lt;/ref> | Nickname The Sunflower State (official);
The Wheat State | Former Kansas Territory | Demonym Kansan | Motto Ad astra per aspera | Capital Topeka, Kansas lt;!-- PLEASE DO notCHANGE THIS TO "GOOGLE" WITHOUT FIRST GAINING CONSENSUS FOR IT ON THE TALK PAGE --> | LargestCity Wichita, Kansas | LargestMetro Kansas City Metropolitan Area | Governor Mark Parkinson (D) | Lieutenant Governor Troy Findley (D)| | Legislature Kansas Legislature | Upperhouse Kansas Senate | Lowerhouse Kansas House of Representatives | Senators Sam Brownback (R)
Pat Roberts (R) | RepresentativeJerry Moran (R)
Lynn Jenkins (R)
Dennis Moore (D)
Todd Tiahrt (R) | PostalAbbreviation KS | AreaRank 15th | TotalAreaUS 82,277 | TotalArea 213,096 | LandAreaUS 81,815 | LandArea 211,901 | WaterAreaUS 462 | WaterArea 1,196 | PCWater 0.56 | PopRank 33^rd | 2000Pop (old) 2,688,418 | 2000Pop 2,818,747 (2009 est.)lt;/ref>
2,688,418 (2000) | DensityRank 40^th | 2000DensityUS 32.9 | 2000Density 12.7 | MedianHouseholdIncome $50,177 | IncomeRank 25th | AdmittanceOrder 34^th | AdmittanceDate January 29, 1861 | TimeZone Central Standard Time Zone Coordinated Universal Time 6/Daylight saving time | TZ1Where most of state | TimeZone2 Mountain Standard Time Zone UTC-7/Daylight saving time | TZ2Where 4 western counties | Latitude 37th parallel north to 40th parallel north | Longitude 94° 35′ W to 102° 3′ W | WidthUS 417| | Width 645 | LengthUS 211 | Length 340 | HighestPoint Mount Sunflower lt;ref name"usgs">lt;/ref> | HighestElevUS 4,039 | HighestElev 1,232 | MeanElevUS 2,000 | MeanElev 600 | LowestPoint Verdigris River lt;ref name"usgs"/> | LowestElevUS 679 | LowestElev 207 | ISOCode US-KS | Website www.kansas.gov }} Kansas ( is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States lt;/ref> It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kaw (tribe) tribe, which inhabited the area.John Koontz, p.c. The tribes name (natively kką:ze is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was probably not the terms original meaning.Rankin, Robert. 2005. "Quapaw." In Native Languages of the Southeastern United States eds. Heather K. Hardy and Janine Scancarelli. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, pg. 492Connelley, William E. 1918. [http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/v1/ch10p1.html Indians] A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans, ch. 10, vol. 1 Residents of Kansas are called "Kansans." Historically, the area was home to large numbers of nomadic Native Americans in the United States who hunted bison It was first settled by European Americans in the 1830s, but the pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850s, in the midst of political wars over the Slavery in the United States issue. When officially Kansas-Nebraska Act by the U.S. government in 1854, abolitionist Free-Stater (Kansas) from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri rushed to the territory to determine if Kansas would become a Free state (USA) or a slave state. Thus, the area was a hotbed of violence and chaos in its early days as these forces collided, and was known as Bleeding Kansas The abolitionists eventually prevailed and on January 29, 1861,lt;/ref>http://www.governor.ks.gov/Facts/kansasseal.htm Kansas.gov – The Official Web site of the State of Kansas]lt;/ref> Kansas entered the Union (American Civil War) as a free state (USA) After the American Civil War the population of Kansas grew exponentially, when waves of immigrants turned the prairie into productive farmland. Today, Kansas is one of the most productive agricultural states, producing many crops, and leading the nation in wheat sorghum lt;ref>lt;/ref> and sunflower production most years.

Geography

Kansas is bordered by Nebraska on the north; Missouri on the east; Oklahoma on the south; and Colorado on the west. The state is divided into List of counties in Kansas with List of cities in Kansas and is located equidistant from the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean oceans. The Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States is located in Smith County, Kansas near Lebanon, Kansas The Meades Ranch, Kansas of North America was located in Osborne County, Kansas until 1983. This spot was used until that date as the central reference point for all maps of North America produced by the U.S. government. The geographic center of Kansas is located in Barton County, Kansas

Geology

Kansas is underlain by a sequence of horizontal to gently westward Strike and dip sedimentary rock . A sequence of Mississippian Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks underlie the eastern and southern part of the state. The western half of the state consists of Cretacous through Tertiary sediments derived from the erosion of the Tectonic uplift Rocky Mountains to the west. The northeastern corner of the state was subjected to glaciation in the Pleistocene and is covered by glacial drift and loess

Topography

The western two-thirds of the state, lying in the Great Plains of the United States, has a generally flat or undulating surface, while the eastern third has many hills and forests. The land gradually rises from east to west; its altitude ranges from along the Verdigris River at Coffeyville, Kansas in Montgomery County, Kansas to at Mount Sunflower one half mile from the Colorado border, in Wallace County, Kansas It is a popular belief that Kansas is the flattest state in the nation, reinforced by a well-known 2003 studylt;/ref> stating that Kansas was indeed "flatter than a pancake".lt;/ref> This has since been debunked, with most scientists ranking Kansas somewhere between 20th and 30th flattest state, depending on measurement method. Its average elevation is 2,000 feet, higher than 36 states.lt;/ref>

Rivers

File:Spring River 2006-07-03 2104.jpg Kansas]] The Missouri River forms nearly of the states northeastern boundary. The Kansas River (locally known as the Kaw), formed by the junction of the Smoky Hill River and Republican River rivers at appropriately-named Junction City, Kansas joins the Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas after a course of across the northeastern part of the state. The Arkansas River (Arkansas River#Pronunciations , rising in Colorado flows with a bending course for nearly across the western and southern parts of the state. It forms, with its tributaries (the Little Arkansas River Ninnescah River Walnut, Cow Creek (Kansas) Cimarron River (Arkansas River) Verdigris, and the Neosho River , the southern drainage system of the state. Other important rivers are the Saline River (Kansas) and Solomon Rivers, tributaries of the Smoky Hill River; the Big Blue River (Kansas) Delaware River (Kansas) and Wakarusa River which flow into the Kansas River; and the Marais des Cygnes River a tributary of the Missouri River.

National parks and historic sites

Areas under the protection of the National Park Service include:lt;/ref> *Brown v. Board Of Education National Historic Site in Topeka *California National Historic Trail *Fort Larned National Historic Site in Larned, Kansas *Fort Scott National Historic Site *Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail *Nicodemus National Historic Site at Nicodemus, Kansas *Oregon National Historic Trail *Pony Express National Historic Trail *Santa Fe National Historic Trail *Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City, Kansas

Climate

File:Kansas Windmills.JPG Kansas contains three climatic types, according to the Köppen climate classification humid continental, semi-arid steppe, and humid subtropical. The eastern two-thirds of the state (especially the northeastern portion) has a humid continental climate with cool to cold winters and hot, often humid summers. Most of the precipitation falls in the summer and spring. The western third of the state – from about the U.S. Route 183 corridor westward – has a semi-arid climate steppe climate. Summers are hot, often very hot, and generally less humid. Winters are highly changeable between warm and very cold. The western region receives an average of about 16 inch s (40 cm) of precipitation per year. Chinook wind in the winter can warm western Kansas all the way into the 80°F (27°C) range. The far south-central and southeastern reaches of the state have a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers, milder winters and more precipitation than the rest of the state. Although not strictly falling in all of the zones, some features of all three climates can be found in most of the state, with droughts and changeable weather between dry and humid not uncommon, and both warm and cold spells in the winter. Precipitation ranges from about 46 inches (1200 mm) annually in the southeast of the state, to about 16 inches (400 mm) in the southwest. Snowfall ranges from around 5 inches (130 mm) in the fringes of the south, to 35 inches (900 mm) in the far northwest. Frost-free days range from more than 200 days in the south, to 130 days in the northwest. Thus, Kansas is the 9th or 10th sunniest state in the country, depending on the source. Western Kansas is as sunny as parts of California and Arizona. In spite of the frequent sunshine throughout much of the state, due to its location at a climatic boundary prone to multiple air masses, the state is also vulnerable to strong thunderstorms, especially in the spring. Many of these storms become Supercell thunderstorms. These can spawn tornadoes often of Fujita scale strength or higher. According to statistics from the National Climatic Data Center Kansas has reported more tornadoes (for the period 1 January 1950 through 31 October 2006) than any state except for Texas – marginally even more than Oklahoma It has also – along with Alabama – reported more Fujita scale than any other state. These are the most powerful of all tornadoes. Kansas averages over 50 tornadoes annually.http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif NOAA National Climatic Data Center]. Retrieved October 25, 2006. According to NOAA, the all-time highest temperature recorded in Kansas is 121°F (49.4°C) on July 24, 1936, near Alton, Kansas and the all-time low is −40°F (−40°C) on February 13, 1905, near Lebanon, Kansas Kansass record high of 121°F (49.4°C) ties with North Dakota for the fifth-highest record high in an American state, behind California (134°F/56.7°C), Arizona (128°F/53.3°C), Nevada (125°F/51.7°C), and New Mexico (122°F/50°C). | class"wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"| | colspan "13" style"text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;"|Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Kansas Cities |- ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000; height:17px;"| City ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Jan ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Feb ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Mar ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Apr ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| May ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Jun ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Jul ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Aug ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Sep ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Oct ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Nov ! style"background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Dec |- ! style"background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Concordia | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 36/17 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 43/22 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 54/31 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 64/41 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 74/52 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 85/62 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 91/67 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 88/66 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 80/56 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 68/44 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 51/30 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 40/21 |- ! style"background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Dodge City | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 41/19 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 48/24 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 57/31 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 67/41 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 76/52 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 87/62 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 93/67 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 91/66 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 82/56 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 70/44 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 54/30 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 44/22 |- ! style"background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Goodland | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 39/16 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 45/20 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 53/26 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 63/35 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 72/46 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 84/56 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 89/61 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 87/60 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 78/50 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 66/38 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 50/25 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 41/18 |- ! style"background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Topeka | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 37/17 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 44/23 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 56/33 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 66/43 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 75/53 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 84/63 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 89/68 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 88/65 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 80/56 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 69/44 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 53/32 | style"text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 41/22 |- ! style"background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Wichita | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 40/20 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 47/25 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 57/34 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 67/44 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 76/54 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 87/64 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 93/69 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 92/68 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 82/59 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 70/47 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 54/34 | style"text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 43/24 |- | colspan "13" style"text-align:center;font-size:90%;background:#E8EAFA;"|[http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-kansas/] |}

History

For millennia, the land that is presently Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans in the United States The first European to set foot in present-day Kansas was Francisco Vásquez de Coronado who explored the area in 1541. In 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase Southwest Kansas, however, was still a part of Spain, Mexico, and the Republic of Texas until the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1848. From 1812 to 1821, Kansas was part of the Missouri Territory The Santa Fe Trail traversed Kansas from 1821 to 1880, transporting manufactured goods from Missouri and silver and furs from Santa Fe, New Mexico Wagon ruts from the trail are still visible in the prairie today. In 1827, Fort Leavenworth became the first permanent settlement of white Americans in the future state. The Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 1854, establishing the Political divisions of the United States of Nebraska and Kansas, and opening the area to broader settlement by whites. Kansas Territory stretched all the way to the Continental Divide and included the sites of present-day Denver, Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado and Pueblo, Colorado File:Battle of Lawrence.png on Lawrence, Kansas ] Missouri and Arkansas sent settlers into Kansas all along its eastern border. These settlers attempted to sway votes in favor of slavery. The secondary settlement of Americans in Kansas Territory were abolitionists from Massachusetts and other Free-Stater (Kansas) , who attempted to stop the spread of slavery from neighboring Missouri. Directly presaging the American Civil War these forces collided, entering into skirmishes that earned the territory the name of Bleeding Kansas Kansas was admitted to the United States as a slave-free state on January 29, 1861, making it the 34th state to enter the Union. By that time the violence in Kansas had largely subsided. However, during the Civil War, on August 21, 1863, William Quantrill led several hundred men on a raid into Lawrence, destroying much of the city and killing nearly two hundred people. Until the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing Quantrills raid was the single bloodiest act of domestic terrorism in America.He was roundly condemned by both the conventional confederate military and the partisan rangers commissioned by the Missouri legislature His application to that body for a commission was flatly rejected due to his pre war criminal record (see Jones, Gray Ghosts and Rebel RidersHolt & Co. 1956, p. 76). After the Civil War, many veterans constructed homesteads in Kansas. Many African Americans also looked to Kansas as the land of "John Brown (abolitionist) , and led by men like Benjamin "Pap" Singleton began establishing black colonies in the state. At the same time, the Chisholm Trail was opened and the American Old West era commenced in Kansas. Wild Bill Hickok was a deputy marshal at Fort Riley and a marshal at Hays, Kansas and Abilene, Kansas Dodge City, Kansas was another wild cowboy town, and both Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp worked as lawmen in the town. In one year alone, 8 million head of cattle from Texas boarded trains in Dodge City bound for the East, earning Dodge the nickname "Queen of the Cowtowns." In part as a response to the violence perpetrated by cowboys, on February 19, 1881 Kansas became the first U.S. state to adopt a Constitutional amendment prohibiting all Alcohol laws of Kansas

Demographics

File:USA Kansas age pyramid.svg ] As of 2007, Kansas has an estimated population of 2,775,997, which is an increase of 20,180, or 0.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 87,579, or 3.3%, since the year 2000.http://www.census.gov/popest/states/ State Population Estimates]. Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, and States and for Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 (NST-EST2007-01). U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Released 2007-12-22. Six year change is from 2000-07-01 to 2007-07-01. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 93,899 people (that is 246,484 births minus 152,585 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 20,742 people out of the state. Immigration to the United States from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 44,847 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 65,589 people.http://www.census.gov/popest/states/ State Population Estimates]. Kansas population has increased at a decreasing rate; reducing the number of congressmen from 5 to 4 in 1992 (Congressional Redistricting Act, eff. 1992). Cumulative Estimates of the Components of Population Change for the United States, Regions and States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (NST-EST2006-04). U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Released 2006-12-22. The population density of the state is 52.9 people per square mile.lt;/ref> The center of population of Kansas is located in Chase County, Kansas at approximately three miles north of the community of Strong City, Kansas lt;/ref> | style"margin:auto;" | |} As of 2004, the population included 149,800 foreign-born (5.5% of the state population). The ten largest reported ancestry groups, which account for over 85% of the population, in the state are: German American (33.75%), Irish American (14.4%), English American (14.1%), American ancestry (7.5%), French American (4.4%), Scottish American (4.2%), Dutch American (2.5%), Swedish American (2.4%), Italian American (1.8%), and Polish American (1.5%).lt;/ref> People of German ancestry are especially strong in the northwest, while those of English ancestry and descendants of white Americans from other states are especially strong in the southeast. Mexicans are present in the southwest and make up nearly half the population in certain counties. Many African Americans in Kansas are descended from the Exodusters newly freed blacks who fled the South for land in Kansas following the Civil War.

Religion

According to a 2008 attitudes surveythe religious makeup of Kansas was as follows: [[Christianity|Christian]] 86% *Protestant 51% *Roman Catholic 29% *Baptist 22% *United Methodist 16% *Episcopal Church (United States) Anglican 7% *United Church of Christ 4% *Latter Day Saints Mormons 2% *Jehovah's Witness 2% *Non denominational 1% *Other Christian 3% Non-religious 9% [[Judaism|Jewish]] 2% Other 2% As of the year 2000, the RCMSlt;/ref> reported that the three largest denominational groups in Kansas are Mainline Protestant Evangelical Protestant and Catholic The Catholic Church has the highest number of adherents in Kansas (at 405,844), followed by the United Methodist Church with 206,187 members reported and the Southern Baptist Convention reporting 101,696 adherents. Though small, the Kansas Baha'i community has the distinction of being the second in the western hemisphere, founded in 1897 in Enterprise, Kansas.Garlington, William. The Bahai Faith in America. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. http://books.google.com/books?idAzCV2jC35WsC&pgPA79&dqenterprise+kansas+baha%27i+1897&cd3#vonepage&qenterprise%20kansas%20baha%27i%201897&ffalse 78–79.] | style"float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; clear:right; text-align:right;" | |}

Rural flight

Kansas is one of the slowest-growing states in the nation. Known as a rural flight the last few decades have been marked by a migratory pattern out of the countryside into cities. Out of all the cities in these Midwestern states, 89% have fewer than 3,000 people, and hundreds of those have fewer than 1,000. In Kansas alone, there are more than 6,000 List of ghost towns in Kansas and dwindling communities,http://www.danielcfitzgerald.com/kansasextinctlocations.html according to one Kansas historian, Daniel C. Fitzgerald. At the same time, some of the communities in Johnson County (metropolitan Kansas City) are among the fastest-growing in the country.

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that the total GDP in 2008 was $122.7 billion, making its United Statess 32nd highest state by GDP.http://www.bea.gov/regional/gsp/ Bea.gov]; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Per capita personal income in 2008 was $35,013. As of January 2010, the states unemployment rate is 6.4%.http://www.bls.gov/lau/ Bls.gov]; Local Area Unemployment Statistics The agricultural outputs of the state are cattle sheep wheat sorghum soybeans cotton pig maize and salt Eastern Kansas is part of the Grain Belt an area of major grain production in the central United States. The industrial outputs are transportation equipment, commercial and private aircraft, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel, petroleum and mining. |alignright | |- | style"text-align: right;"| | style"float:right; width:310px; background:#f9f9f9; border:1px #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse;" |- ! colspan"5" style"background:#ffdead;" | Largest Employers (as of 2007)lt;/ref> |- !style"background: #e3e3e3;"|Rank !style"background: #e3e3e3;"|Business !style"background: #e3e3e3;"|Employees !style"background: #e3e3e3;"|Location !style"background: #e3e3e3;"|Industry |- | #1 | Sprint Nextel | 12,000 | Overland Park, Kansas | Telecommunications |- style"background: #e3e3e3;" | #2 |Cessna | 11,300 | Wichita, Kansas | Aviation |- | #3 | Spirit AeroSystems | 10,900 | Wichita, Kansas | Aviation |- style"background: #e3e3e3;" | #4 | Hawker Beechcraft | 6,767 | Wichita, Kansas | Aviation |- | #5 | Embarq | 3,800 | Overland Park, Kansas | Telecommunications |- style"background: #e3e3e3;" | #6 | Black & Veatch | 3,800 | Overland Park, Kansas | Engineering |- | #7 | Boeing Defense, Space & Security | 3,005 | Wichita, Kansas | Aviation |- style"background: #e3e3e3;" | #8 | Farmers Insurance | 3,000 | Olathe, Kansas | Insurance |- | #9 | YRC Worldwide | 2,600 | Overland Park, Kansas | Trucking |- style"background: #e3e3e3;" | #10 | Garmin | 2,500 | Olathe, Kansas | GPS Technology |- | #11 | Learjet | 2,250 | Wichita, Kansas | Aviation |- style"background: #e3e3e3;" | #12 | Koch Industries | 2,000 | Wichita, Kansas | Chemicals/Materials |- | #13 | Schwan Food Company | 2,000 | Salina, Kansas | Food |- style"background: #e3e3e3;" | #14 | Collective Brands | 1,700 | Topeka, Kansas | Apparel |- | #15 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association | 1,603 | Topeka, Kansas | Insurance |} |} Kansas ranks 8th in U.S. petroleum production. Production has experienced a steady, natural decline as it becomes increasingly difficult to extract oil over time. Since oil prices bottomed in 1999, oil production in Kansas has remained fairly constant, with an average monthly rate of about in 2004. The Oil price increases since 2003 have made carbon dioxide sequestration and other oil recovery techniques more economical. Kansas ranks 8th in U.S. natural gas production. Production has steadily declined since the mid-1990s with the gradual depletion of the Hugoton Natural Gas Area the states largest field which extends into Oklahoma and Texas. In 2004, slower declines in the Hugoton gas fields and increased coalbed methane production contributed to a smaller overall decline. Average monthly production was over 32 billion cubic feet (0.9 km³). The Kansas economy is also heavily influenced by the aerospace industry. Several large aircraft corporations have manufacturing facilities in Wichita and Kansas City, including Spirit AeroSystems Boeing Cessna Learjet and Hawker Beechcraft (formerly Raytheon . Major company headquarters in Kansas include the Sprint Nextel Corporation (with world headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas , Embarq (with national headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas , YRC Worldwide (Overland Park, Kansas , Garmin (Olathe, Kansas , Payless Shoes (National headquarters and major distribution facilities in Topeka, Kansas , and Koch Industries (with national headquarters in Wichita, Kansas .

