Portal:Kansas

The Kansas Portal

Kansas (/ˈkænzəs/ ⓘ KAN-zəss) is a landlocked state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named after the Kansas River, in turn named after the Kansa people. Its capital is Topeka, and its most populous city is Wichita; however, the largest urban area is the bi-state Kansas City metropolitan area surrounding Kansas City, Missouri, which straddles the border of Kansas and Missouri.

For thousands of years, what is now known as Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Indigenous tribes. The first settlement of non-indigenous people in Kansas occurred in 1827 at Fort Leavenworth. The pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850s, in the midst of political wars over the slavery debate. When it was officially opened to settlement by the U.S. government in 1854 with the Kansas–Nebraska Act, conflict between abolitionist Free-Staters from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri broke out over the question of whether Kansas would become a free state or a slave state, in a period known as Bleeding Kansas. On January 29, 1861, Kansas entered the Union as a free state, hence the unofficial nickname "The Free State". Passage of the Homestead Acts in 1862 brought a further influx of settlers, and the booming cattle trade of the 1870s attracted some of the Wild West's most iconic figures to western Kansas.

As of 2015, Kansas was among the most productive agricultural states, producing high yields of wheat, corn, sorghum, and soybeans. In addition to its traditional strength in agriculture, Kansas possesses an extensive aerospace industry. Kansas, which has an area of 82,278 square miles (213,100 square kilometers) is the 15th-largest state by area, the 36th most-populous of the 50 states, with a population of 2,940,865 according to the 2020 census, and the 10th least densely populated. Residents of Kansas are called Kansans. Mount Sunflower is Kansas's highest point at 4,039 feet (1,231 meters). (Full article...)

Good article -

This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Duff Gordon "Sir Richard" Cooley (March 29, 1873 – August 9, 1937) was an American professional baseball player whose career spanned 17 seasons, 13 of which were spent in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cooley, an outfielder and first baseman, had a career batting average of .294 in 1,317 games played. He compiled 849 runs, 1,579 hits, 180 doubles, 102 triples, 26 home runs, and 557 runs batted in (RBI). In Major League history, he is tied in 148th place for most all-time triples and, his 224 career stolen bases, place him equal 279th on the all-time list. Cooley made his Major League debut at the age of 20, and spent the majority of his career there, but he also appeared in minor league baseball. After breaking his leg with the Tigers in 1905, he was replaced with future Hall of Fame outfielder Ty Cobb. Cooley, nicknamed "Sir Richard" due to his aristocratic manner, was listed as standing 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) and weighing 158 pounds (72 kg). (Full article...)

Selected image -

Credit: Michael Overton
Big Brutus Note people standing near the bottom "treads" to gain perspective of this 160 feet (49 m) machine.

Important dates in Kansas' history

July–August 1541
Coronado explores Kansas
April 30, 1803
Louisiana Purchase Treaty signed
May 30, 1854
Kansas Territory organized
July 29, 1859
Constitution adopted by convention
January 29, 1861
Kansas becomes 34th state
August 21, 1863
Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence
Spring 1879
Exodusters
February 19, 1881
First state to Constitutionally prohibit alcohol
1890s
Populist Revolt
July 1951
Great Flood of 1951
May 17, 1954
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

More...

State facts


State symbols:

Selected article -

Dean Coldwell Strother (February 12, 1908 – September 24, 2000) was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as U.S. Military Representative, NATO Military Committee (USMILREP), from 1962 to 1965; and as Commander in Chief, North American Air Defense Command/Commander in Chief, Continental Air Defense Command (CINCNORAD/CINCONAD), from 1965 to 1966. He also served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. (Full article...)

