Osborne

History

Settlers from southeastern Pennsylvania founded Osborne City in May 1871. They named the settlement after Vincent B. Osborne, a Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, after whom Osborne County also is named. Osborne City became the permanent county seat in November 1872. "City" was dropped from its name by the mid-1890s.

Geography

Osborne is located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 24 and 281 in north-central Kansas; it is approximately northwest of Wichita, west-northwest of Kansas City and east of Denver. Osborne lies on the north side of the South Fork Solomon River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains. The Osborne Canal, part of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Webster Unit Project, runs east along the northern edge of the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. On average, in Osborne, July is the warmest month, January is the coldest and driest month, and May is the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Osborne was 116 °F (47 °C) in 1940; the coldest temperature recorded was -31 °F (-35 °C) in 1989.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  132
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  113
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  95
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  71
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  66
• Ring-necked Pheasant

  Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  65
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  64
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  60

Largest nearby schools

• Osborne Elem
  Elementary · Osborne · 213 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Osborne Junior/Senior High
  High · Osborne · 160 students · 10:1 ratio
• Lakeside Junior/Senior High School
  High · Downs · 134 students · 10.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-06-16
  9 km SW of Natoma, Kansas
• M 2.9 — 2026-05-11
  7 km E of Cowles, Nebraska
• M 2.8 — 2026-05-09
  4 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska
• M 2.5 — 2026-03-12
  6 km ESE of Cowles, Nebraska
• M 2.6 — 2026-03-02
  8 km N of Guide Rock, Nebraska
• M 2.6 — 2026-03-01
  9 km E of Cowles, Nebraska