Kansas 101: Wheat Fields, Wizard of Oz, and Midwest Conservatism

Geography and Climate: Flat, Empty, and Tornado Alley

Understanding Kansas:

Size and flatness:

15th largest state:

• 82,000 square miles
• Population: 2.9 million (35th)
• Density: 36 people/square mile (sparse—mostly rural)

The flatness stereotype:

• Not entirely true (western Kansas flat, eastern Kansas rolling hills)
• But vast open spaces everywhere (horizon stretches endlessly)
• Highest point: Mt. Sunflower 4,039 ft (western border—basically Colorado spillover)
• Lowest point: Verdigris River 679 ft (eastern border)

Three regions:

Eastern Kansas (population center):

• Cities: Kansas City metro (KCK 156,000), Topeka (capital, 126,000), Lawrence (100,000—KU)
• Geography: Rolling hills, forests, rivers
• Climate: Humid continental (four seasons)
• Economy: Government (Topeka), university (Lawrence—Kansas Jayhawks), metro spillover (KC)
• Vibe: Most urban (relatively), liberal pockets (Lawrence)

Central Kansas (wheat country):

• Cities: Wichita (397,000—largest city), Salina (46,000), Hutchinson (40,000)
• Geography: Flat plains, endless wheat fields
• Climate: Hot summers, cold winters, dry
• Economy: Agriculture (wheat, cattle), aviation (Wichita)
• Vibe: Conservative, working-class, family-oriented

Western Kansas (emptiest):

• Cities: Dodge City (28,000), Garden City (27,000), Liberal (20,000)
• Geography: High plains, completely flat, sparse
• Climate: Semi-arid (less rain, hotter, windier)
• Economy: Cattle ranching, meatpacking (immigrants—Hispanic majority some towns)
• Vibe: Frontier-esque, isolated, Old West history

Climate (extreme):

Wichita (central—typical):

• Summer: 90-100°F (hot, humid—heat index 105°F+)
• Winter: 20-40°F (snow 16 inches/year, ice storms)
• Spring/Fall: 50-80°F (tornado season—April-June)
• Rainfall: 34 inches/year (enough for wheat)

Tornado Alley reality:

• Kansas averages 96 tornados/year (4th most after Texas, Oklahoma, Florida)
• EF5 tornados: Devastating (Greensburg 2007—town destroyed, 11 dead)
• Tornado sirens: Part of life (tested monthly, real alerts common)
• Storm shelters: Basements essential (above-ground = risky)

Other weather extremes:

• Blizzards: Winter (I-70 closed, whiteout conditions)
• Ice storms: Frequent (trees down, power outages days)
• Heat waves: Summer (110°F+ possible, drought)
• Straight-line winds: 80+ mph (damage without tornado)

Natural disasters:

• Tornados: Annual (deadly, destructive)
• Floods: Spring (rivers overflow—Kansas River, Arkansas River)
• Droughts: Cyclical (Dust Bowl 1930s—still possible)

Cost of Living: Genuinely Affordable

Kansas advantage:

Housing (cheap):

Wichita (largest city):

• Median home: $210,000 (versus Denver $625,000, Kansas City MO $330,000)
• New construction: $250,000-300,000 (3-4 bedroom, 2,000 sq ft)
• Rent 1-bedroom: $800-1,000

Topeka (capital):

• Median: $175,000 (even cheaper)
• Government workers afford easily

Small towns:

• $120,000-150,000 (3-bedroom, yard, garage)
• Example: Salina, Hutchinson, Emporia

Kansas City KS:

• Median: $220,000 (cheaper than Missouri side $300,000)

Rural:

• $80,000-100,000 (older homes, small towns)
• Land cheap: $2,000-5,000/acre (farmland)

Taxes (moderate):

Income tax:

• 3.1% to 5.7% (progressive—middle-tier nationally)
• $75,000 income = ~$3,800 Kansas tax

Sales tax:

• 6.5% state + local (average 8.7%)
• Food taxed 4% (groceries—regressive, hurts poor)

Property tax:

• 1.4% (higher than neighbors—but homes cheap so absolute dollars low)
• $210,000 home = $2,940/year ($245/month)

Overall: Middle-of-the-pack taxes, but housing so cheap it offsets

Daily costs:

Groceries:

• 10-15% below national average
• Walmart, Dillons (Kroger), Aldi dominate

Gas:

• $3.20-3.60/gallon (cheaper than coasts)

Dining:

• Lunch: $10-14
• Dinner: $18-28 per person
• Chain restaurants dominate (Applebee's, Olive Garden—locally owned rare)

Healthcare:

• Affordable (but rural areas lack specialists—drive Wichita, Kansas City)

Income needed:

Wichita:

• Single: $45,000 comfortable
• Family: $75,000+ (kids, savings)

Small towns:

• $40,000 household = middle-class

Median household income: $64,000 (below national $75,000, but costs 30-40% lower)

Jobs and Economy: Aviation, Agriculture, and Limited Diversity

What Kansas offers:

