Kansas
Kansas,
USA, the original
Free State, nestles midway between the
Atlantic and
Pacific Ocean, in the heart of the central plains region. Kansas
shares its borders with
Nebraska in the north,
Missouri to the east,
Colorado in the west and
Oklahoma to the south.
Osborne County, KS, the
geodetic center of North America, provides the central point of reference
for all government produced maps.
Kansas boasts an intricate
highway system with two major interstates and six spur routes that connect
many of the state’s largest cities. The largest urban areas in KS include
Dodge City,
Lawrence,
Kansas City,
Ottawa,
Topeka, and
Wichita. According to the
2000 Census, Kansas' population was
2,688,418; however, estimates in 2006 indicate a .6% increase to 2,764,075.
Topeka, population 122,377, remains the vibrant capital city of KS and the
seat of
Shawnee County. Topeka was home to the first African-American kindergarten
west of the Mississippi River and the renowned
Linda Brown of
Brown vs. the Board of Education. Ms. Brown, the plaintiff in this historic
case, helped establish racial integration in
America’s public schools. Sites of interest in Topeka include the
Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site, the
Capitol Dome,
Topeka Zoo and the
Combat Air Museum at
Forbes Air Force Base. Additional military facilities in KS include
Fort Riley,
Fort Leavenworth and
McConnell Air Force Base.
The Kansas economy includes a range of industries
with a strong agricultural base. With more than ninety percent of the state’s
forty-seven million acres dedicated to agriculture, ample room exists for crops
such as corn, hay, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers and wheat. Other significant
industries include food processing, machinery, and commercial and private
aircraft. Major employers include
Spirit AeroSystems and
University of Kansas Medical Center. Often referred to as the “Air Capital
of the World”, Wichita hosts such widely known aviation manufacturers as
Boeing,
Bombardier,
Cessna and
Raytheon. Kansas also ranks as the nation’s eighth largest supplier of
natural gas and oil.
Kansas abounds with
museums, which highlight the state’s rich heritage. These include the
Old Cowtown Museum in
Wichita and the
Oz Museum in
Wamego.
Liberal, KS features an enchanting recreation of Dorothy’s home as
portrayed in the
Wizard of Oz movie. Twenty-four scenic
state parks emphasize the natural splendor of the Sunflower State, most of
which afford access to reservoirs, scenic trail and wildlife areas.
KS is also home to forty lakes that provide the
ideal setting for boating, camping and fishing.
Dwight D. Eisenhower's childhood home, gravesite, library and museum are in
Abilene. The
Cosmosphere and Space Center, in
Hutchinson, features artifacts from the
Russian Space Program, as well as
Apollo 13 and an
SR-71 Blackbird. Other popular destinations include the
Lewis and Clark Historic Park,
Lee Richardson Zoo, and any one of the state’s
eight scenic byways.
Kansas residents enjoy an excellent quality of
life, with affordable housing options and a moderate climate with four distinct
seasons. Citizens have access to
public schools that rank among the nation’s top ten for outstanding
education and among the top five for excellence in higher education. More than
forty public institutions and twenty private higher learning facilities await
those seeking higher education in Kansas. These include
Baker University,
Kansas State University,
Ottawa University, the
University of Kansas and
Wichita State University.
Kansas, USA features a panorama of unique landscape that includes stunning
buttes, limestone hills, mesas and wide-open prairies. This delightful region,
where the Wild West began, showcases the
dynamic legacy of America’s western frontier.
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