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Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses parts of Jackson County, Missouri, Clay County, Missouri, Cass County, Missouri, and Platte County, Missouri counties and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest in Missouri, which includes counties in both Missouri and Kansas. As of 2006, the city had an estimated population of 447,306, with a metro area of nearly two million.http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.csv Kansas City was founded in 1838 as the "Town of Kansas"http://www.kcmo.org/kcmo.nsf/web/kchistory?opendocument at the confluence of the Missouri River and Kansas River rivers and was incorporated in its present form in 1850. Situated opposite Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas, the city was the location of several battles during the American Civil War, including the Battle of Westport. The city is well known for its contributions to the musical styles of jazz and blues as well as to cuisine (Kansas City-style barbecue).

Abbreviations and nicknames Kansas City, Missouri, is often abbreviated as "KCMO", or simply "KC" (both abbreviations often refer to the Kansas City Metropolitan Area). It is officially nicknamed the City of Fountains, with over 200 examples, the city claims to have second most in the world, just behind Rome. The city also has more boulevards than any city except Paris and has often been called "Paris on the Great Plains." Informal nicknames include BBQ Capital of the World, and residents are known as Kansas Citians. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as the Heart of America as it is near both the Geographic centers of the United States and Mean center of U.S. population centers of the United States.

History founder Alexander Majors,Westport/Kansas City founder [John Calvin McCoy and Mountainman [Jim Bridger who owned Chouteau's Store next to Kelly's Kansas City, Missouri was incorporated in 1850. The Kansas City Metropolitan Area straddling the border between Missouri and Kansas at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers was considered a good place to build settlements.

Exploration and settlement The first documented European visit to Kansas City was Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, who was also the first European to explore the lower Missouri River. Criticized for his handling of a Native American attack of Fort Detroit, he had deserted his post as commander of the fort and was avoiding the French authorities. Bourgmont lived with a Native American wife in the Missouri (tribe) village about 90 miles east near Brunswick, Missouri, and illegally traded furs.

In order to clear his name, he wrote "Exact Description of Louisiana, of Its Harbors, Lands and Rivers, and Names of the Indian Tribes That Occupy It, and the Commerce and Advantages to Be Derived Therefrom for the Establishment of a Colony" in 1713 followed in 1714 by "The Route to Be Taken to Ascend the Missouri River." In the documents he describes the junction of the "Grande Riv des Cansez" and Missouri River, being the first to refer to them by those names. French cartographer Guillaume Delisle used the descriptions to make the first reasonably accurate map of the area.

The Spanish took over the region in the Treaty of Paris (1763) but were not to play a major role in the area other than taxing and licensing all traffic on the Missouri River. The French continued their fur trade on the river under Spanish license. The Chouteau family operated under the Spanish license at St. Louis, Missouri in the lower Missouri Valley as early as 1765, but it would be 1821 before the Chouteaus reached Kansas City, when François Chouteau established Chouteau's Landing.

After the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark visited the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, noting it was a good place to build a fort.

In 1833 John Calvin McCoy established Westport, Kansas City along the Santa Fe Trail, three miles away from the river. Then in 1834, McCoy established Westport, Kansas City on a bend in the Missouri River to serve as a landing point for West Port. Soon after, the Kansas Town Company, a group of investors, began to settle the area, taking their name from an English spelling of "Cansez." In 1850 the landing area was incorporated as the Town of Kansas.

By that time, the Town of Kansas, Westport, and nearby Independence, Missouri, had become critical points in America's Territorial acquisitions of the United States. Three major Historical roads and trails of the United Statess -- the Santa Fe Trail, California Trail, and Oregon Trail -- all originated in Jackson County, Missouri.

On February 22, 1853, the City of Kansas was created with a newly elected mayor. It had an area of 0.70 square miles and a population of 2,500. The boundary lines at that time extended from the middle of the Missouri River south to what is now Ninth Street, and from Bluff Street on the west to a point between Holmes Road and Charlotte Street on the east.

Civil War The area was ripe with animosity as the American Civil War approached. As citizens of a slave state, Missourians tended to sympathize with the southern states. With Kansas petitioning to enter the Union (American Civil War) under the new doctrine of popular sovereignty, many from the area crossed into Kansas to sway the state towards allowing slavery, at first by ballot box and then by bloodshed.

in Union StationDuring the Civil War, the City of Kansas was in the midst of battles, almost all of them victories by the Union. The First Battle of Independence in August 1862 stunted a Confederate States of America advance into northern Missouri (settled by pro-slavery Virginians), and the October 1864 Battle of Westport effectively ended Confederate efforts to occupy the city. However, a successful raid on nearby Lawrence, Kansas, led by William Quantrill forced General Thomas Ewing, Jr. to issue General Order No. 11 (1863), forcing the eviction of residents in four counties, including Jackson, except those living in the city and nearby communities and those whose allegiance to the Union was certified by Ewing.

Post-Civil War After the Civil War, the City of Kansas grew rapidly. The selection of the city over Leavenworth, Kansas, for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad bridge over the Missouri River brought about significant growth. The population exploded after 1869, when the Hannibal Bridge, designed by Octave Chanute, opened. The boom prompted a name change to Kansas City in 1889 and the city limits to extend south and east. Westport became part of Kansas City on December 2, 1897.

Kansas City, guided by architect George Kessler, became a forefront example of the City Beautiful movement, developing a network of boulevards and parks around the city. The relocation of Union Station (Kansas City) to its current location in 1914 and the opening of the Liberty Memorial in 1923 gave the city two of its most identifiable landmarks. Further spurring Kansas City's growth was the opening of the innovative Country Club Plaza development by Jesse Clyde Nichols in 1925 as part of his Country Club District plan.

Pendergast era At the turn of the century, political machines attempted to gain clout in the city, with the one led by Tom Pendergast emerging as the dominant machine by 1925. A new city charter passed that year made it easier for his Democratic Party machine to gain control of the city council (slimmed from 32 members to nine) and appoint a corrupt city manager. Several important buildings and structures were built during this time, to assist with the great depression-- all led by Pendergast, including the Kansas City City Hall and the Jackson County Courthouse-- both added new skyscrapers to the city's growing skyline. The machine fell in 1939 when Pendergast, riddled with health problems, pleaded guilty to tax evasion. The machine, however, gave rise to Harry S. Truman, who quickly became Kansas City's favorite son.

Post-World War II sprawl After World War II, the city experienced considerable sprawl, as the affluent populace left for suburbs like Johnson County, Kansas, and eastern Jackson County, Missouri. However, many also went north of the Missouri River, where Kansas City had incorporated areas between the 1940s to 1970s. The population of the urban core significantly dipped, while the city as a whole gained population.

The sprawl of the city mainly took shape after the "race riots" of the Civil Rights Movement in Kansas City. At this time, slums were also beginning to form in the inner city, and those who could afford to leave, left for the suburbs and outer edges of the city. The post-WWII idea of suburbs and the "American Dream" also contributed to the sprawl of the area. As the city continued to sprawl, the inner city also continued to decline.

In 1940, the city had about 400,000 residents; by 2000, the same area was home to only about 180,000. From 1940 to 1960, the city more than doubled its physical size, while increasing its population by only about 75,000. By 1970, the city had a total area of approximately 316 square miles, more than five times its size in 1940.

