Greeley County is a county in Kansas, United States, near the Colorado border on the High Plains. It had a population of 1,284 at the 2020 census and covers 778 square miles (2,020 km2) centred near 38°28′N 101°50′W.
Tribune is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 67879. The county has two incorporated cities and several unincorporated communities, all within one township, and observes Mountain Time.
Towns & Villages in Greeley County
Greeley County has just two incorporated cities — Tribune and Horace — plus a handful of unincorporated places, several of them now ghost towns. The table below uses “Unincorp.” for places that were never incorporated or lost their charter.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tribune | City · seat | 772 | 67879 |
| Horace | City | 102 | — |
| Astor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Colokan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hector | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kanco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Walkinghood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whitelaw | Unincorp. | — | — |
Townships
Greeley County once had several civil townships, but in 1992 the county consolidated all of them into a single unit, Tribune Township, which now covers the entire county and contains every settlement listed above.
ZIP Codes
- 67879 — Tribune (also serves Horace and the surrounding unincorporated county)
Greeley County has only one ZIP code; every address in the county, incorporated or not, is served through the Tribune post office.
Geography
Greeley County sits on the flat to gently rolling High Plains, drained by the Smoky Hill River in the north and by the Arikaree Creek drainage elsewhere; the land is nearly all cropland and native shortgrass rangeland, with no significant lakes. The county borders Wallace County to the north, Wichita County to the east, Hamilton County to the south, and three Colorado counties to the west — Prowers County to the southwest, Kiowa County to the west, and Cheyenne County to the northwest.
Demographics
Greeley County had 1,284 residents at the 2020 census, making it one of the least populous counties in Kansas, spread across 778 square miles for a density of roughly 1.7 people per square mile. Tribune (772) and Horace (102) hold nearly all of that population between them. The ZIP code area’s 2023 median household income was estimated at $80,536, well above the Kansas median of $70,333, reflecting a small, largely land-owning farm population rather than broad-based wealth.
Economy & Local Life
Dryland and irrigated wheat and grain sorghum farming, plus cattle ranching, drive the local economy, with water drawn from the High Plains Aquifer. Tribune serves as the trade center for the surrounding farm country, with the county courthouse, schools, and grain elevators anchoring the town.
History
Greeley County was created by the Kansas legislature on March 20, 1873, but was not organized as a functioning county government until July 1888, after an earlier organization attempt was thrown out in a lawsuit over an inflated population count — making it, by some accounts, the last Kansas county to be legally organized. Both the county and its seat take their names from Horace Greeley, longtime editor of the New York Tribune and a prominent advocate of westward settlement. The Missouri Pacific Railroad reached Tribune in 1887, and the depot there anchored the town’s early growth.
Getting There
Kansas state and county highways connect Tribune to the rest of western Kansas; there is no interstate access within the county.
- Scott City — about 55 miles east
- Garden City — about 65 miles southeast
- Lamar, Colorado — about 45 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Garden City Regional Airport. Amtrak does not serve Greeley County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Greeley County, Kansas?
It is in far western Kansas on the High Plains, bordering Colorado.
What is the population of Greeley County?
1,284 people, per the 2020 census, making it one of the least-populated counties in Kansas.
How big is Greeley County?
778 square miles (2,020 km2), all of it land.
What is the county seat of Greeley County?
Tribune, also the county’s largest city.
How many towns are in Greeley County?
Two incorporated cities, Tribune and Horace, plus several small unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Greeley County?
Just one: 67879, centered on Tribune.
Why is Greeley County named Greeley?
For Horace Greeley, the New York newspaper editor famous for urging Americans to “go West”; the county seat, Tribune, is named for his paper.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.