Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, and located along the Arkansas River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 40,006. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City". Each year, Hutchinson hosts the Kansas State Fair, and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Men's Basketball Tournament. It is the home of the Hutchinson Community College, the Cosmosphere aerospace museum, and Strataca underground salt museum.
History
The city of Hutchinson was founded in 1871 when frontiersman Clinton "C.C." Hutchinson contracted with the Santa Fe Railway to make a town at the railroad's crossing over the Arkansas River. The town actually sprang up about one-half mile north, on the banks of Cow Creek, where a few houses already existed. Hutchinson later founded the Reno County Bank in 1873, and by 1878 had erected the state's first water mill at Hutchinson. The community earned the nickname "Temperance City" due to the prohibition of alcohol set by its founder who placed a deed restriction on every lot prohibiting the sale or gifting of any alcoholic beverage which, if violated, would result in forfeiture of the lot, improvements, and payments associated with its sale and purchase. Hutchinson was incorporated as a third-class city in August 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 was 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".
Also in 1887, local salt deposits were discovered for the first time, when Ben Blanchard, a land speculator who founded South Hutchinson, drilled for oil in the area. Salt mining would become a major industry in Hutchinson, with the city eventually earning the nickname "Salt City".
Hutchinson had been holding county fairs since 1873. By 1900, many referred to the Hutchinson Fair as the Kansas State Fair, even though there was no state-supported Kansas State Fair yet. In 1913, after lobbying in the Kansas Legislature, Hutchinson gifted the State of Kansas the land that became the Kansas State Fairgrounds. The official Kansas State Fair has been held in Hutchinson ever since.
In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of World War II were used in Kansas and other Midwest states as a means of solving the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the war effort. Large prisoner-of-war 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.
2001 gas explosions
On January 17, 2001, 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 am destroyed two businesses and damaged 26 others. An explosion the next day in a mobile home park killed 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 checked the city for leaks after the event. These events were televised on news stations across the country.
Present On June 21, 2013, following a grassroots campaign in an effort to promote Smallville Con, a comic-book convention hosted at the Kansas State Fair, the mayor of Hutchinson decreed the city's name would be changed to "Smallville" for one day in honor of Superman's fictional Kansas hometown of the same name. The tradition has continued annually, coinciding with the convention for two days every June.
Geography Hutchinson is located in south-central Kansas at the intersection of US 50 and K-96, Hutchinson is northwest of Wichita, west-southwest of Kansas City, and east-southeast of Denver.
The city lies on the northeast bank 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.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate Hutchinson has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. Temperatures exceed an average of 63.4 afternoons each year and drop below an average of 119.5 mornings each year. Snowfall averages per year. Total precipitation averages 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 on July 27, 2011; the coldest temperature recorded was on February 16, 2021.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Hutchinson had a population of 40,006, with 16,535 households and 9,708 families. The population density was 1,627.7 per square mile (628.4/km). There were 18,609 housing units at an average density of 757.1 per square mile (292.3/km), and 11.1% of housing units were vacant; the homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.3%.
99.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.6% lived in rural areas.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 32,686 81.7% Black or African American 1,703 4.3% American Indian and Alaska Native 388 1.0% Asian 280 0.7% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 29 0.1% Some other race 1,505 3.8% Two or more races 3,415 8.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 5,172 12.9%
The median age was 39.8 years; 21.1% of residents were under 18, 9.5% were 18 to 24, 25.6% were 25 to 44, 24.3% were 45 to 64, and 19.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.1 males age 18 and over.
Among the 16,535 households, 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.2% were married-couple households, 21.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 30.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.8% of households consisted of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.0.
An estimated 14.4% of residents held a bachelor's degree or higher.
The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $48,889 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,113) and the median family income was $62,975 (+/- $4,685). Males had a median income of $32,099 (+/- $2,156) versus $25,329 (+/- $1,028) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $27,346 (+/- $1,108). Approximately, 8.4% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under the age of 18 and 8.9% of those ages 65 or over.
2010 census As of the 2010 United States census, there were 42,080 people, 16,981 households, and 10,352 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 18,580 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.9% White, 4.3% African American, 0.7% American Indian, 0.6% Asian, 3.4% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 10.6% of the population.
There were 16,981 households, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% 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 2.93.
The median age in the city was 37.8 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 16.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.
The median income for a household was $38,880, and the median income for a family was $47,336. Males had a median income of $39,442 versus $26,600 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,050. About 12.9% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Economy 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 merged with 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 it 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. In 2012, it changed its name again to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
Lowen Corporation, founded in 1950 in a converted garage behind C.W. "Mike" Lowen's house, is a provider of graphic solutions. Lowen Sign Company, Lowen Color Graphics, and Lowen Certified are located in Hutchinson.
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 . manufacturing plant in Hutchinson.
In May 2009, Siemens announced it would open its American wind turbine nacelle assembly facility in Hutchinson. The facility was expected to begin producing in 2010 and to create 400 jobs in Hutchinson.
Kuhn-Krause operates a huge manufacturing plant in Hutchinson, manufacturing agricultural equipment and housing one of two Kuhn factories in North America.
Government