The future for sprawl in Kansas City is uncertain. Johnson County has continued to sprawl at a constant rate, and Clay County, Missouri, also has begun to sprawl once more. However recent revelations in urban planning have slowed sprawl and focused instead on the inner city, existing infrastructure and housing, as well as reviving the city's formerly blighted downtown. Uses of the New Urbanism style of planning is now also occurring in some of the most prominent suburban projects.

Notable Kansas City residents/natives











































































Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 318.0 square mile (823.7 square kilometre). 313.5 mi² (812.1 km²) of it is land and 4.5 mi² (11.6 km²) of it (1.41%) is water.

Kansas City is often imagined to be flat like Chicago, Manhattan or Dallas, but in fact it has many rolling hills. Much of urban Kansas City sits atop 100-200ft bluffs overlooking the rivers and river bottoms areas. Kansas City proper is bowl-shaped and is surrounded to the north and south by limestone and bedrock cliffs that were carved by glaciers. Kansas City is situated at the junction between the Dakota ice lobe and Minnesota ice lobes during the maximum late Independence glaciation of the Pleistocene Geologic time scale. The Kansas and Missouri rivers cut wide valleys into the terrain when the glaciers melted and drained. A partially filled spillway valley crosses the central portion of Kansas City, Missouri. This valley is an eastward continuation of Turkey Creek valley. Union Station (Kansas City) is located in this valley.

The city's tap water was recently rated the cleanest among the 50 largest cities in the United States, containing no detectable impurities.

Climate Kansas City lies near the geographic center of the contiguous United States, at the confluence of the second largest river in the country, the Missouri River, and the Kansas River (also known as the Kaw River). This makes for a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa) with moderate precipitation and extremes of hot and cold. Summers can be very humid, with moist air riding up from the Gulf of Mexico, and during July and August daytime highs can reach into the triple digits. Winters vary from mild days to bitterly cold, with lows reaching into the teens below zero a few times a year. Spring and autumn are pleasant and peppered with thunderstorms.

{| class="wikitable" width=100%! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080" height="17" | Month! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Jan! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Feb! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Mar! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Apr! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | May! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Jun! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Jul! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Aug! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Sep! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Oct! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Nov! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Dec! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Year|-! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Avg high °F
(°C)| style="background: #9999CC; color: black;" | 38
(3)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 44
(7)| style="background: #339933; color: black;" | 56
(13)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 67
(19)| style="background: #FF8800; color: black;" | 76
(24)| style="background: #FF0000; color: black;" | 86
(30)| style="background: #AE1D1D; color: black;" | 90
(32)| style="background: #FF0000; color: black;" | 89
(32)| style="background: #FF0000; color: black;" | 80
(27)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 69
(21)| style="background: #339933; color: black;" | 53
(12)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 42
(6)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 66
(19)|-! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" height="16;" | Avg low °F
(°C)| style="background: #6633CC; color: black;" | 21
(-6)| style="background: #6633CC; color: black;" | 26
(-3)| style="background: #9999CC; color: black;" | 36
(2)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 46
(8)| style="background: #339933; color: black;" | 57
(14)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 67
(19)| style="background: #FF8800; color: black;" | 72
(22)| style="background: #FF8800; color: black;" | 70
(21)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 61
(16)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 49
(9)| style="background: #9999CC; color: black;" | 36
(2)| style="background: #6633CC; color: black;" | 25
(-4)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 47
(8)|-! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Rainfall in inches
(millimeters)| style="background: #66CCFF;" | 1.13
(28.7)| style="background: #66CCFF;" | 1.02
(25.9)| style="background: #2288BB;" | 2.38
(60.5)| style="background: #2266AA;" | 3.27
(83.1)| style="background: #194470;" | 4.55
(115.6)| style="background: #194470;" | 4.73
(120.1)| style="background: #2266AA;" | 3.61
(91.7)| style="background: #2266AA;" | 3.62
(91.9)| style="background: #194470;" | 4.17
(105.9)| style="background: #2266AA;" | 3.28
(83.3)| style="background: #2288BB;" | 2.30
(58.4)| style="background: #66CCFF;" | 1.45
(36.8)| style="background: #44AADD;" | 35.51
(902)|}

Weather Kansas City is situated in "Tornado Alley," a broad region where cold air from the Rocky Mountains and Canada collides with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the formation of powerful storms. Kansas City has had many severe outbreaks of tornados, including the Kansas City Tornado Outbreak of May 1957, Kansas City Tornado Almanac, wdaftv4.com. Accessed Sept. 2006. and the May 2003 Tornado Outbreak Sequence, as well as other severe weather, most notably the Kansas City derecho in 1982. The region is also prone to Winter storm#Freezing rain and ice stormss, such as the 2002 Central Plains Ice Storm during which hundreds of thousands lost power for days and (in some cases) weeks. KC powerless as icy barrage pummels the area, leaves behind disaster zone, Accessed 10 September 2006. Kansas City and its outlying areas are also subject to flooding, including the Great Flood of 1993 and the Great Flood of 1951.

Cityscape on the Country Club Plaza at Night

Kansas City, Missouri, is organized into a system of more than 150 neighborhoods, some with histories as independent cities or the sites of major events.

Downtown, the center of the city, is currently undergoing major redevelopment. The urban core of the city has a variety of List of neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri, including historical Westport, Kansas City, the Crossroads Arts District, 18th and Vine Historic District, Pendleton Heights, Quality Hill, the West Bottoms and the River Market.

(shaded in red). Downtown Kansas City itself is established by city Local ordinance to stretch from the Missouri River south to 31st Street (beyond the bottom of this map), and from I-35 to Bruce R. WatkinsOther areas near Downtown Kansas City include:

The 39th Street District is known as Restaurant Row and features one of Kansas City's largest selections of independently owned restaurants and boutique shops. It is a center of literary and visual arts and bohemian culture.

Crown Center is the headquarters of Hallmark Cards and a major downtown shopping and entertainment complex. It is connected to Union Station by a series of covered walkways.

The Country Club Plaza, or simply "the Plaza," is an upscale, outdoor shopping and entertainment district. It was the first shopping district in the United States designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile, and is surrounded by apartments and condominiums, including a number of high rise buildings.

The associated Country Club District to the south includes the Sunset Hill and Brookside neighborhoods, and is traversed by Ward Parkway, a beautiful, landscaped boulevard known for its statuary, fountains and large, historic homes.

Kansas City's Union Station (Kansas City) is now home to Science City, restaurants, shopping, theaters, and the city's Amtrak facility.



Downtown redevelopment Downtown Kansas City is an area of 2.9 square miles bounded by the Missouri River to the north, 31st Street to the south, Bruce R. Watkins Drive (U.S. Highway 71) to the east and I-35 to the west.

After years of neglect and seas of parking lots, Downtown Kansas City is currently undergoing a period of change. Many residential properties have recently been or are currently under redevelopment. A planned entertainment district, which will be called the "Power & Light District", is being developed in the southern part of the downtown freeway loop (Kansas City) by the Cordish Company of Baltimore, Maryland; adjacent to the entertainment district will be a new arena, named the Sprint Center, which opened on October 10, 2007. The arena was designed by a consortium of local architects, and hopes to lure an National Basketball Association or NHL franchise to the city. Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group has invested in the arena project and will run its daily operations.

