Common MisKANceptions: Kansas is nothing like what out-of-staters think it is and offers more than the rural stereotypes most commonly associated with it

“Hey Dorothy”

“Do you live on a farm?”

When I went to summer camp in Costa Rica, my camp friends would crack the typical Kansas jokes at any chance they got. One girl even sat me down and asked what my house looked like out of pure curiosity — she genuinely thought I lived in a red barn and rode a horse to school. 

Kansas is much more than cows and “The Wizard of Oz.” It isn’t given enough credit for its breathtaking sunsets and delicious barbeque.

When I search “Kansas” on Google, the first things that pop up are photos of wheat fields and sunflowers. Despite 85% of Kansas’ land is rural, it is home to only 25% of the population, according to the Kansas Children’s Cabinet.

Driving past a herd of 50 cows on the street in Costa Rica we were all gawking at the traffic jam and one of my friends asked me why I was so surprised — she thought cows in the street is a regular occurrence in Kansas. 

I’m used to seeing a swarm of bright red Chiefs jerseys versus livestock.

According to the Kansas Department of Agriculture, only 13% of the Kansas population is involved with farming — leaving a whopping 87% having normal jobs like doctors and lawyers like normal people you can find in any other state.

Another misconception from my camp friends is that the majority of our population are aggressive old Republican white men. But, according to Pew Research Center,  47% of Kansans identify as Republican — the majority of which live in the rural areas. 

Moral of the story: Kansas is NOT just Republican farmers. 

You can catch my friends and I at the City Market or shopping in the West Bottoms on a nice Saturday morning — not harvesting corn for my dinner that night. 

To all of the out-of-staters, I can promise you we don’t all wear grass-stained jeans and cowboy boots — I prefer flip flops. I’ll proudly put on my white, stainless cowboy boots and jean dress from Zara for a Luke Bryan concert, but that’s about the only time you’ll see anyone dressed country. 

People from Minnesota aren’t pictured wearing overalls, and they have nine thousand more farms than Kansas, according to Beef2Live. When people think of California, what comes to mind? Hollywood. Illinois? Chicago. Ironically enough, both of those states have at least ten thousand more farms than Kansas.

My camp friends’ default idea of Kansas is Dorothy’s tornado-struck house from “The Wizard of Oz.”

And sure, “The Wizard of Oz” is a classic, but not every Kansan wears a blue gingham dress, sparkly red slippers and gets swept away in a tornado. One movie shouldn’t determine the reputation of a state 84 years after its release. 

Instead, Kansas should  be known for its fun college towns, our three time Super Bowl champion football team or the diverse weather — literally anything other than farms. 

When I learned about history like “Bleeding Kansas” in my seventh grade social studies class I was engaged more than usual because I was learning about my home state. A pivotal point in our country’s history is much more important than Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West. 

Basketball, one of the most popular sports in America — with last year’s NCAA Championship having over 14.5 million views — was invented at the University of Kansas. I’m sure people think of basketball more than farmers. 

Kansas is a lot more than outsiders credit it — and it’s time for people to open their minds to the actual important things Kansas has to offer.