Thanks for visiting our website. We are happy to provide you with a visual journey of our city and we hope you will find what you are looking for.  If not, contact us and we'll be glad to be your source of information about Hays, Kansas.  We invite you to visit and experience the many opportunities that our charming community has to offer. You'll enjoy our small town friendliness whether you come to Hays for a family vacation, business trip, sporting event, shopping or just passing through. We are proud of our colorful history as a wild frontier town and we encourage you to explore our city so you can find out for yourself "Where history walked the streets".   Many of the interesting and historic places to visit are free or charge only a small admission fee. Be sure to visit our unique museums and tourist attractions to learn about our military past and Volga German heritage.   Discover the scenic beauty and natural history of western Kansas with an outing to Frontier Park, the Hays F.E.E.T trails and the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.

Hays City was founded in the August of 1867 as the Union Pacific Railway Eastern Division worked its way west.  The early days of Hays City were wild and dangerous and skirmishes between some of the local "rough" citizens, the railroad workers and the soldiers only added to the reputation as a lawless and tough "end of the tracks" town. The colorful lives and interesting stories of such notable names in history including: James Butler Hickok, General George A. Custer and his wife Libby, "Buffalo Bill" Cody and "Rattlesnake Pete" Lanahan, are an exciting part of the early days of Hays City. With the arrival of businessmen and families from back east and Volga German settlers in the late 1870's, the rough little town became a growing and prosperous community. In 1885, the word "City" was officially dropped from the name Hays City and the town grew to become the largest community in Northwest Kansas.

Today, Hays has a population near 20,000 and is the county seat of Ellis County. We are proud of our outstanding educational opportunities and we have one of the finest medical facilities in western and central Kansas. Much of the economy of Ellis County is based on ag related jobs.  We are fortunate to be surrounded by productive agricultural land and large underground oil reserves.  The industrial, commercial and retail growth in recent years has established Hays as the retail and trade center for Northwest Kansas.  Have fun browsing through our website, and start planning your trip to Hays, Kansas today!


Disclaimer: The information contained on this website was prepared as accurately as possible at the time of posting. The Hays CVB has made every effort to maintain information accuracy and is not responsible for changes or omissions. The information provided on this website does not constitute a contract with the Hays CVB and any person. Business listings or contact information contained on this website does not imply a referral or recommendation by the Hays CVB.  If you find a link or contact information to be incorrect, please call 785-628-8202 so we can update the information.