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City Profile
Cheyenne Bottoms Wetland Bird Refuge in Great Bend, Kan., is a 41,000-acre lowland, wetland that includes grasslands for migratory waterfowl. (Janis Schwartz/ Shutterstock.com)
History, quality of life come together in Great Bend By DEB GERBERS | The Municipal
Great Bend, Kan., is a city of the second class and is the county seat of Barton County. The city received its named from its location, which is at the point where the course of the Arkansas River bends east, then southeast.
Great Bend is the county seat of Barton County. Pictured is the courthouse at night. (Stephen Muehleisen via Flickr; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) 38 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022
Great Bend is a great place to live, according to locals, because of its low cost of living and high quality of life. City Administrator Kendal Francis said, “Great Bend has an outstanding quality of life, focusing strongly on youth activities and recreation.” The Great Bend Recreation Commission, also known as Great Bend Rec, provides quality leisure, cultural, sports, fitness and educational programs to improve the quality of the community and the individual lives of its residents. Great Bend Rec offers hundreds of quality, affordable youth and adult programs, after-school
