K–6)
  • Lincoln Elementary School (K–6)

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City oversees one school in Great Bend, Holy Family School (Pre-K–6).[26] There is also one non-denominational Christian school in the city, Central Kansas Christian Academy (K-8).[27]

Colleges and universities

Barton Community College, a two-year public college, is located approximately three miles northeast of Great Bend.[28][29]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Downtown Great Bend grain elevator and abandoned Santa Fe railroad station

Great Bend was located on the National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, that was established in 1912.[citation needed] 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.[30]

Great Bend Municipal Airport is located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the city.[30] Used primarily for general aviation, it hosts one commercial airline with daily flights to Denver.[31][32]

A Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad line runs east-west through the city with a second line branching off to the northwest, paralleling K-96.[15]

Utilities

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.[33] Waste water is treated and recycled at the city's Wastewater Treatment Facility and then emptied into the Arkansas River.[34] Two regional energy cooperatives, Midwest Energy, Inc. and Wheatland Electric, provide electric power.[35] Local residents primarily use natural gas for heating fuel; Midwest Energy and Kansas Gas Service both provide natural gas service.[35][36]

Health care

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.[37] St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center, formerly Central Kansas Medical Center, is an outpatient care facility affiliated with Catholic Health Initiatives.[38]

Media

Main article: Media in Great Bend, Kansas

The Great Bend Tribune is the city's daily newspaper with a circulation of over 6,200 copies.[39]

Great Bend is a center of broadcast media for central Kansas.[40][41] Two AM and ten FM radio stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from the city.[40] Two television stations, one NBC affiliate and one ABC affiliate, also broadcast from the city.[41] Both are satellite stations of their respective affiliates in Wichita as Great Bend is part of the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market.[41][42]

Culture

Arts and music

From 1947 to 1989, Great Bend was the home of the Argonne Rebels Drum and Bugle Corps. Under the direction of Glenn and Sandra Opie, the corps achieved national fame, most notably winning the American Legion national championships in 1971, 1972, and 1973.[43] The Rebels were one of the thirteen founding member corps of Drum Corps International, finishing in 5th place in 1972 and 11th in 1973.[44]

Points of interest

The Barton County Historical Society Museum and Village is located in Great Bend.[45]

Sports

Greyhound racing got its start in the United States in the bottoms in 1887 during a formal coursing event.[46]

In popular culture and the arts

In November 1959, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock stopped for dinner in Great Bend on their 400-mile journey to Holcomb, Kansas, where they murdered the Clutter family. Author Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood about the murder. In 1967, part of the movie, by the same name, was filmed in Great Bend.[citation needed]

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,[47] which would put Smallville somewhere in central Kansas.

Great Bend was mentioned briefly in the 2006 CBS Drama Jericho

Great Bend is the setting for the Hulu original comedy series Quick Draw, created by and starring John Lehr.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Great Bend include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-06. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-05-29. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "American FactFinder 2". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-10-07. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Weiser, Kathy. "Great Bend, Kansas – History and Information". Legends of Kansas. Retrieved 2011-11-19. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Cutler, William G. (1883). "Barton County". History of the State of Kansas. Chicago: A. T. Andreas. Retrieved 2011-11-19. 
  9. ↑ "History". Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  10. ↑ "U.S. Army and Air Force Wings Over Kansas, Part One". Kansas Historical Quarterly (Kansas Historical Society) 25 (2): 129–157. Summer 1959. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  11. ↑ "Great Bend Municipal Airport – History". City of Great Bend. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  12. ↑ "Ecoregions of Nebraska and Kansas". Environmental Protection Agency. 2001. Retrieved 2010-03-14. 
  13. ↑ "Barton County, Kansas". Kansapedia. Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved 2011-05-23. 
  14. ↑ Cheyenne Bottoms: Jewel of the Prairie - cheyennebottoms.net - Retrieved February 10, 2009
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "General Highway Map - Barton County, Kansas". Kansas Department of Transportation. 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2011-05-23. 
  16. ↑ "2003-2004 Official Transportation Map". Kansas Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved 2011-05-23. 
  17. ↑ "City Distance Tool". Geobytes. Retrieved 2011-05-23. 
  18. ↑ Peel, M. C., Finlayson, B. L., and McMahon, T. A.: Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 11, 1633-1644, doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007, 2007.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Weather Service Forecast Office - Wichita, KS. Retrieved 2011-11-21. 
  20. ↑ "Historical Weather for Great Bend, Kansas, United States of America". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2011-11-21. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 "Average weather for Great Bend". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2011-11-21. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 "Great Bend". Directory of Kansas Public Officials. The League of Kansas Municipalities. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  23. ↑ "Governing Body". City of Great Bend. Retrieved 2010-02-15. 
  24. ↑ "Offices/Departments". Barton County, Kansas. Retrieved 2012-02-25. 
  25. ↑ "USD 428 Great Bend". USD 428 Great Bend Public Schools. Retrieved 2010-01-27. 
  26. ↑ "Holy Family School". Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodge City. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  27. ↑ "Central Kansas Christian Academy". Central Kansas Christian Academy. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  28. ↑ "Programs of Study". Barton Community College. Retrieved 2010-01-27. 
  29. ↑ "About Our Campuses". Barton Community College. Retrieved 2010-01-27. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "City of Great Bend (Map)". Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  31. ↑ "KGBD - Great Bend Municipal Airport". AirNav.com. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  32. ↑ "Great Bend Municipal Airport - FAQs". City of Great Bend. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  33. ↑ "Water Division". City of Great Bend. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  34. ↑ "Wastewater Treatment Facility". City of Great Bend. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Utilities". Great Bend Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  36. ↑ "Great Bend, Kansas". City-Data. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  37. ↑ "Great Bend Regional Hospital". U.S. News Best Hospitals. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  38. ↑ "CKMC Announces New Direction". St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center. 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2011-11-22. 
  39. ↑ "Great Bend Tribune". Mondo Times. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "Radio Stations in Great Bend, Kansas". Radio-Locator. Retrieved 2011-05-23. 
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 "Stations for Hays, Kansas". RabbitEars.Info. Retrieved 2011-11-01. 
  42. ↑ "Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas TV market". EchoStar Knowledge Base. Retrieved 2011-11-20. 
  43. ↑ http://corpsreps.com/scores.cfm?view=scoremajor&majorshow=American%20Legion%20National%20Championships
  44. ↑ http://corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?view=corpsdet&corps=5&corpstype=Junior
  45. ↑ Barton County Historical Society Museum and Village
  46. ↑ History of the Greyhound and Greyhound Racing - The Greyhound Review, February 2006
  47. ↑ Stern, Roger. The Death and Life of Superman. Bantam Books: New York. 1993: 286.
  48. ↑ "Karrin Allyson Electronic Press Kit". AMS Artists. p. 3. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  49. ↑ "Steve Gotsche Official Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved 2012-02-25. 
  50. ↑ "Damian Johnson". National Football League. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  51. ↑ "John Keller". University of Kansas. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  52. ↑ "TI People - Jack Kilby". Texas Instruments. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  53. ↑ "NAACP History: Oscar Micheaux". National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  54. ↑ "Candidates - Jerry Moran". Election 2010 - AP Election Guide. National Public Radio. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  55. ↑ "The Photographers: Roy Stryker". Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 
  56. ↑ "Ted Welch Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2011-05-22. 

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