Kansas is a US state that is located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. It became the 28th state of the Union. Kansas is bordered by Missouri in the east, Colorado to the west, Nebraska on the north and Oklahoma on the south.

Kansas natives and residents are referred to as ‘Kansans’. The state got its name from the Kansas River which flows right through the state. The river itself got its name after the Kansa tribe, the people who inhabited near the area. Kansa means the ‘people of the wind’. Historically, Kansas was home to nomadic Native Americans that tracked for bison. First European settlement was during the 1830s. During the Civil War, there were several instances of conflicts in the state between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces, which is why the state earned the name ‘Bleeding Kansas’. In the end, the abolitions won, and Kansas joined the Union as a free state.

Kansas is the leading wheat growing state, but it also produces huge amounts of corn, oats, barley, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers and potatoes. Kansas is in fact one of the most productive states in terms of agriculture. It has rich minerals such as zinc, coal, salt, petroleum, lead, and helium. Because of this, Kansas is a major aircraft and transportation manufacturer, as well as a meat packing and milling center.

While in Kansas, make sure to visit Kansas History Center, Eisenhower home and Eisenhower Memorial Museum, the Presidential Library, Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, Kansas Underground Salt Museum and Don Kracht’s Castle Island.