CITY OF BURLINGTON, KANSAS

COMMUNITY GUIDE

Introduction
History
Churches
Clubs and Organizations
Education
Emergency
Mail / Package Delivery Services
Media
Medical
Public Transportation

INTRODUCTION

Coffey County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center is located in the Red Caboose at 4th (Hwy 75) & Neosho Streets in Burlington.

COFFEY COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & VISITOR CENTER

OVERVIEW OF THE CITY OF BURLINGTON

 The City of Burlington is a progressive county seat town of approximately 2,800 people and it is growing. Burlington is large enough to offer a variety of activities and services, yet small enough to provide opportunities for person-to-person involvement. You can find all the modern improvements and conveniences found in most larger cities. The main business district is located at the center of the City and recently received a new face lift with the installation of new sidewalks, curbs, colonial street lights, trees, and the surfacing of the streets. Cross Centre Shopping Center is located at the north edge of the City.

COFFEY COUNTY COURTHOUSE
[corner of 6th & Neosho Streets]

Burlington is a classified as a second class city and is governed by a mayor and city council form of government. The governing body is very active in planning for the future. Zoning regulations are in place to guide for an orderly planned growth of the city. The city has three industrial sites located on the south side of the city. Sanitary sewer lines, electric and water services have been extended to areas for immediate use in new development. The City has continued to improve its street Network and 90% of the streets are paved. The Burlington Municipal Police Department provides around-the-clock security, traffic control, and animal control and works very closely with the Coffey County Sheriff's Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol, both of which have offices in Burlington. The Coffey County Airport has a flight operations building, foot concrete runway (5,500') and taxiways, a 20-unit T hangar, maintenance facilities, a Ground School, and flight instruction. Chartered flights are available.

For over a decade Burlington has held the honor of being designated a "Tree City USA" for more than a decade. People come from many miles around to use the many parks and recreation facilities in Burlington, including a large modern recreation center and aquatic center and two golf courses.  Other Attractions: Burlington and the surrounding area have numerous businesses which are, in themselves, tourist attractions. Burlington has a modern museum and library. Various entertainment facilities, as well as motels and eating establishments are available.

Medical services available in Burlington include: 1) Coffey County Hospital and Coffey County Medical Center, modern facilities with a variety of specialists on the medical staff; 2) Burlington Health Care Center, a nursing unit; and 3)The Meadows, a newly built residential care facility, Also available are various pharmacies and other establishments to provide for medical needs.

Burlington and the surrounding area have many churches representing several denominations, and a variety of  clubs and organizations.

Education is of utmost importance the Community. Burlington's School District, USD 244, is comprised of around 1,000 students in grades K-12 and is served by a staff of 100 teachers, counselors, librarians and administrators, plus 25 special services staff members. The schools offer modern educational programs and extra curricular activities provided for the students and are completely air-conditioned. There are several Colleges, Vo-Tech Facilities, and Universities within short traveling distance of Burlington. Outreach Classes are also available.

Burlington has most everything a city can offer with a reasonable living cost to enhance industrial development and a friendly atmosphere for family living, free of present day problems so prevalent in the large cities.

HISTORY

Knowledge of the past historical development of an area is often important to understanding its future. Factors which influence growth or change may extend their affects for decades. Buildings may change their purposes over periods of time as the type and intensity of uses vary. Their location, however, most often becomes a focal point to attract further growth. Almost like the natural features of an area, transportation routes when once laid out have a sense of permanency that endures for generations. For example, the location of one-third of the streets and highways in the nation were laid out before the automobile was even invented.

The following account of the formation and development of Burlington was prepared by deriving information from the Burlington, Kansas, Centennial, September 30, October 1, 2, and 3 of 1957.

