FHA Loans in Kansas

About This State and its People, Places, and Industries

Kansas is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name (natively kką:ze) is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was probably not the term's original meaning Residents of Kansas are called "Kansans."

Historically, the area was home to large numbers of nomadic Native Americans who hunted bison. It was first settled by European Americans in the 1830s, but the pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850s, in the midst of political wars over the slavery issue. When officially opened to settlement by the U.S. government in 1854, abolitionist Free-Staters from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri rushed to the territory to determine if Kansas would become a free state or a slave state. Thus, the area was a hotbed of violence and chaos in its early days as these forces collided, and was known as Bleeding Kansas. The abolitionists eventually prevailed and on January 29, 1861, Kansas entered the Union as a free state. After the Civil War, the population of Kansas grew exponentially, when waves of immigrants turned the prairie into productive farmland. Today, Kansas is one of the most productive agricultural states, producing many crops, and leading the nation in wheat, sorghum and sunflower production most years.

As of 2007, Kansas has an estimated population of 2,775,997, which is an increase of 20,180, or 0.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 87,579, or 3.3%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 93,899 people (that is 246,484 births minus 152,585 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 20,742 people out of the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 44,847 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 65,589 people. The population density of the state is 52.9 people per square mile. The center of population of Kansas is located in Chase County, approximately three miles north of the community of Strong City.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that the total GDP in 2008 was $122.7 billion, making its United States’ 32nd highest state by GDP. Per capita personal income in 2008 was $35,013. As of January 2010, the state’s unemployment rate is 6.4%. The agricultural outputs of the state are cattle, sheep, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, cotton, hogs, corn, and salt. Eastern Kansas is part of the Grain Belt, an area of major grain production in the central United States. The industrial outputs are transportation equipment, commercial and private aircraft, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel, petroleum and mining. Kansas ranks 8th in U.S. oil production. Production has experienced a steady, natural decline as it becomes increasingly difficult to extract oil over time. Since oil prices bottomed in 1999, oil production in Kansas has remained fairly constant, with an average monthly rate of about 2.8 million barrels (450,000 m3) in 2004. The recent higher prices have made carbon dioxide sequestration and other oil recovery techniques more economical.

Kansas ranks 8th in U.S. natural gas production. Production has steadily declined since the mid-1990s with the gradual depletion of the Hugoton Natural Gas Field—the state's largest field which extends into Oklahoma and Texas. In 2004, slower declines in the Hugoton gas fields and increased coal bed methane production contributed to a smaller overall decline. Average monthly production was over 32 billion cubic feet (0.9 km³).

The Kansas economy is also heavily influenced by the aerospace industry. Several large aircraft corporations have manufacturing facilities in Wichita and Kansas City, including Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing, Cessna, Learjet, and Hawker Beechcraft (formerly Raytheon). Major company headquarters in Kansas include the Sprint Nextel Corporation (with world headquarters in Overland Park), Embarq (with national headquarters in Overland Park), YRC Worldwide (Overland Park), Garmin (Olathe), Payless Shoes (National headquarters and major distribution facilities in Topeka), and Koch Industries (with national headquarters in Wichita).

Historically, many Kansans have supported the major league sports teams of Kansas City, Missouri, including the Kansas City Royals (MLB), the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) and the Kansas City Brigade (AFL) – in part because the home stadiums for these teams are just miles from the Kansas border. The Chiefs and the Royals play at the Truman Sports Complex, located about 10 miles (16 km) from the Kansas-Missouri state line. The Kansas City Brigade played in the newly opened Sprint Center, which is even closer to the state line. Additionally, from 1973 to 1997 the flagship radio station for the Royals was WIBW in Topeka, Kansas.

Western Kansans sometimes also support the major league teams in Denver, while those who live close to the Oklahoma state line may support the Dallas Cowboys. All Chiefs games are televised throughout Kansas by television stations in Topeka and Wichita, and Broncos and Cowboys games which do not conflict with Chiefs telecasts are also broadcast across the state. Two major auto racing facilities are located in Kansas. The Kansas Speedway located in Kansas City hosts races of the NASCAR, IRL, and ARCA circuits. Also, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) holds drag racing events at Heartland Park Topeka.

Choose Your City >>>

• Anthony
• Arcadia
• Arkansas City
• Arma
• Atchison
• Augusta
• Benton
• Blue Rapids
• Bonner Springs
• Burlington
• Coffeyville
• Colby
• Coldwater
• Columbus
• Concordia
• Council Grove
• De Soto
• Derby
• Dodge City
• El Dorado
• Emporia
• Fort Scott
• Garden City
• Garden Plain
• Gardner
• Goodland
• Great Bend
• Harveyville
• Hays

• Haysville
• Hepler
• Hiawatha
• Holton
• Hoxie
• Hutchinson
• Independence
• Iola
• Jennings
• Kansas City
• Kingman
• Kinsley
• Lansing
• Lawrence
• Leavenworth
• Leawood
• Ledwood
• Lenexa
• Liberal
• Linwood
• Manhattan
• Marysville
• Mcpherson
• Meade
• Mission
• Mulvane
• Newton
• Oberlin
• Olathe

• Osage City
• Overland
• Overland Park
• Paola
• Parsons
• Pittsburg
• Prairie Village
• Pratt
• Riley
• Rock
• Roeland Park
• Rose Hill
• Rossville
• Saint Marys
• Salina
• Scott City
• Shawnee
• Shawnee Mission
• Smith Center
• Stilwell
• Topeka
• Ulysses
• Valley Center
• Wa Keeney
• Wamego
• Wellsville
• Wichita
• Wichta
• Winfield

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