Hays, Kansas facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Hays, Kansas
City and County seat
Main Street in Downtown Hays
Location within Ellis County and Kansas
KDOT map of Ellis County (legend)
Country	United States
State	Kansas
County	Ellis
Founded	1867
Incorporated	1885
Named for	Fort Hays
Area
• Total	8.48 sq mi (21.96 km²)
• Land	8.48 sq mi (21.96 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Elevation	2,018 ft (615 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	21,116
• Density	2,490.1/sq mi (961.57/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	67601, 67667
Area code	785
FIPS code	20-31100
GNIS ID	485589

Hays is a city in Ellis County, Kansas, United States. It is the largest city in northwestern Kansas and serves as the county seat. Hays is an important center for business and culture in the region.

In 2020, the city had a population of 21,116 people. Hays is also known as a college town because it is home to Fort Hays State University.

History

Hays is located in an area that was once home to Native American tribes like the Arapaho, Kiowa, and Pawnee. The United States gained this land in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Kansas became a state in 1861.

In 1865, the U.S. Army built Fort Fletcher to protect stagecoaches. It was later renamed Fort Hays in honor of Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays. In 1867, the Army moved the fort closer to where the Kansas Pacific Railway was being built.

Around the same time, a settlement called Rome, Kansas, quickly grew near the new fort. However, another town, Hays City, was started about a mile away. When the railroad arrived at Hays City, and a sickness spread in Rome, many people and businesses moved to Hays City. Rome was soon abandoned. Hays City became a busy supply point for the western territories.

As a frontier town, Hays City was a wild place, much like the stories of the American Old West. Famous figures like George Armstrong Custer, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Wild Bill Hickok lived there for a time. Wild Bill Hickok even served as a sheriff in 1869.

Hays City became the county seat of Ellis County in 1870. The town became more settled as people moved west. In 1876, Volga Germans began to settle in Ellis County. They found the land good for farming and brought with them Turkey Red Wheat, which helped change farming in the area. In 1895, the town's name was shortened to just Hays.

Fort Hays closed in 1889. Later, in 1901, the land and buildings were used to create the Fort Hays Experiment Station and the Western Branch of Kansas State Normal School. This school eventually became Fort Hays State University. Today, Fort Hays is a historical park where visitors can learn about its past.

Hays has faced several challenges over the years. In 1895, a fire destroyed 60 buildings downtown. There were also big floods in 1907 and 1951. In 1919, three gasoline tanks exploded, causing many injuries and deaths. In 1935, the city experienced severe dust storms during the Dust Bowl.

In the early 1900s, Hays started to modernize with new power, water, and telephone systems. It grew into an important economic center. Oil fields developed nearby in 1936, making Hays a trading and shipping hub. Today, Hays is a key center for business and education in western Kansas.

Geography

Hays is located in northwestern Kansas. It sits at an elevation of about 2,021 feet (616 meters) above sea level. The city is found where Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 183 cross. It is about 134 miles (216 km) northwest of Wichita.

The city is in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains. Big Creek, a small river, flows through the southwestern part of the city.

The city covers a total area of about 7.95 square miles (20.59 square kilometers), all of which is land.

Climate

Hays has a climate that mixes different types of weather. It usually has hot summers with changing humidity and cool winters. Because of its location, severe weather, including tornadoes, can happen, especially in spring and early summer.

The average temperature in Hays is 54°F (12°C). In January, the average low is about 16.2°F (-8.8°C). In July, the average high is about 92.4°F (33.6°C). Temperatures can reach 90°F (32°C) about 63 days a year. They can even go above 100°F (38°C) about 14 days a year.

Hays gets about 23.45 inches (596 mm) of rain each year, mostly from May to August. The average relative humidity is 64%. It snows about 16.7 inches (42 cm) on average each year.

Population and People

Hays has grown steadily over the years. In 1870, there were only 320 people. By 2020, the population had grown to 21,116.

2020 Census

The 2020 United States census showed that Hays had 21,116 people. Most of the people (about 87.5%) were white. About 7.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 19.6% of the population was under 18 years old. About 22.9% were between 18 and 24 years old, many of whom are likely students at the university. The average age in Hays was 30.7 years.

The average household income was about $52,135 per year.

Economy

The economy of Hays mostly relies on services, especially education and health care. These are two of the biggest industries in the city. Hays also has some manufacturing businesses.

Companies like EnerSys, which makes batteries, and Adronics, an auto parts maker, have plants in Hays. Other local companies make things like oil field supplies and wheelchairs.

Many people in Hays work in education, health care, and retail. The three largest employers in the city are Hays Medical Center, Fort Hays State University, and Hays Public Schools.

The cost of living in Hays is lower than the average for the United States. This means it's generally less expensive to live there.

Arts and Culture

Hays has a lively arts community. There are several art galleries in the city. The Hays Arts Council runs the Hays Arts Center Gallery, which shows art by Kansas artists. FHSU's Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art also displays student and faculty works.

