SPRING HILL, Kan. — Spring Hill is uniquely located in two Kansas-side counties; mostly in Johnson, but also in Miami County. The city borders Olathe as well as Gardner and Hillsdale.

The beginnings of Spring Hill date back to March of 1857, when a man by the name of James B. Hovey traveled across the Midwest.

“He stayed with a Native American family, bought some land from them, then the other settlers came in,” Patti Stites, Spring Hill relator and resident explained.

“There was a petition to make it a township, there were about 120 signatures, and from there Spring Hill was founded.”

Hovey named the town after a place with the same name near Mobile, Alabama. He later served Spring Hill, Kansas as its very first postmaster and built its first building, the Spring Hill Hotel.

The original town was where the city park is now. Once a train depot was put in, it grew farther east from the city park where downtown is today.

This town has more than doubled in size over the past 20 years. As of the 2020 census, the town is home to almost 8,000 people, compared to less than 3,000 two decades ago.

But while the town has grown, longtime residents say the family-friendly feel of Spring Hill has stayed the same, also making it a great place to visit.

“It’s just a great mix of the small town. It’s close to all the amenities of Olathe, south Johnson County. It’s just a great place to live, and visit,” sixth-generation resident Keith Stiles said.

“We’re like a family sometimes, we argue, but we always come back together. When it’s important, when it matters,” lifelong resident Julie Belcher said.