Ulysses is rural and remote but rich in community connection
Ulysses is a small southwest Kansas city with a friendly community and quiet surroundings. "There are a lot of people who were born and raised here, but also people who moved here from other states because they've heard about how peaceful it is," says Dianna Olivas, board of education administrative assistant and lifelong resident of Ulysses. The county seat of Grant County is named after Ulysses S. Grant and is home to about 5,800 residents. "It's so diverse here, and there's a good mix of Filipino, Mexican, German and American residents," Olivas says. "Everyone gets along with one another and looks out for one another. It's a very safe place to live and raise a family." The rural area is far from any big city and surrounded by farms as far as the eye can see. But an involved school district, city parks with a range of amenities and relatively inexpensive housing keep lifelong residents like Olivas around.
Home prices are well below the national median
Cape Cods, bungalows and ranch-style homes along the area's gridded streets and in small pocket neighborhoods range between $60,000 and $230,000. Trees shade lawns and sidewalks, and alleyways lead to detached garages or sheds behind small backyards. Many homes south of Oklahoma Avenue are manufactured homes, ranging between $70,000 and $160,000. Some split-level homes, brick ramblers and New Traditional homes from the past few decades sell between $230,000 and $350,000. The median sale price for single-family homes in Ulysses is around $175,000, less than half the national median.
The district offers free summer meals and extra academic support
Ulysses United School District 214 has four schools, which teach about 2,000 students. Nearly 30% of the city's residents are under 18, according to the 2020 census. From prekindergarten through second grade, students learn at Hickok Elementary School, rated B by Niche. Sullivan Elementary School and Kepley Middle School both get a C, while Ulysses High School earns a B-minus. Olivas explains that the district regularly provides accommodation for students needing extra help. "Whether it's a tutor, paraprofessional or something else, the district helps out," she says. Additionally, the district offers free grab-and-go lunches to all residents under 18 throughout the summer, regardless of financial status. "The superintendent and staff are wonderful and care about the well-being of their students in addition to giving them a good education," Olivas says.
Sports, gardening and leisure activities at Ulysses city parks
Frazier Park is an outdoor retreat with an RV campground, an 18-hole public golf course, sand volleyball courts and pavilions. Visitors can hike around the fishing lake, and the city asks park-goers to refrain from picking wildflowers to improve the area's floral diversity and keep pollinators around. Youth baseball leagues and the high school baseball team play at Grant County Recreation Ball Park and Carrithers Complex, which have six diamonds between them, two soccer fields and outdoor racquetball courts. Basketball players and gardeners can enjoy Barb Dye Park's court and community garden. During the summer's hottest days, Grant County Swimming Pool is full of people from all over the county.
Community unity led to a bold move and new beginnings
Arguably, Ulysses' most unique characteristic is its bizarre history. The original town was flourishing in the late 1800s, but crippling debt, extreme property taxes and a dwindling population left it with little to show in the early 1900s. So, the remaining residents decided to move Ulysses' last few buildings about three miles west, where they'd be free from their existing bonds and released from debilitating debt. Over three months in 1909, buildings were loaded onto skids and wagons and pulled by horses to their new location. Old Ulysses was left with only a brick school building, and New Ulysses could attract new residents again. Little evidence remains of the move, but the story is told in Ulysses as an example of community determination and unity.
The small downtown area comes to life each Tuesday evening
Main Street has locally owned restaurants, specialty shops and a movie theater. The Grant County Farmers and Makers Market takes place each Tuesday evening on the corner of Grant Avenue and Main Street. "It's a big deal, and everyone goes," Olivas says. Vendors sell everything from fresh produce to local meat to handmade crafts, and local restaurants set up booths and trailers with specialty menu items. Cuisine in Ulysses reflects the area's diversity, and there are many Hispanic restaurants, including Alejandro's, La Estrella and El Ranchito Café. Fast-food chains are on West Oklahoma Avenue, and residents do their grocery shopping at Lowe's Market or one of two dollar stores.
Surrounded by farmland but connected by two highways
U.S. Route 160 and Kansas Highway 25 intersect in the middle of Ulysses and connect to other small communities in the region. Garden City and Dodge City are larger and more prominent southwest Kansas cities, 50 and 75 miles away, respectively. Garden City Regional Airport has domestic flights and is about 65 miles northeast. CommonSpirit Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital is in Ulysses.
Written By
Heather Haggerty