See Also: Downtown Kansas City Redevelopment

Parks and parkways Kansas City is well-known for its spacious parkways and numerous parks. The parkway system winds its way through the city with broad, landscaped medians that include statuary and fountains. One of the best examples is Ward Parkway on the west side of the city, near the Kansas State Line Road.Originally designed for aesthetics and minor automobile/horse and buggy traffic, many parkways were drastically altered to accommodate more and more vehicles, becoming minor freeways.

Swope Park is one of the nation's largest in-city parks, comprising 1,763 acres (2.75mi²), more than twice as big as New York's Central Park. It includes a full-fledged zoo, two golf courses, a lake, an amphitheatre, day-camp area, and numerous picnic grounds.

Kansas City has always had one of the nation's best urban forestry programs. At one time, almost all residential streets were planted with a solid canopy of American elms but Dutch elm disease devastated them. Most of the elms died and were replaced with a variety of other shade trees. A program is underway currently to replace many of the fast-growing American Sweetgum trees with hardwood varieties.http://www.kcmo.org/planning/pdf/focus/NA_reports/triblen.pdf

Demographics {{USCensusPop|1853= 2500|1860= 4418|1870= 32260|1880= 55785|1890= 132716|1900= 163752|1910= 248381|1920= 324410|1930= 399746|1940= 400178|1950= 456622|1960= 475539|1970= 507087|1980= 448159|1990 = 435146|2000= 441545-->{{demographics|city|441,545|183,981|107,444|543.7|1,408.2|202,334|645.3|249.2|60.68|31.23|0.48|1.85|0.11|3.21|2.44|6.93|28.1|38.0|16.0|41.6|34.1|9.4|2.35|3.06|25.4|9.7|32.5|20.6|11.7|34|93.3|89.9|37,198|46,012|35,132|27,548|20,753|14.3|11.1|20.2|10.5-->

The United States Census bureau updated their American Community Survey information in 2005 for Kansas City. Their study estimated a population of about 440,885 people, the margin of error was placed at +/- 9,193 people. Growth in Kansas City is increasing, with 3,618 housing permits granted in 2004 and 2005. As of 2005, about 210,000 households exist.

Economy Greater Kansas City is headquarters to 3 Fortune 500 companies (H&R Block, Embarq, and YRC Worldwide Inc.) and additional Fortune 1000 corporations (Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Great Plains Energy,Aquila, AMC Theatres, and DST Systems). Hallmark Cards's gross revenues certainly would qualify it for both lists, but it cannot be included because it is privately owned by the Donald J. Hall, Sr.. Numerous agriculture companies operate out of the city and the Kansas City Board of Trade is the principal trading center for hard red winter wheat — the principal ingredient of bread.

The business community is serviced by two major business magazines, the Kansas City Business Journal (published weekly) and Ingram's Magazine (published monthly), as well as numerous other smaller publications, including a local high society journal, the Independent (published weekly).'s new oblong headquarters in downtown Kansas City

Kansas City is literally "on the money." Federal Reserve Notes issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City are marked the letter "J" and/or number "10." The single dollar bills have Kansas City's name on them. Missouri is the only state to have two of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank headquarters (St. Louis also has a headquarters). Kansas City's effort to get the bank was helped by former Kansas City mayor James A. Reed who as senator broke a tie to get the Federal Reserve Act passed. A Foregone Conclusion: The Founding of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis by James Neal Primm - stlouisfed.org - Retrieved January 1, 2007. See also: List of foreign consulates in Kansas City, Missouri.

Law and government City government For a list of mayors of Kansas City see: List of mayors of Kansas City

Kansas City is home to the largest Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Government in the state of Missouri. The Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri of Kansas City is Mark Funkhouser, elected on March 27, 2007. The city has a city manager form of government, however the role of city manager has diminished over the years following excesses during the days of Tom Pendergast. The mayor is the head of the Kansas City, Missouri City Council, which has 12 members (one member for each district, plus one at large member per district), and the mayor himself is the presiding member. Kansas City holds city elections on odd numbered years (every four years unless there is a special reason). The last major city-wide election was May 2007, meaning the next one will be in May 2011.

From the late 19th Century to the mid 20th Century, Kansas City's municipal government was controlled by often corrupt olitical machines. Tom Pendergast was the most infamous leader of the party machine. The most nationally prominent Democrat associated with Pendergast's machine was Harry S. Truman, who became a Senator, Vice President of the United States and then President of the United States from 1945-1953.

Courts United States Courthouse in Downtown Kansas City, seat of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.Kansas City is the seat of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, one of two federal United States District Courts in Missouri (the other, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, is in St. Louis). It also is the seat of the Western District of the Law and Government of Missouri#Judicial, one of three districts of that court (the Eastern District is in St. Louis and the Southern District is in Springfield, Missouri).

Hosted national political conventions Kansas City has hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention, the 1928 Republican National Convention, which nominated Herbert Hoover from Iowa for President, and the memorable 1976 Republican National Convention, which nominated Kansas U.S. Senator Bob Dole for Vice President.

Kansas City consistently votes Democratic in Presidential elections, however on the state and local level Republicans often find some modest success, especially in the Northland and other parts of Kansas City that are predominately suburban.

Congressional representation Kansas City is represented by two members of the United States House of Representatives: Missouri

Crime As of October 30, 2006, Kansas City ranks as twenty first highest amount of crime in the United States, as reported by the FBI. 25 Safest Cities www.morganquinto.com Accessed Nov. 2006

Kansas City ranked sixth in rate of murders in the 2006 United States cities by crime rate for cities with populations more than 400,000. The entire Kansas City metropolitan area has the fourth worst violent crime rate among cities with more than 100,000 with a rate of 614.7 crimes per 100,000 residents. Kansas City Star September 26, 2006 "FBI crime data paint grim portrait" of KC by Kevin Collinson

Much of the city's murders and violent crimes occur in the city's inner city. The violent crime rates in the core have consistently driven the city and metropolitan area down on "livability" indexes, hindering initiatives in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to revive downtown Kansas City. In the 2000s attempts at revitalizing the downtown area have been more successful. Kansas City Area Development Council Downtown currently has one of the lowest crime rates in the urban core, and thousands more people have moved to this area. Other parts of the urban core with higher poverty levels remain places where crime is unabated.

Most of the crime has stemmed from recent gang wars in Kansas City that started in 2004 when local rappers Mac Dre and Fat Tone were killed. Mac Dre was allegedly killed by a local gang while returning to his hotel after a concert. Fat Tone was then killed in Las Vegas in retaliation for Mac Dre's death. Since their deaths, Kansas City has experienced local gang wars, which has involved some of the prominent local gangs. Police recently announced they had found the sources of a lot of the fighting and were concentrating their efforts on certain individuals and neighborhoods. Some of the recent homicide/shooting suspects had been caught before by the police for other homicides, but had to be released after the witnesses were either harmed or threatened. Police were hoping that they can possibly put an end to the gang violence and wars that have been the cause of most of the city's crime rate problems. The police increased pressure on gangs in 2007, capturing major and minor gang figures.

Some of the earliest violence in Kansas City erupted during the bloody American Civil War. Shortly after its founding in 1853, the Bleeding Kansas incidents erupted affecting border ruffians and Jayhawkers who both lived in the city. During the war, Union troops General Order № 11 (1863) in Jackson County south of Brush Creek and east of Blue Creek to Independence in an attempt to halt raids into Kansas.

After the war, the Kansas City Times turned Jesse James (outlaw) into a folk hero in its coverage. James was born in the metro area at Kearney, Missouri and robbed the Kansas City Fairgrounds at 12th and Campbell.

In the early 20th Century under "Boss" Tom Pendergast, Kansas City became the country's "most wide open town", with virtually no enforcement of liquor laws or hours. While this would give rise to Kansas City Jazz, it also led to the rise of the Kansas City mob (initially under Johnny Lazia) as well as the arrival of gangsters. The 1930s saw the Kansas City Massacre at Union Station (Kansas City), as well as a shootout between police and outlaws Bonnie and Clyde at the Red Crown Tavern near what is now Kansas City International Airport.

In the 1970s, the Kansas City mob was involved in a gangland war over control of the River Quay entertainment district in which three buildings were bombed and several gangsters were killed. Police investigations into the mob took hold after boss Nick Civella was recorded discussing gambling bets on Super Bowl IV (where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated Minnesota). The war and investigation would lead to the end of mob control of the Stardust Casino, which was the basis for the movie Casino (movie) (although the Kansas City connections are minimized in the movie).

Sister cities that is pointing in the direction of Seville.

Transportation First, it was at the confluence of the Missouri River and Kansas River and the launching pointing for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail, and California Trail trails. Then with the construction of the Hannibal Bridge across the Missouri River it became the central location for 11 trunk railroads. More rail traffic in terms of tonnage still passes through the city than any other city in the country. TWA located its headquarters in the city and had ambitious plans to turn the city into an air hub for the world.

Missouri and Kansas were the first states to start building interstates with Interstate 70. An ever increasing number of interstate loops has encouraged suburban sprawl. Interstate 435, which encircles the entire city, is the second longest beltway in the nation. Today, Kansas City and its metropolitan area has more miles of highway per person than any other city in the United States.

Airports Kansas City International Airport was built to the specifications of TWA to make a world hub for the supersonic transport and Boeing 747. Its passenger friendly design in which its gates were 100 feet from the street has, since the September 11, 2001 attacks, required a costly overhaul to retrofit it to incorporate elements of a more conventional security system. Recent proposals have suggested replacing the three terminals with a new single terminal situated south of the existing runways, thus allowing the airport to operate during construction and to shave miles off of the travel time from downtown and the southern suburbs. The airport is completely supported by user fees and receives no general fund support for operations.

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport was the original headquarters of Trans World Airlines and houses the Airline History Museum. It is still used for general aviation and airshows.

Mass transit Like most American cities, Kansas City's mass transit system was originally rail-based. An electric tram network that ran through the city until 1957. The rapid sprawl in the following years lead to this privately-run system to be shut down. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) was formed with the signing of a Bi-State compact created by the Missouri and Kansas legislatures on December 28, 1965. The compact gives the KCATA responsibility for planning, construction, owning and operating passenger transportation systems and facilities within the seven-county Kansas City metropolitan area. These include the counties of Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte in Missouri, and Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte in Kansas. The KCATA is governed by a 10-member Board of Commissioners, five from the state of Kansas and five from the state of Missouri.

The KCATA offers customers three types of service in the Kansas City area: 1) Fixed-route service along 75 routes 2) Share-A-Fare Paratransit service for the elderly and persons with disabilities 3) MetroFlex service which offers a combination of fixed-route and demand-response.

The base fare is $1.25 one-way, with a variety of passes available. On predicted Ozone Alert! Days from June 1 through September 30, the fare is $.50.

A light rail petition initiative was approved by voters in November 2006. The KCATA is currently conducting a federally mandated Alternatives Analysis study in an effort to gain federal funding toward a 12-mile starter system. The complete system is planned to run from the Kansas City Zoo north through downtown stopping at Union Station, the newly built Sprint Center and others. It will continue north across the Missouri River stopping at Zona Rosa and terminating at the Kansas City International Airport.

Bus rapid transit In July 2005, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) launched Kansas City’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line called "MAX" (Metro Area Express). MAX links the vibrant River Market, Downtown, Union Station, Crown Center and the Country Club Plaza. This corridor boasts over 150,000 jobs, as well as some of the area’s most prestigious real estate and treasured cultural amenities.

This $21 million project was the region’s most significant public transportation improvement in decades, providing quicker and more convenient service than the local bus routes. MAX is the spine for future transit expansions and a key component of the region’s long-range transit vision, Smart Moves.

By design, MAX operates and is marketed more like a rail system than a local bus line. A unique identity was created for MAX, including 13 modern diesel buses and easily identifiable “stations". MAX features state-of-the-art technology to deliver customers a high level of reliability, speed and comfort. Dedicated lanes during rush hour help give MAX a rapid, smooth ride, and special traffic signalization holds a green light longer, only if needed, to keep MAX on schedule. Limited stops resulted in reduced travel time between Downtown and the Plaza to about 10 minutes.

MAX has successfully attracted new riders who had not tried transit in Kansas City previously. In fact, 27% of MAX riders indicate they had not ridden transit prior to MAX and a full 77% say that as a result of their experience on MAX, they will now use other Metro routes more often. An average of 5,000 riders use the MAX line daily. It is augmented by the #57 local route, which shares most of the same stops.

The second MAX line is in the design phase and will launch in the Troost Avenue corridor in 2009. It will augment the #25 route, which has an average of 7,500 riders daily.

MAX runs seven days a week from 5am to 1am. During rush hour periods, the buses make stops about every 10 minutes. The one-way fare is $1.25.

Light rail



The KCATA will have its Alternatives Analysis complete in Spring 2008, at which time a recommended alternative will be presented.

Trolley/Streetcars

Culture Ethnic Culture There is a large community of Irish American in Kansas City which numbers around 250,000. The Irish Community includes a large number of bands, including Kansas City's own The Elders, multiple newspapers, the numerous Irish stores, including Browne's Irish Market, the oldest Irish owned business in North America, and the Irish Museum and Cultural Center is the new center of the community. The first book that detailed the history of the Irish in Kansas City was Missouri Irish, Irish Settlers on the American Frontier, published in 1984. The first podcast on the history of the Irish in Kansas City appeared in 2006, under the title of 'Missouri Irish'. It is also of some note that the leading publisher of Irish f {{Infobox Settlement|official_name = Kansas City, Missouri|settlement_type = City, [Clay County, Missouri, Platte County, Missouri, and Cass County, Missouri Counties in the state of Missouri.]|subdivision_type1 = Political divisions of the United States|subdivision_type2 = List of counties in Missouri|subdivision_name = United States|subdivision_name2 = [Jackson County, Missouri, Clay County, Missouri, Platte County, Missouri, Cass County, Missouri|government_type =|leader_title = Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri|leader_name = Mark Funkhouser|established_date = [March 28, 1853|utc_offset = -6|timezone_DST = [North American Central Time Zone|utc_offset_DST = -5|latd = 39 |latm = 06 |lats = 35 |latNS = N|longd = 94 |longm = 35 |longs = 19 |longEW = W|elevation_m = 277|elevation_ft = 910|website = http://www.kcmo.org/|postal_code_type =|postal_code =|area_code = Area code 816|blank_name = Federal Information Processing Standard|blank_info = 29-38000|blank1_name = Geographic Names Information System feature ID|blank1_info = 0748198|footnotes =-->

Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses parts of Jackson County, Missouri, Clay County, Missouri, Cass County, Missouri, and Platte County, Missouri counties and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest in Missouri, which includes counties in both Missouri and Kansas. As of 2006, the city had an estimated population of 447,306, with a metro area of nearly two million.http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.csv Kansas City was founded in 1838 as the "Town of Kansas"http://www.kcmo.org/kcmo.nsf/web/kchistory?opendocument at the confluence of the Missouri River and Kansas River rivers and was incorporated in its present form in 1850. Situated opposite Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas, the city was the location of several battles during the American Civil War, including the Battle of Westport. The city is well known for its contributions to the musical styles of jazz and blues as well as to cuisine (Kansas City-style barbecue).

Abbreviations and nicknames Kansas City, Missouri, is often abbreviated as "KCMO", or simply "KC" (both abbreviations often refer to the Kansas City Metropolitan Area). It is officially nicknamed the City of Fountains, with over 200 examples, the city claims to have second most in the world, just behind Rome. The city also has more boulevards than any city except Paris and has often been called "Paris on the Great Plains." Informal nicknames include BBQ Capital of the World, and residents are known as Kansas Citians. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as the Heart of America as it is near both the Geographic centers of the United States and Mean center of U.S. population centers of the United States.

History founder Alexander Majors,Westport/Kansas City founder [John Calvin McCoy and Mountainman [Jim Bridger who owned Chouteau's Store next to Kelly's Kansas City, Missouri was incorporated in 1850. The Kansas City Metropolitan Area straddling the border between Missouri and Kansas at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers was considered a good place to build settlements.

Exploration and settlement The first documented European visit to Kansas City was Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, who was also the first European to explore the lower Missouri River. Criticized for his handling of a Native American attack of Fort Detroit, he had deserted his post as commander of the fort and was avoiding the French authorities. Bourgmont lived with a Native American wife in the Missouri (tribe) village about 90 miles east near Brunswick, Missouri, and illegally traded furs.

In order to clear his name, he wrote "Exact Description of Louisiana, of Its Harbors, Lands and Rivers, and Names of the Indian Tribes That Occupy It, and the Commerce and Advantages to Be Derived Therefrom for the Establishment of a Colony" in 1713 followed in 1714 by "The Route to Be Taken to Ascend the Missouri River." In the documents he describes the junction of the "Grande Riv des Cansez" and Missouri River, being the first to refer to them by those names. French cartographer Guillaume Delisle used the descriptions to make the first reasonably accurate map of the area.

The Spanish took over the region in the Treaty of Paris (1763) but were not to play a major role in the area other than taxing and licensing all traffic on the Missouri River. The French continued their fur trade on the river under Spanish license. The Chouteau family operated under the Spanish license at St. Louis, Missouri in the lower Missouri Valley as early as 1765, but it would be 1821 before the Chouteaus reached Kansas City, when François Chouteau established Chouteau's Landing.

After the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark visited the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, noting it was a good place to build a fort.

In 1833 John Calvin McCoy established Westport, Kansas City along the Santa Fe Trail, three miles away from the river. Then in 1834, McCoy established Westport, Kansas City on a bend in the Missouri River to serve as a landing point for West Port. Soon after, the Kansas Town Company, a group of investors, began to settle the area, taking their name from an English spelling of "Cansez." In 1850 the landing area was incorporated as the Town of Kansas.

By that time, the Town of Kansas, Westport, and nearby Independence, Missouri, had become critical points in America's Territorial acquisitions of the United States. Three major Historical roads and trails of the United Statess -- the Santa Fe Trail, California Trail, and Oregon Trail -- all originated in Jackson County, Missouri.

On February 22, 1853, the City of Kansas was created with a newly elected mayor. It had an area of 0.70 square miles and a population of 2,500. The boundary lines at that time extended from the middle of the Missouri River south to what is now Ninth Street, and from Bluff Street on the west to a point between Holmes Road and Charlotte Street on the east.

Civil War The area was ripe with animosity as the American Civil War approached. As citizens of a slave state, Missourians tended to sympathize with the southern states. With Kansas petitioning to enter the Union (American Civil War) under the new doctrine of popular sovereignty, many from the area crossed into Kansas to sway the state towards allowing slavery, at first by ballot box and then by bloodshed.

in Union StationDuring the Civil War, the City of Kansas was in the midst of battles, almost all of them victories by the Union. The First Battle of Independence in August 1862 stunted a Confederate States of America advance into northern Missouri (settled by pro-slavery Virginians), and the October 1864 Battle of Westport effectively ended Confederate efforts to occupy the city. However, a successful raid on nearby Lawrence, Kansas, led by William Quantrill forced General Thomas Ewing, Jr. to issue General Order No. 11 (1863), forcing the eviction of residents in four counties, including Jackson, except those living in the city and nearby communities and those whose allegiance to the Union was certified by Ewing.

Post-Civil War After the Civil War, the City of Kansas grew rapidly. The selection of the city over Leavenworth, Kansas, for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad bridge over the Missouri River brought about significant growth. The population exploded after 1869, when the Hannibal Bridge, designed by Octave Chanute, opened. The boom prompted a name change to Kansas City in 1889 and the city limits to extend south and east. Westport became part of Kansas City on December 2, 1897.

Kansas City, guided by architect George Kessler, became a forefront example of the City Beautiful movement, developing a network of boulevards and parks around the city. The relocation of Union Station (Kansas City) to its current location in 1914 and the opening of the Liberty Memorial in 1923 gave the city two of its most identifiable landmarks. Further spurring Kansas City's growth was the opening of the innovative Country Club Plaza development by Jesse Clyde Nichols in 1925 as part of his Country Club District plan.

Pendergast era At the turn of the century, political machines attempted to gain clout in the city, with the one led by Tom Pendergast emerging as the dominant machine by 1925. A new city charter passed that year made it easier for his Democratic Party machine to gain control of the city council (slimmed from 32 members to nine) and appoint a corrupt city manager. Several important buildings and structures were built during this time, to assist with the great depression-- all led by Pendergast, including the Kansas City City Hall and the Jackson County Courthouse-- both added new skyscrapers to the city's growing skyline. The machine fell in 1939 when Pendergast, riddled with health problems, pleaded guilty to tax evasion. The machine, however, gave rise to Harry S. Truman, who quickly became Kansas City's favorite son.

Post-World War II sprawl After World War II, the city experienced considerable sprawl, as the affluent populace left for suburbs like Johnson County, Kansas, and eastern Jackson County, Missouri. However, many also went north of the Missouri River, where Kansas City had incorporated areas between the 1940s to 1970s. The population of the urban core significantly dipped, while the city as a whole gained population.

