There’s a commonly held belief that small, rural Kansas communities are evaporating from the windswept plains, plagued by a dwindling, aging population, and haunted by pressures of a modern world. Don’t tell that to the residents of Chase, population 390 in Rice County, and Pawnee Rock, population 190 in Barton County. Long dismissed, even mocked, as wide spots along U.S. Highway 56, folks there are making their stand, spurred by an influx of new families. “We’re proud of where we are from,” said Chase Mayor Tom Kizzar. “There’s not much left, but we are going to go down swinging. We’re doing alright. We’re trying.”
Source: KAKE – News