Aviation (Wichita—"Air Capital"):

Companies:

• Spirit AeroSystems: Boeing supplier (fuselages—12,000 employees)
• Textron Aviation: Cessna, Beechcraft (business jets, small planes—8,000 employees)
• Airbus: Engineering center

History:

• Wichita built planes since WWI (Beech, Cessna, Stearman founded here)
• 90% of world's general aviation aircraft made Kansas (historically)

Salaries:

• Engineers: $70,000-110,000
• Machinists: $50,000-75,000 (union, good benefits)
• Stable (but cyclical—Boeing crashes = layoffs)

Agriculture:

Wheat:

• Kansas produces 18% of U.S. wheat (300+ million bushels/year)
• "Breadbasket of America" (feeds nation)

Cattle:

• Feedlots (western Kansas—Dodge City, Garden City)
• Meatpacking: Tyson, Cargill (employ 10,000+—mostly Hispanic immigrants)

Farm income:

• Family farms: $60,000-150,000 (volatile—commodity prices, weather)
• Corporate ag: Better (but pushing out small farmers)

Meatpacking (western Kansas):

Jobs:

• Tyson, National Beef, Cargill
• Pay: $35,000-50,000 (hard, dangerous work)
• Workforce: Primarily Hispanic immigrants (Somali refugees some plants)

Towns transformed:

• Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal: 50-60% Hispanic (influx 1990s-2000s)
• Culture clash: Conservative white residents, immigrant workers
• English Second Language common

Healthcare:

Stable:

• Nurses: $60,000-75,000
• Doctors: $180,000-300,000 (but rural shortage—hard recruiting)

Education:

Universities:

• Kansas State (Manhattan), Kansas (Lawrence), Wichita State
• Professors: $50,000-90,000

Limited opportunities:

What's missing:

• Tech (zero Silicon anything—Kansas City tries, limited)
• Finance (go to KC or out-of-state)
• Corporate HQ (few Fortune 500—Sprint left, merged T-Mobile)

Brain drain:

• College grads leave (Denver, Dallas, KC, Chicago)
• Aging population (young flee, elderly stay)

Politics: Deep Red, Conservative Christian

Kansas political identity:

GOP dominance:

Statewide:

• Trump +15% (2020), +14% (2024)
• Governor: Democrat Laura Kelly (2018-2026—anomaly, moderate, won backlash to Brownback)
• Legislature: GOP supermajority (80%+)
• Both senators, all House reps Republican

Why so red?

• Rural (conservative values)
• Aging population (elderly vote Republican)
• Christian (evangelical, mainline Protestant—church central to life)
• Anti-abortion (strongly pro-life—but 2022 referendum voters rejected ban—surprising)

Urban-rural divide:

Lawrence (liberal island):

• College town (KU—28,000 students)
• Votes Democrat (Bernie Sanders won 2016 primary)
• LGBT-friendly (Pride events, progressive businesses)
• Isolated (surrounded by red)

Kansas City, Topeka:

• Purple (split—cities lean blue, suburbs red)

Rest of state:

• Deep red (Trump +30 to +50% rural counties)

Issues:

Abortion:

• 2022 referendum: Voters rejected constitutional ban (59%-41%—shocked observers)
• Showed Kansas more moderate on choice than stereotype

Education funding:

• Kansas Supreme Court ordered increased funding (GOP legislature resisted—ongoing battle)

Brownback tax cuts (2012-2017):

• Governor Sam Brownback slashed taxes (income, corporate)
• "Kansas experiment" (supply-side economics)
• Result: Budget collapse (schools underfunded, infrastructure crumbling)
• Repealed 2017 (even GOP legislature admitted failure)
• Lesson: Extreme tax cuts don't work

Small-Town Culture: Tight-Knit but Insular

Understanding Kansas communities:

What it's like:

Everyone knows everyone:

• Small towns (population 500-5,000)
• Gossip travels fast (no anonymity)
• Generational families (grandparents, parents, kids—all stayed)

Church central:

• Social hub (not just Sunday—dinners, events, community)
• Denominations: Methodist, Baptist, Catholic (Lutheran in German towns)
• Atheist/agnostic = outsider (keeps quiet or ostracized)

Friday night lights:

• High school football (town shuts down for games)
• Basketball (Kansas invented it—Naismith, KU)
• Sports = community identity

Positives:

Friendly:

• Wave to strangers
• Help neighbors (harvest, emergencies)
• Potlucks, casseroles (Midwest hospitality real)

Safe:

• Crime low (doors unlocked, keys in car—still possible)
• Kids play outside unsupervised (wholesome 1950s vibe)

Negatives:

Insular:

• Outsiders never fully accepted (takes 10-20 years, maybe never)
• "Where'd you go to high school?" (Kansas question—determines your status)

Homogeneous:

• 86% white (limited diversity—except meatpacking towns)
• Conservative Christianity assumed (questioning unwelcome)

Judgy:

