Hays, Kansas

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.

History
In late 1866, anticipating the construction of the Kansas Pacific Railway 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.

Geography
Hays is located at 38.87944°N, -99.32222°W (38.879399, -99.322277) at an elevation of 2,021 feet (616 m). The city lies in the Smoky Hills 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. Hays is immediately north of the confluence of Big Creek and Chetolah Creek. Big Creek, a tributary of the Smoky Hill River, runs through the southwestern part of the city. Chetolah 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 approximately 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.

Climate
Hays sits near the climatic triple point between North America's humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), 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%. Annually, Hays experiences extremes of heat and cold. Temperatures exceed 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 67 days a year and drop below 32 °F (0 °C) an average of 150 days a year. On average, Hays experiences 76 rainy days a year. Precipitation averages 22.7 inches (577 mm) per year, and snowfall averages 20.3 inches (516 mm) per year. Due to its geographic location at a climatic boundary, severe weather is common with tornadoes 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 density 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% Native American, 2.1% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.7% of the population.

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.

As of 2009, the median income for a household in the city was $39,970, and the median income for a family was $58,181. Males had a median income of $36,152 versus $30,102 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,314. About 6.9% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 4.4% 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 University, and Hays Public Schools are the city's three largest employers. Other major employers include local government, 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 wheelchairs.

Government
Hays is a city of the second class, according to state statute, with a commission-manager 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.

Primary and secondary education
Hays Public Schools (USD 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 oversees two Catholic schools in Hays: Holy Family Elementary School (Pre-K-6) and Thomas More Prep-Marian (9-12). There are also two other Christian schools in the city: Hays Seventh-Day Adventist School (K-8) and High Plains Christian School (Pre-K-8).

Colleges and universities
Fort Hays State University (FHSU) 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 7,810-acre 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 library 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.

Transportation
Interstate 70 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.

Print
Newspapers
 * The Hays Daily News, daily
 * The University Leader, weekly, the Fort Hays State University student newspaper

Radio
The following radio stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from Hays:

AM

FM

Television
Hays is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market. The following television stations are licensed to and/or broadcast from Hays:

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 2008, roughly 57% of the city population claimed German ancestry. The city hosts several events throughout the year which celebrate this heritage including two Oktoberfests. 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.

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 Cretaceous 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.

Religion
There are 27 Christian 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.

Sports
Fort Hays State University's athletic teams, known as the Fort Hays Tigers, compete in several sports in the NCAA Division II MIAA conference.

Hays is also home to the Hays Larks, 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.

Notable people
Several Old West figures lived in Hays during its period as a frontier outpost, including Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, General George Custer and his wife Elizabeth, and gunfighters Wild Bill Hickok and Clay Allison.

Other notable natives and residents of Hays include:


 * John L. Allen, Jr., journalist
 * Philip Anschutz, billionaire businessman
 * Rob Beckley, Christian rock singer
 * Robert Bogue, actor
 * Chief Hogsett, Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Melissa McDermott, news anchor
 * Jerry Moran, U.S. Senator from Kansas


 * Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy, U.S. Representative from Kansas
 * Elizabeth Polly, the so-called "Blue Light Lady"
 * Willard Schmidt, Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Gerald Seib, journalist
 * Rebecca Staab, actress
 * Frances Tilton Weaver, feminist legal pioneer

Sister cities
Hays has 3 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: