Kansas City, Missouri
Flag Seal
Nickname: "City of Fountains" and "Heart of the Nation"
Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri.
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Counties	Jackson, Clay, Platte, Cass
Incorporated	March 28, 1853
Government
- Mayor	Mark Funkhouser
Area
- City	318.0 sq mi (823.7 km)
- Land	313.5 sq mi (812.1 km)
- Water	4.5 sq mi (11.6 km)
- Urban	584.4 sq mi (1513.6 km)
Elevation	910 ft (277 m)
Population (2006) [1][2][3]
- City	447,306
- Density	1,406.6/sq mi (543/km)
- Urban	1,361,744
- Metro	1,947,694
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	816
FIPS code	29-38000GR2
GNIS feature ID	0748198GR3
Website: [1]

Kansas City is the largest city in the state of Missouri. It encompasses parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte 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^[4], with a metro area of nearly two million.^[5] Kansas City was founded in 1838 as the "Town of Kansas"^[6] at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers and was incorporated in its present form in 1850. Situated opposite Kansas City, Kansas, the city was the location of several battles during the 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 metro 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.^[7] The city also has more boulevards than any city except Paris and has often been called "Paris on the 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 and population centers of the United States.

History

Main article: History of Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri was incorporated in 1850. The territory 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 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[iere] 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 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 McCoy established West Port along the Santa Fe Trail, three miles away from the river. Then in 1834, McCoy established Westport Landing 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.^[8]

By that time, the Town of Kansas, Westport, and nearby Independence, had become critical points in America's westward expansion. Three major trails -- the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon -- all originated in Jackson County.

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.^[9]

Civil War

The area was ripe with animosity as the Civil War approached. As citizens of a slave state, Missourians tended to sympathize with the southern states. With Kansas petitioning to enter the Union 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.

During the Civil War, the City of Kansas was in the midst of battles, almost all of them victories by the Union. The Battle of Independence in August 1862 stunted a Confederate 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 to issue General Order No. 11, 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 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 J.C. 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

• Robert Altman, acclaimed film director
• Burt Bacharach, pianist and composer
• Thomas Hart Benton, American muralist of the Regionalist school
• Johnathan Coachman, WWE Wrestler/Former General Manager
• Early screen actors Noah Beery and Wallace Beery
• Charles Ragland Bunnell, artist
• Don Cheadle, Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor
• Evan S. Connell, writer
• Chris Cooper, Academy Award-winning American film actor
• Joan Crawford, movie actress
• Walter Cronkite, broadcast journalist
• Walt Disney moved to Kansas City and established his first animation studio, Laugh-O-Gram Studio, at 31st and Locust streets in 1923
• David Dreier, a Republican Congressman for California
• David F. Duncan, health scientist and Presidential advisor
• Tony Dungy, NFL Super Bowl winning heach coach
• Eddie Griffin, comedian and actor
• Joyce Hall, American businessman, founder of Hallmark Cards
• Jean Harlow, American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s
• Robert A. Heinlein, Science fiction writer (Many of Heinlein's stories take place in Kansas City (or its analogue) and in areas nearby)
• Ernest Hemingway wrote for the Kansas City Star during World War I
• Clarence M. Kelley, F.B.I. Director
• John Kander, American composer of a series of musical theatre successes as part of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb
• Ewing Kauffman, pharmaceutical entrepreneur, philanthropist, and beloved Major League Baseball owner of the Kansas City Royals
• Pat Metheny, jazz guitarist and composer
• William Least Heat Moon, writer
• Wayne Nelson, lead singer of the classic rock's Little River Band
• Satchel Paige, Baseball pitcher in the Negro League and Major League Baseball, inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Charlie Parker, noted jazz musician
• Albert Pujols, Major League Baseball player
• Ginger Rogers, actress and entertainer
• Paul Rudd, film and television actor
• Craig Stevens, actor
• Virgil Thomson, American composer
• Eddie Timanus, First blind Jeopardy! contestant and sportswriter for USA Today
• Calvin Trillin, American journalist, humorist, and novelist
• Big Joe Turner, "The Boss of the Blues", noted jazz, blues, and rock n' roll singer
• Aaron Yates, rap and hip-hop artist, known by his pseudonym, Tech N9ne
• Puddle of Mudd, Post-grunge band

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 318.0 mi² (823.7 km²). 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 and Minnesota ice lobes during the maximum late Independence glaciation of the Pleistocene epoch. 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 is located in this valley.^[10]

The city's municipal water was recently rated the cleanest among the 50 largest cities in the United States, containing no detectable impurities.^[11]

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.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Avg high °F (°C)	38 (3)	44 (7)	56 (13)	67 (19)	76 (24)	86 (30)	90 (32)	89 (32)	80 (27)	69 (21)	53 (12)	42 (6)	66 (19)
Avg low °F (°C)	21 (-6)	26 (-3)	36 (2)	46 (8)	57 (14)	67 (19)	72 (22)	70 (21)	61 (16)	49 (9)	36 (2)	25 (-4)	47 (8)
Rainfall in inches (millimeters)	1.13 (28.7)	1.02 (25.9)	2.38 (60.5)	3.27 (83.1)	4.55 (115.6)	4.73 (120.1)	3.61 (91.7)	3.62 (91.9)	4.17 (105.9)	3.28 (83.3)	2.30 (58.4)	1.45 (36.8)	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 Ruskin Heights tornado in 1957,^[12] 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 ice storms, such as the 2002 ice storm during which hundreds of thousands lost power for days and (in some cases) weeks.^[13] Kansas City and its outlying areas are also subject to flooding, including the Great Flood of 1993 and the Great Flood of 1951.

See also: , , and

Cityscape

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 neighborhoods, including historical Westport, the Crossroads Arts District, 18th and Vine Historic District, Pendleton Heights, Quality Hill, the West Bottoms and the River Market.

Other areas near Downtown Kansas City include:

The 39th Street District is known as Restaurant Row[2] 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 is now home to Science City, restaurants, shopping, theaters, and the city's Amtrak facility.

Further information: List of neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri

Downtown redevelopment

Main article: Downtown Kansas City

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 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 NBA 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. 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[3]. 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 sweetgum trees with hardwood varieties.^[14]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%
1860	4,418		—
1870	32,260		0%
1880	55,785		0%
1890	132,716		0%
1900	163,752		0%
1910	248,381		0%
1920	324,410		0%
1930	399,746		0%
1940	400,178		0%
1950	456,622		0%
1960	475,539		0%
1970	507,087		0%
1980	448,159		0%
1990	435,146		0%
2000	441,545		0%

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 441,545 people, 183,981 households, and 107,444 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,408.2 people per square mile (543.7/km). There are 202,334 housing units at an average density of 249.2 per square mile (645.3/km). The racial makeup of the city is 60.68% White, 31.23% African American or Black, 0.48% Native American, 1.85% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 3.21% from other races, and 2.44% from two or more races. 6.93% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 183,981 households out of which 28.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% are married couples living together, 16.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% are non-families. 34.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size is 3.06. In the city the population is spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.9 males. The median income for a household in the city is $37,198, and the median income for a family is $46,012. Males have a median income of $35,132 versus $27,548 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,753. 14.3% of the population and 11.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 20.2% are under the age of 18 and 10.5% are 65 or older.

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

Main article: Kansas City Economy

Greater Kansas City is headquarters to 3 Fortune 500 companies (H&R Block, Embarq Corporation, 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 Hall family. 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 society journal, the Independent (published weekly).

Kansas City is literally "on the money." Bills 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.^[15]

See also: List of foreign consulates in Kansas City.

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 municipal government in the state of Missouri. The mayor 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 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

Kansas City is the seat of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, one of two federal district courts in Missouri (the other, the Eastern District, is in St. Louis). It also is the seat of the Western District of the Missouri Court of Appeals, one of three districts of that court (the Eastern District is in St. Louis and the Southern District is in Springfield).

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

• Missouri's 5th congressional district – all of Kansas City proper in Jackson County plus Independence and portions of Cass County. Currently represented by Emanuel Cleaver (Democrat)
• Missouri's 6th congressional district – all of Kansas City proper north of the Missouri River and plus suburbs in eastern Jackson County beyond Independence and a vast stretch of suburbs and rural areas extending all the way to the Iowa border and more than 100 miles. Currently represented by Sam Graves (Republican)

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.^[16]

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.^[17]

Much of the city's murders and violent crimes occur in the city's inner core. 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.^[18] 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 burned all occupied dwellings 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 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, 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 (although the Kansas City connections are minimized in the movie).

Sister cities

• Tainan City, Taiwan
• Seville, Spain
• Xi'an, People's Republic of China
• Freetown, Sierra Leone
• Ramla, Israel
• Port Harcourt, Nigeria
• San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico
• Kurashiki, Japan
• Metz, France
• Guadalajara, Mexico
• Arusha, Tanzania
• Morelia, Mexico

Transportation

Main articles: Kansas City Metropolitan Area#Transportation and Kansas City Metropolitan Area

First, it was at the confluence of the Missouri River and Kansas River and the launching pointing for travelers on the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California 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 trolley 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

• Kansas City does not currently have a subway or light rail system, and several proposals to build one have been rejected by voters in the past. However, the city is currently in the development phase of a starter light rail system. On November 7, 2006, Kansas City voters narrowly approved a ballot initiative brought forward byClay Chastain from Virginia, proposing a city-wide light rail system paid for by a 3/8-cent sales tax that currently funds 40% of Kansas City’s bus system. That sales tax, which will expire April 2009, would have been bought to voter for renewal, but the citizen petition for light rail occurred before this could happen. The initiative requires a 27-mile light rail line running from the Kansas City Zoo, through the city’s urban core, and out to Kansas City International Airport. In addition to the light rail system, the initiative requires a gondola system that will link Kansas City’s Union Station with the Liberty Memorial, the purchase of 60 hybrid electric busses and the removal of street access through Penn Valley Park, adjacent to the Liberty Memorial. The KCATA estimates that to build the entire light rail system as written will cost between $1.4 and $1.6 billion. The original price tag presented to voters for the line was just below $800 million.
• In August of 2007, it was announced by the KCATA that an Alternatives Analysis study of the voter-approved light rail plan had a $415 million funding shortfall, even if the federal government paid half of planned construction costs. This study also revealed that the November 2006 plan had technical problems including issues with bridges, steep inclines, and sharp turns beyond typical tolerances. Currently, a citizens’ petition seeking a repeal of the November 2006 initiative is making its way through the City Council. It is expected on the ballot for voters in February 2008. Should the November 2006 initiative be overturned, Chastain has stated that he would seek legal recourse against the city.

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

Trolley/Streetcars

• Kansas City has a long history with streetcars and trolleys. From 1870-1957 Kansas City's streetcar system was among the top in the country, with over 300 miles of track at its peak. Following the decision to scrap the system, many of its former streetcars have been serving other American cities for a long time. In 2007, ideas and plans arose to add normal trolley lines, as well as possibly fast streetcars to the city's Downtown for the first time in decades. These proposals are being seen as possible first steps in implemented a larger mass transit network, that would include light rail.

Culture

Ethnic Culture

There is a large community of Irish 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 family works , the Irish Genealogical Foundation, was founded and remains based in Kansas City.

Architecture

Main article: Architecture in Kansas City

Kansas City has long been praised for its varied architecture, which includes many famous and interesting buildings. Its skyline is notable for various structures, including the immense Bartle Hall Convention Center, the adjoined art deco Municipal Auditorium, and numerous skyscrapers such as the Kansas City Power and Light Building and One Kansas City Place (the tallest habitable structure in Missouri), as well as the KCTV-Tower (the tallest freestanding structure in Missouri and 39th tallest tower in the world), and the Liberty Memorial (the national World War I memorial and museum of the United States).

Kansas City offices of significant national and international architecture firms include ACI/Boland, BNIM, 360 Architecture, Ellerbe Becket, HNTB and HOK Sport.

City of Fountains

Main article: List of Fountains in Kansas City

With more than 200 fountains, Kansas City claims that only Rome has more fountains. A fountain is the logo for the city and "City of Fountains" is an official nickname. The densest and most famous area for fountains is the Country Club Plaza (the 1960 J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain is located at 47th and Main). Many smaller fountains dot the streetscape throughout the district.

Kansas City cuisine

Kansas City is most famous for its steak and barbecue.

Kansas City steaks

During the heyday of the Kansas City Stockyards, the city was known for its Kansas City steaks or Kansas City strip steaks. The most famous of the steakhouses is the Golden Ox in the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange in the stockyards in the West Bottoms. The stockyards, which were second only to those of Chicago in size, never recovered from the Great Flood of 1951 and eventually closed. The famed Kansas City Strip cut of steak is largely identical to the New York Strip cut, and is sometimes referred to just as a strip steak.

Kansas City-style barbecue

Main article: Kansas City-style barbecue

Along with Texas, Memphis & North Carolina, Kansas City is a "world capital of barbecue." There are more than 90 barbecue restaurants[4] in the metropolitan area and the American Royal each fall hosts what it claims is the world's biggest barbecue contest.

The classic Kansas City-style barbecue was an inner city phenomenon that evolved from the pit of Henry Perry from the Memphis, Tennessee area in the early 1900s and blossomed in the 18th and Vine neighborhood. Arthur Bryant's was to take over the Perry restaurant and added molasses to sweeten the recipe. In 1946 Gates and Sons Bar-B-Q was opened by one of Perry's cooks. The Gates recipe added even more molasses. Although Bryant's and Gates are the two definitive Kansas City barbecue restaurants they have just recently begun expanding outside of the Greater Kansas City Area.

In 1977 Rich Davis, a psychiatrist, test-marketed his own concoction called K.C. Soul Style Barbecue Sauce. He renamed it KC Masterpiece and in 1986 he sold the sauce to the Kingsford division of Clorox. Davis retained rights to operate restaurants using the name and sauce, with a restaurant in the suburb of Overland Park, KS.

Entertainment and performing arts

Classical/opera

Kansas City is home to the Kansas City Symphony, founded by R. Crosby Kemper Jr. in 1982 to supersede the Kansas City Philharmonic, which had existed since 1933. The symphony currently is located at the Lyric Theatre in Downtown Kansas City, but will move to the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, also downtown, when it is completed in December of 2009. The current music director and lead conductor of the symphony is the world-renowned Michael Stern.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, founded in 1970, is one of the nation's premier regional opera companies. It prides itself on offering one American contemporary opera production during its annual season consisting of either four or five productions. Originally, all operas were performed in English, although in the late-1990s the company decided to perform all productions in their original languages. The Lyric Opera also is located at the Lyric Theatre, and also will move to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in 2009.

The Kansas City Ballet, founded in 1957 by Tatiana Dokoudovska, is a ballet troupe comprising 25 professional dancers and apprentices. Between 1986 and 2000, it was combined with Dance St. Louis to form the State Ballet of Missouri, although it remained located in Kansas City. From 1980 to 1995, the Ballet was run by renowned dancer and choreographer Todd Bolender. Today, the Ballet offers an annual repertory split into three seasons which ranges from classical to contemporary ballets. The Ballet also is located at the Lyric Theatre, and also will move with the Symphony and Opera to the Kauffman Center in 2009.

Jazz

Main article: Kansas City Jazz

Kansas City Jazz in the 1930s marked the transition from big bands to the bebop influence of the 1940s. In the 1930s City Boss Tom Pendergast was at his height of his power and left Kansas City a wide open town in which night clubs were allowed to remain open from dusk to dawn. In this venue, an era of musical improvisation developed in which it was not uncommon for a single "song" to be performed all night by competing performers who passed through the city. The era ended in 1936 when producer John H. Hammond began signing Kansas City talent and transferring the acts to New York City.

The era of Kansas City influence is bracketed by the signing of Count Basie in 1929 to the advent of Kansas City native Charlie Parker in the 1940s. Pendergast pleaded guilty to income tax evasion in 1939 and the city soon began a crackdown of the clubs.

In the 1970s Kansas City attempted to resurrect the glory of the jazz era in a sanitized family friendly atmosphere. In the 1970s an effort to open jazz clubs in the River Quay area of City Market along the Missouri ended in a gangland war in which three of the new clubs were blown up in what ultimately resulted in the removal of Kansas City mob influence in the Las Vegas casinos that was partially depicted in the movie Casino (movie).

In 1981, 114 people died in the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse at a tea dance that was attempting to recreate the jazz era. In 1999 the American Jazz Museum opened in the 18th and Vine neighborhood.

Rock/Blues/Hip-Hop

Kansas City's local music scene enjoyed a revival starting in the mid-1960s, based around rock and blues in addition to jazz. Live music venues can be found throughout the city, with the highest concentration in the Westport entertainment district centered on Broadway and Westport Road near the Country Club Plaza. More recently, punk and hip-hop acts have been popular. Recent rock groups originating in Kansas City and direct surrounding areas include Puddle of Mudd, The Get Up Kids, Shiner, Flee The Seen, The Life and Times, Reggie and the Full Effect, Coalesce, The Casket Lottery, The Gadjits, The Appleseed Cast, Flowers of Disgust, The Esoteric, Vedera, and Blackpool Lights. Native rappers include Tech N9ne, Rich the Factor, Young Boss and Solè.

In addition, The New York Times declared nearby Lawrence, Kansas "the most vital music scene between Chicago and Denver" in a travel column dated February 25, 2005.

Media

Print media

The Kansas City Star is the area's primary newspaper. William Rockhill Nelson and his partner, Samuel Morss, first published the evening paper on September 18, 1880. The Star competed heavily with the morningTimes before acquiring it in 1901. The "Times" name was discontinued in March 1990, when the morning paper was renamed the "Star." [Harry Haskell, Boss-Busters and Sin Hounds: Kansas City and Its "Star" (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2007) ISBN 9780826217691</thly newspapers such as <em>The Kansas City Metro Voice, The Call^[21] (African American focused) and several weekly papers, including the Kansas City Business Journal, The Pitch, the bilingual paper "Dos Mundos" and various suburban papers also serve the Kansas City area.

Broadcast media

Main article: Broadcast Media in Kansas City

The Kansas City media market (ranked 29 by Arbitron and 31 by Nielsen) includes ten television channels along with 30 FM and 21 AM radio stations. Kansas City is a stepping stone for many national broadcasters including Walter Cronkite, Rush Limbaugh, and Mancow Muller.

Film community

Main article: Film in Kansas City

Kansas City has also been a locale for Hollywood productions and television programming. Most notably, the 1983 television movie The Day After was filmed in Kansas City and Lawrence, Kansas. The 1990s film Truman starring Gary Sinise was also filmed in various parts of the city. Other films shot in or around Kansas City include Article 99, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, Kansas City, Paper Moon, In Cold Blood, and Sometimes They Come Back (in and around nearby Liberty, MO).

See also:

Sports

Main article: Sports in Kansas City

Current teams

Kansas City sports teams presently include the following:

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue
Kansas City Chiefs	American Football	1963	National Football League : AFC	Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City Royals	Baseball	1969	Major League Baseball : AL	Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City Explorers	Tennis	1993	World TeamTennis	Barney Allis Plaza
Kansas City Wizards	Soccer (Football)	1996	Major League Soccer : EC	Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City Brigade	Arena Football	2006	Arena Football League : AC	Kemper Arena/Sprint Center (2008)

Sporting events

• Kansas City is often the home of the Big 12 College Basketball Tournaments. Men's Basketball is played at Kemper Arena, while women's Basketball is played at Municipal Auditorium. Lately newer arenas in Dallas and Oklahoma City have hosted the tournament. The new Sprint Center will host the tournament in March 2008.
• Arrowhead Stadium serves as the venue for various intercollegiate football games. Often it is the host of the Big 12 Football Title Game.
  On the last weekend in October, the Fall Classic rivalry game between Northwest Missouri State University and Pittsburg State University takes place here. Usually, the Bearcats of Northwest and Gorillas of Pitt State are ranked one-two in the MIAA conference. In 2005, other games at Arrowhead included Arkansas State playing host to Missouri, and Kansas hosting Oklahoma.

Sites of interest

Museums

• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (also site of the annual Jewel Ball)
• American Jazz Museum (website)
• The National World War I Museum of the United States.
• Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (website)
• Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
• Airline History Museum
• Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City site
• Westport, oldest part of the city and a vibrant entertainment district.
• Charlie Parker Memorial, at 17th Terrace and the Paseo
• Arabia Steamboat Museum (www.1856.com), in the historic River Market.
• Kansas City Museum (website), located in a beautifully renovated 1910 mansion.
• Irish Museum and Cultural Center located in Kansas City's Union Station.

Art galleries

• Belger Arts Center

Historical sites

• Battle of Westport and the John Wornall House Museum (website).
• Country Club Plaza (website) -- first shopping center designed to accommodate the automobile. Now considered one of the great urban shopping districts in America.
• Liberty Memorial (website)-- Official World War I memorial and museum of the United States. Tower and observation deck restored and re-opened in 2002, additional museum space was added beneath the tower and two original museum buildings.
• Laugh-O-Gram Studio (www.laughograms.com), Walt Disney's original cartoon studio in Kansas City. Now being renovated.
• Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site (website)

Entertainment

• Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun amusement parks
• Kansas City Zoo and Starlight Theatre, located in Swope Park.
• Ameristar Casino Kansas City
• Dave & Busters
• Kansas City Irish Fest (website), Labor Day weekend annually.
• The Country Club Plaza Christmas lighting ceremony occurs every Thanksgiving; the Plaza Art Fair is held annually in September.
• The Kansas City St. Patrick's Day parade, one of the largest such parades in the United States.

Educational institutions

Further information: Kansas City Metropolitan Area#Educational institutions

Post-secondary

• Cleveland Chiropractic College( website )
• Avila University
• Calvary Bible College
• DeVry University of Kansas City
• Kansas City Art Institute
• Kansas City College
• Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences
• Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City ( website )

MCC-Penn Valley

MCC-Longview

MCC-Maple Woods

MCC-Business and Technology

MCC-Blue River

• Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
• National American University
• Nazarene Theological Seminary ( website )
• Rockhurst University
• University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC)
• University of Phoenix - Kansas City
• Webster University - Kansas City
• Vatterott College

Elementary and secondary

Kansas City is served by a variety of school districts.

School districts that serve Kansas City include:

• Blue Springs R-IV School District
• Center 58 School District
• Grandview Consolidated No.4 School District
• Hickman Mills Consolidated No.1 School District
• Independence School District
• Kansas City, Missouri School District (KCMSD)
• Lee's Summit R-VII School District
• Liberty Schools
• North Kansas City School District
• Park Hill School District
• Platte County School District
• Raytown Consolidated No.2 School District
• Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD)
• Smithville School District

Private schools in Kansas City include:

• The Barstow School
• Don Bosco Education Center
• Kansas City Academy
• Oakhill Day School
• Lee's Summit Community Christian School
• Lutheran High School
• Notre Dame de Sion
• The Pembroke Hill School
• Rockhurst High School
• Archbishop O'Hara High School
• Saint Pius X High School
• St. Teresa's Academy

References

External links

• Official City Website
• VisitKC.com - Official Travel and Tourism Site for Kansas City
• Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
• * Maps and aerial photos for Coordinates:
• Maps from , Google Maps, Live Search Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest
• Topographic maps from TopoZone or TerraServer-USA

•  • [ e] The Kansas City Area
History • Architecture • Downtown • Economy • Barbecue • Jazz • Fountains • Broadcast • Film • Neighborhoods • The Metro • Sports

•  • [ e] Kansas City Metropolitan Area's Cities and Counties
Central City	Kansas City, Missouri	Map of the Kansas City Metropolitan area
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	•  • [ e] State of Missouri Jefferson City (capital)
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•  • [ e] 50 largest cities of the United States by population

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•  • [ e] All-America City Award: Hall of Fame

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