The Hays Symphony Orchestra, started in 1914, performs at FHSU's Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. This center also hosts other plays and musical shows throughout the year.

Events

Hays is a center for German American culture. Many German immigrants settled here in the 1870s and 1880s. Today, over half of the city's population has German ancestry.

The city celebrates this heritage with several events. There are two Oktoberfests held in September and October. Polka Fest happens in March, and the Ellis County Historical Museum hosts German Heritage Days in April.

To celebrate Independence Day and its Old West past, Hays hosts the annual Wild West Festival in early July. This festival includes concerts, a carnival, a parade, and fireworks. In December, the Kansas Historical Society holds Christmas Past at Historic Fort Hays, showing how Christmas was celebrated in the late 1800s.

Places to Visit

Ellis County Historical Society Museum

Hays has several museums and historical sites. The Sternberg Museum of Natural History at FHSU has amazing collections of fossils, including a display of life during the Cretaceous period. The museum also offers educational programs.

The Ellis County Historical Society Museum downtown shows artifacts from the Old West and from the German settlers. It includes a replica of an early Volga German settler home and a stone chapel built in 1879.

Southwest of Hays, you can visit the Fort Hays State Historic Site. It has four of the fort's original buildings and a visitor's center. Other historical spots include Boot Hill, the city's first cemetery, and a marker for the old town of Rome.

Downtown Hays is known as the historic Chestnut Street District. You can take a self-guided walking tour to see historical sites, enjoy local shops, and find places to eat.

Religion

St. Joseph's Church in Hays is listed on the National Register of Historical Places

Hays has many Christian churches, including Protestant and Catholic churches. There are also a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation and a meetinghouse for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hays is also home to a Baháʼí Faith community.

Sports

The athletic teams at Fort Hays State University are called the Fort Hays Tigers. They compete in many sports in the NCAA Division II MIAA conference.

Hays also has an amateur baseball team called the Hays Larks. They are a collegiate summer baseball team that has been around since 1869. From June to August, the Mid–America Rodeo Company hosts rodeo shows with events like bull riding and barrel racing.

Parks and Recreation

The city of Hays has 16 parks. The largest is Frontier Park, located south of downtown. It has an 18-hole disc golf course and pens where a herd of American bison has lived since 1953.

The city also has three baseball parks, a soccer complex, tennis courts, and a skateboard park. The Hays Recreation Commission manages a public swimming pool and the Hays Aquatic Park, a waterpark.

There are two golf courses in Hays: Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course and Smoky Hill Country Club. The municipal course is an 18-hole course built around the Fort Hays historical site.

Education

Schools in Hays

The public schools in Hays are part of the Hays USD 489 school district. They operate eight schools:

Lincoln Elementary School (Pre-K)
O'Loughlin Elementary School (Pre-K-5)
Roosevelt Elementary School (Pre-K-5)
Woodrow Wilson Elementary School (Pre-K-5)
Hays Middle School (6-8)
Hays High School (9-12)
Westside School (an alternative school)
The Learning Center (an alternative school)

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina also oversees two Catholic schools in Hays: Holy Family Elementary School (Pre-K-6) and Thomas More Prep-Marian (7-12).

Colleges and Universities

The Paul Bissing Orchestra, around 1900.

Fort Hays State University (FHSU) is a four-year public university in Hays. It has over 11,000 students and is the third largest university in Kansas. North Central Kansas Technical College, a two-year public college, also has a campus in Hays.

South of the city, Kansas State University runs its Agricultural Research Center—Hays. This center studies farming and livestock production in the region.

Libraries

Hays Public Library is the main library in the city, located downtown. It has over 145,000 books and other items. The library first opened in 1900 and has been expanded and renovated several times. It offers computer classes, tutoring, and programs for all ages.

The Dorothy D. Richards Kansas Room at the library has a special collection of books and resources about the history of Kansas and the American West.

FHSU's Forsyth Library has over 225,000 books and serves as a federal depository library. It has special collections, including children's literature and materials about local history and culture.

Transportation

Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 run together just north of Hays. U.S. Route 183 goes north-south through the city.

Hays Regional Airport is located southeast of the city. It is mainly used for private planes, but it also has commercial flights to Denver, Colorado.

The Union Pacific Railroad provides freight train service through downtown Hays.

Media

The Hays Daily News is the city's daily newspaper

The Hays Daily News is the city's main newspaper, published six days a week. Fort Hays State University also publishes a weekly student newspaper called The University Leader.

Hays is an important center for radio and television in central and northwestern Kansas. Several radio stations broadcast from the city. Hays is also home to television stations, including a CBS affiliate and a PBS station that covers western Kansas.

Notable People

Many interesting people have lived in Hays throughout its history. During its early days as a frontier town, famous Old West figures like Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, George Armstrong Custer and his wife Elizabeth Bacon Custer, and gunfighters Wild Bill Hickok and Clay Allison all spent time here.

Other notable people connected to Hays include: