10 Things Only Us Kansans Understand

Now that the Missouri Tigers dropped out of the Big 12 College Conference, the Boarder Wars between Kansas and Missouri are no longer the biggest rivalry.

It’s KU Jayhawks or the K-State Wildcats in The Sunflower Showdown. Will you do the Wabash or chant the Rock Chalk mantra?

When giving measurements in distance, it makes more sense to give you an estimated time rather than miles.

If you tell us how many miles away something is, our next question will be how many hours is the drive. Miles do not matter. If you ask someone where they are from in Kansas, the answer would most likely be “about (so many) hours away from the (most known city it is closest to)”.

The parking lot of Walmart can be more fun than you might think.

It’s a traditional gathering spot after practices or ball games. Many teens have even spent an entire summer evening there. Other go-to spots to hang out are the local Sonic or Dairy Queen.

The only way you can get the correct weather here is by looking outside.

Predictions are only trusted for the day of ,and even then we get skeptical. Rain, snow, tornados, sunshine have been known to all occur on the same day. We like the constant change, though. If it stays the same for too long, restlessness begins take over. If we wanted weeks of rain at a time, we’d live in Oregon.

Pop is not a person.

Other areas in the US use the term ‘soda’, ‘soda pop’, and ‘Coke’, but for us, it’s all ‘pop’.

And to keep the pop or beer cold, you need to keep Cozies Kansans on hand.

Pronounced Koo-zees (NOT koh-zees), cozies are passed out at essentially every event trying to promote itself and you can bet people grab those things by the armful to stash away. Hell, even weddings are now passing them out with cute catchy phrases and the wedding date. For example one said “To have and to hold, and to keep your beer cold”.

Kansas will give you a spectacular sky show if you stick around long enough.

We will argue that Kansas has one of the best sunsets you will ever see. As the sun goes below the horizon, whether you are near wheat fields on gravel roads, on your front porch in a small town, or in the city with the sky reflecting off the buildings, we never get tired of the exuberant reds, oranges, blues, and purples.

The windiest U.S. city is not Chicago.

That title actually belongs to the Western Kansas town of Dodge City. Spring wind speeds reach 14.40 MPH on average – 58% higher than in the rest of the U.S.

Biscuits and gravy are our version of grits.

There’s nothing more Kansan than rich, white, peppered gravy smothered over warm, buttered, fluffy biscuits. Unless you’re from here, you’ll probably dismiss this dish and find it not very appetizing. Your loss.