Hesston is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States.

[4] Large manufacturing facilities for AGCO (farm equipment) and Stanley Black & Decker (lawn mowers) are located in Hesston.

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans.

In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1872, Harvey County was established within the Kansas Territory which included the land for modern day Hesston.

[5] In 1886, Hesston was founded and named after the Hess brothers who owned the land where a depot on the Missouri Pacific Railroad was built.

Due to the railroad, Hesston became an important regional shipping point.

In 1960, John Regier founded the lawn mower company Excel Industries.

A total of 226 homes and 21 businesses were destroyed, and several were swept completely from their foundations.

[10][11] On February 25, 2016, Hesston became the scene of a mass shooting in which three people were killed and twelve others injured at an Excel Industries building.

[13][14] The shooter was identified as Excel employee Cedric Larry Ford, who was killed by responding police officers.

[17][18][19] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.90 square miles (10.10 km2), all of it land.

[20] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[21] The 2020 United States census counted 3,505 people, 1,357 households, and 945 families in Hesston.

[37] In 1974, the Hesston Company commissioned its first belt buckles,[38] which became popular on the rodeo circuit and with collectors.

The company's controlling stake was sold to Italian corporation Fiat Trattori in 1977.

In 1960, John Regier founded the lawn mower company Excel Industries.

[9] The company manufactures outdoor equipment, primarily Hustler and Big Dog mowers.

[40] The community is served by Hesston USD 460 public school district.

Hesston is serviced by a branch of the Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad operating between McPherson and Newton, where it connects to the BNSF Railway.