General images

The following are images from various Kansas-related articles on Wikipedia.
  • Rev. Richard Cordley, the first graduate of the University of Kansas, and nicknamed "The Abolition Preacher", due to his strong views against slavery, and his influence on Kansas's founding as a free state. (from Kansas)
  • Boeing B-29 Superfortress production in Wichita in 1944 (from History of Kansas)
  • University of Kansas Strong Hall in Lawrence. (from Kansas)
  • Allen Fieldhouse at University of Kansas in Lawrence. (from Kansas)
  • The Santa Fe Depot, a U.S. National Register of Historic Places building, in Osage City. (from Kansas)
  • The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. (from Kansas)
  • The Kansas Pacific main line shown on an 1869 map (from History of Kansas)
  • Kansas Highway Map. (from Kansas)
  • Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence (from Kansas)
  • Gove County Badlands. (from Kansas)
  • Kansas welcome sign on K-96 (from Kansas)
  • Fox Theater, Hutchinson. (from Kansas)
  • The Plaza Cinema in Ottawa is the oldest operating movie theater in the world. (from Kansas)
  • Map of counties in Kansas by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census.
    Legend
    (from Kansas)
  • Köppen climate types of Kansas, using 1991–2020 climate normals. (from Kansas)
  • Downtown Wichita in the winter. (from Kansas)
  • Albert Bierstadt, Western Kansas, 1875. (from Kansas)
  • Frank Bond's illustration of the Louisiana Purchase (from History of Kansas)
  • The Great Plains of Kansas. (from Kansas)
  • Ethnic origins in Kansas. (from Kansas)
  • Clouds in northeastern Kansas. (from Kansas)
  • Sporting Park, Kansas City. (from Kansas)
  • Sunflower field outside of Lawrence. (from Kansas)
  • 1915–1918 Kansas railroad map (from Kansas)
  • The Great Seal of the State of Kansas was established by the legislature on May 25, 1861. The design was submitted by Senator John James Ingalls. He also proposed the state motto, "Ad astra per aspera", which means "to the stars through difficulty". (from History of Kansas)
  • Reverend Charles Sheldon, Topeka resident and coiner of the phrase "What would Jesus do?". (from Kansas)
  • 1855 Free-State poster (from History of Kansas)
  • Map of Kansas and Missouri with Kansas City metro counties. (from Kansas)
  • Kansas's Monument Rocks at night.
  • Cedar Point Mill, built in 1875 in Cedar Point, on the National Register of Historic Places. (from Kansas)
  • Map of Indian territories, 1836 (from History of Kansas)
  • Standard Kansas license plate 2018–2024. (from Kansas)
  • David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is the oldest football stadium west of the Mississippi River, and one of the oldest standing football stadiums in the country. Built in 1921, it is home to the Kansas Jayhawks football team. (from Kansas)
  • The Kansas Statehouse. (from Kansas)
  • The Rio Theatre, Overland Park (from Kansas)
  • The chalk rock badlands and cliffs in western Kansas, near Dighton. (from Kansas)
  • Kansas residents who are veterans, work as a first responder, and people who work in agriculture may request a custom plate reflecting their profession. (from Kansas)
  • Temporary quarters for Volga Germans in central Kansas, 1875 (from History of Kansas)
  • Chippewa named "One-Called-From-A-Distance" (from History of Kansas)
  • Tyler Field in Eck Stadium at Wichita State University in Wichita. (from Kansas)
  • An example of a custom Kansas rear license plate. Kansas allows residents to purchase license plates with college and university logos on them for an extra fee. (from Kansas)
  • Population density map of Kansas in 2020. (from Kansas)
  • Boosterism: cover of a promotional booklet published in 1907 by the Rock Island railroad (from History of Kansas)
  • Kansas summer wheat and storm panorama. (from Kansas)
  • Quantrill's 1863 raid burned the town of Lawrence and killed 164 townspeople. (from History of Kansas)
  • The Cosmosphere, the world-renowned space museum in Hutchinson. (from Kansas)
  • George Armstrong Custer led U.S. troops against Native Americans in western Kansas. (from History of Kansas)
  • Pittsburg. (from Kansas)
  • Kanopolis State Park. (from Kansas)
  • John Brown about 1856 (from History of Kansas)
  • Spring River, Kansas. (from Kansas)
  • Charles Curtis (R) was born near Topeka and served as a State Legislator, Congressman and Senator, before becoming Vice President (1929–33). He is the only Native American elected to the Executive Branch (he was born into the Kaw Nation). (from Kansas)
  • The Orpheum, a historic movie theater in Wichita. (from Kansas)
  • NRC workers at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Burlington. (from Kansas)
  • Samuel Seymour's 1819 illustration of a Kansa lodge and dance is the oldest drawing known to be done in Kansas. (from History of Kansas)
  • Pond in Osage County, Kansas. (from Kansas)

Categories

Select [►] to view subcategories
Kansas
Kansas-related lists
City and town halls in Kansas
Communications in Kansas
Culture of Kansas
Demographics of Kansas
Economy of Kansas
Education in Kansas
Environment of Kansas
Geography of Kansas
Government of Kansas
Health in Kansas
History of Kansas
Kansas law
Lustron houses in Kansas
Military in Kansas
Native Americans in Kansas
People from Kansas
Politics of Kansas
Professional wrestling in Kansas
Science and technology in Kansas
Society of Kansas
Sports in Kansas
Tourist attractions in Kansas
Transportation in Kansas
Works about Kansas
Images of Kansas
Kansas stubs

Wikiprojects

WikiProject Kansas WikiProject Physical geography

Kansas topics

New articles

This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.

Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Deleted articles| Last updated: 2026-03-18 19:51 (UTC)

Note: The list display can now be customized by each user. See List display personalization for details.

Things you can do


WikiProject Kansas
Open tasks

(watch • edit • discuss)

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Discover Wikipedia using portals
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.