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==History== ===Early history and development=== {{See also|History of Kansas}} For [[millennia]], the [[Great Plains]] of [[North America]] were inhabited by [[nomadic]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]. The first settlement was established at Greensburg in 1885.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_o8X5krq3fP8C|title=Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc.|publisher=Standard Publishing Company|author=Blackmar, Frank Wilson|year=1912|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_o8X5krq3fP8C/page/n788 792]}}</ref> Greensburg was named after D.R. "Cannonball" Green, who owned a stagecoach company and played a part in the establishment of the city.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Greensburg/history.html |title=History of Greensburg, KS |access-date=2008-05-07 |archive-date=2008-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002040817/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Greensburg/history.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1887, construction began on the [[Big Well (Kansas)|Big Well]], the largest hand-dug well in the world.<ref name="kansastravel.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kansastravel.org/greensburgbigwell.htm|title=The Big Well Museum & Visitors Center - Greensburg, Kansas}}</ref> By 1888, Greensburg was proclaimed the "liveliest town in the state", the same year the construction of the Big Well was completed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Greensburg/history.html|title=History of Greensburg, KS|website=skyways.lib.ks.us|access-date=13 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002040817/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Greensburg/history.html|archive-date=2 October 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Greensburg/history.html|title=History of Greensburg, KS|access-date=7 May 2008|archive-date=2 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002040817/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Greensburg/history.html|url-status=dead}}, Blue Skyways, 18 May 2006. Accessed 7 May 2008.</ref> The city ceased using the Big Well as a water source in 1932,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldrecordacademy.org/2023/6/worlds-largest-hand-dug-well-world-record-in-greensburg-kansas-423272 | title=World's Largest Hand-Dug Well: World record in Greensburg, Kansas | date=June 26, 2023 }}</ref> and converted it into a tourist attraction in 1937.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.51centadventures.com/2017/05/big-well-greensburg-kansas.html | title=Big Well - Greensburg, Kansas }}</ref> In 1972, the Big Well was declared a national museum.<ref name="kansastravel.org" /> One of the largest [[pallasite]] meteorites ever discovered was found near Greensburg in 1949, weighing over 1,000 pounds.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldrecordacademy.org/2023/7/worlds-largest-pallasite-meteorite-world-record-in-greensburg-kansas-423281 | title=World's Largest Pallasite Meteorite: World record in Greensburg, Kansas | date=July 2, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=World's Largest Pallasite Meteorite |url=http://www.worldslargestthings.com/kansas/pallasitemeteorite.htm |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=www.worldslargestthings.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=HAVILAND IMPACT CRATER – Crater Explorer |url=https://craterexplorer.ca/haviland-impact-crater/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Enormous meteorite found on Kansas farmer's land |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/nov/12/enormous_meteorite_found_kansas_farmers_land/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=LJWorld.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-11-11 |title=Giant meteorite unearthed |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/giant-meteorite-unearthed/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=HeraldNet.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-11-13 |title=Gigantic meteorite is dug up in Kansas |url=https://www.deseret.com/2005/11/13/19922530/gigantic-meteorite-is-dug-up-in-kansas/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}</ref> ===2007 tornado=== {{Main|Greensburg tornado}} [[Image:Greensburg kansas tornado.jpg|thumb|left|250px|City center, twelve days after the tornado struck (2007)]] At 9:45 p.m. [[Central Time Zone|CDT]] on May 4, 2007, during a [[Tornado outbreak of May 4–6, 2007|deadly tornado outbreak]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pratttribune.com/articles/2007/05/07/news/00.txt|title=The article requested cannot be found! Please refresh your browser or go back. (KS,,2007,5,AR). - PrattTribune - Pratt, KS - Pratt, KS|access-date=9 May 2007|archive-date=3 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203202905/http://www.pratttribune.com/articles/2007/05/07/news/00.txt|url-status=dead}}</ref> Greensburg took a direct hit from a rain-wrapped EF5 tornado. The tornado was estimated to be {{convert|1.7|mi|km}} in width — wider than the city itself — and traveled for nearly {{convert|22|mi|km}}. The tornado killed 10 people in Greensburg and two more in neighboring communities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Man Dies Months After Kansas Tornado Hit|date=24 September 2007|access-date=31 January 2017|work=[[U.S.A. Today]]|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-23-1953064368_x.htm}}</ref> Tornado sirens sounded in the city twenty minutes before the tornado struck, and a [[tornado emergency]] was issued, is believed by experts to have saved hundreds of lives.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Santa Barbara Independent]]|title=On the Road — Tornado Alley|url=http://www.independent.com/news/2008/mar/28/road-tornado-alley/|access-date=27 May 2008|archive-date=4 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704215205/http://www.independent.com/news/2008/mar/28/road-tornado-alley/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=NOAA Satellite and Information Service|title=Event Record Details|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~657501|access-date=12 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503091723/http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~657501|archive-date=3 May 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> The tornado lasted for a total of one hour and five minutes and caused $250 million in damages.