Hays, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Hays is a city in and the county seat
of Ellis County
, Kansas
, United States
. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town
, home to Fort Hays State University
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,510.
as far west as Fort Hays
, a party from St. Louis, Missouri
led by one William Webb selected three sections of land for colonization near the fort. In June 1867, to better serve the railroad, the U.S. Army
relocated Fort Hays to a site near where the railroad was to cross Big Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River
. Seeing a business opportunity, Buffalo Bill Cody and railroad contractor William Rose founded the settlement of Rome, Kansas near the fort's new location. Within a month, the population of Rome grew to over 2,000. Webb, meanwhile, established the Big Creek Land Company and then surveyed and platted a town site, which he named Hays City after the fort, roughly one mile east of Rome. The railroad reached Hays City soon thereafter and constructed a depot there. The railroad's arrival, combined with a cholera
epidemic that hit Rome in the late summer of 1867, drove Rome businesses and residents to relocate to Hays City. Within a year, Rome was completely abandoned. As the western terminus of the railway, Hays City grew rapidly, serving as the supply point for territories to the west and southwest.
In its early years, Hays City was a violent frontier town characteristic of the American Old West
. More than 30 homicides occurred in or near the town between 1867 and 1873, and it was the location of the original Boot Hill
. Several notable figures of the Old West lived in Hays City at points, including George Custer and his wife Elizabeth
, Calamity Jane
, and Wild Bill Hickok
who served a brief term as sheriff
in 1869. Hays City became the county seat of Ellis County in 1870. By 1872, many of the rougher elements of the populace had left, mainly for Dodge City
, and Hays City became more civilized. In 1885, the town was incorporated
, and "City" was dropped from its name.
Volga Germans began settling the area in 1876, having found land suitable for the lifestyle and type of farming they had practiced in Russia
. They brought with them Turkey Red Wheat, a type of winter wheat
whose cultivation contributed to the agricultural transformation of the region. Bukovina Germans
began settling in the area in 1886. These groups had a significant impact on the local way of life, establishing Hays as a regional center of ethnic German culture
.
Fort Hays closed in 1889. In 1900, the Kansas delegation to the U.S. Congress
secured the fort's land and facilities for educational purposes. The following year, the Kansas Legislature
established the Fort Hays Experiment Station, part of Kansas State Agricultural College
, on the Fort Hays reservation and set aside land for the Western Branch of Kansas State Normal School
, which opened in 1902 and eventually became Fort Hays State University
. Fort Hays opened as a museum in 1955 and was later acquired by the Kansas Historical Society
. In 1967, it became the Fort Hays State Historic Site.
Several disasters have struck Hays over the course of its history. In 1895, fire destroyed 60 buildings downtown. Severe floods occurred in 1907 and 1951. In 1919, three Standard Oil
gasoline tanks exploded, killing eight and injuring approximately 150 people. In 1935, the city experienced violent dust storms as part of the Dust Bowl
.
Hays began to modernize in the early 1900s with a power plant, waterworks, telephone
exchange, and sewer system complete by 1911. Over the following decades, the city evolved into a regional economic hub. Development of oil
fields in the surrounding area began in 1936 with Hays serving as a trading center and shipping point. Hays Regional Airport
opened in 1961. Interstate 70
reached Hays in 1966. Today, Hays is a commercial and educational center for western Kansas.
region of the Great Plains
approximately 11 miles (18 km) north of the Smoky Hill River
and 15 miles (24 km) south of the Saline River
. Big Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River, runs through the southwestern part of the city. Chetolah Creek, a tributary of Big Creek, flows south through the eastern part of the city. Located in northwestern Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70
and U.S. Route 183
, Hays is 134 miles (216 km) northwest of Wichita
, 256 miles (412 km) west of Kansas City
, and 311 miles (500 km) east-southeast of Denver.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²), all of it land.
, humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa)
, and temperate semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) zones and has features of all three climates. It has hot summers with variable humidity and cool winters. The average temperature in Hays is 54 °F (12 °C), and the average relative humidity
is 64%. Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of 16 °F (-8.9 °C) in January to an average high of 93 °F (33.9 °C) in July. The high temperature reaches or exceeds 90 °F (32.2 °C) an average of 63 days a year and reaches or exceeds 100 °F (37.8 °C) an average of 14 days a year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point 32 °F (0 °C) an average of 138 days a year. Typically, the first fall freeze occurs by the second week of October, and the last spring freeze occurs by the last week of April. Hays receives 23 inches (584.2 mm) of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received from May through August. There are, on average, 77 days of measurable precipitation each year. Annual snowfall averages 18 inches (45.7 cm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 11 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 25 days a year. Due to its geographic location at a climatic boundary, severe weather is common with tornado
es a major threat, especially in the spring and early summer months. On average, January is the coldest month, and July is both the hottest and wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Hays was 117 °F (47 °C) in 1934; the coldest temperature recorded was -26 °F (-32 °C) in 1905.
