Interesting Facts About Kansas

When you think of Kansas, you may think of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Although that is undeniable, it’s not the only thing you have to know about the 34th state. Kansas, also known as the Sunshine State, is one of the top agricultural states, has a rich history as well as diverse wildlife. If you want to have some more knowledge about Kansas don’t hesitate to click though this gallery! You will be informed as well as entertained at the same time.

The Kanopolis State Park is a state park located in the Smoky Hills region, in county of Ellsworth, Kansas. It has a 12,500-acre wildlife offers features several fauna and flora that include yucca trees, beaver, wild turkeys, coyotes, waterfowls, game birds as well as fishes. It also has a 3,500-acre reservoir and many sandstone canyons. The Kanopolis State Park has become a popular tourist spot where visitors can hike, mountain bike, do horseback riding and fishing.

Kansas City may be the most well-known place as it’s been mentioned in pop culture. But do you know that it is not Kansas’ state capital (despite the name) and it’s not even totally in Kansas? Kansas City is a metropolitan area that lies on the borders of Kansas and another state Missouri (on the east). Kansas City is the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri, while it is also biggest metropolitan area in Kansas. The total population currently stands at 2,753,640 – and that’s in both portions of the area in Kansas and Missouri.

The two “faces” of Kansas City provide a stark contrast. Much of the downtown attractions and activity happen in the Missouri side, while the Kansas side has more of a rural and suburban-type stuff. So Kansas City enjoys the best of both worlds.

The state capitol or seat of government in Kansas is located in Topeka, the capital city of Kansas. The building was built in 1866 and its architecture style is mostly French Renaissance. The land for the capitol was donated by Col. Cyrus K. Holliday, who was one of the founders of Topeka when it was still a town.

Hutchinson (population: 41,889 in 2013 estimates) is one of the major cities in Kansas, located in the Reno County. Although residents call their home “Hutch,” Hutchinson is also dubbed as the “Salt City” as it has been home to salt mines since the late 19th century.

Spring River is a 129-mile long river that flows through Missouri (on the southwest), Kansas (on the southwest) and Oklahoma (on the northeast). In Kansas, it flows into Cherokee County.

Kansas health officials have recently warned the consumption of fish and other aquatic life caught from the river, as they may contain traces of harmful chemicals such as cadmium. It’s because some sewage wastes may have entered the river.

The popular sunflower (Helianthus annuus) was adopted as Kansas’ official state flower in 1903.

As any other states in the central part of the US, Kansas is also prone to tornadoes. The deadliest recorded tornado that hit Kansas is the 1955 tornado that devastated the city of Udall. The huge twister (1,300 yard wide, in F5 scale) killed 80 people, injured more than 200, and destroyed 192 structures, mostly residential ones.

Wichita is Kansas’ largest city. It has a population of 382,368. From a cattle center centuries ago, Wichita remarkably transformed into an highly progressive and industrial city. In fact, Wichita is the “Air Capital of the World” because most of the aircraft production is done there.

You’d think Chicago? Nope. Although the famous place in Illinois has the “Windy City” moniker, it’s still nothing compared to Dodge City, Kansas.

Dodge City (population: 28,159) is often considered as the windiest city in the United States, with an average speed of 13.9 mph compared to Chicago’s 10.9 mph. This very windy-ness even results into occasional blizzards, even when there’s not enough snowfall to be accumulated.

Aside from being extremely windy, Dodge City, Kansas is also famous for its rather unusual but interesting attraction, the Boot Hill Museum. Founded in 1947, the private, non-profit museum strives to preserve the history of the Old West, through its over 200,000 artifacts that include 200 genuine, original guns.

Apart from educating the present generation about the Old West, the museum also entertains its guests by interpreting the “cowboy era” through staging simulated gunfights and saloon shows

The buffalo — or more correctly, the American bison (Bison bison) — was adopted as Kansas’ state animal in 1955.

The Eastern cottonwood (Populous deltoides) which is a type of poplar tree, was designated as Kansas’ official state tree in 1937. The state also calls the cottonwood the “pioneer tree of the prairie.”

The regional hamburger chain White Castle was founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921. It was the first hamburger chain in the US and is still operating, although its present headquarters is in Columbus, Ohio. White Castle is famous for its “sliders,” or small hamburgers. By the time White Castle first operated, each slider cost five cents apiece.

The flag of Kansas consists of a dark blue rectangle with the state seal at the center. On top of the seal is the sunflower, which sits above a bar striped with blue and gold colors, while below the seal is the word “KANSAS.”

In the seal, there are 34 stars clustered above the seal represents Kansas as the 34th state to be admitted into the Union. Above the stars you can see the motto: “Ad Astra per Aspera” which means “To the stars through difficulties.” Also including in the seal are the rolling hills around Fort Riley, the rising sun behind those hills, the Indians hunting the buffalos, a steamboat sailing west on the river, a wagon train also heading west, a settler’s cabin and a farmer plowing a field.

A large hailstone fell to the city of Coffeyville, Kansas on September 3, 1970. It weighed over one and a half pounds and had a diameter of 5.7 (14.5 centimeters) inches and a circumference of 17.5 inches (44.5 centimeters). It was once recorded as the largest hailstone ever.

Save

Save