<ref>Oberholtz, Chris. [https://www.audacy.com/knss/news/local/looking-back-at-the-devastating-greensburg-tornado-of-2007 "Looking Back: The Devastating Greensburg Tornado of 2007 Destroyed 95% of Kansas Town [Video]"]. KNSS</ref> Ninety-five percent of the city was confirmed to be destroyed, with the other five percent being severely damaged. The [[National Weather Service]] estimated winds of the tornado to reach {{convert|205|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}. It was the first tornado in history to be rated EF5 since the implementation of the [[Enhanced Fujita scale]] earlier that year. It was also the first [[Fujita scale|F5]] or EF5 classification since May 3, 1999, when an [[1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado|F5 tornado]] devastated [[Moore, Oklahoma]] during the [[1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak]]. Kansas [[List of governors of Kansas|Governor]] [[Kathleen Sebelius]] and [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush]] both declared Kiowa County a [[disaster area]],<ref>{{cite web|author=KAKE-TV|title=President Bush Declares Disaster in Kansas|url=http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/7359591.html|access-date=6 May 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613122036/http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/7359591.html|archive-date=13 June 2007}}</ref> which opened up the affected areas for national and [[international aid]]. ===Rebuilding (2007–present)=== After the tornado, Greensburg rebuilt itself as a "green" city. A non-profit organization called Greensburg GreenTown was founded to help inform the residents about the [[green living]] initiative.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |title=The town that built back green |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/10/22/greensburg-kansas-wind-power-carbon-emissions/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sustainable Rebuilding {{!}} Greensburg, KS |url=https://www.greensburgks.org/community/pages/sustainable-rebuilding |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=www.greensburgks.org}}</ref><ref>https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/45086.pdf</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kansas Town Rebuilds Green After Disaster |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/edu-rebuilding-greensburg/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=education.nationalgeographic.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Randall |first=Charlie |date=2024-06-10 |title=Portrait of a Kansas town that went all-in on clean energy after a devastating tornado » Yale Climate Connections |url=https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/06/portrait-of-a-kansas-town-that-went-all-in-on-clean-energy-after-a-devastating-tornado/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Yale Climate Connections |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>https://www.nrel.gov/buildings/assets/pdfs/53539.pdf</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kniggendorf |first=Anne |date=2022-04-19 |title=What Is the Future of America's Greenest Town? |url=https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-is-the-future-of-americas-greenest-town/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Reasons to be Cheerful |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-11-27 |title=Post-Tornado 'Green' Rebuild Considered a Mixed Success in Greensburg, Kansas |url=https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2019/11/27/549552.htm |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Insurance Journal |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Greensburg Green Town, Greensburg, Kansas, U.S. |url=https://design.umn.edu/greensburg-green-town-greensburg-kansas-us |access-date=2024-10-10 |publisher=College of Design, University of Minnesota |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-11 |title=Greensburg stands as a model of 'green town' |url=https://www.visitsouthcentralks.com/greensburg-stands-as-a-model-of-green-town-with-some-unique-things-to-see-and-do |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=www.visitsouthcentralks.com |language=en}}</ref> In response to the disaster, the city council passed a resolution requiring all city buildings be built to [[Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design|LEED]] platinum standards, becoming the first city in the nation to do so.<ref>{{cite web|title=Greensburg GreenTown|url=http://www.greensburggreentown.org|access-date=4 May 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509103943/http://www.greensburggreentown.org/|archive-date=9 May 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Green Town USA: The Handbook for America's Sustainable Future|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISBN1578263123|first=Thomas J.|last=Fox|isbn=978-1578263127|year=2013|publisher=Hatherleigh Press}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> With extra help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Greensburg residents developed a long-term plan for Greensburg. The city's power is supplied by ten 1.25 MW wind-turbines. Carbon offsets generated from the turbines are being managed by [[NativeEnergy]],<!--pipe is not exact, but close. The first owns the latter--> and have been purchased by charter supporters including [[Ben & Jerry's]], [[Clif Bar]], [[Green Mountain Coffee Roasters]], and [[Stonyfield Farm]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Greensburg Wind Farm|url=http://www.nativeenergy.com/pages/greensburg/517.php|access-date=30 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316033816/http://www.nativeenergy.com/pages/greensburg/517.php|archive-date=16 March 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite the efforts to rebuild the town, the population by 2010 was about 50% of what it was in 2000. The 2000 census found 1,582 residents,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDPSF42000.DP1?q=greensburg,+ks+population&y=2000 |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> while 777 residents were recorded in the 2010 census,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2010.P1?q=greensburg,+ks+population&y=2010 |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> and 740 in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=greensburg,+ks+population&y=2020 |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> On [[Tornado outbreak of May 18–20, 2025#Greensburg–Brenham–Plevna, Kansas|May 18, 2025]], a very large tornado moved south of Greensburg and narrowly avoided striking town, prompting the National Weather Service in [[Dodge City, Kansas]] to issue a rare [[tornado emergency]] for Greensburg. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Sanders |first=Peyton |date=2025-05-18 |title=Tornado Emergency issued for Greensburg |url=https://www.kwch.com/2025/05/18/weather-alert-severe-storm-risk-this-evening/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=[[KWCH]] |language=en}}</ref>The same tornado later went on to impact [[Plevna, Kansas]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heilman |first=Matt |date=2025-05-19 |title=Tornado leaves path of destruction in Grinnell, other Kansas towns threatened on active night for severe weather |url=https://www.kwch.com/2025/05/19/tornado-leaves-path-destruction-grinnell-other-kansas-towns-threatened-active-night-severe-weather/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=[[KWCH]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-19 |title=Greensburg residents relieved as tornado skips town, stirs memories from deadly EF-5 in 2007 |url=https://www.kake.com/community/greensburg-residents-relieved-as-tornado-skips-town-stirs-memories-from-deadly-ef-5-in-2007/article_71b9ca2a-7565-46e5-b549-d2ae68d4f919.html |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=KAKE |language=en}}</ref>
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