was 2,698.7 people per square mile (1,042/km²). There were 9,311 housing units at an average density of 1,225.1 per square mile (472.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.8% White
, 1.8% Asian
, 1.1% African American
, 0.3% American Indian
, 2.1% from some other race, and 1.8% from two or more races. 4.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,698 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25, and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city, the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 22.6% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males age 18 and over.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,436, and the median income for a family was $61,895. Males had a median income of $31,386 versus $29,492 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $23,841. About 4.2% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
, and Hays Public Schools are the city's three largest employers. Other major employers include local government, Nex-Tech, Eagle Comm, AT&T and other telecommunications firms, retail stores, and social services providers. Hays also hosts some manufacturing
. EnerSys
, a producer of sealed lead batteries, operates a plant in the city as do Adronics, an auto parts maker, and Rans Designs
, a manufacturer of aircraft and bicycles. Other local companies manufacture oil field supplies, HVAC
systems, and wheelchair
s.
form of government which it adopted in 1919. The city commission consists of five commissioners elected at-large
every two years. The commission meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. One commissioner serves as mayor, presiding over commission meetings and representing the city at ceremonial events. The city manager
is hired by the commission and is responsible for advising the commission, enforcing its policies, administering city employees, and preparing a proposed city budget.
489) operates ten schools in Hays:
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
oversees two Catholic school
s in Hays: Holy Family Elementary School (Pre-K-6) and Thomas More Prep-Marian (9-12). There are also two other Christian school
s in the city: Hays Seventh-Day Adventist
School (K-8) and High Plains Christian School (Pre-K-8).
is located in Hays. A four-year public university
with more than 11,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Kansas. North Central Kansas Technical College, a two-year public college
based in Beloit, Kansas
, also has a campus in Hays. Immediately south of the city, Kansas State University
operates its Agricultural Research Center—Hays, formerly the Fort Hays Experiment Station. The Center studies regional crop management and livestock production, and, for that purpose, its 7810 acres (31.6 km²) campus includes a feedlot, a greenhouse complex, cropland, and rangeland as well as a preserved natural area.
in 1911 which remained open until its replacement by a larger facility in 1968. That facility, in turn, has since been renovated and expanded further, re-opening in 2004. The library offers several services to the public, including computer classes, ESL
and literacy tutoring, and programs for youth and children. FHSU’s Forsyth Library holds more than 225,000 volumes and serves as a federal depository library
. In addition to government documents, its special collections include an archive of children’s literature and materials relating to regional history and culture.
and U.S. Route 40
run concurrently
southeast-northwest immediately north of Hays. U.S. Route 183
runs north-south through Hays, intersecting I-70 immediately north of the city. A U.S. 183 bypass route runs around Hays to the west from U.S. 183 immediately south of the city to I-70 northwest of the city.
Greyhound Lines
provides long-distance bus service with a stop in Hays.
Hays Regional Airport
is located just southeast of the city. Used primarily for general aviation
, it hosts one commercial airline with daily flights to Denver, Colorado
.
The Kansas Pacific (KP) Line of the Union Pacific Railroad
runs southeast-northwest through downtown Hays in the southern part of the city.
is the city's daily newspaper with a circulation of over 9,600. In addition, Fort Hays State University publishes a weekly student newspaper, The University Leader.
Hays is a center of broadcast media for central and northwestern Kansas. One AM
radio station, 12 FM
radio stations, and three television stations are licensed
to and/or broadcast from the city. Hays is in the Wichita
-Hutchinson, Kansas
television market
. Two television stations broadcast from the city, including one CBS
network affiliate and one ABC
translator station, both of which are satellite stations of their respective affiliates in Wichita. The third station is the flagship station of Smoky Hills Public Television
, the PBS
member network covering western Kansas. Licensed to Hays, it broadcasts from studios in Bunker Hill, Kansas
.
course and pens
which are home to a herd of American bison
kept at the park since 1953. The department also maintains three baseball parks, a soccer complex, tennis courts, a roller hockey and skateboard park, and a second, 9-hole disc golf course. In addition, the Hays Recreation Commission manages a municipal swimming pool and a waterpark, Hays Aquatic Park.
There are two golf course
s in the city, Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course and Smoky Hill Country Club. The municipal course is an 18-hole course located immediately southwest of the city, built around the Fort Hays historical site. Smoky Hill Country Club is a private, 18-hole course that opened in the western part of the city in 1962.
The Hays Symphony Orchestra, established in 1914, is an ensemble of university, regional, and community musicians which performs in FHSU’s Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The center also hosts the university’s ongoing performing arts series which consists of dramatic and musical performances throughout the year.
. The Midwest Deutsche Oktoberfest takes place the third week of September. Fort Hays State University and The Volga German Society hold an Oktoberfest celebration on the first or second Friday in October. In addition, Polka
Fest occurs in March, and the Ellis County Historical Museum hosts German Heritage Days in April.