Taxes

Kansas has three income brackets for income tax calculation, ranging from 3.5% to 6.45%. The state sales tax in Kansas is 5.3%. Various cities and counties in Kansas have an additional local sales tax. Except during the 2001 recession (March–November 2001) when monthly sales tax collections were flat, collections have trended higher as the economy has grown and two rate increases have been enacted. Total sales tax collections for 2003 amounted to $1.63 billion, compared to $805.3 million in 1990. Revenue shortfalls resulting from lower than expected tax collections and slower growth in personal income following a 1998 permanent tax reduction has contributed to the substantial growth in the states debt level as bonded debt increased from $1.16 billion in 1998 to $3.83 billion in 2006. Some increase in debt was expected as the state continues with its 10-year Comprehensive Transportation Program enacted in 1999. As of June 2004, Moody's Investors Service ranked the state 14th for net tax-supported debt per capita. As a percentage of personal income, it was at 3.8%—above the median value of 2.5% for all rated states and having risen from a value of less than 1% in 1992. The state has a statutory requirement to maintain cash reserves of at least 7.5% of expenses at the end of each fiscal year, however, lawmakers can vote to override the rule, and did so during the most recent budget agreement.

Transportation

File:Kansas license plate.jpg design, introduced in April 2007.]] File:I35Kansas.jpg as it enters Kansas in Rosedale, Kansas ]] Kansas is served by two Interstate Highway System with one beltway two spur route , and three bypass (road) s, with over a total of in all. The first section of Interstate in the nation was opened on Interstate 70 (Kansas) just west of Topeka, Kansas on November 14, 1956. I-70 is a major east/west route connecting to St. Louis, Missouri and Kansas City, Missouri in the east and Denver, Colorado in the west. Cities along this route (from east to west) include Kansas City, Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Topeka, Kansas Junction City, Kansas Salina, Kansas Hays, Kansas and Colby, Kansas Interstate 35 (Kansas) is a major north/south route connecting to Des Moines, Iowa in the north and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in the south. Cities along this route (from north to south) include Kansas City (and suburbs), Ottawa, Kansas Emporia, Kansas El Dorado, Kansas and Wichita, Kansas Spur routes serve as connections between the two major routes. Interstate 135 (Kansas) a north/south route, connects I-70 at Salina to I-35 at Wichita. Interstate 335 (Kansas) a northeast/southwest route, connects I-70 at Topeka to I-35 at Emporia. I-335 and portions of I-35 and I-70 make up the Kansas Turnpike Bypasses include Interstate 470 (Kansas) around Topeka and Interstate 235 (Kansas) around Wichita. Interstate 435 (Kansas) is a beltway around the Kansas City Metropolitan Area while Interstate 635 (Kansas-Missouri) bypasses through Kansas City, Kansas. US Route 69 runs north and south, from Minnesota to Texas The highway passes through the eastern section of Kansas, from the Kansas City Metropolitan Area area, through Louisburg, Kansas Fort Scott, Kansas Frontenac, Kansas Pittsburg, Kansas and Baxter Springs, Kansas before entering Oklahoma File:National-atlas-kansas.PNG Kansas also has the second largest state highway system in the country after California This is because of the high number of counties and county seat (105) and the intertwining of them all. In January 2004, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced the new Kansas 5-1-1 traveler information service.lt;/ref> By dialing 511, callers will get access to information about road conditions, construction, closures, detours and weather conditions for the state highway system. Weather and road condition information is updated every 15 minutes. The states only major commercial (Airspace class (United States) airport is Wichita Mid-Continent Airport located along U.S. Route 54 (Kansas) on the western edge of the city. Manhattan Regional Airport in Manhattan, Kansas offers daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and will commence daily flights to Chicagos O'Hare International Airport in November 2010, making it the second-largest commercial airport in the state.lt;/ref> Most air travelers in northeastern Kansas fly out of Kansas City International Airport located in Platte County, Missouri For those in the far western part of the state, Denver International Airport is a popular option. Connecting flights are also available from smaller Kansas airports in Dodge City, Garden City, Great Bend, Hays, and Salina. Forbes Field (airport) in Topeka, Kansas sustained commercial flights on Allegiant Air for many years until that service was terminated in 2007.

Law and government

State and local politics

File:Kathleen Sebelius Secretary of Health and Human Services nomination.jpg accepting her nomination by President Barack Obama as Secretary of Health and Human Services.]] The top executives of the state are Kansas Democratic Party Governor of Kansas Mark Parkinson (as of April 28, 2009) and Lieutenant Governor Troy Findley Both officials are elected on the same ticket to a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms. Parkinson replaced Kathleen Sebelius who was appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services by President Barack Obama Parkinson will be eligible for election in his own right in 2010, although he has publicly stated his intention not to run for a full term. The states Kansas Attorney General is Democrat Stephen Six a former Douglas County District Court Judge who was appointed to the post. The legislative branch of the state government is the Kansas Legislature The bicameral body consists of the Kansas House of Representatives with 125 members serving two-year terms, and the Kansas Senate with 40 members serving four-year terms. The judicial branch of the state government is headed by the Kansas Supreme Court The court has seven judges, who are selected via the Missouri Plan lt;!-- this may be placed anywhere in the article, just keep out of the way of other floating images --> Kansas has a reputation as a progressive state with many firsts in legislative initiatives—it was the first state to institute a system of workers' compensation (1910) and to regulate the Security (finance) industry (1911). Kansas also permitted women's suffrage in 1912, almost a decade before the federal constitution was amended to require it. Suffrage in all states would not be guaranteed until ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920. The council-manager government was adopted by many larger Kansas cities in the years following World War I while many American cities were being run by political machine or organized crime notably the Tom Pendergast in neighboring Kansas City, Missouri Kansas was also at the center of [[Brown v. Board of Education]] of [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]] a 1954 Supreme Court decision that banned racially segregated schools throughout the U.S. Kansas was one of the few states in which Franklin D. Roosevelt had limited political support, winning Kansas only twice in his four campaigns. The state backed Republicans Wendell Willkie and Thomas E. Dewey in 1940 and 1944, respectively. Kansas also supported Dewey in 1948 despite the presence of incumbent president Harry S. Truman who hailed from Independence, Missouri approximately 15 miles east of the Kansas-Missouri state line. Over the past four decades, Kansas has remained more socially conservative than many parts of the nation. The 1990s brought new restrictions on abortion the defeat of prominent Democrats, including Dan Glickman and the Kansas State Board of Education 1999 decision to eliminate evolution from the state teaching standards, a decision that was later reversed.Los Angeles Times. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/923599751.html?dids923599751:923599751&FMTABS&FMTSABS:FT&typecurrent&dateNov+9%2C+2005&authorNicholas+Riccardi&pubLos+Angeles+Times&edition&startpageA.14&descTHE+NATION Vote by Kansas School Board Favors Evolutions Doubters] In 2005, voters accepted a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage The next year, the state passed a law setting a minimum age for marriage at 15 years.http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/0505MarriageAge05-ON.html Azcentral.com] In 2008, Governor Sebelius vetoed permits for the construction of new coal-fired energy plants in Kansas, saying: "We know that greenhouse gases contribute to climate change. As an agricultural state, Kansas is particularly vulnerable. Therefore, reducing pollutants benefits our state not only in the short term – but also for generations of Kansans to come." lt;/ref> However, shortly after Mark Parkinson became governor in 2009 upon Sebeliuss resignation, Parkinson announced a compromise plan to allow construction of a coal-fired plant.

