Kansas QuickInfo Est. Pop.: 2,694,511 Capital: Topeka Statehood: 1861 Nickname: Sunflower State Motto: Ad astra per aspera Official Website Census Info Fun KS Factoid Wyatt Earp, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok and William B. "Bat" Masterson were three of the legendary lawmen who kept the peace in rowdy frontier towns like Abilene, Dodge City, Ellsworth, Hays, and Wichita.