To celebrate Independence Day
and to mark its early history as an Old West
frontier town, the city hosts the annual Wild West Festival during the first week of July. The festival includes country and rock music concerts, a carnival, a parade, a fishing tournament, baseball games, and a fireworks display. On the first weekend in December, the Kansas Historical Society
holds Christmas Past at Historic Fort Hays, showcasing history programs and tours of the fort with it decorated for Christmas
as it was in the late 1800s.
period. Affiliated with the university’s Departments of Geosciences and Biology, the museum also hosts educational programs on fossil preparation and ongoing scientific research. The Ellis County Historical Society Museum, located downtown, maintains exhibits of artifacts from the area’s Old West period through its settlement by Volga and Bukovina Germans. Included in the museum complex are the Volga German Haus, a reproduction of an early Volga German settler home, and a stone chapel constructed in 1879. Southwest of Hays, the Kansas Historical Society maintains the Fort Hays State Historic Site
. It consists of four of the fort’s original structures and a visitor’s center. Other sites related to the area’s frontier period include Boot Hill, the city’s earliest cemetery, and a historical marker at the site of the ill-fated town of Rome.
To capitalize on the community's Old West heritage, the local chamber of commerce
promotes downtown Hays as the historic Chestnut Street District. Local businesses offer dining, shopping, and entertainment, and visitors can tour designated historical sites in the district via a self-guided walking tour.
churches in Hays, the majority of which are Protestant. That number also includes three Catholic churches, a Jehovah's Witnesses
congregation, and a LDS Church meetinghouse. Hays is also home to a Baha'i
community. The Hays District of the United Methodist Church
, which consists of 21 counties in northwestern Kansas, is headquartered in the city.
, compete in several sports in the NCAA Division II MIAA conference.
In addition to FHSU sports, Hays is home to an amateur baseball team and rodeo
entertainment. The Hays Larks
are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Jayhawk Collegiate League
of the National Baseball Congress
. The team dates back to 1869 when local residents founded it as The Hays Town Team. From June through August, the Mid-America Rodeo Company puts on rough stock rodeo performances on weeknights, including Saddle bronc and bareback riding
, bull riding
, and barrel racing
, as well as professional horse racing
events.
, starring Gary Cooper
as Wild Bill Hickok in a highly dramatized account of Hickok's exploits and his relationships with Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and George Custer. Hays was also a setting, as well as a filming location, of the 1973 film Paper Moon
.
, Buffalo Bill Cody, General George Custer
and his wife Elizabeth
, and gunfighters Wild Bill Hickok
and Clay Allison
.
Other notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Hays include:
:
Newspaper
Schools
Historical
Maps
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Ellis County
Ellis County, Kansas
Ellis County is a county located in Northwest Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 28,452. Its county seat and most populous city is Hays...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town
College town
A college town or university town is a community which is dominated by its university population...
, home to Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university located in Hays, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students .- History :FHSU was founded in 1902 as the...
. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,510.
History
In late 1866, anticipating the construction of the Kansas Pacific RailwayKansas Pacific Railway
The Kansas Pacific Railway was a historic railroad company that operated in the western United States in the late 19th century. It was a federally chartered railroad, backed with government land grants. It operated many of the first long-distance lines in the state of Kansas in the 1870s,...
as far west as Fort Hays
Fort Hays
Fort Hays was an important frontier outpost of the United States Army located in Hays, Kansas between 1865 and 1889. Fort Hays was the home of several well-known Indian wars regiments including the Seventh U.S. Cavalry, the Fifth U.S. Infantry, and the Tenth U.S. Cavalry, whose black troopers were...
, a party from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
led by one William Webb selected three sections of land for colonization near the fort. In June 1867, to better serve the railroad, the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
relocated Fort Hays to a site near where the railroad was to cross Big Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River
Smoky Hill River
The Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas.-Names:The Smoky Hill gets its name from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows...
. Seeing a business opportunity, Buffalo Bill Cody and railroad contractor William Rose founded the settlement of Rome, Kansas near the fort's new location. Within a month, the population of Rome grew to over 2,000. Webb, meanwhile, established the Big Creek Land Company and then surveyed and platted a town site, which he named Hays City after the fort, roughly one mile east of Rome. The railroad reached Hays City soon thereafter and constructed a depot there. The railroad's arrival, combined with a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic that hit Rome in the late summer of 1867, drove Rome businesses and residents to relocate to Hays City. Within a year, Rome was completely abandoned. As the western terminus of the railway, Hays City grew rapidly, serving as the supply point for territories to the west and southwest.
In its early years, Hays City was a violent frontier town characteristic of the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
. More than 30 homicides occurred in or near the town between 1867 and 1873, and it was the location of the original Boot Hill
Boot Hill
Boot Hill is the name for any number of cemeteries, chiefly in the American West. During the 19th century it was a common name for the burial grounds of gunfighters, or those who "died with their boots on" ....
. Several notable figures of the Old West lived in Hays City at points, including George Custer and his wife Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bacon Custer
Elizabeth Bacon Custer was the wife of General George Armstrong Custer. After his death, she became an outspoken advocate for her husband's legacy through her popular books and lectures...
, Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary Burke , better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native Americans...
, and Wild Bill Hickok
Wild Bill Hickok
James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...
who served a brief term as sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
in 1869. Hays City became the county seat of Ellis County in 1870. By 1872, many of the rougher elements of the populace had left, mainly for Dodge City
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
, and Hays City became more civilized. In 1885, the town was incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
, and "City" was dropped from its name.