The sprawl of the city mainly took shape after the "race riots" of the Civil Rights Movement in Kansas City. At this time, slums were also beginning to form in the inner city, and those who could afford to leave, left for the suburbs and outer edges of the city. The post-WWII idea of suburbs and the "American Dream" also contributed to the sprawl of the area. As the city continued to sprawl, the inner city also continued to decline.

In 1940, the city had about 400,000 residents; by 2000, the same area was home to only about 180,000. From 1940 to 1960, the city more than doubled its physical size, while increasing its population by only about 75,000. By 1970, the city had a total area of approximately 316 square miles, more than five times its size in 1940.

The future for sprawl in Kansas City is uncertain. Johnson County has continued to sprawl at a constant rate, and Clay County, Missouri, also has begun to sprawl once more. However recent revelations in urban planning have slowed sprawl and focused instead on the inner city, existing infrastructure and housing, as well as reviving the city's formerly blighted downtown. Uses of the New Urbanism style of planning is now also occurring in some of the most prominent suburban projects.

Notable Kansas City residents/natives











































































Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 318.0 square mile (823.7 square kilometre). 313.5 mi² (812.1 km²) of it is land and 4.5 mi² (11.6 km²) of it (1.41%) is water.

Kansas City is often imagined to be flat like Chicago, Manhattan or Dallas, but in fact it has many rolling hills. Much of urban Kansas City sits atop 100-200ft bluffs overlooking the rivers and river bottoms areas. Kansas City proper is bowl-shaped and is surrounded to the north and south by limestone and bedrock cliffs that were carved by glaciers. Kansas City is situated at the junction between the Dakota ice lobe and Minnesota ice lobes during the maximum late Independence glaciation of the Pleistocene Geologic time scale. The Kansas and Missouri rivers cut wide valleys into the terrain when the glaciers melted and drained. A partially filled spillway valley crosses the central portion of Kansas City, Missouri. This valley is an eastward continuation of Turkey Creek valley. Union Station (Kansas City) is located in this valley.

The city's tap water was recently rated the cleanest among the 50 largest cities in the United States, containing no detectable impurities.

Climate Kansas City lies near the geographic center of the contiguous United States, at the confluence of the second largest river in the country, the Missouri River, and the Kansas River (also known as the Kaw River). This makes for a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa) with moderate precipitation and extremes of hot and cold. Summers can be very humid, with moist air riding up from the Gulf of Mexico, and during July and August daytime highs can reach into the triple digits. Winters vary from mild days to bitterly cold, with lows reaching into the teens below zero a few times a year. Spring and autumn are pleasant and peppered with thunderstorms.

{| class="wikitable" width=100%! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080" height="17" | Month! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Jan! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Feb! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Mar! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Apr! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | May! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Jun! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Jul! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Aug! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Sep! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Oct! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Nov! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Dec! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Year|-! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Avg high °F
(°C)| style="background: #9999CC; color: black;" | 38
(3)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 44
(7)| style="background: #339933; color: black;" | 56
(13)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 67
(19)| style="background: #FF8800; color: black;" | 76
(24)| style="background: #FF0000; color: black;" | 86
(30)| style="background: #AE1D1D; color: black;" | 90
(32)| style="background: #FF0000; color: black;" | 89
(32)| style="background: #FF0000; color: black;" | 80
(27)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 69
(21)| style="background: #339933; color: black;" | 53
(12)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 42
(6)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 66
(19)|-! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" height="16;" | Avg low °F
(°C)| style="background: #6633CC; color: black;" | 21
(-6)| style="background: #6633CC; color: black;" | 26
(-3)| style="background: #9999CC; color: black;" | 36
(2)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 46
(8)| style="background: #339933; color: black;" | 57
(14)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 67
(19)| style="background: #FF8800; color: black;" | 72
(22)| style="background: #FF8800; color: black;" | 70
(21)| style="background: #FFDD00; color: black;" | 61
(16)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 49
(9)| style="background: #9999CC; color: black;" | 36
(2)| style="background: #6633CC; color: black;" | 25
(-4)| style="background: #99FF33; color: black;" | 47
(8)|-! style="background: #CCCCCC; color:#000080;" | Rainfall in inches
(millimeters)| style="background: #66CCFF;" | 1.13
(28.7)| style="background: #66CCFF;" | 1.02
(25.9)| style="background: #2288BB;" | 2.38
(60.5)| style="background: #2266AA;" | 3.27
(83.1)| style="background: #194470;" | 4.55
(115.6)| style="background: #194470;" | 4.73
(120.1)| style="background: #2266AA;" | 3.61
(91.7)| style="background: #2266AA;" | 3.62
(91.9)| style="background: #194470;" | 4.17
(105.9)| style="background: #2266AA;" | 3.28
(83.3)| style="background: #2288BB;" | 2.30
(58.4)| style="background: #66CCFF;" | 1.45
(36.8)| style="background: #44AADD;" | 35.51
(902)|}

Weather Kansas City is situated in "Tornado Alley," a broad region where cold air from the Rocky Mountains and Canada collides with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the formation of powerful storms. Kansas City has had many severe outbreaks of tornados, including the Kansas City Tornado Outbreak of May 1957, Kansas City Tornado Almanac, wdaftv4.com. Accessed Sept. 2006. and the May 2003 Tornado Outbreak Sequence, as well as other severe weather, most notably the Kansas City derecho in 1982. The region is also prone to Winter storm#Freezing rain and ice stormss, such as the 2002 Central Plains Ice Storm during which hundreds of thousands lost power for days and (in some cases) weeks. KC powerless as icy barrage pummels the area, leaves behind disaster zone, Accessed 10 September 2006. Kansas City and its outlying areas are also subject to flooding, including the Great Flood of 1993 and the Great Flood of 1951.

Cityscape on the Country Club Plaza at Night

Kansas City, Missouri, is organized into a system of more than 150 neighborhoods, some with histories as independent cities or the sites of major events.

Downtown, the center of the city, is currently undergoing major redevelopment. The urban core of the city has a variety of List of neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri, including historical Westport, Kansas City, the Crossroads Arts District, 18th and Vine Historic District, Pendleton Heights, Quality Hill, the West Bottoms and the River Market.

(shaded in red). Downtown Kansas City itself is established by city Local ordinance to stretch from the Missouri River south to 31st Street (beyond the bottom of this map), and from I-35 to Bruce R. WatkinsOther areas near Downtown Kansas City include:

The 39th Street District is known as Restaurant Row and features one of Kansas City's largest selections of independently owned restaurants and boutique shops. It is a center of literary and visual arts and bohemian culture.

Crown Center is the headquarters of Hallmark Cards and a major downtown shopping and entertainment complex. It is connected to Union Station by a series of covered walkways.

The Country Club Plaza, or simply "the Plaza," is an upscale, outdoor shopping and entertainment district. It was the first shopping district in the United States designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile, and is surrounded by apartments and condominiums, including a number of high rise buildings.

The associated Country Club District to the south includes the Sunset Hill and Brookside neighborhoods, and is traversed by Ward Parkway, a beautiful, landscaped boulevard known for its statuary, fountains and large, historic homes.

Kansas City's Union Station (Kansas City) is now home to Science City, restaurants, shopping, theaters, and the city's Amtrak facility.



Downtown redevelopment Downtown Kansas City is an area of 2.9 square miles bounded by the Missouri River to the north, 31st Street to the south, Bruce R. Watkins Drive (U.S. Highway 71) to the east and I-35 to the west.

