Paradise

History

In 1859, a hunting party explored the area, including a small tributary of the Saline River which led them to a site abundant in water, timber, and bison. One of the hunters, James R. Mead, described the site as paradise, and the tributary subsequently became known as Paradise Creek. The first post office in the area opened under the name Paradise in 1875. In 1887, the Union Townsite Company established a town on the north side of the creek northwest of the post office, naming it Ivamar after Iva Marr, the daughter of a local rancher. The Paradise post office relocated to Ivamar the next year, but kept its name. As a result, the town came to be known by both names; in 1891, the Union Pacific Railroad listed its rail stop there as Paradise with Ivamar in parentheses. The community grew through the 1890s to include a school, downtown businesses, and railroad facilities, reaching a population of 200 by 1910. Ivamar incorporated in 1924 and finally changed its name to Paradise. The population of the community has gradually declined since the 1930s.

Geography

Paradise is located in north-central Kansas west of U.S. Route 281 on Kansas Highway 18 (K-18), Paradise is northwest of Wichita, west of Kansas City, and north-northwest of Russell, the county seat. Paradise sits on the north bank of Paradise Creek, a tributary of the Saline River, in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains. Eagle Creek, a tributary of Paradise Creek, flows south along the community's eastern side. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Great Plains Skink

  Plestiodon obsoletus Baird & Girard, 1852 · Squamata
  91
• Ring-necked Snake

  Diadophis punctatus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Squamata
  88
• Collared lizard

  Crotaphytus collaris (Say, 1822) · Squamata
  71
• Great Plains Narrow-mouthed Toad

  Gastrophryne olivacea (Hallowell, 1856) · Amphibia
  54
• Great Plains Rat Snake

  Pantherophis emoryi (Baird & Girard, 1853) · Squamata
  50
• Slender Glass Lizard

  Ophisaurus attenuatus Baird, 1880 · Squamata
  50
• Common Garter Snake

  Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Squamata
  45
• Western Massasauga

  Sistrurus tergeminus (Say, 1823) · Squamata
  41

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-06-16
  9 km SW of Natoma, Kansas
• M 2.9 — 2026-02-02
  7 km N of Hays, Kansas
• M 2.8 — 2025-12-04
  6 km NW of Wilson, Kansas
• M 2.9 — 2025-11-29
  5 km SW of Kirwin, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2025-11-29
  6 km NE of Dorrance, Kansas
• M 2.7 — 2025-11-19
  8 km NE of Dorrance, Kansas