Federal politics

The states current delegation to the Congress of the United States includes Republican Party (United States) Senators Sam Brownback of Topeka, Kansas and Pat Roberts of Dodge City, Kansas and Representatives Jerry Moran (R) of Hays, Kansas (1st Congressional District of Kansas , Lynn Jenkins (R) of Topeka, Kansas (2nd Congressional District of Kansas , Dennis Moore (D) of Lenexa, Kansas (3rd Congressional District of Kansas , and Todd Tiahrt (R) of Goddard, Kansas (4th Congressional District of Kansas . Historically, Kansas has been strongly Republican, dating from the Antebellum era age when the Republican Party was created out of the movement opposing the extension of slavery into Kansas Territory. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since the 1932 election, when Franklin D. Roosevelt won his first term as President in the wake of the Great Depression This is the longest Senate losing streak for either party in a single state. Senator Sam Brownback was a candidate for the Republican party nomination for President in 2008. Brownback has stated he will not be a candidate for re-election in 2010. The only non-Republican presidential candidates Kansas has given its electoral vote to are Populist James Baird Weaver and Democrats Woodrow Wilson Franklin Roosevelt (twice), and Lyndon Johnson In 2004, George W. Bush won the states six electoral votes by an overwhelming margin of 25 percentage points with 62% of the vote. The only two counties to support Democrat John Kerry in that election were Wyandotte County, Kansas which contains Kansas City, Kansas and Douglas County, Kansas home to the University of Kansas, located in Lawrence, Kansas The 2008 election brought similar results as John McCain won the state with 57% of the votes. Douglas (64% Obama, 34% McCain), Wyandotte (70% Obama, 29% McCain), and Crawford County, Kansas (49% Obama, 48% McCain) were the only counties in support of President Barack Obama lt;/ref>

State law

: The legal drinking age in Kansas is 21. In lieu of the state retail sales tax, a 10% Liquor Drink Tax is collected for liquor consumed on the licensed premises and an 8% Liquor Enforcement Tax is collected on retail purchases. Although the sale of cereal malt beverage (also known as 3.2 beer was legalized in 1937, the first post-Prohibition in the United States legalization of alcoholic liquor did not occur until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1948. The following year the Kansas Legislature enacted the Liquor Control Act which created a system of regulating, licensing, and taxing, and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) was created to enforce the act. The power to regulate cereal malt beverage remains with the cities and counties. Liquor-by-the-drink did not become legal until passage of an amendment to the states constitution in 1986 and additional legislation the following year. As of November 2006, Kansas still has 29 dry county and only 17 counties have passed liquor-by-the-drink with no food sales requirement.lt;/ref> Today there are more than 2600 liquor and 4000 cereal malt beverage licensees in the state.lt;/ref>

Important cities and towns

| class"wikitable" style"float:right; clear:right; margin-left:1em;" |+Cities with population of at least 15,000 |- ! !!City!!Population*!!Growth rate**!!Metro area |- |1||Wichita, Kansas |align"right"|366,046|| style"text-align:center;"|0.49%||Wichita |- |2||Overland Park, Kansas |align"right"|171,231|| style"text-align:center;"|1.71%||Kansas City Metropolitan Area KS |- |3||Kansas City, Kansas |align"right"|142,562|| style"text-align:center;"|-0.36%||Kansas City |- |4||Topeka, Kansas |align"right"|123,446|| style"text-align:center;"|0.00%||Topeka |- |5||Olathe, Kansas |align"right"|119,993|| style"text-align:center;"|3.48%||Kansas City |- |6||Lawrence, Kansas |align"right"|90,520|| style"text-align:center;"|1.55%||Lawrence |- |7||Shawnee, Kansas |align"right"|60,954|| style"text-align:center;"|3.17%||Kansas City |- |8||Manhattan, Kansas |align"right"|52,284|| style"text-align:center;"|1.79%|| Manhattan |- |9||Lenexa, Kansas |align"right"|46,822|| style"text-align:center;"|2.00%||Kansas City |- |10||Salina, Kansas |align"right"|46,483|| style"text-align:center;"|0.19%|| ‡ |- |11||Hutchinson, Kansas |align"right"|40,889|| style"text-align:center;"|-0.28%|| ‡ |- |12||Leavenworth, Kansas |align"right"|34,729|| style"text-align:center;"|-0.26%||Kansas City |- |13||Leawood, Kansas |align"right"|31,342|| style"text-align:center;"|1.60%||Kansas City |- |14||Garden City, Kansas |align"right"|28,557|| style"text-align:center;"|-0.02%|| ‡ |- |15||Emporia, Kansas |align"right"|26,380|| style"text-align:center;"|-0.21%|| ‡ |- |16||Dodge City, Kansas |align"right"|25,689|| style"text-align:center;"|0.21%|| ‡ |- |17||Derby, Kansas |align"right"|22,517|| style"text-align:center;"|2.85%||Wichita |- |18||Prairie Village, Kansas |align"right"|22,072|| style"text-align:center;"|-0.33%||Kansas City |- |19||Junction City, Kansas |align"right"|20,671|| style"text-align:center;"|1.16%||Manhattan |- |20||Hays, Kansas |align"right"|20,368|| style"text-align:center;"|0.21%|| ‡ |- |21||Liberal, Kansas |align"right"|20,074|| style"text-align:center;"|0.24%|| ‡ |- |22||Pittsburg, Kansas |align"right"|19,649|| style"text-align:center;"|0.25%|| ‡ |- |23||Newton, Kansas |align"right"|18,133|| style"text-align:center;"|0.26%||Wichita |- |24||Gardner, Kansas |align"right"|17,462|| style"text-align:center;"|10.01%||Kansas City |- |25||Great Bend, Kansas |align"right"|15,564|| style"text-align:center;"|0.18%|| ‡ |- | colspan 5|*Estimated as of July 1, 2008lt;/ref>
**Estimated annual growth rate 2000–2008
‡Defined as a United States micropolitan area |} Kansas has 627 Municipal corporation By state statute, City are divided into three classes as determined by the population obtained "by any census of enumeration." A city of the third class has a population of less than 5,000, but cities reaching a population of more than 2,000 may be certified as a city of the second class. The second class is limited to cities with a population of less than 25,000, and upon reaching a population of more than 15,000, they may be certified as a city of the first class. First and second class cities are independent of any Civil township and are not included within the townships territory.