Volga Germans began settling the area in 1876, having found land suitable for the lifestyle and type of farming they had practiced in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. They brought with them Turkey Red Wheat, a type of winter wheat
Winter wheat
Winter wheat is a type of wheat that is planted from September to December in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter wheat sprouts before freezing occurs, then becomes dormant until the soil warms in the spring. Winter wheat needs a few weeks of cold before being able to flower, however persistent snow...
whose cultivation contributed to the agricultural transformation of the region. Bukovina Germans
Bukovina Germans
The Bukovina Germans were a German ethnic group that mainly lived from about 1780 to the 1940s in Bukovina, part of present-day western Ukraine and northern Romania...
began settling in the area in 1886. These groups had a significant impact on the local way of life, establishing Hays as a regional center of ethnic German culture
Culture of Germany
German culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation-state and spanned the entire German-speaking world. From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular...
.
Fort Hays closed in 1889. In 1900, the Kansas delegation to the U.S. Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
secured the fort's land and facilities for educational purposes. The following year, the Kansas Legislature
Kansas Legislature
The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, composed of 125 Representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 Senators...
established the Fort Hays Experiment Station, part of Kansas State Agricultural College
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, on the Fort Hays reservation and set aside land for the Western Branch of Kansas State Normal School
Emporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
, which opened in 1902 and eventually became Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university located in Hays, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students .- History :FHSU was founded in 1902 as the...
. Fort Hays opened as a museum in 1955 and was later acquired by the Kansas Historical Society
Kansas Historical Society
The Kansas Historical Society is the official state historical society of Kansas.Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the Kansas Museum of History, Kansas State Archives and Library, Kansas State Capitol...
. In 1967, it became the Fort Hays State Historic Site.
Several disasters have struck Hays over the course of its history. In 1895, fire destroyed 60 buildings downtown. Severe floods occurred in 1907 and 1951. In 1919, three Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
gasoline tanks exploded, killing eight and injuring approximately 150 people. In 1935, the city experienced violent dust storms as part of the Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
.
Hays began to modernize in the early 1900s with a power plant, waterworks, telephone
Telephony
In telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
exchange, and sewer system complete by 1911. Over the following decades, the city evolved into a regional economic hub. Development of oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
fields in the surrounding area began in 1936 with Hays serving as a trading center and shipping point. Hays Regional Airport
Hays Regional Airport
Hays Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles southeast of the central business district of Hays, a city in Ellis County, Kansas, USA. The airport covers and has two runways. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline...
opened in 1961. Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
reached Hays in 1966. Today, Hays is a commercial and educational center for western Kansas.
Geography
Hays is located at 38°52′46"N 99°19′20"W (38.879399, -99.322277) at an elevation of 2,021 feet (616 m). The city lies in the Smoky HillsSmoky Hills
The Smoky Hills are an upland region of hills in the central Great Plains of North America. They are located in the central United States, encompassing north-central Kansas and a small portion of south-central Nebraska. The hills are a dissected plain covered by tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie...
region of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
approximately 11 miles (18 km) north of the Smoky Hill River
Smoky Hill River
The Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas.-Names:The Smoky Hill gets its name from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows...
and 15 miles (24 km) south of the Saline River
Saline River (Kansas)
The Saline River is a tributary of the Smoky Hill River in the central Great Plains of North America. The entire length of the river lies in the U.S. state of Kansas. The river takes its name from the French translation of its Native name Ne Miskua, referring to its salty content.-Geography:The...
. Big Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River, runs through the southwestern part of the city. Chetolah Creek, a tributary of Big Creek, flows south through the eastern part of the city. Located in northwestern Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
and U.S. Route 183
U.S. Route 183
U.S. Route 183 is a north–south United States highway. U.S. 183 was the last US route to be completely paved. The 20 mile segment in Loup County, Nebraska, north of Taylor, was unpaved until 1967. The highway's northern terminus is in Presho, South Dakota, at an intersection with...
, Hays is 134 miles (216 km) northwest of Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, 256 miles (412 km) west of Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, and 311 miles (500 km) east-southeast of Denver.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²), all of it land.
Climate
Hays sits near the convergence of North America's humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa)Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
, humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa)
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
, and temperate semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) zones and has features of all three climates. It has hot summers with variable humidity and cool winters. The average temperature in Hays is 54 °F (12 °C), and the average relative humidity
Relative humidity
Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor. It is defined as the partial pressure of water vapor in the air-water mixture, given as a percentage of the saturated vapor pressure under those conditions...
