Final answer:
Kansas' largest cities, like Wichita, Overland Park, Kansas City, and Topeka, have grown from central villages that attracted significant business and customer bases over the years, outpacing the growth of less centrally located towns.
Step-by-step explanation:
Some of Kansas' largest cities have grown from centrally located villages that attracted customers and merchants due to their convenient locations. Over time, these villages grew into towns and some into significant cities due to the accumulation of businesses and ongoing attraction of customers. The pattern of growth often resulted in a few dominant locations emerging as large cities, with smaller towns and villages not experiencing the same level of growth due to competition and less central locations.Key cities in Kansas that represent this growth model include Wichita, the largest city, known for its role in the aerospace industry. Other significant cities are Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City with a mix of residential and commercial development; Kansas City, which straddles the border with Missouri and is a major cultural and economic center; and the capital city of Topeka, which also plays a role in the state's political and historical context, as seen with events such as the clashes between Free-Soilers and proslavery advocates in 1856.These examples show how certain Kansas cities have grown substantially while others have remained small, based on the economic dynamics of location and resource attraction among communities in the state.