Smith County, Kansas, is in the geographic center of the contiguous United States. The communities of Smith Center, Kensington, Lebanon, Gaylord, and Athol offer rural, small town living with several churches and community activities. State-of-the-art fiber optics provide reliable and strong connectivity. The area is home to eight in-home daycares and the Bright Beginnings Child Development Center. The county seat, Smith Center, is home to the county’s critical access hospital, completed in 2018, which includes a physical therapy facility, 11 medical practitioners, and a rural health clinic. Three chiropractors and two fitness centers allow residents to keep fit and well. Smith County residents value educational excellence and two public school systems provide pre-Kindergarten to high school education. Nearby post-secondary educational opportunities include a community college, a vocational technical school, and Fort Hays State University.

Crop and livestock farms scattered throughout the countryside are the core of the county’s economy along with several growing manufacturing and processing facilities. The beautiful Solomon River runs through the southwest corner of the county and the rest of the county is crisscrossed with creeks running into rivers both to the north and to the south. Rolling hills and wooded bottoms provide for beautiful, walk-in hunting and fishing opportunities (as allowed by participating property owners). The landscape includes many majestic Cottonwood trees, which is the state tree of Kansas. Residents can also enjoy of the rich diversity of wildlife, birds, and plants, including deer, turkey and even the occasional elk. In the northwest part of the county, you can visit the cabin constructed in 1872 by Dr. Brewster Higley on the bank of the West Beaver Creek. There Dr. Higley wrote a poem titled “The Western Home,” which was set to music by Dan Kelley; the song “Home on the Range” is the state song of Kansas. 

If you're curious to learn more about life in Smith County, check out our website! There are a ton of great resources for those interested in calling Smith County home.