Kansas

Kansas, derived from the Siouan word Kansa meaning "People of the south wind," is a Midwestern state in the United States. The U.S. postal abbreviation for the state is KS.

Geography

Kansas is bordered by Nebraska on the north, Missouri on the east, Oklahoma on the south, and Colorado on the west. It is located equidistant from the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. The geodetic center of North America is located in Osborne County. This spot is used as the central reference point for all maps produced by the government. The geographic center of the 48 contiguous states is located in Smith County near Lebanon, Kansas, and the geographic center of Kansas is located in Barton County.

Related Topics:
Nebraska - Missouri - Oklahoma - Colorado - Osborne County - Smith County - Lebanon, Kansas - Barton County

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The state is divided up into 105 counties with 628 cities.

Related Topics:
105 counties - 628 cities

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Kansas is one of the six states located on the Frontier Strip.

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Topography

The state, lying in the great central plain of the United States, has a generally flat or undulating surface. Its altitude above the sea ranges from 750 feet at the mouth of the Kansas River to 4000 feet on the western border. (Mount Sunflower is the highest point.) The rivers flow through bottomlands, varying from ¼ to 6 miles in width, and bounded by bluffs, rising 50 to 300 feet. The Missouri River forms nearly 75 miles of the state's northeastern boundary. The Kansas River, formed by the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers, joins the Missouri at Kansas City, after a course of 150 miles across the state. The Arkansas River, rising in Colorado, flows with a tortuous course for nearly 500 miles across three-fourths of the state. It forms, with its tributaries, the Little Arkansas, Walnut, Cow Creek, Cimarron, Verdigris (which is the lowest point in Kansas at 680 feet), and the Neosho, the southern drainage system of the state. Other important rivers are the Saline and Solomon, tributaries of the Smoky Hill River; the Big Blue, Delaware, and Wakarusa, which flow into the Kansas River; and the Marais des Cygnes, a tributary of the Missouri River.

Related Topics:
Great central plain - Kansas River - Mount Sunflower - Missouri River - Smoky Hill - Republican - Kansas City - Arkansas River - Colorado - Little Arkansas - Walnut - Cow Creek - Cimarron - Verdigris - Neosho - Saline - Solomon - Big Blue - Delaware - Wakarusa - Marais des Cygnes

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Landmarks

• The disputed World's Largest Ball of Twine created August 15, 1953, in Cawker City, Kansas, is still growing.
• Big Brutus, the World's second largest Electric Shovel resides in West Mineral, Kansas. It is 160 feet (49 m) tall and weighs 11 million pounds (5000 t).
• S.P. Dinsmoor created the Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas in 1905, and opened it up to tourists in 1908. The garden features sculptures of biblical scenes and political messages. One scene has labor being crucified by a doctor, lawyer, banker, and preacher. Dinsmoor even built his own mausoleum in which you can still see him today in his concrete coffin by paying for the tour. http://www.missioncreep.com/tilt/dinsmoor.html
• Lucas, Kansas is also home to the Grassroots Art Center http://home.comcast.net/~ymirymir/index2.htm. The museum features many works of art created by people with no formal training, and it sits only a block or two from the Garden of Eden.
• The John Brown museum is located in Osawatomie, Kansas.
• Monroe Elementary, the school Linda Brown attended when the historic case Brown v. Board of Education was filed, is now a National Historic site in Topeka, Kansas.
• The Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant in De Soto, Kansas opened in 1942 to manufacture gunpowder and munitions propellants for World War II. The closed plant sits on over 9000 acres (36 km²) of land which was made up of more than 100 farms.
• The boyhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Eisenhower Library, and his grave are located in Abilene, Kansas. The Greyhound Hall of Fame is located in Abilene. Abilene, Kansas is also the ending point of the Chisholm Trail where the cattle driven from Texas were rail loaded.
• The house of Carrie Nation, now a museum, is located in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.
• Constitution Hall in Lecompton, Kansas is the location where the Kansas Territorial Government convened and drafted a pro-slavery constitution. (website)
• The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics houses the largest collection of papers for a politician other than a president. The institute is located in Lawrence, Kansas on the campus of the University of Kansas. (website)
• The Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas features Old West memorabilia and history.
• The Wizard of Oz Museum in Liberal, Kansas features Dorothy's House, a recreation of the farm house featured in the film The Wizard of Oz.
• The National Teachers Hall of Fame is located in Emporia, Kansas.
• The National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame is located in Bonner Springs, Kansas.
• The Horace Greeley museum is located in Tribune, Kansas.
• The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, located in Hutchinson, Kansas is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute. The museum features the largest collection of artifacts from the Russian Space Program outside of Moscow. It is also home to Apollo 13, an SR-71 Blackbird, and many other space artifacts.
• The Boyer Gallery, a collection of animated sculptures made by Paul Boyer is located in Belleville, Kansas.
• The fifth largest collection of civilian and military aircraft in the United States is located at the Mid-America Air Museum.
• The Big Well, the world's largest hand dug well, is in Greensburg, Kansas.
• The Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, features exhibits of several fossils discovered by Charles Hazelius Sternberg as well as various temporary exhibits (http://www.fhsu.edu/sternberg/).

Major highways

The state is served by two interstate highways with six spur routes. I-70 is a major east/west route connecting to St. Louis, Missouri, in the east and Denver, Colorado, in the west. Cities along this route (from east to west) include Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, Junction City, Salina, Hays, and Colby. I-35 is a major north/south route connecting to Des Moines, Iowa, in the north and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the south. Cities along this route (from north to south) include Kansas City (and its suburbs), Ottawa, Emporia, El Dorado, and Wichita.

Related Topics:
Interstate highway - I-70 - St. Louis, Missouri - Denver, Colorado - Kansas City - Lawrence - Topeka - Junction City - Salina - Hays - Colby - I-35 - Des Moines, Iowa - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Ottawa - Emporia - El Dorado - Wichita

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Spur routes serve as connections between the two major routes. I-135, a north/south route, connects I-70 at Salina to I-35 at Wichita. I-335, a northeast/southwest route, connects I-70 at Topeka to I-35 at Emporia. I-335 and portions of I-35 and I-70 make up the Kansas Turnpike. I-435 and I-635 serve a dual purpose as connections between the major routes and bypasses around the Kansas City metropolitan area. Other bypasses are I-235 around Wichita and I-470 around Topeka.

Related Topics:
I-135 - I-335 - Kansas Turnpike - I-435 - I-635 - Bypass - Metropolitan area - I-235 - I-470

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In January 2004, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced the new Kansas 511 traveler information service.http://www.ksdot.org/offtransinfo/News04/511_Release.htm By calling 511, callers will get access to information about road conditions, construction, closures, detours and weather conditions for the state highway system. Weather and road condition information is updated every 15 minutes.

Related Topics:
January - 2004 - Kansas Department of Transportation - 511

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See also:

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KDOT road condition information

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