The first conception of Burlington was in 1842, when part of the present site of Burlington was granted to an Indian. The Burlington Town Company was organized in Lawrence in the fall of 1856 by C. W. Babcock and B.W. Woodward. The town was named in honor of the City of Burlington, Vermont. In 1857, the townsite was selected and people were designated to occupy and hold the townsite. Two houses were moved from Hampden across the river to Burlington and were combined to form Burlington's first house. Burlington was organized as a village in 1859 and as a third class city in 1870, with F. A. Atherly elected its first Mayor. The early business section was located on North Third Street.

The first county seat of county government was established in LeRoy in 1857 and was moved many times between Burlington, LeRoy and Hampden. Burlington became county seat in 1865. A few of the "firsts" experienced by Burlington were: a) first steam sawmill in the county in the spring of 1857; b) first child born May 1858; c) first agricultural fair was held in 1860, d) first sewing machine arrived with the dentist's wife in 1868; e) first ordinance in the United States to ban smoking of cigarettes (Burlington had three cigar factories at the time - there was no ban on cigars.); f) Burlington Volunteer Militia formed in 1863; Burlington's Company C, 137 Infantry, 35th Division mobilized August 5, 1917.

Burlington was located on Highway 75, the longest north-south highway in the United States at that time and was served by a branch of the Sante Fe and the Katy Railroad. Passenger transportation was largely provided by private car, and a bus passed through Burlington on its way to Topeka. The Sante Fe, carrying freight cars and a coach, ran through Gridley and back to Ottawa on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Katy sent a freight daily, but no passenger service was offered. Truck lines also serviced Burlington.

The Neosho River has been the major influence on the history of Burlington from fur trading to flour milling, to farming in its fertile valley basin, to electrical power generating, to providing city water source. For many years the City of Burlington made claim and was known as the "Catfish Capitol of the World" because of the large size and number of catfish caught in the Neosho River near the city.

The construction of the John Redmond Reservoir northwest of the city from 1960 to 1965 for flood control of the Neosho River Valley has had a major impact on changing the community from a solely agricultural community to a city looking for industrial development.

The construction of Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station northeast of Burlington in the late 1970s has had a tremendous economic impact on the City of Burlington and on Coffey County. Wolf Creek Generating Station opened the Wolf Creek Lake (later renamed "Coffey County Lake" to the public for fishing in 1996 and also offers the Wolf Creek Ecological Education Area.

Today we owe those sturdy pioneers and their sons and daughters a debt of gratitude. It was these daring, grim and uncouth frontiersmen who "broke the trail" and "blazed the way" to noble civilization. To them we owe the privileges we enjoy.

Today, the City of Burlington is a second class city with a population approaching three thousand residents. Burlington has taken into consideration that preservation and recognition of historic, architectural, archeological and cultural resources should be part of the planning process and growth of the city.

The City of Burlington has a lot to offer to residents of all ages and to new industry.
The following slogan for Burlington was adopted during Pioneer Days and then made a reality by the many accomplishments of the City:

"YOU'LL LIKE BURLINGTON"

CHURCHES

CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

EDUCATION

USD 244 SCHOOLS
U.S.D. #244 Burlington Superintendent's Office 200 S. 6th St., Burlington, KS 66839
High School: 620-364-8672; Middle School: 620-364-2156; 
Elementary School: 620-364-8002

BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

BURLINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL

In some ways the Burlington Schools are typical of those found in any Kansas community with a population of 3,500. In other ways, however, dramatic differences exist. A close examination of the schools will reveal excellent educational facilities, a variety of educational programs and services, and a highly trained professional staff. All these provide a strong indication of the community support, belief in education, and educational leadership which contribute to the uniqueness of the school system.

Approximately 1,000 students in grades kindergarten through 12 are served by a staff of 100 teachers, counselors, librarians and administrators, plus 25 special services staff members who provide special instruction for both the disabled and the gifted students. Full-time counselors and librarians serve each attendance center.

