Hutchinson, Kansas

Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, 39 mi northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. Hutchinson's nickname is The Salt City but is referred to locally as Hutch. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,080. Every September Hutchinson hosts the Kansas State Fair, and in March it hosts the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Basketball Tournament. Hutchinson is also the home of the noted Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center aerospace museum, near the state fairgrounds.

History
The city of Hutchinson was founded in the year 1871, when Indian Agent C.C. Hutchinson contracted with the Santa Fe Railway to make a town at the railroad's crossing over the Arkansas River. The community was known to be called "Temperance City". Hutchinson was incorporated on August 15, 1872.

In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a main line from Herington through Hutchinson to Pratt. In 1888, this line was extended to Liberal. Later, it was extended to Tucumcari, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. It foreclosed in 1891 and taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".

In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of World War II were brought to Kansas and other Midwest states as a means of solving the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war effort. Large internment camps were established in Kansas: Camp Concordia, Camp Funston (at Fort Riley), Camp Phillips (at Salina under Fort Riley). Fort Riley established 12 smaller branch camps, including Hutchinson.

On January 17, 2001, 143 Mcuft of compressed natural gas leaked from the nearby Yaggy storage field. It sank underground, then rose to the surface through old brine, or salt wells making around 15 gas blowholes. An explosion in the downtown area at 10:45 a.m. destroyed 2 businesses and damaged 26 others. An explosion the next day in a mobile-home park took the lives of two people. The Kansas National Guard was called in to help evacuate parts of the city because of the gas leaks, and a team of specialists looked over all the city for leaks after the event. These events were broadcast on nationally televised news stations across the country.

The Hutchinson High School football team (the Salthawks) has had seven straight appearances, including six straight wins, in the 6A & 5A State Championship Game. They have moved down to 5A. In 2011-2012 school year, all Hutchinson High School athletics will become 6A.

Hutchinson is home to the Prairie Dunes Country Club, a golf course frequently ranked among the best golf courses in the U.S., and has hosted several United States Golf Association national championship tournaments. The club was founded by Emerson Carey and his four sons in the mid 1930s. The course was designed by Perry Maxwell, and the first nine holes opened on September 13, 1937. Twenty years later in 1957, a second 9 holes were opened, designed by Press Maxwell (Perry's son).

Geography
Hutchinson is located at 38.06556°N, -97.92361°W (38.065503, -97.923519) at an elevation of 1,535 feet (468 m). It lies on the northeast side of the Arkansas River in the Great Bend Sand Prairie region of the Great Plains. Cow Creek, a tributary of the Arkansas, runs southeast through the city. Located in south-central Kansas at the intersection of U.S. Route 50, K-96, and K-61, Hutchinson is approximately 39 mi northwest of Wichita and 200 miles (322 km) southwest of Kansas City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 54.9 km2. 54.7 km2 of it is land and 0.2 km2 of it (0.33%) is water.

Climate
Lying in the transition zone between North America's humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) and humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), Hutchinson experiences hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. The average temperature for the year is 56 °F (13 °C), and the average relative humidity is 65%. Temperatures exceed 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 65 days a year and drop below 32 °F (0 °C) an average of 121 days a year. On average, Hutchinson experiences 46 rainy days a year. Snowfall averages 14.1 inches (35 cm) per year. Total precipitation averages 30.3 inches (770 mm) per year. On average, January is the coolest month, July is the warmest month, and May is the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Hutchinson was 111 °F (44 °C) in 1964; the coldest temperature recorded was -19 °F (-28 °C) in 1982.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 40,787 people, 16,335 households, and 10,340 families residing in the city. The population density was 1932.6 PD/sqmi. There were 17,693 housing units at an average density of 838.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 88.57% White, 4.28% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.65% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.67% of the population.

