The Community

Parsons is located in rural South-Eastern Kansas and has a population of approximately 10,000 residents and a daytime population of 13,000. It is the most populous city of Labette County. It is the 37th largest community in Kansas, and it is the second most populous city in the southeastern region of Kansas. Parsons covers over 10 square miles and the City owns nearby Parsons Lake. The median income for households in Parsons, Kansas is $44,399, while the average household income is $64,124.

The community was the birthplace of the Kansas-ArkansasTexas (KATY) Railroad in the 1800's. In 1988, Union Pacific Railroad absorbed the KATY and still maintains a significant railyard operation in the City.

Parsons was named after Levi Parsons, president of the Missouri - Kansas - Texas (Katy) Railroad. The town was founded in 1870 and incorporated the following year. During World War II it was home to the Kansas Ordnance Plant, which later operated for some years as the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant. The facility was completed in 1942 to support World War II operations and consists of 21 separate facilities over 13,727 acres. In Spring of 2005, the munitions plant was placed on the BRAC list for closure. The community has rallied behind the redevelopment of the plant as the Great Plains Business Park.

In 1903 the Kansas State Hospital for Epileptics was opened. In 1957 the hospital was renamed Parsons State Hospital and Training Center. At that time it began providing programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. The Hospital occupies 43 buildings on 163 acres. The hospital also includes residential services, the University Center on Developmental Disabilities and the Parsons Research Center for the University of Kansas, the Special Purpose School of the Southeast Regional Education Service Center. The Southeast Kansas Agricultural Research Center of Kansas State University is also located on the grounds, as is the Alzheimer's Association, Heart of America Chapter, Southeast Kansas Regional Office.

On June 5, 2006 the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Parsons a 2006 Great American Main Street Award winner for its successful efforts in revitalizing its downtown area through historic preservation.

Parsons is the home of Dwayne's Photo, which became the last processor of K-14 Kodachrome film in the world and was the location of the final frame taken on the final roll of Kodachrome film produced. Parsons is featured prominently in the plot of the 2018 Netflix movie Kodachrome about a man who takes a road trip to develop a roll of Kodachrome film. The motion picture Zombie Geddon (2003) was filmed in Parsons in July 2002.

The city has a host of annual celebrations with the largest being Katy Days, which is an annual festival held Memorial Day weekend to celebrate the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The community also has celebrations for Halloween, the Christmas Season, Saint Patrick's Day and Veterans Day.

The community has excellent K-12 Schools including St Patrick Catholic School which is a private school for Pre-School through 8th grade.

Labette Community College (LCC) is a public community college in Parsons, Kansas. LCC's main campus was established in Parsons in 1923. LCC has satellite campuses in Cherokee, Oswego and Pittsburg.

The Parsons Recreation Commission operates a full-service facility that includes weight equipment, racquetball, an outdoor swimming pool, and various team sports. Reasonable individual and family memberships are available for purchase.

Parsons Lake is located northwest of Parsons approximately 6 miles and is owned by the City of Parsons. There are beach and picnic areas, boat ramps, fishing, RV and other camping.

Parsons Lake Holds 980 acres of water. 1,000 acres are for public use surround the lake.

Big Hill Lake is 9 miles southwest of Parsons. The reservoir holds 1,240 acres of water covering 1.94 square miles of surface area, with 367 acres available for public use. Fishing, picnicking, boating, and a sandy beach swimming area are popular activities. The lake is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.