After years of neglect and seas of parking lots, Downtown Kansas City is currently undergoing a period of change. Many residential properties have recently been or are currently under redevelopment. A planned entertainment district, which will be called the "Power & Light District", is being developed in the southern part of the downtown freeway loop (Kansas City) by the Cordish Company of Baltimore, Maryland; adjacent to the entertainment district will be a new arena, named the Sprint Center, which opened on October 10, 2007. The arena was designed by a consortium of local architects, and hopes to lure an National Basketball Association or NHL franchise to the city. Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group has invested in the arena project and will run its daily operations.

See Also: Downtown Kansas City Redevelopment

Parks and parkways Kansas City is well-known for its spacious parkways and numerous parks. The parkway system winds its way through the city with broad, landscaped medians that include statuary and fountains. One of the best examples is Ward Parkway on the west side of the city, near the Kansas State Line Road.Originally designed for aesthetics and minor automobile/horse and buggy traffic, many parkways were drastically altered to accommodate more and more vehicles, becoming minor freeways.

Swope Park is one of the nation's largest in-city parks, comprising 1,763 acres (2.75mi²), more than twice as big as New York's Central Park. It includes a full-fledged zoo, two golf courses, a lake, an amphitheatre, day-camp area, and numerous picnic grounds.

Kansas City has always had one of the nation's best urban forestry programs. At one time, almost all residential streets were planted with a solid canopy of American elms but Dutch elm disease devastated them. Most of the elms died and were replaced with a variety of other shade trees. A program is underway currently to replace many of the fast-growing American Sweetgum trees with hardwood varieties.http://www.kcmo.org/planning/pdf/focus/NA_reports/triblen.pdf

Demographics {{USCensusPop|1853= 2500|1860= 4418|1870= 32260|1880= 55785|1890= 132716|1900= 163752|1910= 248381|1920= 324410|1930= 399746|1940= 400178|1950= 456622|1960= 475539|1970= 507087|1980= 448159|1990 = 435146|2000= 441545-->{{demographics|city|441,545|183,981|107,444|543.7|1,408.2|202,334|645.3|249.2|60.68|31.23|0.48|1.85|0.11|3.21|2.44|6.93|28.1|38.0|16.0|41.6|34.1|9.4|2.35|3.06|25.4|9.7|32.5|20.6|11.7|34|93.3|89.9|37,198|46,012|35,132|27,548|20,753|14.3|11.1|20.2|10.5-->

The United States Census bureau updated their American Community Survey information in 2005 for Kansas City. Their study estimated a population of about 440,885 people, the margin of error was placed at +/- 9,193 people. Growth in Kansas City is increasing, with 3,618 housing permits granted in 2004 and 2005. As of 2005, about 210,000 households exist.

Economy Greater Kansas City is headquarters to 3 Fortune 500 companies (H&R Block, Embarq, and YRC Worldwide Inc.) and additional Fortune 1000 corporations (Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Great Plains Energy,Aquila, AMC Theatres, and DST Systems). Hallmark Cards's gross revenues certainly would qualify it for both lists, but it cannot be included because it is privately owned by the Donald J. Hall, Sr.. Numerous agriculture companies operate out of the city and the Kansas City Board of Trade is the principal trading center for hard red winter wheat — the principal ingredient of bread.

The business community is serviced by two major business magazines, the Kansas City Business Journal (published weekly) and Ingram's Magazine (published monthly), as well as numerous other smaller publications, including a local high society journal, the Independent (published weekly).'s new oblong headquarters in downtown Kansas City

Kansas City is literally "on the money." Federal Reserve Notes issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City are marked the letter "J" and/or number "10." The single dollar bills have Kansas City's name on them. Missouri is the only state to have two of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank headquarters (St. Louis also has a headquarters). Kansas City's effort to get the bank was helped by former Kansas City mayor James A. Reed who as senator broke a tie to get the Federal Reserve Act passed. A Foregone Conclusion: The Founding of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis by James Neal Primm - stlouisfed.org - Retrieved January 1, 2007. See also: List of foreign consulates in Kansas City, Missouri.

Law and government City government For a list of mayors of Kansas City see: List of mayors of Kansas City

Kansas City is home to the largest Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Government in the state of Missouri. The Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri of Kansas City is Mark Funkhouser, elected on March 27, 2007. The city has a city manager form of government, however the role of city manager has diminished over the years following excesses during the days of Tom Pendergast. The mayor is the head of the Kansas City, Missouri City Council, which has 12 members (one member for each district, plus one at large member per district), and the mayor himself is the presiding member. Kansas City holds city elections on odd numbered years (every four years unless there is a special reason). The last major city-wide election was May 2007, meaning the next one will be in May 2011.

From the late 19th Century to the mid 20th Century, Kansas City's municipal government was controlled by often corrupt olitical machines. Tom Pendergast was the most infamous leader of the party machine. The most nationally prominent Democrat associated with Pendergast's machine was Harry S. Truman, who became a Senator, Vice President of the United States and then President of the United States from 1945-1953.

Courts United States Courthouse in Downtown Kansas City, seat of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.Kansas City is the seat of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, one of two federal United States District Courts in Missouri (the other, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, is in St. Louis). It also is the seat of the Western District of the Law and Government of Missouri#Judicial, one of three districts of that court (the Eastern District is in St. Louis and the Southern District is in Springfield, Missouri).

Hosted national political conventions Kansas City has hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention, the 1928 Republican National Convention, which nominated Herbert Hoover from Iowa for President, and the memorable 1976 Republican National Convention, which nominated Kansas U.S. Senator Bob Dole for Vice President.

Kansas City consistently votes Democratic in Presidential elections, however on the state and local level Republicans often find some modest success, especially in the Northland and other parts of Kansas City that are predominately suburban.

Congressional representation Kansas City is represented by two members of the United States House of Representatives: Missouri

Crime As of October 30, 2006, Kansas City ranks as twenty first highest amount of crime in the United States, as reported by the FBI. 25 Safest Cities www.morganquinto.com Accessed Nov. 2006

Kansas City ranked sixth in rate of murders in the 2006 United States cities by crime rate for cities with populations more than 400,000. The entire Kansas City metropolitan area has the fourth worst violent crime rate among cities with more than 100,000 with a rate of 614.7 crimes per 100,000 residents. Kansas City Star September 26, 2006 "FBI crime data paint grim portrait" of KC by Kevin Collinson

Much of the city's murders and violent crimes occur in the city's inner city. The violent crime rates in the core have consistently driven the city and metropolitan area down on "livability" indexes, hindering initiatives in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to revive downtown Kansas City. In the 2000s attempts at revitalizing the downtown area have been more successful. Kansas City Area Development Council Downtown currently has one of the lowest crime rates in the urban core, and thousands more people have moved to this area. Other parts of the urban core with higher poverty levels remain places where crime is unabated.

