Thank you for your interest in Great Bend and it's medical community.
Great Bend offers an excellent quality of life where the primary values are
family, hard work, and concern for one's neighbors. Great Bend is located in
the heart of the United States and offers a Midwestern hometown
environment.
Quality education starts in our seven elementary schools where the
teacher-to-student ratio is 1 to 17. This personalized attention continues in both the middle and high school levels where the
teacher-to-student ratio is also 1 to 17.
Private schools located in Great Bend include four elementary and one
middle school.
Barton County Community College
offers a wide range of study options to it's over 3,000 students. Offerings
include KSU distance learning.
40 congregations in a variety of denominations are located in Great Bend.
Parks & Zoos
Great Bend parks offer a variety of outdoor activities such as basketball
courts, tennis courts, picnic areas, a swimming pool, walking trails,
riverside biking trails, fishing, baseball and softball diamonds, horseshoe
pits, BMX bike park, and the best skate board park in central and western
Kansas.
Great Bend is also home to the
Brit Spaugh Zoo
Golf
For golfers, Great Bend has a public golf course and a country club.
The Arts
The Shafer Art
Gallery opened in 1992. The L. E. "Gus" and Eva Shafer Memorial Art
Gallery has been referred to as the "Gem of the Campus" at Barton County
Community College. The 7,709 square feet of exhibit space, can change
configurations to accommodate many different sizes and types of exhibits.
The gallery features a glass-enclosed lobby and a sculpture area featuring
Shafer's work . The gallery allows extensive display of BCCC's permanent art
collection and provides the necessary temperature, lighting and security
requirements to qualify for exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution. Each
year, the gallery attracts thousands of visitors from the local area and the
Midwest, as well as those from across the country and abroad.
Sportsmen
Sportsmen will find Great Bend a great location for
hunting and fishing. Open seasons on deer, pheasants, geese, ducks, quail,
and more span several months each year. Great Bend is
located next to two of the world's most important wetlands;
Cheyenne Bottoms
and Quivira
National Wildlife Refuge. A wide variety of birds including geese,
ducks, shore birds and eagles stop here during their annual migration. We
are truly a bird watcher's paradise. Wilson and Kanapolis lakes are also
located within 60 miles of Great Bend.
Siteseeing
During the Christmas season Great Bend hosts the
Christmas Fantasy Village and the
Trail of Lights, a nationally recognized Christmas light display.
Jack Kilby Square - Come join some of the
friendliest people at our beautiful downtown square. The square is the focal
point for many local festivals scheduled throughout the year including
concerts, dances, craft shows, and ice skating in the winter.
Visit the Barton County Historical
Society Museum & Village for a fascinating glimpse into the past. The
Village boasts several period buildings: an 1873 native stone house, an 1898
church, a 1910 railroad depot, a 1915 school house, and a small post office,
all authentically furnished. Visitors may even pump fresh water at the
Waupun wood-vaned windmill, beside a bed of native flowers. The main Museum
and other buildings allow a peek into rural community life.
We have one of the
most diverse economic bases you will find. We have oil and agricultural
related industries.
Manufacturers & Businesses
Several manufacturers and businesses make their home in Great Bend
including, CPI Qualified Plan Consultants,
Doonan Trailer Corp, Fuller Brush
Company, Great Bend Industries, Great Bend Manufacturing, and Great Bend
Packing.
Agriculture
In addition to these major industries, agriculture is still at the heart
of Great Bend's economy. Wheat, corn, milo, and alfalfa are the main
crops grown in the region, in addition to cattle and hog farms.
Airport
US Air Express offers daily flights out of Great Bend.
Employment Rate
According to 2003 figures, the county's unemployment rate was 2.7 percent
with over 13,000 in the work force.
If you are moving to Great Bend for a job at CKMC, the Great Bend job service
center can help your family members find a job in the area.
Motels
Check out our motels that offer discounts for families of patients.
Recycling
Great Bend Freecycle, a way to give away items you no longer need and obtain items you
want for free. Help keep items out of our landfills.
Check out other Great Bend community
links
See the Larned Area
Chamber of Commerce Website:
www.larnedks.org
|
