If you find cows, flat land that seems to go on forever, and the occasional tree entertaining then Kansas is your Heaven.

If you're like the rest of us who find that watching grass grow really isn't the ideal way to spend your time, stay away.

If you have little choice and you MUST go to Kansas then stick to the north eastern part near Topeka, Lawrence, Kansas City. At least there are slight bumps in the land that they call "hills", plenty of trees (more than 2 but less than a forest), and the people in Northeast Kansas tend to lean more toward the Liberal/Democrat/Independent side of the political spectrum.

Anything west of Topeka isn't worth your time.

Cows seem to really love Kansas....anything a cow loves, I generally stay away from.

Not much to see, I'll admit...but I still find it more interesting than Ohio.

UPDATE: Kansas is fine. If you are looking for Berkeley, CA, or the Upper West Side, then look somewhere else.

ORIGINAL COMMENT: It's kind of like Paris Hilton, broad, flat and easy to enter.

The best way to summarize the Sunflower State is by its utter lack of diversity on all fronts. This extends beyond the obvious definition to also include everything from the aspirations of many of its constituents to the geographical composition of the land itself. Having lived in the Kansas City, Missouri area for about a year and a half, I generally found Kansas to be dull and devoid of culture and interest. Most people are friendly enough in a cursory way, but prefer to keep company with people who don't differ from themselves in any way. Homogeneity reigns supreme, and friendships outside those constraints are shallow at best.

Given my experience there, I can't possibly recommend Kansas as a place to live or even visit for anyone who doesn't originate from there in the first place. Honestly, I'd also encourage folks who fall into this latter category to escape as well. Committing to live in Kansas is a bit like signing up to live in a world that's at least 10 years behind and generally disinterested in catching up. Despite what some may claim about the benefits of this kind of lifestyle, it didn't seem to translate to happier families or stronger values as far as I could tell.

Obviously, there are a few diamond in the rough locales in Kansas, but even there, the towns and cities in Kansas are generally inferior when compared to elsewhere in America and only tolerable out of necessity, in my opinion.

We drove west of the Westport neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri border, saw KU hospital and alot of industry in Kansas City, Kansas. Then came back in a Mexican section of Kansas City, Missouri. I don't care much for this state, but would definately be open to seeing more of it if I have the chance, just no priority to come back here.

people still debate on evolution? well most know by now that evolution is extremely flawed

What can I say?  I like Kansas.  A laid-back, big-sky kind of place where you can drive for hours on country roads, enjoy the wide-open prairies, and know that you will never encounter a crowd.  Lots of wildlife and many small pleasant towns with restaurants that serve real food.  The Flint Hills region is beautiful: rolling green hills that stretch away to the horizon a million miles from the nearest condo, gated community, or high-rise.

The only thing I can think of against Kansas is tornados.  But anywhere you go there will always be something that we don't like.

We had to drive through the state of Kansas by accident. We were in Kansas City and drove south through Kansas on SR 69 to get to Oklahoma.

Wow. I never thought I'd ever be riding through Kansas. It was kinda neat seeing true middle america. The fields, the horses, cattle, and agriculture. Definently something new. And since we were on a SR we went through alot of towns.

Picture 2 young black men riding through rural Kansas. Walking up in McDonalds and Walmart haha. It was something new and I kinda liked the laid back feel of Kansas. We also rolled through Pittsburg Kansas and saw Pittsburg State University. I heard of it before and NEVER knew it was in Kansas.

Wow. When you've never been to Kansas and all of a sudden have to drive through it unexpectedly...thats something to remember. I'll give it a 5 just for being so laid back....something tight ass city people need to experience every once in awhile.

Even though I found Kansas to be quite bland, I will always have a healthy respect for it because of all the food it produces for us Americans.