School buildings of the district are well maintained and equipped. The high school and the middle school were opened in 1979 at a cost of approximately $6.5 million. During the 1989-1990 school year, a $2.3 million, 44,077 square foot addition, which included a gymnasium, was made to the elementary building. An all-weather synthetic track was constructed and a covered athletic stadium was completed in 1988. The middle school was remodeled and enlarged in 1985 and again in 1989 to accommodate growing enrollment. In 1992-1993, the middle school expanded the commons/kitchen and music department, remodeled the present gymnasium to house a new technology lab, and built a new full-size gymnasium. In 1997, the high school completed major remodeling to add classrooms and a technology lab and enlarge the food service area. Recently completed is a covered vehicle addition at the bus barn. All buildings are suited for the modern educational programs and extra curricular activities provided for our students. Each building is completely air conditioned.

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AREA COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES AND TRADE SCHOOLS

EMERGENCY

9-1-1 / POISON CONTROL:

9-1-1 - Coffey County Emergency Service has enhanced 9-1-1 equipment which was installed and implemented in 1995.

The Coffey County Emergency Preparedness Office located in the Courthouse is responsible for the 9-1-1 Service.

Poison Control Center - 1-800-332-6633

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS:

DISASTER WARNING SIGNAL: Citizens will be notified in the event of an emergency. Warning sirens will be turned on for three to five minutes. For a Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation emergency, a tornado, or a natural disaster, a long steady blast will occur. For a fire, the siren sound is a rising and falling tone with a warble or quaver. When sirens are sounded, tune in to an emergency alert system station:

MEDICAL FACILITIES 

COFFEY HEALTH SYSTEMS

Coffey County Hospital/Coffey County Medical Center

RURAL MEDICAL CLINICS, sponsored by Coffey County Hospital 

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COFFEY COUNTY HOSPITAL  is a non-profit community-owned facility with more than 35 acute care beds. The hospital was completely remodeled in 1986, and recently has installed extensive x-ray equipment. In 1992, an addition to the hospital, which houses outpatient services, was completed. In 1996, a 2.5 million dollar expansion to include a medical center, ambulance quarters with three Emergency Medical Service Units and a rescue vehicle, emergency room facilities, and Coffey County Medical Center was completed.  

Coffey County Hospital is currently undergoing major construction to expand the facility.  In 2002, a new patient wing, which increases the total patient beds available to 36, opened at the hospital.  The new patient wing is only one aspect of the current $5,000,000 project.

The COFFEY COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER is located on the northeast end of the hospital. In the event of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Several services are offered which include, but are not limited to, diagnostic services, emergency room and ambulance services, surgery, physical therapy, a home health agency, rural out patient clinics (Gridley, LeRoy, Lyndon and Waverly), an affiliated retirement center, and a Mobile CT Scanner. (See more information below.)

MEDICAL - ADULT CARE HOME

Two Adult Care Homes with a total of 130 beds are also available:

The Meadows, a new residence care facility with 24 apartment-size units, was completed in 1993. Great attention has been given to the design, decor, landscaping and lighting of these units to assure privacy, care and comfort for residents. (1201 Martindale; Burlington, Kansas 66839/Phone:(620)364-8861)

The Burlington Life Care Center, located at 601 Cross Street, has 77 beds in the nursing facility and 16 in the residential units. (Phone:(620)364-2117)

COFFEY COUNTY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION 

520 CROSS STREET     PHONE: 620-364-1935

ALL RESIDENTS of Coffey County are eligible to ride the Coffey County Transportation Bus to medical appointments or for shopping trips.  For an appointment and/or additional information please call 620-364-1935 by noon the day before scheduled trip. 

Coffey County Transportation has three lift-equipped busses that will accommodate most needs.

Pets/Service Animals - only service animals will be permitted to ride on the busses.

MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS should be scheduled with Dispatcher as soon as the date is known. Advance notice is very helpful to ensure that we can try and fulfill your needs.

MEDIA

MAIL / PACKAGE DELIVERY SERVICES

MAIL / PACKAGE DELIVERY SERVICES

Email: sburlington@mchsi.com

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January 17, 1998