KANSAS

The geographical center of the contiguous United States is located in Kansas, but that’s not all that’s located in the 34^th state admitted to the Union. Kansas is home to about 2.5 million people and much of the country’s frontier history. Ft. Leavenworth is the oldest white settlement in Kansas, and it’s the oldest active military base west of the Mississippi River. Numerous fierce battles between the abolitionists who settled in Kansas and slave holders from surrounding states earned Kansas the nickname "The Bleeding State" during the Civil War. The abolitionist John Brown was active in these battles and eventually led the raid on the federal armory at Harper’s Ferry. The Santa Fe Trail, the Oregon Trail and the Pony Express Trail all crossed Kansas, and the Chisholm Trail terminated there. Lewis and Clark explored the territory on their expedition through the Louisiana Purchase. Wyatt Earp may be commonly associated with Tombstone, Arizona, but he made his name policing the mean streets of Dodge, Kansas. Bat Masterson and Wild Bill Hickock are other icons of the American West who got their start in Kansas.

Many people made history inside the borders of Kansas, but these days it is one of five Great Plains States experiencing a population decline because of rural flight. Like the other states experiencing rural flight, Kansas offers real estate and tax incentives for people choosing to relocate there. Still, Kansas has a strong economy, partially because it’s not as dependent on agriculture as some of the other states experiencing rural flight. Kansas’s primary economic sector is agriculture – only Texas produces more cattle, and Kansas leads the nation in wheat production – but Kansas also produces petroleum and natural gas. In fact, the state ranks 8^th in oil and natural gas production. Other sectors of Kansas’ economy include aircraft production, publishing and food processing. Major Kansas employers include Sprint Nextel, Cessna, LearJet, Boeing, Raytheon, Hallmark and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Most of Kansas’s population is located in the northeastern part of the state in the Kansas City, Topeka and Lawrence metropolitan areas. Even so, Wichita, in the south central part of the state, is the largest city in the state with over 600,000 residents. Between those metropolitan areas, Kansas offers lots to do, including rooting for the Jayhawks, visiting the world’s largest ball of twine, watching NASCAR and NHRA races and visiting the Eisenhower Library. There are so many historic sites to visit you’d think you’re in Boston or Virginia, and Kansas hosts many unique festivals, fairs and rodeos.