Most of the crime has stemmed from recent gang wars in Kansas City that started in 2004 when local rappers Mac Dre and Fat Tone were killed. Mac Dre was allegedly killed by a local gang while returning to his hotel after a concert. Fat Tone was then killed in Las Vegas in retaliation for Mac Dre's death. Since their deaths, Kansas City has experienced local gang wars, which has involved some of the prominent local gangs. Police recently announced they had found the sources of a lot of the fighting and were concentrating their efforts on certain individuals and neighborhoods. Some of the recent homicide/shooting suspects had been caught before by the police for other homicides, but had to be released after the witnesses were either harmed or threatened. Police were hoping that they can possibly put an end to the gang violence and wars that have been the cause of most of the city's crime rate problems. The police increased pressure on gangs in 2007, capturing major and minor gang figures.

Some of the earliest violence in Kansas City erupted during the bloody American Civil War. Shortly after its founding in 1853, the Bleeding Kansas incidents erupted affecting border ruffians and Jayhawkers who both lived in the city. During the war, Union troops General Order № 11 (1863) in Jackson County south of Brush Creek and east of Blue Creek to Independence in an attempt to halt raids into Kansas.

After the war, the Kansas City Times turned Jesse James (outlaw) into a folk hero in its coverage. James was born in the metro area at Kearney, Missouri and robbed the Kansas City Fairgrounds at 12th and Campbell.

In the early 20th Century under "Boss" Tom Pendergast, Kansas City became the country's "most wide open town", with virtually no enforcement of liquor laws or hours. While this would give rise to Kansas City Jazz, it also led to the rise of the Kansas City mob (initially under Johnny Lazia) as well as the arrival of gangsters. The 1930s saw the Kansas City Massacre at Union Station (Kansas City), as well as a shootout between police and outlaws Bonnie and Clyde at the Red Crown Tavern near what is now Kansas City International Airport.

In the 1970s, the Kansas City mob was involved in a gangland war over control of the River Quay entertainment district in which three buildings were bombed and several gangsters were killed. Police investigations into the mob took hold after boss Nick Civella was recorded discussing gambling bets on Super Bowl IV (where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated Minnesota). The war and investigation would lead to the end of mob control of the Stardust Casino, which was the basis for the movie Casino (movie) (although the Kansas City connections are minimized in the movie).

Sister cities that is pointing in the direction of Seville.

Transportation First, it was at the confluence of the Missouri River and Kansas River and the launching pointing for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail, and California Trail trails. Then with the construction of the Hannibal Bridge across the Missouri River it became the central location for 11 trunk railroads. More rail traffic in terms of tonnage still passes through the city than any other city in the country. TWA located its headquarters in the city and had ambitious plans to turn the city into an air hub for the world.

Missouri and Kansas were the first states to start building interstates with Interstate 70. An ever increasing number of interstate loops has encouraged suburban sprawl. Interstate 435, which encircles the entire city, is the second longest beltway in the nation. Today, Kansas City and its metropolitan area has more miles of highway per person than any other city in the United States.

Airports Kansas City International Airport was built to the specifications of TWA to make a world hub for the supersonic transport and Boeing 747. Its passenger friendly design in which its gates were 100 feet from the street has, since the September 11, 2001 attacks, required a costly overhaul to retrofit it to incorporate elements of a more conventional security system. Recent proposals have suggested replacing the three terminals with a new single terminal situated south of the existing runways, thus allowing the airport to operate during construction and to shave miles off of the travel time from downtown and the southern suburbs. The airport is completely supported by user fees and receives no general fund support for operations.

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport was the original headquarters of Trans World Airlines and houses the Airline History Museum. It is still used for general aviation and airshows.

Mass transit Like most American cities, Kansas City's mass transit system was originally rail-based. An electric tram network that ran through the city until 1957. The rapid sprawl in the following years lead to this privately-run system to be shut down. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) was formed with the signing of a Bi-State compact created by the Missouri and Kansas legislatures on December 28, 1965. The compact gives the KCATA responsibility for planning, construction, owning and operating passenger transportation systems and facilities within the seven-county Kansas City metropolitan area. These include the counties of Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte in Missouri, and Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte in Kansas. The KCATA is governed by a 10-member Board of Commissioners, five from the state of Kansas and five from the state of Missouri.

The KCATA offers customers three types of service in the Kansas City area: 1) Fixed-route service along 75 routes 2) Share-A-Fare Paratransit service for the elderly and persons with disabilities 3) MetroFlex service which offers a combination of fixed-route and demand-response.

The base fare is $1.25 one-way, with a variety of passes available. On predicted Ozone Alert! Days from June 1 through September 30, the fare is $.50.

A light rail petition initiative was approved by voters in November 2006. The KCATA is currently conducting a federally mandated Alternatives Analysis study in an effort to gain federal funding toward a 12-mile starter system. The complete system is planned to run from the Kansas City Zoo north through downtown stopping at Union Station, the newly built Sprint Center and others. It will continue north across the Missouri River stopping at Zona Rosa and terminating at the Kansas City International Airport.

Bus rapid transit In July 2005, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) launched Kansas City’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line called "MAX" (Metro Area Express). MAX links the vibrant River Market, Downtown, Union Station, Crown Center and the Country Club Plaza. This corridor boasts over 150,000 jobs, as well as some of the area’s most prestigious real estate and treasured cultural amenities.

This $21 million project was the region’s most significant public transportation improvement in decades, providing quicker and more convenient service than the local bus routes. MAX is the spine for future transit expansions and a key component of the region’s long-range transit vision, Smart Moves.

By design, MAX operates and is marketed more like a rail system than a local bus line. A unique identity was created for MAX, including 13 modern diesel buses and easily identifiable “stations". MAX features state-of-the-art technology to deliver customers a high level of reliability, speed and comfort. Dedicated lanes during rush hour help give MAX a rapid, smooth ride, and special traffic signalization holds a green light longer, only if needed, to keep MAX on schedule. Limited stops resulted in reduced travel time between Downtown and the Plaza to about 10 minutes.

MAX has successfully attracted new riders who had not tried transit in Kansas City previously. In fact, 27% of MAX riders indicate they had not ridden transit prior to MAX and a full 77% say that as a result of their experience on MAX, they will now use other Metro routes more often. An average of 5,000 riders use the MAX line daily. It is augmented by the #57 local route, which shares most of the same stops.

The second MAX line is in the design phase and will launch in the Troost Avenue corridor in 2009. It will augment the #25 route, which has an average of 7,500 riders daily.

MAX runs seven days a week from 5am to 1am. During rush hour periods, the buses make stops about every 10 minutes. The one-way fare is $1.25.

Light rail



The KCATA will have its Alternatives Analysis complete in Spring 2008, at which time a recommended alternative will be presented.

Trolley/Streetcars

Culture Ethnic Culture There is a large community of Irish American in Kansas City which numbers around 250,000. The Irish Community includes a large number of bands, including Kansas City's own The Elders, multiple newspapers, the numerous Irish stores, including Browne's Irish Market, the oldest Irish owned business in North America, and the Irish Museum and Cultural Center is the new center of the community. The first book that detailed the history of the Irish in Kansas City was Missouri Irish, Irish Settlers on the American Frontier, published in 1984. The first podcast on the history of the Irish in Kansas City appeared in 2006, under the title of 'Missouri Irish'. It is also of some note that the leading publisher of Irish f

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Kansas City is the largest city in the state of Missouri. It encompasses 318 square miles (820 km²) in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties.

Kansas City Metropolitan Area - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri straddling the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas.

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