• Divorce, single parenthood, LGBT = whispered about
• Conform or be ostracized

Brain drain:

• Smart, ambitious kids leave (college, never return)
• Towns age, decline (shuttered Main Streets, empty schools)

The Wizard of Oz: Cultural Touchstone

Kansas identity:

"There's no place like home":

Dorothy Gale (from Kansas) clicks ruby slippers, returns home from Oz

• Message: Kansas boring but safe, home, real (Oz exciting but fake, dangerous)
• Kansans embrace it (Dorothy represents them—grounded, wholesome)

Tourism:

• Oz Museum (Wamego—small town, tourists visit)
• Dorothy's House (Liberal—tourist trap)
• Yellow Brick Road (Sedan—painted road)

Pride:

• Kansans love Oz connection (represents them—humble, hardworking, values)

Tornados: The Real Threat

Not just movies:

Statistics:

96 tornados/year average:

• Peak season: April-June (spring storms)
• Most: EF0-EF2 (minor damage—shingles, trees)
• Deadly: EF4-EF5 (rare but catastrophic)

Famous tornados:

• Greensburg (2007): EF5 (205 mph winds), town 95% destroyed, 11 dead, rebuilt "green"
• Joplin (2011): Missouri but close (161 dead—shows stakes)

Tornado culture:

Preparation:

• Basements (storm shelters—mandatory new construction)
• Tornado sirens (tested 1st Wednesday monthly)
• Weather radios (alerts overnight)
• Apps: Tornado warnings (phone alerts)

Chasing:

• Storm chasers (tourists, researchers—dangerous, reckless some)
• Locals watch from porch (Midwest stereotype true—assess before sheltering)

Insurance:

• Higher premiums (tornado risk)
• Deductibles: Wind/hail separate (expensive)

Brain Drain and Aging Population

The exodus:

Young people leave:

Pattern:

• Graduate high school → KU, K-State (in-state universities)
• Graduate college → leave Kansas (Denver, Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago)
• Never return (better jobs, culture, dating pool elsewhere)

Result:

• Aging population (median age 37—rising)
• Rural towns dying (schools close, Main Streets empty)
• Wichita, KC suburbs stable (but Topeka, small towns decline)

Why they leave:

Limited opportunities:

• Jobs: Aviation, ag, healthcare (that's it—no tech, finance, startups)
• Low wages (save 30% cost living, but earn 20% less—net loss ambition)

Culture:

• Conservative (young people more liberal—feel stifled)
• Boring (no concerts, nightlife, culture—compared to cities)
• Homogeneous (diverse people feel isolated)

Dating:

• Small pool (everyone knows everyone—hard finding partner)

Kansas offers genuine-affordability Wichita-$210K median-home Topeka-$175K small-towns-$120-150K versus-coastal-$800K saving-thousands-annually 30-40%-lower-cost-living, aviation-jobs Wichita-Air-Capital Spirit-AeroSystems-Textron-Boeing-supplier $70-110K-engineers stable-employment, agriculture-wheat-18%-U.S.-production cattle-feedlots-meatpacking Tyson-Cargill $35-50K-jobs Hispanic-immigrants-transformed western-towns Garden-City-Dodge-City-Liberal 50-60%-Hispanic, tight-knit-communities everyone-knows-everyone church-central-social-hub Friday-night-lights high-school-football potlucks-Midwest-hospitality safe-low-crime wholesome-1950s-vibe but extreme-weather tornados-96-yearly EF5-Greensburg-2007-town-destroyed blizzards-ice-storms-100°F-summer-heat tornado-sirens-basements-mandatory weather-apps-constant-vigilance, brutal-isolation drive-2-hours-nothing-but-wheat small-towns-dying brain-drain-young-leave college-grads-flee-Denver-Dallas-KC aging-population median-age-37-rising Main-Streets-empty schools-close, deep-conservatism Trump-15% GOP-supermajority Christian-evangelical-assumed LGBT-unwelcome conform-or-ostracized 86%-white-limited-diversity insular-outsiders-never-fully-accepted "where'd-you-go-high-school" determines-status homogeneous-culture progressive-ideas-unwelcome. Limited-career-opportunities aviation-agriculture-healthcare missing-tech-finance-corporate-HQ median-income-$64K below-national-but-costs-offset, Wizard-of-Oz cultural-touchstone Dorothy-ruby-slippers "there's-no-place-like-home" Kansas-boring-but-safe-grounded-wholesome-values Oz-Museum-tourism-pride representing-humble-hardworking-Midwest-ethos determining Kansas-represents boring-wasteland-or-peaceful-refuge depends-entirely-what-you-value excitement-diversity-versus stability-simplicity-traditional-American-values accepting-emptiness-feature-not-bug tolerating-extreme-weather tornado-risk recognizing-genuine-affordability-tight-communities-strong-work-ethic coexist-deep-conservatism-cultural-homogeneity-limited-opportunities where-Kansas-nice-meets-Midwest-conservatism defining-heartland-America experience love-it-or-leave-it.