Hays is a safe, vibrant university community with a population of 21,000. Hays is centrally located on I-70 between Denver & Kansas City & serves as a regional hub for education, health care, professional services, shopping, culture, arts, & recreation for NW Kansas.
Hays is home to Fort Hays State University, a regional comprehensive university with over 15,000 students, known for its innovation & entrepreneurship. The Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the FHSU campus hosts the Hays Symphony, as well as the Encore Series, which brings in award-winning performances & theatre experiences.
Hays Medical Center, or HaysMed, is a private, not-for-profit, 207-bed hospital that provides the only tertiary level services in the region. Home to the DeBakey Heart Institute & the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute, HaysMed was recently named a Top 20 Rural Hospital & is one of the community’s largest employers.
The Bricks in Downtown Hays offers boutiques, art galleries, breweries, eateries, entertainment, & special events year-round. The Vine Street corridor includes shopping centers, national retail chains, & a wide range of restaurants.
The city’s impressive list of recreational amenities includes the Center for Health Improvement, Hays Aquatic Park, Smoky Hill Country Club, Hays Municipal Golf Course, public tennis & pickle ball courts, extensive recreational programs through the Hays Recreation Commission, & more than 20 public parks & playgrounds. The most recent park addition is the Accessible Recreation Complex & splash pad, or ARC Park, which provides accessible play for children of all abilities. Hays is a bike-friendly city with more than 20 miles of multi-purpose concrete paths, bike lanes, & on-street segments.
The Hays Regional Airport provides convenient daily service to Denver & Chicago, two major hubs for United Airlines, on a 50-passenger jet.