Salina is the county seat of Saline County in Central Kansas. In 2020, it was home to 47,000 people.

Understand

History

In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1858, settlers from Lawrence founded the Salina Town Company with a wagon circle, under constant threat of High Plains tribal attacks from the west. It was named for the salty Saline River. Saline County was soon organized around this township, and in 1870, Salina incorporated as a city.

As the westernmost town on the Smoky Hill Trail, Salina boomed until the Civil War by establishing itself as a trading post for westbound immigrants, gold prospectors bound for Pikes Peak, and area American Indian tribes. It boomed again from the 1940s-1950s when the Smoky Hill Army Airfield was built for World War II strategic bombers.

Climate

Summers are typically hot and humid, and winters are typically cold and dry. On average, January is coldest, July is hottest, and May has the greatest precipitation.

Salina is in a region prone to severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes.

Get in

By plane

• Salina Municipal Airport

By car

Salina is served by two major highways, Interstate 70 running east-west and Interstate 135/US-81 in the north-south direction. Salina is also served by K-140 highway, which comes into town from the southwest.

By bus

Greyhound Bus lines has a stop at 671 Westport Blvd. at the intersection of I-135 and West Crawford Road. Several hotels are nearby on West Crawford Street. You can take the purple bus to hotels on the southwest side of Salina (west Schilling and Marcella Dr.) using the purple bus. The stop to go south is at Beverly Drive and West Crawford Road. If you want to take a local bus to go downtown, you can catch the CityGo's purple route two blocks east between the Shell gas station and Hickory Hut Barbecue at West Crawford Dr. and Willow St.

Get around

By bus

Salina CityGo, Phone: 826-1583 local, 1-855-KSRIDES (1-855-577-4337) is operated by OCCK Inc. Buses run between 6AM and 9PM, Monday through Friday. On Saturday, buses run between 9AM and 5PM. There is no bus service on Sunday. Buses run every 30 minute during rush hour. Other times, the buses run every hour. Rush hour occurs between 6AM and 9PM and again between 12:30PM and 6PM, Monday through Friday. One-way fare is $1. A day pass for unlimited trips is $2. A book of six tickets for six trips is $5. A monthly ticket for unlimited rides costs $35. Children under $10 don't need to pay a fare. You can buy a pass from the bus driver or the OCCK Office at 1710 West Schilling Road.

There are five bus routes that service the city: Red, Blue Yellow, Purple and Green. The main transfer point in downtown is at south 7th street and Walnut Street. The purple line runs goes to Dillons food stores and Walmart. The Yellow route goes to Walmart, Central Mall, Sams Club and Target. The green route services some hotels along Broadway and other hotels on 9th street and Interstate 70.

See

• 1 Rolling Hills Zoo, 625 N Hedville Rd (six miles west of Salina; you can take I-70 west to North Hedville road, then go south on North Hedville (exit 244) for about two miles), ☏ +1 785-827-9488. A zoo featuring over 100 species of wildlife and a 64,000 square foot museum. (updated Jan 2022)
• Yesteryear Museum, 1100 W Diamond Dr, ☏ +1 785-825-8473. 
• Blue Heaven Studios. 
• The Land Institute, 2440 E Water Well Rd (from I-135, take the exit 88 for Water Well Road and continue east for 2½ miles.), ☏ +1 785-823-5376. Call to schedule a tour between 8AM to 5PM, Mondays through Fridays. 
• Salina Art Center. W-Sa noon-5PM, Su 1-5PM. A non-profit arts organization with art galleries. Tours can be arranged by calling in advance. The associated Salina Art Center Cinema shows films as a form of visual art. 
• 2 Smoky Hill Museum, 211 W Iron Ave, ☏ +1 785-309-5776. Tu-F noon-5PM, Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1-5PM. A regional history museum. Admission and guided tours are free. 

Do

• Smoky Hill River Festival, 730 Oakdale Dr. An arts festival held annually in Oakdale Park near downtown Salina. The festival occurs on a weekend in early June from Thursday evening to Sunday evening and features food, musical performances, multiple art displays, and showings of art by many artists. 
• Salina Community Theatre. Box office: M-F 11:30-17:30. A non-profit theatre with live performances and theatre education programs. 
• Stiefel Theater for the Performing Arts, 151 S Santa Fe Ave, ☏ +1 785-827-1998. 

Eat

• Cozy Inn, 108 N 7th St, ☏ +1 785 825-2699. M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-8PM. One of the very first hamburger stands 

Go next

Routes through Salina

Denver ← Hays ←	W  E	→ Abilene → Topeka
York ← Minneapolis ← Jct E ← ends ←	N  S	→ Lindsborg → Wichita