Kansas Facts and information
Kansas (KS) was admitted to the union on January 29, 1861State Capital: Topeka
Kansas is situated in the Central Plains region
States that border:
Nebraska Missouri Colorado Oklahoma
Nebraska , Colorado , Oklahoma , Missouri
Size in square miles:
82,277
Major Lakes & Rivers that run through or touch:
Missouri River
Kansas River
Arkansas River
Smoky Hill River
Republican River
Saline River
Major sports teams/venues/accomplishments:
(Although these teams are technically considered to be in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas residents share in calling them their home team as well)
Major League Baseball – Kansas City Royals play games at Kauffman Stadium
World Series Champions 1985
American League Champions 1980, 1985
National Football League – Kansas City Chiefs play games at Arrowhead Stadium
League Championships 1962, 1966, 1969
Main industry/ jobs:
Agriculture
Cattle
Sheep
Wheat
Soybeans
Corn
Salt
Cotton
Transportation equipment
Aviation
Publishing
Machinery
Mining
Petroleum
Healthcare:
Kansas Care, Inc.
Manufacturing Facilities:
Embarq
Payless Shoes
Pizza Hut
Sprint Nextel Corporation
Major Natural Disasters:
May 2007 - One of the deadliest tornadoes in the state’s history rips through parts of the state killing several people and destroying dozens of homes and properties. Many people are left homeless and injured.
1930s – The Dust Bowl creates havoc throughout the Great Plains states. A long drought made the soil extra dry which then blew away in mammoth clouds of dust. This even left 500,000 people homeless and many more searching for new homes out west. Others suffered from malnutrition and dust pneumonia. The Dust Bowl lasted for nearly a decade and spread all the way up to Canada, too.
Area codes:
316 620 785 913
Famous People Born in Kansas:
Amelia Earhart, aviator
Dwight Eisenhower, United States President
Bob Dole, former candidate for United States President
Steve Hawley, astronaut
Walter Chrysler, automotive entrepreneur
George Washington Carver, scientist
Langston Hughes, poet
Martina McBride, singer
Melissa Etheridge, singer
Kirstie Alley, actress
Jeff Probst, TV personality
Kansas Population
Population:1960 – 2,178,611
1970 – 2,246,578
1980 – 2,363,679
1990 – 2,477,574
2000 – 2,688,418
2005 – 2,764,075
Major cities & populations 2004:
1. Topeka – 122,377
2. Wichita – 344,284
3. Salina – 45,679
4. Olathe – 92,962
5. Overland Park – 149,080
6. Leavenworth – 35,420
7. Leawood – 27,658
8. Kansas City – 146,866
9. Dodge City – 25,176
10. Emporia – 26,760
11. Garden City – 28,451
12. Great Bend – 15,345
13. Hays – 20,013
14. Independence – 9,846
15. Liberal – 19,667
Politics
Congress / House of Representatives:Congressman Jerry Moran (Republican)
Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Democrat)
Congressman Dennis Moore (Democrat)
Congressman Todd Tiahrt (Republican)
Governor: Kathleen Sebelius
Senators:
Sam Brownback (Republican)
Pat Roberts (Republican)
House Prices, Wages, Taxes
State Sales Tax:5.3%, but some cities impose an additional tax
Income Tax:
3.5% to 6.45%, depending on your tax bracket
Median Home Values:
1940: $18,000
1950: $33,100
1960: $45,800
1970: $46,500
1980: $74,800
1990: $66,700
2000: $83,500
Examples of adds in local papers:
Ladies Oxford Shoes $4.95 1920
Philco Black and White TV 20 inches $229.95 1953
New Homes for sale 2 bedrooms, garage, modern kitchen from $8,500 1953
Frying Chickens 55 cents per lb 1953
Potatoes 10 lb bag 35 cents 1953
Mens Polyester Suits $39.50 1964
Sirloin Steak 69 cents per lb 1964
2 bedroom frame house Dining room garage $8,500 1974
Number of People employed in the state:
1,477,800 people employed in Kansas
Mean annual yearly income:
2005: $43,725
2000:$41,415
1990: $29,917
1980: $27,417
1970: $23,850
Tourism
Tourism / Places of Interest / Parks:Prarie Dog Town
World’s Largest Ball of Twine
First Pizza Hut
Cedar Bluff State Park
Cheney State Park
Clinton State Park
Crawford State Park
Cross Timbers State Park
Eisenhower State Park
El Dorado State Park
Elk City State Park
Fall River State Park
Glen Elder State Park
Hillsdale State Park
Kanopolis State Park
Lovewell State Park
Meade State Park
Milford State Park
Mushroom Rock State Park
Perry State Park
Pomona State Park
Prairie Dog State Park
Prairie Spirit Trail State Park
Sand Hills State Park
Scott State Park
Tuttle Creek State Park
Webster State Park
Wilson State Park
Old News Stories
This Day in History Stories:May 30th, 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act Signed
This particular act that was signed established both Kansas and Nebraska territories. Additionally, this specific piece of legislation had allowed these territories to decide whether or not to allow slavery.
