Wichita, Kansas, is the largest city in the State, with a population of just under 400,000. Not very many years ago – in 2006 – CNN/Money rated our city as one of the top ten big cities in the US in which to live.

We’ll second that! As some of the best plumbers in Wichita, We love our Wichita, Kansas!

Of course, it has a history going back to the 1860’s – or even earlier if you accept that the area was inhabited back in 3000 BC. However, it wasn’t designated as a city until 1870. In the early 1860s, trader Jesse Chisholm established a trading post here which was one of several along a trail leading down to Texas and which became known as the Chisholm Trail. The city became a destination for cattle drives up from Texas heading for railroads leading to markets in the North East of the US and earning it the name of Cowtown. Today, you can follow Wichita’s development from a cattle town to the great manufacturing industry we have today at The Old Cowtown Museum on Museum Blvd.

If you enjoy nature (we do) you should visit Botanica, The Wichita Gardens, covering 17½ acres, which has a Chinese Garden, children’s play area, Lego sculpture, a butterfly house, and more.

Sedgwick County Zoo

Then there is the Sedgwick County Zoo which was founded in 1971 and now has an international status for its’ support for conservation and its’ breeding of rare and endangered species. There are over 3,000 animals of 400 different species, and the Zoo is ranked the #1 outdoor attraction in Kansas.

Of course, as everyone knows, Wichita, Kansas is the home of Pizza Hut which was founded by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in 1958. Today, Pizza Hut has no less than 18,431 restaurants worldwide!

Downtown Wichita is the place to go in the evening. It has many converted brick warehouses that have become bars, restaurants, shops, clubs, and theaters. It’s a fun place to be, and in 2003 the Old Town district was added to the National Register of Historic Places. You didn’t know that, did you? Located here is the Old Pumphouse, which used to be a gas station, and offers live music every night, food, beers, and has a huge patio and 30 tvs!

Another fun place in Old Town is Mort’s Cigar Bar which is the place to go if you like martinis and cigars. In addition to various beers, it offers over 160 different martinis and has music every night.

So, yes, at Ben Franklin we love our Wichita when we’re not working. And in one sense we are always working because we provide a genuine 24-hour 365-day emergency plumbing service – wherever you live in Wichita and all the surrounding towns.