USA Kansas - The People : USA  

USA Kansas - The People - Travel guide

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USA Kansas - The People

The People

In 2000 whites made up 86.1 percent of the population, blacks 5.7 percent, Asians 1.7 percent, Native Americans 0.9 percent, and those of mixed heritage or not reporting ethnicity 5.5 percent. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders numbered 1,313. Hispanics, who may be of any race, were 7 percent of the people. Although a few black people in Kansas live in rural areas, the majority live in the Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City metropolitan areas.

Germans, Swedes, and other groups from western Europe were important components of the early settlement of Kansas. Mexicans, Croatians, and Italians came shortly after 1900. In more recent decades, however, foreign-born residents have not been numerous. They numbered 2.5 percent of the state's total population in 1990.

The 1998 census put Kansas' population at 2,629,000. The State Capital is Topeka, other major cities or towns include Wichita, Kansas City, Overland Park, Olathe, Lawrence, Salina, Shawnee, Manhattan, Leavenworth.