January 29, 1861:
As of this date in history Kansas officially has become a free state of the Union. The Union for those who do not yet know is the original states of the United States before the United States of America was established.
March 24, 1890 – Fires throughout the prairies of Kansas completely destroyed a great deal of livestock and other agricultural properties. In Sedgwick County alone, the amount of damage was priced at over $150,000.
June 25, 1911 – Temperatures throughout the state of Kansas set records when they neared 120 degrees in several of the counties. The heat was made even worse with a hot wind that swept through the entire area.
June 14, 1911-Dwight E. Eisenhower at West Point
Long before Dwight E. Eisenhower became the 34th president of the United States, he studied at West Point Military Academy. He had quite an extensive military career.
April 1, 1924 Topeka,
A new facility called a sanitarium opened in Topeka. This center was established for the purpose of caring and treating ill people, especially those who suffered from a nervous or mental condition.
April 17, 1932 --- A mob of western Kansas Farmers went back to old fashioned justice when they lynched a man who admitted killing an 8 year old girl by overpowering the sheriff and hanging the man from a tree in Kansas
June 1, 1934-New World Record Set
A new world record was set on this date. A Kansas University track team member ran the mile in less than four minutes and seven seconds.
May 17, 1954-Topeka, Kansas: Brown Vs. the Board of Education of Topeka Case
The U.S. Supreme Court decision of upon adjournment (closing) of this case was that the phrase “separate but equal” is unconstitutional. What this means is that the practice of establishing separate schools for blacks and separate schools for whites is considered unconstitutional.
The Brown Vs. Board of Education of Topeka case was a class action suit that was started in 1951. Plaintiffs included 13 Topeka parents whose children were a part of the Topeka, Kansas educational system.
November 11, 1954-The First Veteran’s Day
This is the first time ever that the Veteran’s Day was declared a national celebration. The original proposal to set aside this particular date to honor war veterans was made by Alvin J. King, who was from Kansas. Later on, a man named Ed Rees (a Kansas congressman) was instrumental in seeing to it that this proposal became law.
December 20, 1958-Eleven Slaves en Route to Freedom
This date was recorded as being the start of a journey to freedom for eleven slaves. This particular quest was lead by a man named John Brown.
June 15, 1958 Wichita, Kansas-The first Pizza Hut was Formed
Two college students who were studying at what is now called Wichita State (formerly University of Wichita ) started the first Pizza Hut. They later sold their company to Pepsico in 1977 for over $300 million dollars
*November 15, 1959-Halcomb,
The Clutter Family-a wealthy farm family from Halcomb, Kansas-was killed in their home on this date. Truman Capote along with friend and fellow author Harper Lee conducted extensive research in regards to this crime and then later on a book entitled In Cold Blood was produced.
This is considered the beginning of a new genre, the non-fiction novel. This particular book was considered to be as true as possible of an account of his horrible incident that took place.
October 7, 1963-Wichita, Kansas: First Mass-Produced Business Jet
William Powell Lear invented the Learjet. This particular piece of aircraft later became one of the many mass-produced jets of its kind. Photos of this prototype are available on historical sites under this date. This first jet took off in Wichita, Kansas at the airport.
December 11, 1970-Halcomb, Kansas: University Bombed, Students Injured
A bomb had went off in the computation center on a university campus located in Halcomb, Kansas (the University of Kansas). Three students were injured and quite a bit of damage was done to this area of the campus.
April 2, 1986-Turtle Becomes State Animal
The Ornate Box Turtle has become the state reptile of Kansas as of this date.
October 19, 1988-Great Bend,
A wetland known as the Cheyenne Bottoms was recognized as of this date of an area of great ecological importance. In fact, it has received an official recognition by the United Nations as a Wetland of International Importance in this year.
April 26th 1991 -- A series of strong tornadoes struck parts of Kansas , with the most devastating hitting the town of Andover with wind speeds of ove 260 mph.
November 12, 1996-Graham County,
On this date the Nicodemus National Historical Site was established by the U.S. Congress. The purpose of this particular site is to help preserve the history and ecology of the area. It is also meant to help raise awareness of the local Native Americans from the area (and those throughout the U.S.).
June 7, 1998-Sedgwick County, Kansas: Fatal Elevator Explosion
A very unfortunate event has taken place on this day in the southwestern portion of this Kansas county. A grain elevator had exploded and killed seven people and injured ten more.
July 20, 1999-Hutchinson, Kansas: Liberty Bell Capsule Sent to Kansas
The Liberty Bell space capsule was sent to Hutchinson, Kansas on this date. It was recovered in Florida during an expedition sponsored by the Discovery Channel.