The state is absolutely on point. Full of beautiful safe cities like Shawnee Mission, Lenexa, and Witchita. Lawrence and Manhattan are beautiful cities to meet young people at and have lots of parties. People are truely nice and welcoming in this state and one of the best places in the union. People know how to party hard and have a good time, the frat parties I went to were awesome! Great progressive politics and nice churches too!

Wichita is barely interesting. . .but Kansas as a whole is flat, boring, and culturally, politically, and philosophically backward. . .it deserves all the tornadoes it gets and clearly suffers from brain-drain because the best minds clearly leave the state. . .

Kansas - The Land that Time Forgot! Thank you for your election results. Truly. They help to attract attention away from the day-after-elections shame my home state of California would doubtlessly have a monopoly on if it hadn't been for you Jayhawk types. Just about the only thing more embarrassing than the public delivering election results forcing union members to contribute money to political causes they don't believe in AND reinforcing the ability of incompetent public school teachers to hold onto their jobs is your efforts to overturn the results of the Scopes Monkey Trials. Oh yeah, I have a couple questions. I'm going to be flying in next week to have a chronic medical problem treated by your doctors. So I just wanted to be sure that they'll have enough leeches on hand to suck out any impurities in my blood. They do, right? Also, as my wife enjoyed your part of the country when we drove through it and we've been thinking of relocating. Naturally, since we're considering starting a family, we want to make sure that Kansas is safe and that you're not soft on crime. So I wanted to check to find out if you're still burning witches because we feel very strongly about a zero tolerance policy for practitioners of black magic. Thanks again!

I live in Topeka kansas and i love it. its not boring like most people think you have to take your time and stop and look at things. Kansas has to be on of the best places to have a family. Topeka is a clean place and we have so many diffrent things you can do here. if you dont like kansas you can just leave......

I used to live in Wichita and I loved it there. Wichita is a very clean low crime city. Kansas has it's own beauty that no other state can claim. Spacious skies, for amber waves of grain.. Kansas is smply BEAUTIFUL!!

I drove across The United States recently and Kansas was one of the states I came through. It took forever to get through Kansas and I think I was driving 90 miles per hour the whole way. I sort of had an appreciation driving across the great plains and seeing that there still is a significant amount of agriculture left in this country. The prairie go's on forever with nothing to look at for miles and miles but was intersepted by some rolling terrain that was pretty in some places. Honestly though I've never seen such trashy interstate highways (I-70) anywhere. This highway was a sea of billboards for fast food, cheap motels, right wing political messages, tacky roadside attractions like the worlds largest prairie dog and come see the 5 legged steer. I skipped all of that and kept driving (as fast as I could) but it seems they are desperate to lure you off the interstate here as they must know most people are just passing through. I did see an adult porno store with a billboard in front it that said Jesus Saves - pornography destroys. I laughed my ass of when I saw that. Seems Kansas is very non-progressive, backwards and just plain weird. What an awful place it must be to live.

Right wing for sure- and from what I have seen on the news filled with religous nut bags on a moral crusade. Flat-of course. Cheap living-yes. But do not be different here- you might find yourself miserable.

Definately a very flat state. There's not much to see, as you drive through it, it almost feels like you're seeing the same thing over and over again. I did enjoy the sunflowers all over. It's an okay place to see because it is different, but I would not enjoy living there, especially with the hot humid weather.

I saw the anti gay church members on TV recently in Mass. The where spewing incredible hate and intolerance in towns near Boston. This in fact does give Kansas a bad image as does the anti evolution crusaders. Perhaps many in Kansas do not support this kind of extremism- but it gives the state the aura of a backwater region.

A state with few instrinsic charms. Cheap living- but little sophistication- geographically boring- flat- Culturally backwards and not very tolerant of new ideas. Avoid at all costs.

This should be right at the bottom of all US states. Vastly overrated on this site. Arguably the most screwed up politics in the US. People still debate over evolution! Scary. Like Oklahoma, all of the ignorance of the deep south with none of the charm. Only upside is a suprising number of innovative businesses started here.

