Kansas City, Mo. is named after the Kansas River which flows in the middle of the city. It is bordered by Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Colorado. Kansas is a tribe’s name which means “people of the wind” or “people of the south wind”. Its first inhabitants were the Native Americans and it was only in 1541 that a European by the name of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado explored the area. Since then, Kansas was secured by the United States and became part of the Louisiana Purchase. Residents of Kansas City, Mo. are often called “Kansans”.
Its national parks and historical sites include Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Scott National Historic Site, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka.
Kansas City, Mo. was once known for its agriculture and manufacturing. Now, it has expanded its economic base to include areas of telecommunications, banking, and finance and service industry. Transportation industry has always been stable since 1800’s because the area enjoys a national and regional prominence as a distribution and manufacturing center. Kansas City, Mo. is also popular in publishing greeting cards, frozen food storage and distribution, and hard winter-wheat marketing, flour production and auto and truck assembly.
Kansas lies in the central region of the USA which is sometimes referred to as the “Heartland of America” or “America’s Breadbasket”. Kansas was named after the Kansa tribe who originally lived in this area. Currently, Kansas is a thriving area producing wheat, sorghum and sunflower products giving it the nickname “the sunflower state”.
Topeka is the capital of Kansas and the largest city is Wichita. However, the largest metro area is Kansas City Metropolitan area, part of which lies in the state of Missouri.
Depending on the geography, Kansas has three climate types; humid continental, semiarid steppe and humid subtropical. In the Eastern parts of the state, the winters are cold and the summers hot. In the western part, however, summers are very hot. Winters are cold in the northwest region although they are mild in the southwest. Kansas is prone to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes every year.
Visitors come to Kansas throughout the year. Kansas City International Airport which is actually located in the state of Missouri is the gateway through which most travelers enter the cities of Kansas, including Wichita, Overton Park and Topeka.
Wichita has a wealth of attractions including the Edwin Ulrich Museum of Art (1845 Fairmount Street - KS 67260). This State University archive features a grand mosaic design by celebrated Spanish Surrealist Joan Miro. Art enthusiasts will adore the outdoor Sculptures and the general high quality art exhibitions.
Another place for art enthusiasts to visit in Wichita is the Frank Lloyd Wright Allen-Lambe House Museum (255 Roosevelt – KS 67208) which is an early 20th century home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
The “Indian Center Museum” is devoted to the Native Americans who were mistakenly called “Indians” by ignorant colonists. This museum celebrates the amazing work of the early Native Americans who migrated to this land over 25,000 years ago. Unfortunately, when the colonists arrived, they were forcibly moved into the interior lands in confined spaces called “reservations”. The mission of this museum is to educate the visitors about the life of the Native American tribes throughout the continent. This center is located at the point where the Little Arkansas River and the big Arkansas River intersect. One of Wichita’s native inhabitants, Blackbear Boisin’s bronze statue is erected in this museum to honor the legacy of the Native Americans. There are many arts and crafts which are made by the original people of this area. Paintings, Sculpture, Jewelry and Pottery are displayed.
Kansas African American Museum (601 N Water Street – KS 67201) is built to honor the legacy of the African Americans who were forced to come to this land and work for the colonists. Although, their circumstances made it impossible to achieve anything, some of them used their meager opportunities to excel in the fields of medicine, education, government, military, sports and entertainment. This museum commemorates their achievements in these fields.
Families will enjoy the day at Sedwick County Zoo and Botanical Garden (5555 Zoo Blvd – KS 67212) where more than 2500 exotic animals are present in their natural habitats spread out over two hundred and forty seven acres. Children can see what a Kansas Prairie or a rainforest looks like. Also displayed are Asian Steppes and African Veldt environments where leopards, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, bison, wolves, etc roam freely.