is 64%. Over the course of a year, temperatures range from an average low of 16 °F (-8.9 °C) in January to an average high of 93 °F (33.9 °C) in July. The high temperature reaches or exceeds 90 °F (32.2 °C) an average of 63 days a year and reaches or exceeds 100 °F (37.8 °C) an average of 14 days a year. The minimum temperature falls below the freezing point 32 °F (0 °C) an average of 138 days a year. Typically, the first fall freeze occurs by the second week of October, and the last spring freeze occurs by the last week of April. Hays receives 23 inches (584.2 mm) of precipitation during an average year with the largest share being received from May through August. There are, on average, 77 days of measurable precipitation each year. Annual snowfall averages 18 inches (45.7 cm). Measurable snowfall occurs an average of 11 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 25 days a year. Due to its geographic location at a climatic boundary, severe weather is common with tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es a major threat, especially in the spring and early summer months. On average, January is the coldest month, and July is both the hottest and wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Hays was 117 °F (47 °C) in 1934; the coldest temperature recorded was -26 °F (-32 °C) in 1905.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 20,510 people, 8,698 households, 4,639 families residing in the city. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,698.7 people per square mile (1,042/km²). There were 9,311 housing units at an average density of 1,225.1 per square mile (472.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.8% White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, 1.8% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 1.1% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.3% American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, 2.1% from some other race, and 1.8% from two or more races. 4.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,698 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25, and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city, the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 22.6% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males age 18 and over.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,436, and the median income for a family was $61,895. Males had a median income of $31,386 versus $29,492 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $23,841. About 4.2% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The service sector constitutes most of the local economy with education and health care being two major industries. Hays Medical Center, Fort Hays State UniversityFort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university located in Hays, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students .- History :FHSU was founded in 1902 as the...
, and Hays Public Schools are the city's three largest employers. Other major employers include local government, Nex-Tech, Eagle Comm, AT&T and other telecommunications firms, retail stores, and social services providers. Hays also hosts some manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
. EnerSys
EnerSys
EnerSys is a manufacturer of batteries for motive power, reserve power, aerospace, and defense applications. It operates in over 100 countries worldwide, with over 25% market share worldwide with US $2 billion in revenue....
, a producer of sealed lead batteries, operates a plant in the city as do Adronics, an auto parts maker, and Rans Designs
Rans Designs
Rans Designs, previously called Rans Inc., is an American aircraft and bicycle manufacturer based in Hays, Kansas, United States. The company name is a portmanteau of the first and last names of the company founder, Randy Schlitter...
, a manufacturer of aircraft and bicycles. Other local companies manufacture oil field supplies, HVAC
HVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
systems, and wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
s.
Government
Hays is a city of the second class with a commission-managerCouncil-manager government
The council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
form of government which it adopted in 1919. The city commission consists of five commissioners elected at-large
Plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
every two years. The commission meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. One commissioner serves as mayor, presiding over commission meetings and representing the city at ceremonial events. The city manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
is hired by the commission and is responsible for advising the commission, enforcing its policies, administering city employees, and preparing a proposed city budget.
Primary and secondary education
Hays Public Schools (USDUnified school district
A unified school district or unit school district is a school district which includes both primary school and high school under the same district control....
489) operates ten schools in Hays:
- Lincoln Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5)
- O'Loughlin Elementary School (Pre-K-5)
- Roosevelt Elementary School (Pre-K-5)
- Washington Elementary School (Pre-K-5)
- Woodrow Wilson Elementary School (Pre-K-5)
- Felten Middle School (6-8)
- Kennedy Middle School (6-8)
- Hays High School (9-12)
- Westside School, alternative school
- The Learning Center, alternative school
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina is a Roman Catholic diocese covering thirty-one counties in Kansas. The episcopal see is in Salina, Kansas...
oversees two Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
s in Hays: Holy Family Elementary School (Pre-K-6) and Thomas More Prep-Marian (9-12). There are also two other Christian school
Christian school
A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization.The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures...
s in the city: Hays Seventh-Day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist education
The Seventh-day Adventist educational system is the second-largest Christian school system in the world, after the Roman Catholic system ....
School (K-8) and High Plains Christian School (Pre-K-8).
Colleges and universities
Fort Hays State University (FHSU)Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university located in Hays, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students .- History :FHSU was founded in 1902 as the...
is located in Hays. A four-year public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
with more than 11,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Kansas. North Central Kansas Technical College, a two-year public college
Community colleges in the United States
In the United States, community colleges are primarily two-year public institutions of higher education and were once commonly called junior colleges....
based in Beloit, Kansas
Beloit, Kansas
Beloit is a city in and the county seat of Mitchell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,835.- History :...
, also has a campus in Hays. Immediately south of the city, Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
operates its Agricultural Research Center—Hays, formerly the Fort Hays Experiment Station. The Center studies regional crop management and livestock production, and, for that purpose, its 7810 acres (31.6 km²) campus includes a feedlot, a greenhouse complex, cropland, and rangeland as well as a preserved natural area.
Libraries
Hays Public Library, located downtown, is the city’s main library. Its collection consists of more than 145,000 volumes, and it circulates more than 1.1 million items annually. The Library first opened in 1900, expanding into a Carnegie libraryCarnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
in 1911 which remained open until its replacement by a larger facility in 1968. That facility, in turn, has since been renovated and expanded further, re-opening in 2004. The library offers several services to the public, including computer classes, ESL
ESL
ESL is a common abbreviation for English as a Second Language, see English language learning and teaching.ESL may also refer to:-Companies:...
and literacy tutoring, and programs for youth and children. FHSU’s Forsyth Library holds more than 225,000 volumes and serves as a federal depository library
Federal depository library
The Federal Depository Library Program is a United States program created to make U.S. federal government publications available to the public at no cost. As of June 2008, there are 1,252 depository libraries in the United States and its territories. A "government publication" is defined in the U.S...