Northeast Kansas

The northeastern portion of the state, extending from the Eastern border to Junction City, Kansas and from the Nebraska border to south of Johnson County, has a rich history and is home to more than 1.5 million people in the Kansas City (Kansas portion), Lawrence,and Topeka metropolitan area . In the Kansas City Metropolitan Area the cities of Johnson County, Kansas have some of the fastest growing populations and highest median incomes in the state and the entire country. Overland Park, Kansas a young city incorporated in 1960, has the largest population and the largest land area in the county. It is home to Johnson County Community College the states largest community college and the corporate campus of Sprint Nextel the largest private employer in the metro area. In 2006 the city was ranked as the 6th best place to live in America; the neighboring city of Olathe, Kansas was 13th.lt;/ref> Olathe is the county seat and home to Johnson County Executive Airport The cities of Olathe, Shawnee, Kansas and Gardner, Kansas have some of the states fastest growing populations. The cities of Overland Park, Lenexa, Kansas Olathe, and Gardner are also notable because they lie along the former route of the Santa Fe Trail Among cities with at least one thousand residents, Mission Hills, Kansas has the highest median income in the state. Several institutions of higher education are located in Northeast Kansas including Baker University (the oldest university in the state) in Baldwin City, MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Ottawa University in Ottawa and Overland Park, Kansas City Kansas Community College and KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park. Less than an hours drive to the west, Lawrence, Kansas is home to the University of Kansas the largest public university in the state, and Haskell Indian Nations University To the north, Kansas City, Kansas with the second largest land area in the state, contains a number of diverse ethnic neighborhoods. Its attractions include the Kansas Speedway Kansas City T-Bones and The Legends at Village West retail and entertainment center. Further up the Missouri River the city of Lansing, Kansas is the home of the states first maximum-security prison. Historic Leavenworth, Kansas founded in 1854, was the first incorporated city in Kansas. North of the city, Fort Leavenworth is the oldest active Army post west of the Mississippi River The city of Atchison, Kansas was an early commercial center in the state and is well-known as the birthplace of Amelia Earhart To the west, nearly a quarter million people reside in the Topeka metropolitan area. Topeka, Kansas is the state Capital (political) and home to Washburn University Built at a Kansas River crossing along the old Oregon Trail this historic city has several nationally registered historic places. Further westward along Interstate 70 (Kansas) and the Kansas River is Junction City, Kansas with its historic limestone and brick buildings and nearby Fort Riley well-known as the home to the United States Army s 1st Infantry Division (United States) also known as the "Big Red One . A short distance away, the city of Manhattan, Kansas is home to Kansas State University the second largest public university in the state and the nations oldest land-grant university, dating back to 1863. South of the campus, Aggieville dates back to 1889 and is the states oldest shopping district of its kind.

Wichita

File:Wichita pan 1.jpg the largest city in the state of Kansas]] In south-central Kansas, the four-county Wichita metropolitan area is home to nearly 600,000 people. Wichita, Kansas is the largest city in the state in terms of both land area and population. The Air Capital is a major manufacturing center for the aircraft industry and the home of Wichita State University With a number of nationally registered historic places, museums, and other entertainment destinations, it has a desire to become a cultural mecca in the Midwest. Although Wichitas population growth has been anemic in recent years, surrounding suburbs are among the fastest growing cities in the state. The population of Goddard, Kansas has grown by more than 11% per year since 2000.Annual estimates of the population through 2006-07-01. Released 2007-06-28. Other fast-growing cities include Andover, Kansas Maize, Kansas Park City, Kansas Derby, Kansas and Haysville, Kansas Up river (the Arkansas River from Wichita is the city of Hutchinson, Kansas The city was built on one of the worlds largest salt deposits, and it has the worlds largest and longest wheat elevator. It is also the home of Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center Prairie Dunes Country Club and the Kansas State Fair. North of Wichita along Interstate 135 (Kansas) is the city of Newton, Kansas the former western terminal of the Santa Fe Railroad and trailhead for the famed Chisholm Trail To the southeast of Wichita are the cities of Winfield, Kansas and Arkansas City, Kansas with historic architecture and the Cherokee Strip (Kansas) Museum (in Ark City). The city of Udall, Kansas was the site of the deadliest tornado in Kansas on May 25, 1955; it killed 80 people in and near the city.lt;/ref> To the southwest of Wichita is Freeport, Kansas the states smallest incorporated city (population 8).

Around the state

File:Kansas population map.png Located midway between Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita in the heart of the Bluestem Region of the Flint Hills the city of Emporia, Kansas has several nationally registered historic places and is the home of Emporia State University well-known for its Teachers College. It was also the home of newspaper man William Allen White Southeast Kansas Southeast Kansas has a unique history with a number of nationally registered historic places in this coal-mining region. Located in Crawford County, Kansas (dubbed the Fried Chicken Capital of Kansas), Pittsburg, Kansas is the largest city in the region and the home of Pittsburg State University The neighboring city of Frontenac, Kansas in 1888 was the site of the worst mine disaster in the state in which an underground explosion killed 47 miners. "Big Brutus is located a mile and a half outside the city of West Mineral, Kansas Along with the restored fort, historic Fort Scott, Kansas has a national cemetery designated by President Lincoln in 1862. Central and North-Central Kansas Salina, Kansas is the largest city in central and north-central Kansas. South of Salina is the small city of Lindsborg, Kansas with its numerous Dalecarlian horse Much of the architecture and decor of this town has a distinctly Sweden style. To the east along Interstate 70 (Kansas) the historic city of Abilene, Kansas was formerly a trailhead for the Chisholm Trail and was the boyhood home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower To the west is Lucas, Kansas the Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas. Northwest Kansas File:Kansas City Kansas aerial view.jpg|thumb|Kansas City, Kansas ] Westward along the Interstate, the city of Russell, Kansas traditionally the beginning of sparsely-populated northwest Kansas, is the home of former U.S. Senator Bob Dole and the boyhood home of U.S. Senator Arlen Specter The city of Hays, Kansas is home to Fort Hays State University and the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, and is the largest city in the northwest with a population of around 20,000. Two other landmarks are located in smaller towns in Ellis County, Kansas the "Cathedral of the Plains" is located east of Hays in Victoria, Kansas and the boyhood home of Walter Chrysler is west of Hays in Ellis, Kansas West of Hays, population drops dramatically, even in areas along I-70, and only two towns containing populations of more than 3,000: Colby, Kansas and Goodland, Kansas which are located 35 milies apart along I-70. The city of Wichita, the largest in both area and population, has been mentioned in a handful of films and television programmes such as [[Beverly Hills, 90210]] a CW teen drama from which a family emigrate to Beverly Hills (hence the title). Southwest Kansas Dodge City, Kansas famously known for the cattle drive days of the late 19th century, was built along the old Santa Fe Trail route. The city of Liberal, Kansas is located along the southern Santa Fe Trail route. The first wind farm in the state was built east of Montezuma, Kansas Garden City, Kansas has the Lee Richardson Zoo

Education

Education in Kansas is governed at the primary education and secondary education school level by the Kansas State Board of Education The states public colleges and universities are supervised by the Kansas Board of Regents Twice since 1999 the Board of Education has approved changes in the state science curriculum standards that encouraged the teaching of intelligent design Both times, the standards were reversed after changes in the composition of the board in the next election.

