Arkansas City
Population: 11,866 (2017 Census)
Source: United States Census Bureau
Contacts:
City of Arkansas City: 118 W. Central Ave. (620) 441-4400
Arkansas City Area Chamber of Commerce: 106 S. Summit St. (620) 442-0230
Arkansas City Convention and Tourism: 106 S. Summit St. (620) 442-0236
FUN FACT: Arkalalah, the biggest festival in Ark City, started in 1928 and has been held annually during the last full weekend in October.
Arkansas City is located at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers on the southern-most boundary of the beautiful Flint Hills in south-central Kansas and was the starting line for the Cherokee Strip land rush of 1893.
The youth of Arkansas City attend state-of-the-art schools within USD 470 where math, science, the arts, technology and vocational skills are taught by top-notch teachers. Athletes compete on recently renovated facilities with up-to-date fields and courts for baseball, softball, football, tennis, track and soccer. The tennis and baseball/softball complexes attract statewide and regional tournaments.
Cowley College a two-year educational facility located in the heart of the city, offers quality education at an affordable price and is regularly ranked among the highest junior colleges in academics and athletics in the country. Its award-winning theater, music and art programs not only prepare students for significant advancement in their liberal arts careers, but also add to the culture of the community. The school’s expanding sports complex in south Ark City has transformed a former unsightly industrial strip into a highly functional and impressive arena of athletic activity.
A recent revitalization of Ark City’s downtown is an expression of the community’s progressive spirit. So is the $4.2 million restoration of the historic Burford Theater into a 900-seat auditorium, accomplished through private fundraising. Restoration of adjoining commercial space is anticipated.
In 2008, voters decided to invest heavily in the town. The town approved a $38.6 million school bond issue to expand and update all of its six elementary schools, make improvements at its high school and middle school, and build brand-new sports facilities for football, tennis and softball. Bulldog Stadium opened in fall 2010. A new, $29 million hospital what is now known as South Central Kansas Medical Center and adjoining medical office building opened in 2011. Voters also approved public funds to upgrade major roads within the city.
The city is home to the second-largest community swimming pool in Kansas, 25 public tennis courts, two golf courses and new hiking/biking trails.
Cowley County State Lake, Kaw Wildlife Area, Camp Horizon and the Chaplin Nature Center provide outdoor adventure and activities for families and students across the region.
The Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum displays tools, crafts, documents and clothing from the late 1800s. It owns an early copy of the Declaration of Independence, and features a display of Arkansas City’s most famous resident, Robert Docking, who served as Kansas governor from 1967 to 1975.
With its substantial agribusiness sector, the Arkansas City economy supports several major industrial employers, including Creekstone Farms, a state-of-the-art beef packing plant, and KanPak, a maker of packaged frozen beverages and deserts, Skyline Homes, manufactured housing and Jet AirWerks, jet-engine repair station. Just five minutes to the north is Strother Field, where many Ark City residents work in businesses such as the GE Aviation jet-engine overhaul facility; Western Industries, a plastics blowmolder; and Morton Buildings, maker of prefabricated farm buildings.
Ark City’s largest festival of the year, Arkalalah – an Indian word meaning “good times,” celebrated its 83rd year in 2014 and attracts thousands of visitors, school alumni and area residents each year. The largest car show in the region, the Last Run Car Show takes over the entire community the last full weekend in September and often welcomes more than 1,000 antique and styled cars to the streets.
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Below is a list of services and organizations that you may wish to contact in Arkansas City (Local area code: 620)
Agri-Business Building Reservations – 441-4401
Animal Shelter – 442-1698
Appraiser (County) – 441-4550
Arkansas City Public Library – 442-1280
Arkansas City Senior Center – 441-4419
Barking dogs or dogs on the loose – 441-4488
Birth Certificates, State of Kansas – 785-296-1400
Cable TV service, Cox Communications – 442-2280
Chamber of Commerce (Arkansas City Area) – 442-0230
City of Arkansas City – 441-4400
County Landfill – 221-4307
Cowley College information – 442-0430
Discolored Water – 441-4480
Driver’s License (and renewal) – 221-7793
Elections in Cowley County – 441-4515
Electric Service to business or residence, Westar – 800-383-1183
Emergencies, Dial 911
Flood Plain Information – 441-4420
Gas Service to business or residence, Kansas Gas Service – 800-794-4780
Health Department – City/Cowley County Health Department – 442-3260
Household hazardous waste disposal – 441-4460
Landlord/Tenant problems – 441-4420
Marriage Licenses – 441-4520
Noise Complaints – 441-4444
Occupational Licenses (contractors/journeyman/mechanical) – 441-4420
Paris Park Shelter Reservations – 441-4470
Police Department (ACPD) – 441-4444
Post Office (Arkansas City) – 442-1080
Road maintenance questions within City limits – 441-4460
Schools (see yellow pages under “Schools: Parochial, Private, Public)
Street lights burned out – 441-4415
Street light requests (for placement of new lights) – 441-4415
Swimming Pool (public) – 441-4417
Telephone service – Business Customers AT&T: 800-499-7928
Telephone service – Residence Customers AT&T: 800-464-7928
Traffic Signal problems – 441-4460
Traffic Ticket Payment (Municipal Court) – 441-4408
Trash and Debris accumulation – 441-4420
Trash Hauling – 441-4407
Tree Limbs following a storm – 441-4460
Vehicle tag licensing (and renewal) – 441-4510
Voter registration – 441-4515
Water main breaks – 441-4480