. In addition to government documents, its special collections include an archive of children’s literature and materials relating to regional history and culture.
Transportation
Interstate 70Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
and U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
run concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
southeast-northwest immediately north of Hays. U.S. Route 183
U.S. Route 183
U.S. Route 183 is a north–south United States highway. U.S. 183 was the last US route to be completely paved. The 20 mile segment in Loup County, Nebraska, north of Taylor, was unpaved until 1967. The highway's northern terminus is in Presho, South Dakota, at an intersection with...
runs north-south through Hays, intersecting I-70 immediately north of the city. A U.S. 183 bypass route runs around Hays to the west from U.S. 183 immediately south of the city to I-70 northwest of the city.
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
provides long-distance bus service with a stop in Hays.
Hays Regional Airport
Hays Regional Airport
Hays Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles southeast of the central business district of Hays, a city in Ellis County, Kansas, USA. The airport covers and has two runways. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline...
is located just southeast of the city. Used primarily for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, it hosts one commercial airline with daily flights to Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
The Kansas Pacific (KP) Line of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
runs southeast-northwest through downtown Hays in the southern part of the city.
Utilities
Water production and distribution, waste water collection and treatment, and sewer maintenance are the responsibility of the city government's Utilities Department. The government's Public Works Department and several local businesses provide trash removal. Midwest Energy, Inc., a regional energy company headquartered in the city, provides both electric power and natural gas service.Health care
Hays Medical Center is the sole hospital in the city. A private, non-profit hospital established in 1991, it is a 165-bed general medical and surgical facility that serves as a regional referral center for northwestern Kansas.Media
The Hays Daily NewsHays Daily News
The Hays Daily News is a newspaper that serves western Kansas. The Daily News is published every day except Saturday. In 2011, the paper reported a circulation of 9,644 subscribers....
is the city's daily newspaper with a circulation of over 9,600. In addition, Fort Hays State University publishes a weekly student newspaper, The University Leader.
Hays is a center of broadcast media for central and northwestern Kansas. One AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
radio station, 12 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio stations, and three television stations are licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to and/or broadcast from the city. Hays is in the Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
-Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
television market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
. Two television stations broadcast from the city, including one CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
network affiliate and one ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
translator station, both of which are satellite stations of their respective affiliates in Wichita. The third station is the flagship station of Smoky Hills Public Television
Smoky Hills Public Television
Smoky Hills Public Television is the Public Broadcasting Service member network for 71 counties in central and western Kansas. It is headquartered in a historic native stone building in Bunker Hill, just east of Russell....
, the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
member network covering western Kansas. Licensed to Hays, it broadcasts from studios in Bunker Hill, Kansas
Bunker Hill, Kansas
Bunker Hill is a city in Russell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 95.-History:J. B. Corbett and V. Harbaugh, leaders of a colony from Ohio, founded Bunker Hill at a site on the Kansas Pacific Railway in the summer of 1871...
.
Parks and recreation
The city government's Parks Department maintains 16 parks in the city. The largest is Frontier Park, located immediately south of downtown across the U.S. 183 bypass route from the Fort Hays State Historic Site. Divided into eastern, western, and northern sections, it includes an 18-hole disc golfDisc golf
Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...
course and pens
Pen (enclosure)
A pen is an enclosure for holding livestock. The term describes multiple types of enclosures that may confine one or many animals. Construction and terminology varies depending on region of the world, purpose, animal species to be confined, local materials used, and cultural tradition...
which are home to a herd of American bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
kept at the park since 1953. The department also maintains three baseball parks, a soccer complex, tennis courts, a roller hockey and skateboard park, and a second, 9-hole disc golf course. In addition, the Hays Recreation Commission manages a municipal swimming pool and a waterpark, Hays Aquatic Park.
There are two golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s in the city, Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course and Smoky Hill Country Club. The municipal course is an 18-hole course located immediately southwest of the city, built around the Fort Hays historical site. Smoky Hill Country Club is a private, 18-hole course that opened in the western part of the city in 1962.
Culture
Arts and music
An established arts community supports several galleries in the city. The Hays Arts Council operates the Hays Arts Center Gallery which displays the work of Kansas artists and sponsors exhibitions and competitions throughout the year. FHSU’s Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art, affiliated with the university’s Art Department, displays student and faculty works as well as traveling exhibits. In addition, a number of local artists manage their own galleries around the city.The Hays Symphony Orchestra, established in 1914, is an ensemble of university, regional, and community musicians which performs in FHSU’s Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The center also hosts the university’s ongoing performing arts series which consists of dramatic and musical performances throughout the year.
Events
Hays is a regional center of German American culture due to the number of German immigrants who settled the area in the 1870s and 1880s. As of 2009, roughly 55% of the city population claimed German ancestry. The city hosts several events throughout the year which celebrate this heritage including two OktoberfestsOktoberfest celebrations
The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German...
