Yes, I'm from Kansas

I am proud to say I'm from Kansas! I was born and raised in Kansas. I've lived here almost my entire life.

It surprises me when long time residents disparage our state. It only takes a moment to think of the many things that make our state so great. Let me share a few things with you about Kansas.

Our state holds a unique place in history. When the Kansas territory 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 slave state, in a period known as Bleeding Kansas.

Kansas entered the Union as a free state on January 29,1861.

In the 1870s the booming cattle trade attracted some of the Wild West's most iconic figures to Kansas including Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and John Henry Doc Holliday.

Kansas plays a vital role in our national and global economy. We are among the most productive agricultural states, producing high yields of wheat, corn, sorghum, and soybeans. Nearly 90% of the land in Kansas is devoted to agriculture. Besides crops, Kansas also provides agricultural outputs that include cattle, sheep, and hogs. By far the most significant crop in the state is wheat. Approximately 40% of all winter wheat grown in the United States comes from Kansas.

We have been a leader in the aerospace industry for many years with companies such as Spirit AeroSystems, Bombardier Aerospace (LearJet), and Textron Aviation.

Other major companies headquartered in Kansas include Garmin, YRC Worldwide, Payless Shoes, Koch Industries and Coleman.

We are also home to three major military installations at Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley and McConnell Air Force Base.

Kansas is one of the top producers of wind energy in the United States. We ranked eighth in the United States petroleum extraction. Kansas is also ranked eighth in the U.S. for natural gas production.

I'm proud to say there is a long list of Kansans who have left their mark on the country and the world. Those include Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States; Charles Curtis who was a U.S. Senator and 31st Vice President of the United States; Robert Gates was a CIA Director and U.S. Secretary of Defense; Dan Glickman served as Secretary of Agriculture and Bob Dole who served in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996 and later ran for President.

Famed aviator Amelia Earhart considered Atchison, Kansas to be her home, where she lived with her grandparents, along the Missouri River.

Dan and Frank Carney of Wichita founded a company called Pizza Hut. Walter Chrysler, founder of the Chrysler Corporation was from Kansas. Harry F. Sinclair, founder of Sinclair Oil Company was from Independence, Kansas and Russell Stover started the Russell Stover Candies Company that is known throughout the country.

Kansas has produced many people who contributed to the arts including Buster Keaton, Don Johnson, Kristie Alley, Hugh Beaumont, and Eric Stonestreet just to name a few.

Musicians include Melissa Etheridge, Martina McBride, Joe Walsh and Chely Wright. The list goes on and on.

Kansas is often labeled as dull, flat and boring. Wake up! Open your eyes. Kansas has a wide variety of landscapes. We are in the geographic center of the 48 contiguous states. My Dad, helped erect a monument in Smith County, near Lebanon, Kansas to mark the location.

We have urban areas such as Kansas City, Kansas; and Wichita for those who prefer a city environment. There are many beautiful small town like the City of Beautiful Maples which is Hiawatha. Or the quaint community of Casker City with the worlds largest ball of twine or the small town where i gew up, Highland.

Kansas also offers the contrasting hills along the Missouri River in northeast Kansas. The rolling, grass covered hills of the Flint Hills region of the state are an incredible site to see. There are numerous lakes, rivers and streams. One of the newest tourist attractions is called the Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park. It's an incredible collection of chalk outcroppings that, from a distance, look like the ancient walled city of Jerusalem.

There are so many more things I could share with you to describe the incredible people, places and things you will find in Kansas. My point is, while some may disparage our state, I for one am proud to be from Kansas.

(I have never owned a Hawaiian shirt until I put on the one featured in the photograph with this article. It is what inspired me to share my thoughts of pride today)