A Kansas Prairie Charmer Once Voted The 'Friendliest Small Town In The US' Brims With Midwest Hospitality

You may think your hometown is friendly, but residents of one far-flung farm town in the heart of Kansas have the credentials to prove it. Concordia, a community of about 5,000, was named in 2023 the "Friendliest Small Town in the U.S." by Travel Awaits, which gathered nominations and solicited votes to narrow its list to 14 places. Concordia tops them all. In addition to Midwest hospitality, the town is overflowing with history, the arts, and pastoral views. Like Chanute, another Kansas city that provides a quiet getaway, visitors will likely feel a sense of simplicity in the bucolic setting of Concordia.

Concordia is deep into farm country in north central Kansas, about 50 miles from the nearest interstate. All around the town, farmers grow corn, wheat, and soybeans, among other crops. In June and July, you're likely to spot large combines out in the fields, harvesting wheat (a surprisingly interesting scene to witness if you didn't grow up in farm country). To get to this remote mecca of friendliness, visitors could fly to the national airport in Wichita, Kansas, and drive 145 miles north, or get a flight into a regional airport in Salina, Kansas, and drive about 60 miles north from there. More often than not, visitors to Concordia are fellow Kansans, seeking out the town for a day trip.

Visitors staying for an evening in Concordia can be entertained with a classic combo: dinner and a show. Reminiscent of Cottonwood Falls, a small Kansas city with delightful downtown food, Concordia boasts a handful of restaurants operated by hospitable owners and friendly staff. That list includes Easy G Sports Grill. Located on Sixth Street, the main thoroughfare, the watering hole serves up nine different burgers, plus a special burger of the week. 

You can round out the evening with a show at Brown Grand Theatre, which was built in 1907 and has been restored as a 534-seat performing arts venue. While you may think of impressive theaters belonging on the East Coast, like America's only replica of Shakespeare's indoor theater in Virginia, the Brown Grand was praised when it opened for being the most elegant theater between Kansas City and Denver. Now, it hosts a variety of events, including movie nights, dance recitals, symphony performances, community plays, comedy shows, and even paranormal tours.

You'll get a big dose of Concordia's hospitality at the town's lodgings. There are only three hotels in town, with Holiday Inn's simplicity being about as lavish as things get, but nearly a dozen short-term vacation rentals are available. Midwest hospitality is alive and well in Concordia, with vacation rental hosts going above and beyond to provide guests with an unparalleled stayover.

Concordia's friendliness extends to those far outside of the town's borders. At the site of one Concordia museum, staff members are dedicated to helping visitors from often faraway places. The National Orphan Train Complex tells the story of America's orphan train movement, and researchers there extend a helping hand to former riders, their children, and grandchildren as they trace their family histories. From the 1850s through the 1920s, an estimated 200,000 abandoned children in New York City and other East Coast cities were sent on trains to other areas of the U.S. and Canada in an effort to find them homes. Concordia's National Orphan Train Complex is the only center in the country dedicated solely to this history. 

About 7,000 of the children were relocated to Kansas, with many stopping in Concordia. The journey was successful for some children, while others never found new families. The museum offers visitors a look at both the positive and negative stories that emerged from the mass migration. Researchers working in the complex field questions from people tracking their ancestry. It's estimated that one in every 25 people in the U.S. is connected to one of the unaccompanied minors who rode the trains, creating interesting challenges for those wishing to learn more about their genealogy. The research center on the complex was opened in 2007 in Concordia's old Union Pacific Depot.