There were 16,335 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,645, and the median income for a family was $40,094. Males had a median income of $30,994 versus $21,190 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,964. About 9.8% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Industry
Salt was discovered in Reno County by Benjamin Blanchard on September 26, 1887. This gave rise to the first salt-processing plants west of the Mississippi River. Salt was originally extracted using the evaporation method by pumping water into brine wells. In 1923, the Carey Salt Company opened the only salt mine in Hutchinson, which then produced rock salt. That mine is still in use today and is now operated by Hutchinson Salt Company. Cargill and Morton Salt also have evaporative salt plants in Hutchinson.

Excavated portions of the mine are used for archival storage of movie and television masters, data tapes, and permanent business records. Underground Vaults & Storage currently houses the masters for The Wizard of Oz (1939), Gone with the Wind (1939), and Star Wars, (1977) among many others.

The world's longest grain elevator was built in Hutchinson in 1961.

Dillon's grocery stores was established in Hutchinson by J.S. Dillon in the 1920s (originated in Sterling, Kansas). Dillon's was bought out by The Kroger Co. in 1983. The company still operates a distribution center and headquarters for Dillons and Kwik Shop in town.

The Eaton Corporation operates a hydraulics plant in Hutchinson. On August 22, 2006, Eaton announced they would keep the Hutchinson plant open because of a $1 million economic incentive from the City of Hutchinson and a $2 million incentive from the State of Kansas. 155 assembly jobs were moved to the Reynosa, Mexico plant in June, 2007.

On September 2, 2008, The Hutchinson Hospital changed its name to Promise Regional Medical Center.

Lowen Corporation was started in 1950 in a converted garage behind Mike Lowen's house in Hutchinson. Today Lowen Corporation has 2 operating divisions, Lowen Sign Company, the nation's largest manufacturer of signage for the real estate industry, and Lowen Color Graphics, the leading U.S. manufacturer of fleet, commercial, event and OEM graphics with manufacturing facilities in 3 states.

Collins Bus Corporation resides just outside Hutchinson, and is the leading small school bus manufacturer in North America.

StraightLine HDD, a leading directional drill tooling manufacturer, has a 70000 sqft. manufacturing plant in Hutchinson.

In May 2009, Siemens announced it would open its American wind turbine nacelle assembly facility in Hutchinson. The facility will begin producing late in 2010 and create 400 jobs in Hutchinson.

Colleges and universities

 * Hutchinson Community College

Primary and secondary education
Hutchinson Public Schools (USD 308) operates twelve schools in the city:


 * Avenue A Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-6)
 * Faris Elementary School (K-6)
 * Graber Elementary School (K-6)
 * Lincoln Elementary School (K-6)
 * Magnet School at Allen (K-6)
 * McCandless Elementary School (K-6)


 * Morgan Elementary School (K-6)
 * Wiley Elementary School (K-6)
 * Hutchinson Middle School 7 (7)
 * Hutchinson Middle School 8 (8)
 * Hutchinson High School (9-12)
 * Hutchinson Career & Technical Educational Academy

Buhler USD 313 operates four schools in and around Hutchinson:
 * Obee Elementary School (K-6)
 * Union Valley Elementary School (K-3)
 * Prosperity Elementary School (4-6)
 * Prairie Hills Middle School (7-8)

USD 309 South Hutchinson operates one school just outside of Hutchinson, Reno Valley Middle School (7-8).

There are also three private schools in Hutchinson:
 * Central Christian School (K-12)
 * Holy Cross Catholic School (Pre-K-6)
 * Trinity Catholic High School (7-12)

Transportation
U.S. Route 50 runs east-west south of the city. K-96 approaches Hutchinson from the south, bypasses it to the west, and then turns northwest. Coming from the west, K-61 runs concurrently with U.S. 50, turns north and runs through the eastern part of the city, and then exits to the northeast.

Reno County Area Transit (RCAT) is responsible for public transportation in the city. The agency operates three bus routes colored Red, Blue, and Yellow.

Hutchinson Municipal Airport is located on the eastern side of the city. The airport is primarily utilized for general aviation.

