Kansas is fondly remembered as Dorothy's home in Frank Baum's famous children's novel, "the Wizard of Oz." The Sunflower State (as Kansas is lovingly called) was admitted into the Union on January 1861. Kansas is also known to be the 15th largest state in the U.S. in terms of geographic size.
Unlike Dorothy, you won't ever have to worry about your possessions being swept away. Just take them to the nearest
Kansas storage facility and you can be sure that they will be protected from the harsh elements.
Origin of State's Name: The French named the state after the Kansas River. The river's name comes from a Kanze, Sioux Indian word which means the people of the south winds. Some sources indicate that the state may also be named after the Kansa Indians that once dwelled in the area.
Capital City: In the
Shawnee County lies Kansas' capital:
Topeka. It is currently populated by 123,575 people.
Nebraska lies to the north of Kansas, to the east is
Missouri,
Colorado is found to the west and
Oklahoma to the south.
Population: As of 2009, Kansas ranks 33rd among the states in terms of population with a population of 2,818,747.
Driving: The
Department of Motor Vehicles for Kansas website contains information on driving licenses, testing, application, requirements and more.
Agriculture and Industry: Agriculture and Kansas economy go together way back in history. Presently, Kansas ranks third in the nation based on the number of land acres used for farming. Kansas is a leader in wheat production. Other important crops Kansas produces include grain sorghum, corn, hay, soybeans and sunflowers. Cattle and calves are the most valuable Kansas agricultural products; the
Kansas City stockyards belong to one of the nation's largest. Food processing happens to be the state's largest industry.
The production of crude petroleum and coal products are very important industries in the state. Kansas has large reserves of natural gas. This state also is a leading producer of helium. Other important industries include industrial and computer machinery production, apparel, chemical products, mining and transportation equipment production.
State Bird: The western meadow lark is the state bird of Kansas. It won against the bobwhite quail, cardinal and the robin in a poll for school children. It was made official in 1937, 12 years after the poll.
State Tree: The cottonwood is the Kansas state tree.
State Flower: The wild native sunflower is the official state flower. It is also the state's floral emblem.
State Song: "Home on the Range" is the Kansas state song. The words to it were written by Dr. Brewster Higley and the music by Dan Kelly.