Sports

Professional

| class"wikitable" |- !Club !Sport !League !City |- |Kansas City Wizards |Soccer |Major League Soccer |Kansas City, Kansas |- |Kansas City T-Bones |Baseball |Northern League (baseball) |Kansas City, Kansas |- |Kansas Koyotes |Indoor Football |American Professional Football League |Topeka, Kansas |- |Topeka Golden Giants |Baseball |National Baseball Congress |Topeka, Kansas |- |Topeka Mudcats |American football |Women's Spring Football League |Topeka, Kansas |- |Topeka Roadrunners |Ice hockey |North American Hockey League |Topeka, Kansas |- |Wichita Thunder |Ice hockey |Central Hockey League |Wichita, Kansas |- |Wichita Wild |Indoor Football |Indoor Football League |Park City, Kansas |- |Wichita Wingnuts |Baseball |American Association of Independent Professional Baseball |Wichita, Kansas |} The Wizards, who have played their home games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark since 2008, are the first top-tier Professional sports league organization and first Major League Soccer team to be located within Kansas. From the start of the 2011 season, the team will move to Wizards Stadium Complex at Village West a brand new $165m soccer specific stadium Historically, many Kansans have supported the Major professional sports leagues of Canada and the United States sports teams of Kansas City, Missouri including the Kansas City Royals (Major League Baseball , the Kansas City Chiefs (National Football League and the Kansas City Brigade (Arena Football League (1987-2008) – in part because the home stadiums for these teams are just miles from the Kansas border. The Chiefs and the Royals play at the Truman Sports Complex located about from the Kansas-Missouri state line. The Kansas City Brigade play in the newly opened Sprint Center which is even closer to the state line. Additionally, from 1973 to 1997 the Flagship station for the Royals was WIBW (AM) in Topeka, Kansas.lt;/ref> Western Kansans sometimes also support the major league teams from Denver, Colorado while those who live close to the Oklahoma state line may support the Dallas Cowboys All Chiefs games are televised throughout Kansas by television stations in Topeka and Wichita, and Denver Broncos and Cowboys games which do not conflict with Chiefs telecasts are also broadcast across the state. Two major auto racing facilities are located in Kansas. The Kansas Speedway located in Kansas City hosts races of the NASCAR Indy Racing League and Auto Racing Club of America circuits. Also, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) holds drag racing events at Heartland Park Topeka

History

The history of professional sports in Kansas probably dates from the establishment of the minor league baseball Topeka Capitals and Leavenworth Soldiers in 1886 in the Western League (original) lt;/ref> The African-American Bud Fowler played on the Topeka team that season, one year before the "Baseball color line descended in professional baseball. In 1887, the Western League was dominated by a reorganized Topeka team called the Topeka Golden Giants (1887) – a high-priced collection of major leaguer players, including Bug Holliday Jim Conway (baseball) Dan Stearns Perry Werden and Jimmy Macullar which won the league by 15½ games. On April 10, 1887, the Golden Giants also won an exhibition game from the defending 1886 World Series champions, the St. Louis Cardinals (the present-day Cardinals), by a score of 12–9. However, Topeka was unable to support the team, and it disbanded after one year.

College

While there are no franchises of the four major professional sports within the state, many Kansans are fans of the states major college sports teams, especially the Kansas State Wildcats of Kansas State University known as "KSU" or "K-State" by many, and the Kansas Jayhawks of the University of Kansas commonly referred to as "KU". Wichita State University which also fields teams (called the Wichita State Shockers in Division I (NCAA) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association is best known for its baseball program, winning the College World Series in 1989. Both KU and K-State have tradition-rich programs in mens basketball. The Jayhawks are a perennial national power, ranking second in all-time victories among NCAA programs, behind University of Kentucky In 2008, the Jayhawks won their fifth national crown (third NCAA tournament title). K-State also had a long stretch of success on the hardwood, lasting from the 1940s to the 1980s. After a 12-year absence, the Wildcats returned to the NCAA tournament in 2008 and made it into the Elite Eight in 2010. KU is tied for 4th all-time with 13 Final Four appearances, while K-State has made four appearances in the Final Four. Wichita State has made one Final Four appearance. However, success on the American football field has been infrequent for either team. When the two teams met in 1987, KUs record was 1–7 and K-States was 0–8. Fittingly, the Governor's Cup (Kansas) that year, dubbed the "Toilet Bowl (game) by the media, ended in a 17–17 tie when the Jayhawks blocked a last-second K-State field goal attempt. There have been recent breakthroughs for both schools. KU won the Orange Bowl (game) for the first time in three tries in 2008, capping a 12–1 season, the best in school history. K-State was historically one of the worst college football programs in the country, until Bill Snyder arrived to coach the Wildcats in 1989. He turned K-State into a national force for most of the 1990s and early 2000s, until he retired after the 2005 season. Snyder returned to the sideline in 2009. The team won the Fiesta Bowl in 1997 and took the Big 12 Conference championship in 2003. Notable success has also been achieved by the states smaller schools in football. Pittsburg State University a NCAA Division II participant, has claimed three national titles in football, two in the NAIA and most recently the 1991 NCAA Division II national title. Pittsburg State became the winningest NCAA Division II football program in 1995. PSU passed Hillsdale College at the top of the all-time victories list in the 1995 season on its march to the national runner-up finish. The Gorillas, in 96 seasons of intercollegiate competition, have accumulated 579 victories – posting a 579–301–48 overall mark. Washburn University in Topeka, won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Mens Basketball Championship in 1987. The Fort Hays State University men won the 1996 NCAA Division II title with a 34–0 record, and the Washburn women won the 2005 NCAA Division II crown. St. Benedicts College (now Benedictine College), in Atchison, won the 1954 and 1967 Mens NAIA Basketball Championships.

Notable residents

Amelia Earhart (aviation pioneer), Carrie Nation (temperance activist), former President Dwight D. Eisenhower former Vice President Charles Curtis and former presidential candidates Bob Dole and Alf Landon called Kansas their home. NASA astronaut Ronald Evans Joe Engle and Steve Hawley also lived in Kansas. File:Winter wheat awaiting harvest in Kansas (1972).jpg fields in western Kansas awaiting harvest, May 1972]] Kansas was home to industrial and intellectual pioneers Walter Chrysler of automotive fame, Clyde Cessna and Lloyd Stearman (aviation pioneers), Jack Kilby (microchip inventor, The Nobel Prize Winner in Physics 2000), George Washington Carver (educator and scientist), Earl W. Sutherland Jr. (The Nobel Prize Winner in Physiology or Medicine 1971), Vernon L. Smith (The Nobel Prize Winner in Economics 2002), and Douglas Youvan (biophyscist and inventor). Also from Kansas are General Richard Myers (Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2001–05) and Robert Gates (United States Secretary of Defense December 2006–Present). In addition, Kansas is the home of "Top Cop" Vern Miller who raided an Amtrak train on July 20, 1972, and confiscated all the liquor on board. He charged Amtrak with selling liquor-by-the-drink, illegal in Kansas at that time and the case was eventually declared, "al certiore," validating both the lower courts conviction and the flamboyant Millers stance that, "If you dont like a law, get it changed...dont break it."Wichita Eagle July 20, 1972 Kansas was also home to Danny Carey (musician), Del Close (comdedian/actor), Inger Stevens (actress), Vivian Vance (actress), Samuel Ramey (opera singer), Louise Brooks (actress), Annette Bening (actress), Bill Kurtis (Journalist), Jack Cafferty (Journalist), John Brown (abolitionist) (abolitionist), Langston Hughes (poet), Gordon Parks (photographer, movie director, musician, author), Fatty Arbuckle (actor), William Inge (writer), Dennis Hopper (actor), Kelli McCarty (actress and Miss USA 91), Buster Keaton (actor), Coleman Hawkins (Jazz musician), Martina McBride (Country Singer), William Stafford (poet) (poet), Joe Walsh (Musician), Chely Wright (Country Musician), Melissa Etheridge (musician), Kirstie Alley (actress), Paul Rudd (actor), Sarah Lancaster (actress), Charlie Parker (Jazz musician), Mike Jerrick (network journalist), Steve Doocy (network journalist, author), Campbell Brown (network journalist), Jeff Probst (Survivor host), Melissa McDermott (Journalist), Dr. Phil McGraw (psychologist), and William Allen White (editor). And members of the progressive rock band Kansas (band) Dave Hope (bass), Phil Ehart (drums, percussion) and Kerry Livgren (guitars, keyboards, synthesizers) formed the group named Kansas in 1970 in their hometown of Topeka, along with vocalist Lynn Meredith from Manhattan, Kansas. Famous athletes from Kansas include Clint Bowyer Terence Newman Braden Looper Johnny Damon Kyle Farnsworth Wes Santee Joe Carter Wilt Chamberlain George Brett (baseball player) Barry Sanders Gale Sayers Darren Sproles John H. Outland Steve Fritz Billy Mills Jim Ryun Walter Johnson Jackie Stiles Scott Fulhage Caroline Bruce John Riggins Jim Everett Maurice Greene (athlete) Kendra Wecker and Lynette Woodard Kansas was also home to coaches James Naismith Larry Brown (basketball) Phog Allen Dean Smith Adolph Rupp Ralph Miller Gene Keady Lon Kruger John Calipari Roy Williams (coach) Glen Mason Tex Winter Dana Altman Mark Turgeon Bill Self Bill Snyder and Eddie Sutton Famous fictional residents include: "Marshal Matt Dillon , from the TV show [[Gunsmoke]] "Mary Ann Summers , of [[Gilligans Island]], "Dennis Mitchell," of [[Dennis the Menace (U.S.)|Dennis the Menace]] "Dean Winchester and "Sam Winchester , from the TV show [[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]] "Clark Kent /[[Superman]] "Liz Sherman , from the "Hellboy comic book series, "Cameron Mitchell (Stargate) , of [[Stargate SG-1]] "Walter" and "India Bridge," from, [[Mr. and Mrs. Bridge]] "Jonas Nightengale," from, [[Leap of Faith (film)|Leap of Faith]] "Bailey Pickett , from The Suite Life on Deck "Sam" from Rocket Power and "Dorothy Gale , from [[The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)|The Wizard of Oz]]

