Portal:Kansas
The Kansas Portal  Kansas /ˈkænzəs/ is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American "Heartland". It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa people, who 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. Historically, the area was home to large numbers of nomadic Native Americans that 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 exploded 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 and sunflower production most years. Selected article Kansas State University, officially named "Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science" but commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States. A branch campus known as Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus, is located in Salina, Kansas, and is home of the university's College of Technology and Aviation. Kansas State has an official enrollment of 23,332 students for the 2007–2008 school year. Kansas State University, originally named Kansas State Agricultural College, was founded on February 16, 1863 as a Land Grant institution under the Morrill Act. The school was the first Land Grant college newly created under the Morrill Act although several other universities claim to be the oldest Land Grant school. K-State is the fourth-oldest school in the Big 12 Conference and the oldest public university in the state of Kansas. The institution was initially located on the grounds of the old Bluemont Central College, which was incorporated in Manhattan by the Kansas Territorial legislature in 1858. The early years of the institution witnessed debate over whether the college should provide a focused agricultural education or a full liberal arts education. During this era, the tenor of the school shifted with the tenure of the Presidents. University President John A. Anderson (1873-1879) was in favor of a limited education while on the other hand President George T. Fairchild (1879-1897) favored a classic liberal education. Also during this era, in 1882, the study of home economics originated at Kansas State. Currently, the university offers a full range of majors and many graduate programs. Spotlight city Greensburg is a city in central Kiowa County, located in Southwest Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was 1,574 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and most populous city of Kiowa County. Greensburg is also home to the world's largest hand-dug well. On May 4, 2007, Greensburg was devastated by an EF5 tornado that traveled rapidly through the area, leveling at least 95 percent of the city and killing 11 people. The tornado was estimated to be 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in width and traveled for nearly 22 miles (35 km). Ninety-five percent of the city was confirmed to be destroyed, with the other five percent being severely damaged. The National Weather Service estimated winds of the tornado to reach 205 mph (330 km/h). This was the first tornado to be rated EF5 since the update of the Fujita scale. The tornado had caused EF5 damage to at least one well-built home in Greensburg, and also is the first "5" classification since May 3, 1999, when an F5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, as part of the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. Greensburg was named for D. R. "Cannonball" Green, who owned a stagecoach company and who helped to form the city. Selected picture Credit: User:Fir0002 The European honey bee Kansas' state insect. Important dates in Kansas' history
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Selected biographyBill Snyder (born October 7, 1939, in Saint Joseph, Missouri) is the head football coach at Kansas State University. He was rehired to the position on November 24, 2008, making Snyder one of the few college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school.[1] Snyder previously served as head coach at the school from 1989 to 2005. The football stadium at Kansas State University is named in honor of him and his family (Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium). Kansas newsWikinews Kansas portal
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