Hesston is a city in Harvey County,

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,505. Large manufacturing facilities for AGCO (farm equipment) and Excel Industries (lawn mowers) are located in Hesston. It is home of

Hesston College Hesston College is a private college in Hesston, Kansas, United States. It is associated with the Mennonite Church USA and has an enrollment of about 400 students who typically come from about 30 states and 15 other countries. History In 1909, t ...

History

Early history

For many millennia, the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, a ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...

claimed ownership of large parts of

. In 1762, after the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

, France secretly ceded

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918 Harvey County

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or ap ...

for 2.83 cents per

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

. In 1854, the

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the free state of Kansas. ...

was organized, and in 1861,

became the 34th U.S. state. In 1872, Harvey County was established within the

which included the land for modern day Hesston. A post office was established as Elivon on February 10, 1873. It then moved near the current city site on April 24, 1878. In 1886, Hesston was founded and named after the Hess brothers who owned the land where a depot on the Missouri Pacific Railroad was built.Harvey County history; Harvey County Historical Society.
/ref>
/ref> The post office was renamed to Hesston on December 16, 1887. Due to the railroad, Hesston became an important regional shipping point.

20th century

In 1909, the Mennonite Church founded the

, because many of the early settlers were

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the R ...

farmers. In 1947, Lyle Yost and Adin Holdemann founded the farm equipment company Hesston Manufacturing Company. In 1991, AGCO Corporation purchased the company. In the 1960s, John Regier founded the lawn mower company Excel Industries. In 1981, the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains was founded at the

. On March 13, 1990, a large portion of Hesston was damaged by an F5 tornado during a

tornado outbreak __NOTOC__ A tornado outbreak is the occurrence of multiple tornadoes spawned by the same synoptic scale weather system. The number of tornadoes required to qualify as an outbreak typically are at least six to ten, with at least two rotational ...

. A total of 226 homes and 21 businesses were destroyed, and several were swept completely from their foundations. 20 farms were torn apart in rural areas outside of Hesston. Light debris from Hesston was found away in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. One person died and 59 people were injured. After passing through Hesston, the tornado increased to an "extreme F5" near the city of Goessel. The severity of the damage left behind by this tornado led some meteorologists to believe that the Goessel tornado was among the strongest ever documented at that time.

21st century

On February 25, 2016, Hesston became the scene of a mass shooting in which three people were killed and twelve others injured at an Excel Industries building. Prior to that shooting, other shooting incidents occurred at the nearby city of Newton and also Old U.S. Route 81, in which two people were wounded. The shooter was identified as Excel employee Cedric Larry Ford, who was killed by responding police officers.

Geography

Hesston is located at

coordinates In geometry, a coordinate system is a system that uses one or more numbers, or coordinates, to uniquely determine the position of the points or other geometric elements on a manifold such as Euclidean space. The order of the coordinates is sig ...

38.1383437, -97.4314267 in the state of

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Hesston has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 3,709 people, 1,345 households, and 972 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 1,433 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.6%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.6% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 1.5% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population. There were 1,345 households, of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.7% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 22.6% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,509 people, 1,227 households, and 904 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,308 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.56%

, 1.48%

, 0.60% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 1.25% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.88% of the population. There were 1,227 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 14.3% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $42,585, and the median income for a family was $51,474. Males had a median income of $39,891 versus $26,424 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,138. About 3.9% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The two largest companies in Hesston are AGCO (Hesston Corp) and Excel Industries (Hustler). In 1947, Lyle Yost founded the farm equipment company Hesston Manufacturing Company. In 1955, it introduced the first commercially available self-propelled windrower, then in 1967 it introduced the first hydrostatic drive windrower. In 1978, it introduced the first large square baler, then in 1988 it introduced the first totally automatically large round baler. In 1974, the Hesston Company commissioned its first belt buckles, which became popular on the

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...

circuit and with collectors. The company's controlling stake was sold to Italian corporation Fiat Trattori in 1977. The remainder of the company was purchased in 1987 by the same firm. In 1991, the American-based equipment manufacturer AGCO Corporation purchased Hesston Corporation and later expanded the manufacturing facilities. In 1960, John Regier founded the lawn mower company Excel Industries. The company manufactures Hustler and Big Dog mowing equipment.

