Name that town – the one with the WIDE main street! - February 3, 2012

Q:  Which western Kansas community claims to have the widest main street in America? Name the town!

A: Plains, Kansas

The claim to fame of Plains, Kan., is that it has “the widest main street in America.” This is disputed, however, by a few other cities in other states. For one thing, the wide thoroughfare in Plains, Kan., is not actually called “MAIN” Street.

It’s called Grand Avenue. Nonetheless, it is a big main street – nearly half a block wide. The street has 12-foot wide sidewalks on the sides and measures 155 feet 5 inches from storefront to storefront.

Other towns - including cities in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina - have made similar claims about having “the
widest main street in America.” But the claim in Plains, Kan., was once featured by Bob Ripley in his “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” newspaper column. And that’s good enough for KPR!

 
Kansas Sampler Foundation

Meade County Economic Development

Web Page for Plains, Kansas