Where is the top place to live if you are an active Western lifestyle enthusiast looking for a place to plant your feet and put down roots? We venture to say, the Southwest Kansas town of Johnson City, Kansas. Also known simply as Johnson, the town is defined by a flourish of trees in the midst of the wide expanse of prairie, open fields, and magnificent sunrises and sunsets. As the seat of Stanton County, Johnson is located at Highway K-27 and US 160 Intersect.

The small town of Johnson offers charming businesses that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. A historic stop that is truly a classic is the old time soda fountain called “The Old Store.” Once an old pharmacy, the restored soda fountain serves lunch along with real sodas, ice cream, malts, banana splits, and purple cows?!? The Parman Brothers gallery features famous handcrafted kaleidoscopes and across the street is the Country Fare, a charming stop for a cup of coffee and a homemade roll. The Wooden Horse is known for its hometown cuisine. The Stanton County Museum features transportation history with seven historic buildings including Johnson's original Santa Fe depot, 1887 jail cell and 1930s exhibit.

Stanton County school district is a rural K-12 institution with approximately 500 students. Committed to excellence and equity in education, USD 452 boasts a small 13:1 student/teacher ratio. This excellent school system has state of the art buildings and students that excel yearly on state testing requirements. USD 452 serves the Big Bow, Johnson City and Manter communities. Johnson City is also home to the Johnson Pioneer Newspaper and Stanton County Library.

Included in this quiet community is a beautiful 9 hole golf course, an airport with a state-of-the-art runway, swimming pool, recreation center, and a very active recreation department. The recent addition of a new senior center and assisted living facility show a progressive community willing to make an investment in the future. The community is situated just hours away from the Rocky Mountains where skiing and hiking can be enjoyed.

Johnson City was founded by Civil War veterans and was first called Veteran. In 1886 the town was moved 7 miles and renamed for Colonel A. S. Johnson, one of the veterans. An annual “Pioneer Day” celebration is sponsored by the Museum each July.



To learn more about health care career opportunities in rural Kansas, contact the Kansas Recruitment Center, Rural Health Education and Services, at 888-503-4221.


Stanton County Hospital (SCH) provides quality healthcare for the community with integrity, mutual respect, confidentiality and compassion. Currently, SCH is an 18 bed Critical Access Hospital, 26 bed Long Term Care Unit, and a Provider Based Physicians Clinic serving Stanton County Kansas and the surrounding area.


A multi-million dollar renovation and expansion of the current facility will begin in the Fall of 2010, showing the support of the surrounding community of quality health care and facilities. The 12.7 million dollar renovation and expansion project will include the addition of a new patient examination room and treatment areas; relocation of the hospital business office and medical records and physical therapy departments; remodeling the inpatient and obstetrical area to provide up to nine private bathroom and 16 beds, including two birthing rooms; relocation and expansion of the emergency department, including an ambulance garage; and extensive infrastructure replacement, including heating and cooling systems, medical gas systems and electrical upgrades.

Some of the many services offered include Acute Inpatient Care, Skilled Swing Bed, 24-hour Emergency Department, Laboratory Services, CT Scan, Digital Radiology with PACS, Outpatient Physical Therapy, and many other health care services.

We look forward to meeting you in Johnson City.