The Early History of Garden City
by Frank W. Blackmar (1912)
Garden City, the largest town and county seat of Finney county, is centrally located on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Garden City, Gulf and Northern railroads, and on the Arkansas river. It is the commercial center for a large and prosperous irrigating district, and is in the midst of the Kansas beet sugar region. It has electricity for lighting and power, waterworks, sewer system, fire and police departments, a county high school, public library, hospital, opera house, 3 banks, 3 newspapers (the Telegram, a daily and the Imprint and Herald, weeklies).

There is a beet sugar factory, erected at a cost of $1,000,000, which handles 1,000 tons of beets and turns out 200,000 pounds of refined sugar daily. There are two seed houses, which cure and market native seeds, several firms which manufacture stock tanks, pumps, and all sorts of well supplies, 2 elevators, a flour mill and a planing mill. Daily stages run to Santa Fe, Eminence and Essex, and tri-weekly stages to Terryton.

The shady streets and fine lawns in the residence portion of Garden City indicate that it is well named. The business district, which covers several squares, is solidly built with structures of brick and stone. The city is supplied with telegraph and express offices, telephone accommodations, and an international money order postoffice with two rural routes. Garden City was first settled in 1884. For the first few years the growth was rapid, but, in common with other western Kansas towns, it lost in population during the period of business depression from 1889 to 1896.

Since then its progress has been along more conservative lines and the improvements are consequently of a more substantial character than those of earlier years. In 1900, the first U. S. census after the city was incorporated, the population was 1,590. Ten years later the city was divided into three wards and reported a total population of 3,171, an increase of almost 100 per cent. during the decade.

Geography
Garden City is located at 37°58'31N, 100°51'51W (37.975304, -100.864104). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.1 km² (8.5 mi²), all land. In 2005 Garden City was served by two commercial airlines at Garden City Regional Airport. That would now appear to be down to one in 2007.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,451 people, 9,338 households, and 6,760 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,287.8/km² (3,334.1/mi²). There were 9,907 housing units at an average density of 448.4/km² (1,161.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.80% White, 1.49% African American, 1.06% Native American, 3.55% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 22.28% from other races, and 2.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 43.91% of the population.

There were 9,338 households out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.51.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.6% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,752, and the median income for a family was $43,471. Males had a median income of $29,343 versus $21,247 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,200. About 9.9% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation
Garden City Amtrak station
Garden City Regional Airport