KANSAS A PLEASANT SURPRISE

Kansas may not be on your radar, but that might just change. Monument Rocks, large chalk outcroppings rich with fossils, will challenge your perception that the whole state is flat. Prairie used to cover 170 million acres of North America, now less than four percent remains intact. The verdant Flint Hills and the windswept Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve reveal the true beauty of this unique biome. And although they’re man-made, the lavender fields north of Topeka are both fragrant and picturesque.

Kansas isn’t all rural plains though; the state is also home to several cities. The Wichita Art Museum is the largest of its kind in the state. While you’re there, take a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Allen House, or amble through the Botanica Wichita. In Overland Park, the secondmost populous city in the state, you can find the Museum at Prairiefire, an architectural fantasy that frequently displays exhibits from the best natural history museums in the country. The neighborhoods surrounding Overland Park have a strong sense of community and are exceptional places to live.

The state itself is 15% less expensive to live in compared to the rest of the country, and income taxes range from 3.10% to 5.70% on income over $30,000. The typical home in 2021 costs $173,000 and the effective real estate tax rate is 1.41%.