I heard a study that said that Kansas is flatter than a pancake (literally). If you've ever driven through here, you'd know that's the truth. Topeka is one of the largest cities in Kansas, but it's not that big and it's really dirty. The smaller towns have friendly people with small town mannerisms.

Kansas is Just like Paris Hilton. It's white, flat, and easy to enter!

I would not want to live or visit here- the state offers close to nothing for a newcomer or visitor.

Every time I fly over it going from one civilized place to another, I thank evolution that I don't live there.

flat and with lots of wheat- middle America at is best or worse- depending on your point of view. Too republican, and out of touch with what is going on in the rest of the US. As far as comparing anything in Kansas with Boston- well that is sort of a stretch. And as far as costs are concerned- prices in New England are high because of demand- putting it simply this is a desireable place to live. Health care is pricey everywhere- but then again Kansas has voted republican in every election since 1944 except once (1964)Every major civilized nation on earth has 'affordable' or free healthcare- lets see where Kansas 'thinks' as a red state and where the blue states 'think' and why those blue states inhabit most of the top 20 states on this list. That says alot about its 'progressive' thinking. And by the way- evolution is a theory- and a theory is based on the scientific method- based on empirical fact gathering. Religion is in fact not based on facts- but based on the thoughts and interpetation of men-higly subjective- thats why you are in Kansas and I am in Connecticut.

Kansas is beautiful, the cost of living is dirt cheap, the pay is good, and the living is easy. FYI-Wichita, KS and Boston, Ma have fairly the same population and average wage but in Ks the wage goes 3 times as far. Medical care is cheap and top notch to. There is a never-ending list of things to do in KS depending on what you like, there are lots of museums, theatres, sports events, parks, amusement parks, concerts, fishing, hunting, 4 star restaurants, clubs etc..I love jumping on a plan and going in any direction for dirt cheap to. KS is great. Only second to maybe Chicago. Oh yeah and it's clean, very clean and nice. Real Estate is Cheeeeaaapppp! Oh yeah about the evolution thing....evolution is a theory right? Why cant other theories be taught to?

Not a whole lot of negatives, not a whole lot of possitives, like its geographic location in America, just right average in the middle, so that is what i will rate it with in stars

We used to visit my Granparents in Kansas every Summer when I was a kid. They lived in the small town of Elkhart, near Liberal. After greeting and spending some time with them I had one thing on my mind - bugs! They had insects there that I never saw at home. I'd go out looking for all the various bugs to play with. The king of insects was the cicada (which the locals mistakenly called "locusts." They're not locusts. Locusts are like big grasshoppers). They fascinated me. My second favorite was the praying mantis. What a unique bug! Then there were all sorts of other crawling creatures that I didn't know the name of. Other than that, I remember Kansas as being flat and having hot Summers and friendly people.

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. Kansas has no mountains, no ocean, and very little geographic diversity of any kind. But don't write the state off just because it's mostly wheat fields. Sure, it might not be the most exciting destination in the U.S. to visit, but it's a great place to raise a family. It's inexpensive, it's not crowded, the people are nice, and it's centrally located so you're a short flight away from any other state in the continental U.S. Kansas City is in Missouri, but some really nice suburbs of KC are in Kansas, and some of them are right out of that movie "Pleasantville" (but in a good way, not a creepy repressed way). It's too bad that the recent controversy over teaching evolution in schools has to taint Kansas' image, because the vast majority of the people you'll find there are open-minded, genuine, and intelligent.

I think I saw a tree there once.

Great state to live in!! SO much more than just wheat fields like a lot of people probably think!! Safe, clean, great place to raise children!! Overland Park, KS rated #1 city in the nation to raise a family!! :) Many attractions to see! Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center in Hutchinson is the top space museum in the world-second only to the Smithsonian of which it is an affiliate!! More info @ www.ink.org!!!

I think that the Midwestern States are the worst to live because of the pathetic views and population densities.