Arts and culture

* Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

Government

The Hesston government consists of a mayor and five council members. The council meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 6pm.Hesston - Directory of Public Officials
* City Hall, 115 E Smith.

Education

Primary and secondary education

The community is served by

Hesston USD 460 Hesston USD 460 is a public unified school district headquartered in Hesston, Kansas, United States. The district includes the communities of Hesson, Zimmerdale, and nearby rural areas. Schools The school district operates the following sc ...

public school district. It has three schools: * Hesston High School, 200 N. Ridge Road, Hesston. * Hesston Middle School, 100 N. Ridge Road, Hesston. * Hesston Elementary School, 300 E. Amos, Hesston.

College

, a two-year college.

Media

Print

;Newspaper *
Hesston Record
', local newspaper in Hesston. * '' The Newton Kansan'', regional newspaper in Newton. * '' The Wichita Eagle'', major regional newspaper in Wichita.

Radio

Hesston is served by numerous radio stations of the Wichita- Hutchinson listening market area, and

satellite radio Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a '' broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than t ...

. See ''

Media in Wichita, Kansas Wichita is a major center of media in Kansas. The following is a list of media outlets based in the city. Print Magazines *''Splurge!'', monthly, local fashion and lifestyle *''Teenview Magazine'', monthly magazine created for teens by teens from ...

''.

Television

Hesston is served by over-the-air ATSC

digital TV Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative advanc ...

of the Wichita- Hutchinson viewing market area,

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...

by Allegiance Communications, and satellite TV. See ''

''.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Interstate I-135 and highway US 81 pass through Hesston. Hesston is serviced by a branch of the

Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad The Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in the Midwestern United States. It is primarily located in Kansas and extends into Colorado, but despite its name, not into Oklahoma. Overview The KO is a subsidiary of Watco, w ...

operating between McPherson and Newton, where it connects to the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

Utilities

* Internet ** Wired is provided by

Cox Communications Cox Communications, Inc. (also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, Dimension Cable Services and Times-Mirror Cable) is an American digital cable television provider, telecommunications and home automation services. It i ...

(cable), CenturyLink (DSL). ** Wireless is provided by Keyon Communications (wireless), Pixius Communications (wireless), AT&T Mobility / Sprint /

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas ...

(cellular). ** Satellite is provided by HughesNet, StarBand, Wildblue. * TV ** Cable is provided by

. ** Satellite is provided by

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

, Dish Network. ** Terrestrial is provided by regional

stations. * Telephone ** Landline is provided by CenturyLink. ** Cell Phone is provided by AT&T Mobility, Sprint,

. * Electricity ** City is provided by Westar Energy. ** Rural is provided by Westar Energy. * Natural Gas ** Service is provided by City of Hesston. * Water ** City is provided by City of Hesston. ** Rural is provided b
Harvey County RWD #1map
, Harvey County RWD #2, and Marion County RWD #4. * Sewer ** Service is provided by City of Hesston. * Trash ** Service is provided by Waste Connections, billed by City of Hesston.

Notable people

* Lyle Yost, Founder of Hesston Industries. *

Katie Sowers Katie Sowers (born August 7, 1986) is an American football coach in the National Football League. She was the first openly gay and first female coach in Super Bowl history. Sowers began her American football career playing in the Women's Footba ...

, Offensive assistant coach for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

, first openly LGBTQ coach in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

, first female to coach in a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...

, second full-time female coach in NFL history

References

External links

;City *
Hesston - Directory of Public Officials
League of Kansas Municipalities ;Historical
Harvey County Roots

Harvey County Genealogical Society

Clashing Symbols In A Quiet Town - Hesston In The Vietnam War Era
Autumn 2000, Kansas History ;1990 Tornado

Video of the tornado

"20 Years After the Tornado"
;Maps
Hesston City Map
KDOT * Harvey County Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT {{Authority control Cities in Kansas Cities in Harvey County, Kansas Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area