Kansas

Kansas is a state in the Great Plains region of the United States of America. It is generally considered the center of the country, at least in geographical terms, though one of its nicknames is "the Heart of America." Thanks to the Wizard of Oz, many non-Kansans (and some Kansans as well) think of it as a place from which to escape; however, there are a lot of great places to visit, particularly if you are interested in the history of the American West. With a little exploration, almost every little town has something of interest.

Regions
There is no clear division between Eastern and Western Kansas, but there are clear regional distinctions.

Cities

 * Topeka - Capital and third-largest city of Kansas, home of the Kansas State Historical Society Museum, the Kansas Statehouse, the Jayhawker Tower, Washburn University, a vibrant downtown, and the Kansas Expocentre.
 * Dodge City - The Cowboy Capital of America, or so it's nicknamed. Home to the Boothill Museum and Resort, United Wireless Arena, a waterpark, and classic western architecture
 * Hutchinson - home to the second largest space museum in the world, the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. The Kansas State Fair is held there annually. The Kansas Underground Salt Museum is the only museum 700 feet below ground in North America. On the state fair grounds is the Annual Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale. Downtown features a beautiful art-deco movie theater, and family grills.
 * Kansas City - Smaller half of Metro Kansas City. The Kansas half of the metro is home to the Kansas Speedway, Children's Mercy Park (home of the MLS team Sporting Kansas City), T-Bones Stadium, KCK Legends Arena, The Legends Outlets, which is a mile long outdoor shopping center featuring monuments to people and events in Kansas, and classical architecture on the eastern side. Kansas City as a whole is much larger and more cosmopolitan than Wichita. The second largest city in Kansas is not Kansas City, Kansas, but Overland Park, Kansas, a wealthy yet nondescript suburb of Kansas City.  Overland Park, along with Kansas City suburbs like Shawnee, Olathe, Lenexa, and Leawood make up Johnson County, which is the largest county by population in Kansas, and one of the richest counties in the United States by per capita income. Johnson County is largely suburban, but downtown Overland Park features midrise buildings and museums. Overland Park is also home to the world famous Rio Theatre.
 * Lawrence - Home of the University of Kansas, and sits on the banks of the Kansas River. Lawrence boasts the strongest art, music and bar scenes - not only in the state, but anywhere between Chicago and Denver. Lawrence was founded by pro-Union freedom fighters ("Free-Staters" or "Jayhawkers") shortly before the start of the Civil War.  This heritage led to the creation of the University of Kansas' mythical bird mascot, the Jayhawk.
 * Garden City - The largest city in Western Kansas, and home to Garden City Community College, High Plains Zoo and Wildlife Park, and Garden City Waterpark.
 * Ottawa - Home to the oldest operating movie theater in the world
 * Manhattan - Home of Kansas State University. Aggieville is one of the most vibrant places in this college town. The town is affectionately nicknamed "the Little Apple."
 * Wichita - Largest city in Kansas, is "the Air Capital of the World" because of the large number of aerospace firms located there, from the smallest Cessna to the 787 Dreamliner, or Airbus 380, Wichita has a hand in the design and/or manufacture of the plane. It has a large air museum. It is also home to Wichita State University, which hosts a top engineering school.

Other destinations

 * Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail - Between May 1804 and September 1806, 32 men, one woman, and a baby traveled from the plains of the Midwest to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. They called themselves the Corps of Discovery


 * Fort Scott National Historic site, ground zero for the Bleeding Kansas term, where the state's slave policy of yesteryear can be thoroughly studied


 * There are also a number of ghost towns in the state, predominantly in the south and in the east near the Oklahoma border. Some such towns include Randolph in Riley county, and Irving in Marshall county.

Understand
Native American tribes inhabited the plains for centuries. The first Europeans arrived Kansas in the 1600s, but it wasn't until the early 1850s that settlers from New England, mostly of German, Swedish, English, and Italian descent, started communities in the territory. The New Englanders who settled in the then U.S. Territory were largely anti-slavery Unionists who were attempting to establish a free state west of Missouri. Pro-slavery plantation owners funded settlers from Missouri, and other southern states, to immigrate to Kansas in the late 1850s in an attempt to influence territorial politics and votes. In fact, the first Constitution was rejected because the votes were considered illegitimate, due to Missourians not living the in the state trying to influence the count. Between 1854 and 1865 battles took place in Kansas, largely in the eastern portion of the state. Hundreds of Kansans died in the Sacking of Lawrence and the Lawrence Massacre, as well as the Wakarusa Massacre and the Trading Post Massacre. This period of "Bleeding Kansas" included a great deal of violence and some people consider this area to have been the birthplace of the Civil War. In communities like Lawrence, Kansas many organizations and businesses still proudly display the "free state" or "Jayhawker" name.

Talk
Most residents of Kansas speak a neutral American Standard English, with the counties bordering the Colorado border mirroring a Mountain West dialect.