Three railroads serve Hutchinson. One is the La Junta Subdivision of the BNSF Railway which runs east-west through the city. Amtrak uses the La Junta Subdivision to provide passenger rail service. Hutchinson is a stop on the Southwest Chief line. Another railroad serving Hutchinson is the Tucumcari Line of the Union Pacific Railroad which runs northeast-southwest through the city. Lastly, Hutchinson is the terminus of two lines of the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad: the Hutchinson Subdivision, which enters the city from the south, and the Great Bend Subdivision, which enters the city from the northwest.

In 2010, Greyhound Bus added a route through Hutchinson. It runs from Wichita to Pueblo with stops in Dodge City and Garden City.

Print
Hutchinson has a daily newspaper, The Hutchinson News.

Radio

 * AM


 * FM

Points of Interest

 * Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center
 * Kansas State Fair
 * Kansas Underground Salt Museum
 * Hutchinson Correctional Facility, state prison
 * Prairie Dunes Country Club, host of the 2002 U.S. Women's Open and 2006 U.S. Senior Open golf championships.
 * Fox Theater (Hutchinson, Kansas)
 * Carey Park

Film

 * Picnic (1955 film), directed by Joshua Logan and winner of two Academy Awards was partially shot in Hutchinson (grain elevator scene).
 * Mysterious Skin (2004 film) directed by Gregg Araki based on a 1996 book of the same name by Scott Heim, are set in Hutchinson.

Television

 * Dirty Jobs, Season 2 Episode 42, an episode in Hutchinson focusing on mining salt.
 * Modern Marvels, Season 17 Episode 7, (time code: 29:40 - 34:26, first aired 12/10/2010), contained a segment on The Hutchinson Salt Mine.
 * Rocket Power, Samuel "Squid" Dullard is said to have moved from Hutchinson to Ocean Shores, California.

Literature

 * Sprout, a 2009 novel by Dale Peck, is set in Hutchinson and surrounding areas.

Elected Officials

 * Mike O'Neal, Republican, State Representative - 104th District
 * Terry Bruce, Republican, State Senator - 34th District

Local government

 * City Hall - 125 East Avenue B
 * Website - http://www.hutchgov.com/
 * Local Government-access television [[cable TV] - Channel 7
 * City Council
 * Mayor - Cindy Proett
 * Vice Mayor - Ron Sellers
 * Councilmember - Bob Bush
 * Councilmember - Trish Rose
 * Councilmember - Dave Razo
 * City Council Meetings held at City Hall on the first and third Tuesdays of every month
 * City Manager - John Deardoff

Notable people

 * Edward J. Adams, bank robber
 * Jack Banta, professional baseball pitcher
 * Leland Barrows, diplomat
 * James Barnett, entrepreneur, activist
 * Dale L. Boger, organic chemist
 * Wesley E. Brown, judge
 * William R. Brown, U.S. Representative from Kansas
 * Robert L. Burns, attorney, business manager of ''The Hutchinson News, Hutchinson school board, city council and school board for Los Angeles, California, "Burns Park" in Los Angeles is named in his honor.
 * Jack M. Campbell, 21st Governor of New Mexico
 * Jamie Carey, professional basketball player
 * Aneta Corsaut, actress
 * Racquel Darrian, pornographic actress
 * Lucinda Dickey, actress, dancer
 * David Dillon, business executive
 * Ralph Easley, journalist, political activist
 * Michael Grant, journalist
 * Scott Heim, novelist
 * Walter A. Huxman, judge, 27th Governor of Kansas
 * Ken Huff, professional football offensive lineman
 * Martha Keys, U.S. Representative from Kansas
 * Alexander Pearson, Jr., U.S. Army aviator
 * Buck Pierce, professional football quarterback
 * Hal Prewitt, professional race car driver
 * Pat Ryan, professional football quarterback
 * William Mark Simmons, broadcaster, novelist
 * Fred Soper, epidemiologist
 * William Stafford, poet
 * James B. Steele, author, journalist
 * Steven Stucky, composer
 * Howard Swearer, educator
 * Tommy Thompson, professional football quarterback
 * Jasper N. Tincher, U.S. Representative from Kansas
 * Richard Thorpe, film director
 * Bruce Vaughan, professional golfer
 * Murry Wilson, record producer, songwriter
 * Julie Woodson, model