Wellington (2020 Census pop. 7,715) is a rural community in south central Kansas. Located approximately 23 miles south of Wichita, Wellington is the county seat and the largest community in Sumner County. The City provides Police and Fire Protection, with both full-time professional departments. City services include electric, water, wastewater, and trash collection. The City’s Insurance Service Office or ISO rating is a 3.
Wellington is served by the Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department providing emergency medical care and services. The Ascension Medical Group Via Christi also has a healthcare provider clinic in the City. Other health care services available in the community include general dentistry, eye care, mental health services, developmental disability, and chiropractic and physical fitness services. There are over twenty places to worship in the City with many denominations represented.
The City has a number of recreational opportunities. There are several neighborhood playgrounds located throughout the City and two lighted walking paths; Century Park and Worden Park. The Wellington Lake Recreation Area, Hargis Creek Watershed Park, and Woods Park offer a relaxing day of fishing. The Lake Area also offers camping and boating. The Municipal Golf Course offers a challenging game of links on an excellent course. The City also provides a disc golf course and a skate park for recreational activities.. The Aquatic Center is a great place to spend a day of fun in the water and sun. The Wellington Recreation Commission’s Fitness Center offers a variety of exercise and workout machines to stay healthy and fit.
The local economy has historically been anchored by agriculture, designating Sumner County as the Wheat Capital of the World. However with Wellington’s close proximity to Wichita – The Air Capital of the World – precision machining and aerospace manufacturing has grown over the decades to be a staple industry for the region. Today, Wellington is home to two major aerospace suppliers:
- GKN Aerospace
- Triumph Accessory Services
Aerospace manufacturing is strengthened with the presence of specialized component manufacturing companies located in the city.
The agricultural and wheat producing history of the area is celebrated annually with the Kansas Wheat Festival. The festival is held typically in the second week of July. A number of events are held throughout the week starting with a Picnic in the Park on a Wednesday evening. Events continue through the next few days and part of Sunday and include a parade, arts and crafts fair, car show, carnival, food vendors, and bands each night downtown.
Wellington has a number of characteristics that make the community a strong contender for economic growth and development. Cowley College expanded from their home county of Cowley and created a Sumner Campus in Wellington opening a Technology and Innovation Center in 2018. The Short General Education Center opened for classes in 2019. Construction of Phase 1 of a dormitory for students is underway in 2021 and expected to be open for the Fall semester of 2022. One area of concentration for the Sumner Campus will be the machining tract to assist the area aircraft parts manufacturing plants in recruiting and maintaining a trained workforce.
The local workforce is non-union, reducing labor costs and allowing businesses to be more competitive in the global marketplace. Wellington also has a strong, multi-model transportation network, comprised of multiple highways – US-81, US-160, and I-35, two major railroad companies – Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific; and the Wellington Municipal Airport, located just north of the city on US-81.