Emporia, KS mug

Emporia was founded in February 1857, drawing its name from ancient Carthaginian Africa. Emporia is particularly known for its newspaper, the Emporia Gazette, published in the first half of the 20th century by the legendary newspaperman William Allen White. The paper became the widely perceived model of excellence in small-town journalism. In 1953, Emporia was the site of the first Veterans Day observance in the United States. Emporia is located at 38°24′29″N, 96°11′13″W (38.408148, -96.187054) 6 in east-central Kansas. The Flinthills area around this town is a favorite place for the definer of this entry. Emporia State University was established in 1863 as the state’s first school for training teachers. 1993 President Clinton honors the first 10 inductees to the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) during a White House Rose Garden Ceremony. ESU is one of the founders of the NTHF. ESU was named a "top school" in six of its college and university ranking categories, being a school... that offers a high level of individual academic attention from faculty that is a hidden treasure offering the best career services that is responsive to individual student financial aid needs that offers the best value that the guidance counselors would attend if they could repeat their college years A special note in this last category: ESU was among the top ten schools in this category. The top ten were... California State-LA, Michigan State, Stanford, Texas A&M, UC-Berkeley, Notre Dame, Wisconsin-Madison, Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, Kansas State, and EMPORIA STATE! You may hear Emporia referred to as the birth place of the term "home grown hottie" or "Corn fed (beauty is almost always attached)" as the ladies and gentlemen in this Midwestern area tend to have a very distinctive charm and be exceptionally good looking. Some say it is as though the Gods themselves reached down and populated this almost untouched prairie haven. You will often hear the following terms associated with life in and around Emporia: Mudding, four wheeling, horseback riding, Fishin', huntin', dirt road driving i.e. beer drinking or pot smokin'. These Kansans tend to have a laid back way of looking at life but also will be the most decent and God fearing folks you will ever meet. This is most likely the result of being off spring of generations after generations of salt of the earth farmers. The children are of tough stock and do chores before standing in snow up to their thighs at 7am waiting on a bus to come around the corner of the old dirt road (there is no canceling school on account of a little rain/ice here). The women are not afraid of getting dirt on their hands and can often times skin a deer or scale a fish faster than you could imagine. I should also mention that the hunting in this area of the world is envied by most everyone from most everywhere. It's a virtual Garden of Eden for a wild life lover and or hunter. Aside from finding these Emporians in the woods you will often find them at the lake engaging in water sports.