It was on January 29, 1861 that Kansas became the 34th state in the United States. While the capital of Kansas is Topeka, it’s actually Wichita that is the largest city across the entire state. Kansas is a state with a lot of history that as of the 2020 census was the 34th most-populous state in the country, with an estimated population of 2,940,865. Here are five fascinating facts about Kansas, which is also commonly referred to as the Sunflower State.
5 Kansas Facts
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- The state’s name comes from the Kansa Native American tribe, which translates to “People of the South Wind.” (source) The Sunflower State has also become Kansas’ nickname, and is derived from the beautiful fields of sunflowers that can be found booming there. In Kansas, the sunflowers provide an excellent source of oil and seeds.
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- The official state bug of Kansas is the honeybee. (source) In 1976, Kansas officially made the honeybee the official state bug, following the creation of a petition that was signed by over 2,000 schoolchildren across the state.
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- Helium was discovered in Kansas back in 1905. (source) At the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, David F. McFarland and Hamilton P. Cady found significant amounts of helium in a natural gas sample, marking a huge discovery.
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- Kansas has the lowest percentage of state and national park coverage in the United States at just 0.06%. (source) Of the 52,660,000 acres in Kansas, only 0.06% are covered by state parks or national parks, which is the lowest percentage across the country country. While Kansas has 26 state parks that cover 32,000 acres, there aren’t any national parks.
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- Kansas is home to only one professional sports team. (source) The Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL and the Kansas City Royals of MLB are close, but both of those franchises play their home games across the state line in Kansas City, Missouri. The only professional sports team that calls Kansas home officially is Sporting Kansas City, which has been an MLS franchise since 1995.
Kansas has an amazing history that dates back nearly 200 years! Do you have any more fun facts about Kansas to share?
