History

Like many midwestern towns, Cheney owes its birth and early development to the railroads. Chartered in 1883, the town was named for Benjamin Price Cheney, a railroad official.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Cheney had a very self-sufficient local economy. Businesses included several general stores, hardware stores, competing banks, a hotel, shoe store, photographers and a furniture store, plus an undertaker, coal yard and harness shop. Of course, some of these types of businesses are no longer around anywhere. Others have moved into the malls and shopping centers of big cities and their suburbs and are hard to find in any town the size of Cheney.

New types of businesses have sprouted up, catering to the needs of towns that are often referred to as "bedroom communities." Although many Cheney residents do work and shop in Wichita, Cheney has seen its business community evolve to meet the needs of its residents. Other businesses still thrive as they did a hundred years ago. The doctor's office, grocery store, farm supply, coop, and newspaper still offer many of the same essential services they did last century.