Landmarks

File:Konza2.jpg in the Flint Hills ] :{{Main|List of Kansas landmarks}} :{{See also|List of Registered Historic Places in Kansas}} *Front Street and Boot Hill Museum are located in Dodge City. *Santa Fe trail ruts can still be seen 9 miles west of Dodge City. *The John Brown (abolitionist) museum is located in Osawatomie, Kansas *The boyhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower the Eisenhower Library, and his grave are located in Abilene, Kansas *The home of nationally known newspaperman William Allen White is located in Emporia, Kansas KS *Abilene is the ending point of the Chisholm Trail where the cattle driven from Texas were loaded onto rail cars. *The house of Carrie Nation now a museum, is located in Medicine Lodge, Kansas *Constitution Hall in Lecompton, Kansas is the location where the Kansas Territorial Government convened and drafted a pro-slavery constitution.http://www.lecomptonkansas.com/ Historic Lecompton] – http://www.lecomptonkansas.com/index.php?docconsthall.php Constitution Hall State Historic Site]. Retrieved on 13 April 2007. *The Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas features Dorothys House, a re-creation of the farm house featured in the film [[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]] *The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center located in Hutchinson, is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution The museum features the largest collection of artifacts from the Russian Space Program outside of Moscow. It is also home to Apollo 13 an SR-71 Blackbird Liberty 7, and many space artifacts. *The award-winning Kansas Museum of History lt;ref>lt;/ref> is the state museum, and is located in the capital city of Topeka. *The Biggest ball of twine (disputed), created August 15, 1953, in Cawker City, Kansas *The Big Well billed as the Worlds Largest Hand-Dug Well, is located in Greensburg, Kansas *Keeper of the Plains *Joyland Amusement Park (Wichita) *The Hot and Cold Water Towers of Pratt, Kansas *Big Basin Prairie Preserve *Fort Scott National Historic Site , located in Fort Scott, Kansas *Battle of Mine Creek located near Pleasanton, Kansas *Fort Larned National Historic Site near Larned, Kansas *

See also

References

External links

*http://www.kansas.gov/ State of Kansas] * *http://www.travelks.com/ Kansas Travel and Tourism Division] *http://www.kshs.org/ Kansas State Historical Society] *http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Kansas Kansas State Databases] – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Kansas state agencies *http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?StateKS USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Kansas] *http://www.ksdot.org/maps/main.html Kansas Department of Transportation maps] *http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/ Cutlers History of Kansas] *http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/kansas.html Kansas Maps] from the Perry-Castañeda Library map collection at the University of Texas Category:Kansas Category:States and territories established in 1861 Category:States of the United States af:Kansas ang:Kansas ar:كانساس an:Kansas arc:ܟܐܢܣܐܣ frp:Kansas ast:Kansas az:Kanzas bn:ক্যানসাস zh-min-nan:Kansas bcl:Kansas bi:Kansas bs:Kansas br:Kansas bg:Канзас ca:Kansas cv:Канзас cs:Kansas cy:Kansas da:Kansas de:Kansas nv:Kénsis Hahoodzo et:Kansas el:Κάνσας es:Kansas eo:Kansaso eu:Kansas fa:کانزاس fo:Kansas fr:Kansas fy:Kansas ga:Kansas gv:Kansas gd:Kansas gl:Kansas hak:Khâm-sat-sṳ̂ xal:Каанзс ko:캔자스 주 haw:Kanekaka hy:Կանզաս hi:कैंसास hr:Kansas io:Kansas ig:Kánzạs bpy:ক্যানসাস id:Kansas ie:Kansas ik:Kansas os:Канзас is:Kansas it:Kansas he:קנזס jv:Kansas kn:ಕನ್ಸಾಸ್/ಕಾನ್ಸಾಸ್‌‌ pam:Kansas ka:კანზასი ks:केन्‍सास kw:Kansas sw:Kansas ht:Kènsas ku:Kansas lad:Kansas la:Kansia lv:Kanzasa lt:Kanzasas lij:Kansas li:Kansas lmo:Kansas hu:Kansas mk:Канзас mg:Kansas ml:കാൻസസ് mi:Kansas mr:कॅन्सस arz:كانساس ms:Kansas mn:Канзас nah:Kansas nl:Kansas (staat) ja:カンザス州 frr:Kansas no:Kansas nn:Kansas oc:Kansas uz:Kanzas pnb:کنساس pms:Kansas nds:Kansas pl:Kansas pt:Kansas ro:Kansas (stat SUA) rm:Kansas qu:Kansas suyu ru:Канзас sah:Канзас sa:केन्‍सास sq:Kansas scn:Kansas simple:Kansas sk:Kansas sl:Kansas sr:Канзас sh:Kanzas fi:Kansas sv:Kansas tl:Kansas ta:கேன்சஸ் te:కాన్సాస్ th:รัฐแคนซัส tr:Kansas uk:Канзас ur:کنساس ug:Kanzas Shitati vi:Kansas vo:Kansas war:Kansas yi:קענזעס yo:Kansas diq:Kansas bat-smg:Kanzasos zh:堪薩斯州