. The Midwest Deutsche Oktoberfest takes place the third week of September. Fort Hays State University and The Volga German Society hold an Oktoberfest celebration on the first or second Friday in October. In addition, Polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
Fest occurs in March, and the Ellis County Historical Museum hosts German Heritage Days in April.
To celebrate Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
and to mark its early history as an Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
frontier town, the city hosts the annual Wild West Festival during the first week of July. The festival includes country and rock music concerts, a carnival, a parade, a fishing tournament, baseball games, and a fireworks display. On the first weekend in December, the Kansas Historical Society
Kansas Historical Society
The Kansas Historical Society is the official state historical society of Kansas.Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the Kansas Museum of History, Kansas State Archives and Library, Kansas State Capitol...
holds Christmas Past at Historic Fort Hays, showcasing history programs and tours of the fort with it decorated for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
as it was in the late 1800s.
Points of interest
There are several museums and sites in Hays dedicated to aspects of area history. FHSU’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History features extensive collections and exhibits of fossil specimens, including an interactive diorama of life in the region during the CretaceousCretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
period. Affiliated with the university’s Departments of Geosciences and Biology, the museum also hosts educational programs on fossil preparation and ongoing scientific research. The Ellis County Historical Society Museum, located downtown, maintains exhibits of artifacts from the area’s Old West period through its settlement by Volga and Bukovina Germans. Included in the museum complex are the Volga German Haus, a reproduction of an early Volga German settler home, and a stone chapel constructed in 1879. Southwest of Hays, the Kansas Historical Society maintains the Fort Hays State Historic Site
Fort Hays
Fort Hays was an important frontier outpost of the United States Army located in Hays, Kansas between 1865 and 1889. Fort Hays was the home of several well-known Indian wars regiments including the Seventh U.S. Cavalry, the Fifth U.S. Infantry, and the Tenth U.S. Cavalry, whose black troopers were...
. It consists of four of the fort’s original structures and a visitor’s center. Other sites related to the area’s frontier period include Boot Hill, the city’s earliest cemetery, and a historical marker at the site of the ill-fated town of Rome.
To capitalize on the community's Old West heritage, the local chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
promotes downtown Hays as the historic Chestnut Street District. Local businesses offer dining, shopping, and entertainment, and visitors can tour designated historical sites in the district via a self-guided walking tour.
Religion
There are 27 ChristianChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
churches in Hays, the majority of which are Protestant. That number also includes three Catholic churches, a Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
congregation, and a LDS Church meetinghouse. Hays is also home to a Baha'i
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
community. The Hays District of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, which consists of 21 counties in northwestern Kansas, is headquartered in the city.
Sports
Fort Hays State University's athletic teams, known as the Fort Hays TigersFort Hays Tigers
Fort Hays State University athletic teams are known as the Tigers. The school's teams participate in the NCAA Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association , except for wrestling, which competes as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference .-Athletics department:Fort Hays...
, compete in several sports in the NCAA Division II MIAA conference.
In addition to FHSU sports, Hays is home to an amateur baseball team and rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
entertainment. The Hays Larks
Hays Larks
The Hays Larks are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Hays, Kansas. The Larks evolved from Hays during the 1946 season. From 1869 to 1945, the team went by the name of The Hays Town Team and was sponsored by various organizations and businesses in Hays. The Larks are part of the Jayhawk...
are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Jayhawk Collegiate League
Jayhawk Collegiate League
The Jayhawk Collegiate League is a collegiate summer baseball league consisting of five teams from five Kansas towns. The league was formed in 1976 and is a "Premier League" within the National Baseball Congress.-Teams:...
of the National Baseball Congress
National Baseball Congress
The National Baseball Congress of Wichita, Kansas is an organization of 15 amateur and semi-professional baseball leagues operating in the United States and Canada...
. The team dates back to 1869 when local residents founded it as The Hays Town Team. From June through August, the Mid-America Rodeo Company puts on rough stock rodeo performances on weeknights, including Saddle bronc and bareback riding
Saddle bronc and bareback riding
Bronc riding, either saddle bronc or bareback bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding on a horse , that attempts to throw or buck off the rider...
, bull riding
Bull riding
Bull riding refers to rodeo sports that involve a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal attempts to buck off the rider....
, and barrel racing
Barrel racing
Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a clover-leaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Though both boys and girls compete at the youth level and men compete in some amateur venues, in collegiate and professional ranks, it is primarily a rodeo...
, as well as professional horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
events.
In popular culture and the arts
Hays was a setting of the 1936 film The PlainsmanThe Plainsman
The Plainsman is a 1936 American Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The film presents a highly fictionalized account of the adventures and relationships between Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and General George Custer, with a...
, starring Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
as Wild Bill Hickok in a highly dramatized account of Hickok's exploits and his relationships with Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and George Custer. Hays was also a setting, as well as a filming location, of the 1973 film Paper Moon
Paper Moon (film)
Paper Moon is a 1973 American comedy film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was adapted from the novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown, and the film was shot in black-and-white. The film is set during the Great Depression in the U.S. states of Kansas and...
.
Notable people
Several Old West figures lived in Hays during its period as a frontier outpost, including Calamity JaneCalamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary Burke , better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native Americans...
