Colby, Kansas
Colby is a city of 5,387 people in Thomas County, Kansas, founded in 1885.
Why visit Colby
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 13 places to eat, 10 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Colby Cinema, Colby City Hall, Thomas County Courthouse and Fike Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 91°F; January lows average 15°F, and about 27 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Colby
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Colby
Colby is a city in and the county seat of Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,570. It is located on the north side of Interstate 70.
From the Wikipedia article Colby, Kansas (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks3
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Colby City Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
Rathaus in Colby, United States of America
Thomas County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Courthouse in Colby, Kansas
Prairie Museum of Art and History
Museum · 1.0 mi
1905 South Franklin Avenue, Colby
Apr-Oct Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa-Su 13:00-17:00; Nov-Mar Tu-Fr...
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Restaurants and cafes13
J & B Meat Market
Restaurant · Burger, Milkshake, Meat · 1.3 mi
1615 West 4th Street, Colby
McDonald's
Fast food · Burger · 1.3 mi
2000 South Range Avenue, Colby
Mo-Th 06:30-23:00; Fr,Sa 06:00-24:00, Su 06:00-23:00
Taco John's
Fast food · Mexican · 1.3 mi
625 West Willow Avenue, Colby
1 more on the map.
History
In 1882, a post office was established near the center of Thomas County. Area homesteaders lived under harsh conditions in sod houses, creating demand for a town to provide lumber and other provisions to incoming settlers. J.R. Colby, a local land assessor and preacher, obtained a patent to establish the town in April 1884, and land was acquired for the town site three miles north of the post office in March 1885. The following month, the Kansas Secretary of State issued the Town Charter. Kansas Gov. John Martin named Colby the county seat in 1885, and the city was incorporated in 1886. The Union Pacific Railroad reached the city in 1887, and the Rock Island Railroad followed the next year.
In 1941 the St. Thomas Hospital was built as part of the Works Progress Administration plan to build hospitals. This was one of 130 new hospitals to be built with these funds, it was one of two built in Kansas alone. Within the last couple of years, it was renovated to apartments under the name St. Thomas Historic Residences.
Interstate 70 reached Colby in 1965, stimulating the growth of a local hospitality industry.
From the History section of Colby, Kansas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay10
Churches and places of worship5
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging8
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Healthcare1
Map of Colby
58 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°F | 15°F | 0.4 in | 5.1 in |
| Feb | 46°F | 17°F | 0.6 in | 5.8 in |
| Mar | 56°F | 26°F | 0.9 in | 4.2 in |
| Apr | 65°F | 34°F | 2.0 in | 2.2 in |
| May | 74°F | 46°F | 2.9 in | 0.7 in |
| Jun | 86°F | 57°F | 2.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 91°F | 62°F | 3.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 88°F | 60°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 81°F | 50°F | 1.4 in | 0.2 in |
| Oct | 68°F | 36°F | 1.6 in | 1.6 in |
| Nov | 54°F | 25°F | 0.6 in | 3.5 in |
| Dec | 44°F | 16°F | 0.5 in | 3.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Colby 1Sw (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Thomas County has had 12 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-09-01: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2024-09-24: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2023-10-26: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-29: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2017-06-16: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Snowstorm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Colby Municipal Airport (CBK) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 miles away.
- Brewster 18 mi west, about 29 min by car
- Oakley 21 mi southeast, about 34 min by car
- Grinnell 28 mi southeast, about 46 min by car
- Atwood 29 mi north, about 47 min by car
- Hoxie 32 mi east, about 52 min by car
- Goodland 36 mi west, about 58 min by car
- Bird City 36 mi northwest, about 58 min by car
- Oberlin 41 mi northeast, about 1 h by car
- St. Francis 48 mi northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Quinter 49 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Thomas County Courthouse Colby Kansas 5-7-2014, Richard Bauer, CC BY 2.0
- Prairie Museum of Art and History (Colby Kansas) 13 52 10 371000, Doncram, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Prairie Museum of Art and History (Colby Kansas) 13 52 18 426000, Doncram, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Prairie Museum of Art and History (Colby Kansas), Doncram, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Colby, Kansas city hall from W 1, Ammodramus, CC0
- China buffet (1278928582), Lyndi & Jason from Dallastown Pa, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 2022 June06 TORUS North Platte Neb-8162, NOAA NSSL, CC BY 2.0
- 2022 June06 TORUS North Platte Neb-8159, NOAA NSSL, CC BY 2.0
- 2022 June06 TORUS North Platte Neb-8166, NOAA NSSL, CC BY 2.0
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