The farther west you go you may run into pockets of communities with German, Russian, Italian, or even Swedish accents. This due to the large number of immigrants that settled in Kansas during the late 1800's from Europe. German, Swedish, Italian, and Russian immigrants from New England made up the majority of Kansas's early population.

Get in
If you are driving to Kansas from the east or west, it would be best to take Interstate 70. I-35 travels from the south center of the state and passes northeast meeting I-70 in Kansas City. I-135 travels from Wichita to Salina, connecting the other two major interstate highways.

Wichita has the only major airport in the state, with service to about a dozen cities. Several other smaller cities have very limited commercial service. Many people flying into the state (especially the eastern part) would come through Kansas City (Missouri).

The only regular train service is Amtrak's Southwest Chief, which travels east-west across the state, passing through Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City, and Garden City. This train continues to and from Chicago daily from/to the east and Los Angeles from/to the west. There is also daily connecting daily service to and from St. Louis at Kansas City.

Greyhound Lines and Jefferson Lines provide daily regular service to and from many destinations in Kansas.

Get around
The only way to travel in Kansas is to drive. Part of the experience of being in the state is to spend time on the road, which is as interesting an experience as you make it. Take the time to plan a route off of the main highways and see the country. Otherwise, if you require public transportation, Kansas may not be a place for you. Even the larger cities, like Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City, offer very limited public transportation.

Eat
Kansas' best known regional food is Kansas City-style BBQ, associated with the metropolitan Kansas City area including Wyandotte County and Johnson County, as well as portions of Missouri. It is a slow "pit" style barbecue; sauce is usually an important component to the finished meal. Well-known restaurants include Rosedale and Wyandotte BBQ in Kansas City, Hayward's Pit BBQ and KC Masterpiece and Gates BBQ in Overland Park (Gates, however, is based in Kansas City, Missouri -- an important distinction to some), and Zarda BBQ in Lenexa. KC Masterpiece in Overland Park is the original restaurant that started the chain and its nationally distributed "sweet sauce." In the small town of Spring Hill, K&M BBQ was voted the best BBQ in the Kansas City metro area.

In Abilene, The Brookville Hotel offers family style fried chicken dinners. Stroud's in Fairway serves the best fried chicken in the Kansas City area.

In Crawford County, in the extreme Southeastern corner, there are six "chicken houses." These serve fried chicken dinners, and the side dishes differ from each house. Fried chicken is a distinctive dish in Southeast Kansas, making the region known for their chicken dishes.

Drink
Kansas has very complex and restrictive liquor laws, being one of the only remaining states left to not have ratified the 21st amendment. In the 1920s, national newspapers mockingly called Kansas "The Dry State" and "The Righteous State." The short of it is that only 3.2% ABV packaged beer may be sold outside of retail liquor stores. Drinks by the glass were only restricted to private "clubs" until 1987. Kansas today has 32 "dry" counties that prohibit all on-premise liquor sales and as of 2005 nearly 30 cities in Kansas have restrictions on the sale of liquor on Sunday. Kansas has never ratified the 21st amendment to this day.

Crime
There is hardly any crime in the state, however, this does not mean that one should be naive during their travel to the state. Always take common sense precautions no matter where you find yourself, but pay particular attention in the more populous areas such as Topeka and Wichita. All in all, you are very unlikely to experience any problems while traveling through the state.

Tornadoes
Kansas is central within the country's "tornado alley". Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms with high winds and hail are not uncommon during the spring and summer months. Make sure you keep a radio on in the car. Should you hear the tornado sirens sounding, locate a suitable tornado shelter at once - DO NOT stay outdoors to get a picture! Also, DO NOT try to outrun the tornado in your car! Tornadoes can shift their paths very suddenly and you may wind up driving directly into it.

Should the skies be cloudy, and the light take on a greenish-yellow cast, this is an indication of an imminent hail storm - again, seek shelter at once.

Keep in mind, these storms are spread over a wide area and many residents have never seen a tornado; however, tornado drills are a regular part for all Kansas school children and residents do not hesitate to run to the basement/cellar if a tornado warning is announced.

Refer to the Tornado safety article for analysis of the issues here.

Winter Storms
Ice storms and blizzards are also common during the winter, especially in northern Kansas. As with most weather in the region, these storms tend to be intense, but roll in and out fairly quickly due to lack of natural obstruction (e.g., mountains).

Get out

 * Nebraska - Much like Kansas, the state's northern neighbor has a rich agricultural heritage, offering visitors a glimpse into America's heartland.
 * Missouri - The state's eastern neighbor also has much to see, from the natural beauty of the Ozarks to the major metropolitan areas of Kansas City and St. Louis.
 * Oklahoma - Kansas' southern neighbor has been a state since only 1907 and retains some of the pioneer spirit from its early days as a frontier, along with a lot of Native American history and culture.
 * Colorado - The Rocky Mountain state borders Kansas to the west and offers a mind-boggling array of outdoor activities.

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Kansas

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