Dodge City is located in the northwestern corner of Kansas at the intersection of four major highways, US 283, US 56, US 50 and US 400. Founded in 1872, it was the wildest of the early frontier towns, but law and order was established with the help of men such as Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp. Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County and as of the 2000 Census the city had a total population of 25,176. It is also the birthplace of actor and film-maker Dennis Hopper.

Travel back into the 1800's while strolling down the boardwalk of Front Street at the Boot Hill Museum. The museum includes access to a portion of the original Boot Hill Cemetery. Thirty-four men and one woman were once buried here so hastily that their boots tipped through the soil. Tracks of the Santa Fe Trail, the original wagon trail used by pioneers from 1821 to 1872, are located just nine miles west of town. The site contains the largest continuous stretch of clearly defined tracks along the entire route of the Santa Fe Trail. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is easily accessed on US 50.

The Santa Fe Railroad reached Dodge City in 1872 and it quickly became the world's largest shipping point for Longhorn cattle. Fort Dodge was established to protect railroad workers and travelers from the Plains Indians. It is now a retirement community and nursing facility for Kansas veterans. Today, Ford County is a leading center for feeder cattle and packing plants and still a major shipping point for cattle from the southwestern part of the US. Two of the largest employers are Excel Corporation and National Beef. Dodge City Regional Airport and AMTRACK provide transportation along with access to four major highways. Ford County offers a warm welcome to new businesses and has many incentive and training programs in place.

Dodge City Days is a ten-day festival held each summer during July and August. It is packed with concerts, parades, arts and crafts shows, a Backyard Barbecue Contest, and even a car demolition derby. Dodge City Raceway Park is one of America's premier dirt tracks and offers exciting races year round. Dodge City still knows how to kick up its heels with Wild West fun too: this year the city is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Gunsmoke, the longest running western on television.

The Carnegie Art Center offers entertainment for those with more classical tastes. Originally an Andrew Carnegie Library, it features a unique round second-story gallery. The Boot Hill Repertory Co. Dinner Theatre will open its new home on Wyatt Earp Blvd. soon.

Dodge City Community College and Area Technical Institute offers a wide variety of programs from academics to non-traditional studies. The outstanding public school system boasts 14 award-winning teachers in their system

To those looking for a fun place to visit, live or relocate, Dodge City has a little bit of everything, topped off with a western flair.

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