, Buffalo Bill Cody, General George Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
and his wife Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bacon Custer
Elizabeth Bacon Custer was the wife of General George Armstrong Custer. After his death, she became an outspoken advocate for her husband's legacy through her popular books and lectures...
, and gunfighters Wild Bill Hickok
Wild Bill Hickok
James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...
and Clay Allison
Clay Allison
Clay Allison was a Texas cattle rancher and gunfighter. He is one of the best known historic figures of the American Old West.-Early life:...
.
Other notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Hays include:
- John L. Allen, Jr.John L. Allen, Jr.John L. Allen, Jr. is an American journalist based in Rome who specializes in news about the Catholic Church. He is senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and vaticanologist of CNN and NPR. Allen is also the author of several books about the Catholic Church...
, journalist - Philip AnschutzPhilip AnschutzPhilip Frederick Anschutz is an American entrepreneur. Anschutz bought out his father's drilling company in 1961 and earned large returns in Wyoming. He has invested in stocks, real estate and railroads...
, billionaire businessman - Rob BeckleyRob BeckleyRobert Benjamin Beckley is lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Christian band Pillar, which was voted Best Hard Rock Band in CCM Magazines 2006 Reader's Choice Awards. Beckley started the band in 1998 in Kansas.Beckley is married to Linda Beckley...
, Christian rockChristian rockChristian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
singer - Robert BogueRobert BogueRobert Timothy Bogue is an Americanactor, who played A.C. Mallet on Guiding Light from 2007 until the soap's ending in 2009....
, actor - Jeff ColyerJeff ColyerJeffrey "Jeff" Colyer, M.D. is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a member of the Kansas Senate and of the Kansas House of Representatives...
, Lieutenant Governor of KansasLieutenant Governor of KansasThe Lieutenant Governor of Kansas is the lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Kansas. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term... - Chief HogsettChief HogsettElon Chester "Chief" Hogsett was a sub-marining left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played 11 seasons in the American League with the Detroit Tigers , St...
, MLBMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher - Melissa McDermottMelissa McDermottMelissa McDermott was a reporter for CBS News. She is best known for being an anchor of the overnight CBS newscast, Up to the Minute.-Biography:...
, news anchor
- Jerry MoranJerry MoranJerry Moran is the junior U.S. Senator from Kansas and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing ....
, U.S. Senator from Kansas - Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthyKathryn O'Loughlin McCarthyKathryn Ellen O'Loughlin was a U.S. Representative from Kansas. After her election she was married to Daniel M. McCarthy, who served in the Kansas State Senate, and thereupon served under the name of Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Kansas.Born near...
, U.S. RepresentativeUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Kansas - Elizabeth PollyElizabeth PollyElizabeth Polly was the young wife of Ephriam Polly, the Hospital Steward or male nurse during the cholera epidemic at Fort Hays in 1867. Elizabeth was the hospital matron that helped sick and dying soldiers deal with what was for many, the final hours of their lives...
, the so-called "Blue Light Lady" - Willard SchmidtWillard SchmidtWillard Raymond Schmidt was an American professional baseball player, a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between 1952 and 1959. Listed at , , Schmidt batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Hays, Kansas....
, MLBMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher - Rebecca StaabRebecca StaabRebecca Ann Staab is an American actress and former beauty queen who has competed in the Miss USA pageant.- Biography :Staab was born in Hays, Kansas and grew up in Ralston, Nebraska. She graduated in 1979 from Ralston Senior High School...
, actress - Frances Tilton WeaverFrances Tilton WeaverFrances Tilton Weaver was a notable woman attorney from Illinois.-History:Frances Tilton Weaver was born in 1904 in Hays, Kansas. During her formative years, her family relocated to the midwestern town of Valparaiso, Indiana...
, feminist legal pioneer
Sister cities
Hays has 3 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities InternationalSister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
:
| Neustadt an der Waldnaab Neustadt an der Waldnaab Neustadt an der Waldnaab is a municipality in Bavaria, capital of the district Neustadt .... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... Santa Maria Santa María, Paraguay Santa María de Fe is a town and district located in the Misiones department in Paraguay, located about 15 km from the city of San Ignacio.-Geography:The district of Santa María de Fe is located in the Eastern Region of Paraguay... , Paraguay Santa María, Paraguay Santa María de Fe is a town and district located in the Misiones department in Paraguay, located about 15 km from the city of San Ignacio.-Geography:The district of Santa María de Fe is located in the Eastern Region of Paraguay... Xinzheng Xinzheng Xinzheng is a small county-level city of Zhengzhou in the south of Henan province of Central China. The city has a population of 600,000 people and covers an area of .-History:... , China |
Further reading
- History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook)
- Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook)
External links
City- City of Hays
- Hays - Directory of Public Officials
- Official Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Hays Chamber of Commerce
Newspaper
Schools
- Hays USD 489, local public school district
- Holy Family Elementary, private Catholic school
- Thomas More Prep-Marian High, private Catholic school
Historical
Maps
- Hays City Map, KDOT
- Ellis County Map, KDOT