Facts About Salina
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The city of Salina has a total area of 25.15 square miles, of which 25.11 square miles is land and 0.04 square miles is water.
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Salina was named for the salty Saline River.
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Salina is the anchor city of the Salina Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Saline and Ottawa counties.
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In 1858, settlers from Lawrence founded the Salina Town Company with a wagon circle, under constant threat of High Plains tribal attacks from the west.
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Saline County was soon organized around this township, and in 1870, Salina was incorporated as a city.
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Salina lies in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains approximately 6 miles west-southwest of the confluence of the Saline and Smoky Hill Rivers.
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Indian Rock is the tallest point in the Salina area and is home to a park and several hiking trails.
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In 1889, Salina hosted the first garment factory for Lee Jeans.
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Today, only a small percentage of the city’s existing historic buildings date from the 19th Century. However, as originally designed, the layout of the town is still apparent today, and all of the original townsite streets retain their original names.
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Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Salina include former White House press secretary Marlin Fitzwater, Wilson, Keppel and Betty, astronaut Steven Hawley, former Governors of Kansas John W. Carlin and Bill Graves, Paul Harvey, Lee Jeans Harry Lee, and Adrianna Franch.
