Colby, Kansas

Colby is a city in Thomas County, Kansas, United States. It is also the county seat of Thomas County. In 2020, 5,570 people lived there.
History
Interstate 70 reached Colby in 1965. This created growth for a local hospitality industry.

Geography
Colby is at  (39.392093, -101.047532). It has an elevation of 3,159 feet (963 m). It is on the south side of Prairie Dog Creek. Prairie Dog Creek is a tributary of the Republican River. It is in the High Plains region of the Great Plains. A small tributary of the creek flows northeast through the town. It is at the interchange of Interstate 70 and K-25 in northwestern Kansas. Colby is  east-southeast of Denver,  northwest of Wichita, and  west of Kansas City.

The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of . It is all land.

Climate
The hottest temperature recorded in Colby was 113 °F (45 °C) in 2012. The coldest temperature recorded was -32 °F (-36 °C) in 1989.

People

2020 census
In 2020, there were 5,570 people, 2,199 households, and 1,331 families living in Colby. Of the households, 64.2% owned their home and 35.8% rented their home.

The median age was 34.6 years. Of the people, 88.7% were White, 1.8% were Black, 0.8% were Native American, 0.6% were Asian, 2.4% were from some other race, and 5.7% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.1% of the people.

2010 census
In 2010, there were 5,387 people, 2,211 households, and 1,320 families living in Colby.

Government
Colby has a mayor-council form of government. The mayor rules over the city council. The mayor has final approval over rules the council passes. The mayor shares responsibility for creating policy and approving the city budget with the council. With the council's consent, the mayor chooses all members of the city boards and. The city council has eight members elected by ward every four years. The city manager is hired by the council. The city manager is responsible for preparing the budget, administering day-to-day operations, and managing city government people.

Education

Colleges and universities
 Colby Community College

Primary and secondary education
Colby Public Schools (Unified School District 315) has four public schools in the city:
 Colby Grade School (Grades Pre-K -5).
 Colby Middle School (6-8).
 Colby High School (9-12).
 Thomas County Academy (5-9), charter school.

There are also two private schools in Colby:
 Sacred Heart Catholic School (Pre-K-5).
 Heartland Christian School (K-12).

Transportation
Interstate 70 runs east–west south of Colby. U.S. Route 24 runs east–west through the city. It intersects K-25, which runs north–south.

Colby Municipal Airport is n K-25. It is about 2 miles (3 km) north of the city.

Media
The Colby Free Press is Colby's local newspaper. It publishes four days per week. In addition, Colby Community College publishes a bi-weekly student newspaper, the Trojan Express.

Colby is a center of broadcast media for northwestern Kansas. One AM and four FM stations are licensed to the city. Colby is in the Wichita-Hutchinson television market.

References

Other websites

City
 City of Colby

 Colby Chamber of Commerce
 Pioneer Memorial Library
Schools
 USD 315, local school district
Maps
 Colby City Map , KDOT

Category:Cities in Thomas County, Kansas
Category:County seats in Kansas
Category:1885 establishments in Kansas