Sabetha is a major hub of industry and employment in northern Kansas
Since its founding in 1854, the city of Sabetha has been a center of agribusiness in northern Kansas. “We have a small-town vibe, but we have everything here that you need without even leaving Sabetha,” says Gina Murchison, Director of the Sabetha Chamber of Commerce. Sabetha once served as a grain shipping point halfway between St. Joseph, Missouri and Hastings, Nebraska, but it now has an independent and thriving industrial scene. “We have eight large manufacturing companies in Sabetha, and Wenger is one of the very first,” Murchison says. “I always tell everybody that – if you’ve eaten something today – it probably came from an extruder made by Wenger. They make everything, like pet food, fish food, cake mixes – you name it.” Wenger, Coperion, Extru-Tech, NorthWind Technical Services and other local industries offer thousands of jobs to Sabetha’s relatively stable population of 2,500 and the rest of Nemaha County. Though small in size, the city offers immediate health care access, grocery and farming conveniences and highway links to bigger cities.
Established and newer businesses occupy historic buildings in Sabetha
Sabetha’s small-town business scene includes plenty of well-established employers. “We have some second and third-generation owners of businesses like Keim TS, which is on their third generation,” Murchison says. Main Street serves as Sabetha’s main retail avenue, with brick buildings from the turn of the 20th century housing local businesses from the local florist to a pharmacy. The Buzz Café & Oxen House sits across the street from City Hall and offers diner classics like chicken fried steak from 6 AM to 1 PM. The Downtown Coffee Co. serves pizza and burgers in addition to hot drinks and pastries. At Sabetha’s southeastern corner, El Canelo Mexican Restaurant resembles a Spanish mission and specializes in Tex-Mex dishes. Grocery options include Garrett’s Country Mart and Family Dollar, while Hartter’s Feed & Seed and Tractor Supply Co. provide farming necessities.
Vintage homes sell for regionally competitive prices
Sabetha’s houses, most of them built in the first half of the 20th century, sit along tree-shaded streets with small front lawns and sidewalks. Home styles include cottages, bungalows, and Arts and Crafts residences. Properties under 2,000 square feet in size sell for $70,000 to $240,000, while larger homes go for $280,000 to $300,000. Sabetha’s median sale price of $150,500 is slightly lower than Topeka’s $162,000.
Local parks blend history with recreation
A block away from downtown, the Sabetha Skateboard Park also includes a playground and a baseball field. The nearby Sabetha Dog Park offers canines their own space for outdoor play. North of the city, the private Sabetha Golf Club has invited members to play on its nine-hole course since its 1925 founding. Pony Creek Lake, four miles from the club, has a rich history of its own, as the abolitionist John Brown and his band of anti-slavery fighters were active in the area in the 1850s. “They would hide their horses there, and that’s why they called it Pony Creek Lake," Murchison says. "There’s actually a cave where they used to hide, and you can see the cave on the west side of the bank.” Today, visitors still camp out along the lakeshore and fish for bass, black crappies and other largemouth species. West of the city, Sabetha City Lake offers spots for RV and tent camping, plus a designated swimming area.
The Chamber of Commerce brings the community together through events
The Chamber of Commerce contributes to Sabetha’s close-knit atmosphere by hosting events such as an annual golf tournament, a treasure hunt and living history events at the Albany homestead. “Our businesses support our Chamber of Commerce, and we can’t offer our 12+ activities a year without them,” Murchison says. “We focus on our businesses and on our community, as we want to retain our citizens and bring more people to Sabetha.”
Sabetha High touts strong athletics
Students can start at Sabetha Elementary School, which receives a B-plus from Niche, before attending the B-rated Sabetha Middle School. The B-plus-rated Sabetha High School is known for its strong athletics, with its baseball, football, golf and volleyball teams winning multiple state championships in recent years.
A major highway links Sabetha to larger cities
U.S. Highway 75 connects Sabetha to Topeka 65 miles to the south, while the large metropolises of Kansas City and Lincoln are each 110 miles away. Sabetha has its own health care center, the Sabetha Community Hospital. “We have an outpatient program, so – if you need to see a cardiologist, dermatologist, or anything like that – they have doctors that come in at different times of the month so you don’t have to leave town to see a specialist,” Murchison says.
Written By
Jacob Adelhoch
