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The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...
anchored by
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
(9 counties) and
Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...
(5 counties). With and a population of more than 2.2 million people, it is the second-largest metropolitan area centered in Missouri (after Greater St. Louis) and is the largest metropolitan area in Kansas, though Wichita is the largest metropolitan area centered in Kansas. Alongside Kansas City, Missouri, these are the
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...
s with populations above 100,000: Overland Park, Kansas; Kansas City, Kansas; Olathe, Kansas;
Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...
; and Lee's Summit, Missouri. Business enterprises and employers include Cerner Corporation (the largest, with almost 10,000 local employees and about 20,000 global employees),
AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile ...
, BNSF Railway, GEICO, Asurion, T-Mobile (formerly Sprint),
Black & Veatch Black & Veatch (BV) is the largest engineering firm in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Founded in 1915 in Kansas City, Missouri it is now headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas It is a global engineering, procurement, construction ( EPC) ...
, AMC Theatres,
Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi ( stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomera ...
, Garmin, Hallmark Cards, Waddell & Reed, H&R Block,
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
,
Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
, a
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
factory, '' The Kansas City Star'', Bayer,
Children's Mercy Hospital Children's Mercy Kansas City is a 390 bed comprehensive pediatric medical center in Kansas City, Missouri, that integrates clinical care, research and medical education to provide care for pediatric patients from birth through adulthood. The h ...
,
Truman Medical Center-Hospital Hill University Health Truman Medical Center, previously Truman Medical Center–Hospital Hill (abbreviated TMC Hospital Hill), is an 238-bed acute care and outpatient hospital located in Kansas City, Missouri. Hospital background The origins of Un ...
, and
Andrews McMeel Universal Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU) is an American media corporation based in Kansas City, Missouri. It was founded in 1970 by Jim Andrews and John McMeel as Universal Press Syndicate and was renamed in 1997 to AMU to reflect the diversification that ...
(representing '' Garfield'', '' Calvin and Hobbes'', and ''
Doonesbury ''Doonesbury'' is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, ...
''). Shopping centers include City Market,
Crown Center Crown Center is a shopping center and neighborhood located near Downtown Kansas City, Missouri between Gillham Road and Main Street to the east and west, and between OK/E 22nd St and E 27th St to the north and south. The shopping center is a ...
, Country Club Plaza, Independence Center,
Legends Outlets Kansas City Legends Outlets Kansas City, formerly The Legends at Village West, is a super-regional shopping mall located in the Village West development in Kansas City, Kansas. The mall has a gross leasable area of . The shopping center is surrounded by ...
, Oak Park Mall, Ward Parkway Center, and Zona Rosa. Cultural attractions include the American Jazz Museum, Union Station, the
National World War I Museum The National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri was opened in 1926 as the Liberty Memorial. In 2004, it was designated by the United States Congress as the country's official war memorial and museum dedicated to World Wa ...
, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art,
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994 in Kansas City, Missouri. With a $5 million annual budget and approximately 75,000 visitors each year, it is Missouri's first and largest contemporary museum. Founders The core of the museum's perm ...
, National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Arabia Steamboat Museum, Uptown Theater,
Midland Theatre The Midland Theatre is a 3,000-seat theater located in the Power & Light District of Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The National Collegiate Athletic Association under Walter Byers had its headquarters in the building from the 1950s until ...
, the
Kansas City Zoo The Kansas City Zoo is a zoo founded in 1909. It is located in Swope Park at 6800 Zoo Drive Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. The zoo has a Friends of the Zoo program. It is home to more than 1,300 animals and is an accredited membe ...
, Swope Park (featuring Starlight Theater),
Sandstone Amphitheater Azura Amphitheater, also known as Sandstone Amphitheater, is an open-air amphitheater located in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States. It is owned by the unified government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, shares its grounds with t ...
, the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, Worlds of Fun,
Oceans of Fun Oceans of Fun is a tropically-themed water park that opened on May 31, 1982, in Kansas City, Missouri, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the adjacent Worlds of Fun amusement park. When it opened, it was the largest water park in the world. I ...
, and several casinos. Sports franchises include the NFL's Chiefs, the MLB's Royals, the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
's
Mavericks Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...
,
Sporting KC Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...
, and Kansas City Current. Historic features include these: the confluence of the eastern endpoints of the
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, Santa Fe, and
Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...
s in Independence; the Harry S. Truman Historic District; and the neighborhoods of Westport, 18th and Vine, and Pendleton Heights. Historic cultural origins include KC styles of
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
, vaudeville theater,
barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke ...
, and steak.


Geographic overview

The larger Kansas City
Metropolitan Area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...
as seen on a map can be visualized roughly as four quadrants: The southeast quadrant includes
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
, and surrounding areas in Missouri. It includes the notorious Grandview Triangle. The southwest quadrant includes all of Johnson County, Kansas, which includes the towns in the area known as Shawnee Mission, Kansas.
Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican borde ...
runs diagonally through Johnson County, Kansas, from the southwest to downtown
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
. The northwest quadrant contains Wyandotte, and Leavenworth, counties in Kansas and parts of Platte County, Missouri. Wyandotte County, Kansas (sometimes referred to as just Wyandotte), contains Kansas City, Kansas;
Bonner Springs, Kansas Bonner Springs is a city in Wyandotte, Leavenworth, and Johnson counties, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,837. Bonner Springs was incorporated as ...
; and
Edwardsville, Kansas Edwardsville is a city in Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,717. History Edwardsville was surveyed in 1869 on land formerly belonging ...
; it is governed by a single unified government. Often the Wyandotte government is referred to simply as "The Unified Government". Another bend in the Missouri River forms the county line between Wyandotte County, Kansas, and Platte County, Missouri, to the north and northeast. The map's northeast quadrant is locally referred to as "north of the river" or "the Northland". It includes parts of Clay County, Missouri, including North Kansas City, Missouri, and Parkville, Missouri, just north of that.
North Kansas City North Kansas City is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. It is also enclaved in Kansas City. Even though the name is similar to its larger counterpart, Kansas City, it is an independent municipality part of the Kansas City metropoli ...
is bounded by a bend in the Missouri River that defines a border between Wyandotte County, Kansas, and Clay County, Missouri, running approximately North-South and a border between North Kansas City, Missouri, and
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
, running approximately East-West. The river bend's sharpest part forms a peninsula containing the Kansas City Downtown Airport.


Divisions


Areas

* Downtown Kansas City is a section of western Kansas City, Missouri, where corporate offices and much of the city's entertainment facilities are located. The area has been undergoing a massive revitalization since 2000, and increased its population by over 7,000 people between 2000 and 2005. The
Power and Light District The Kansas City Power & Light District, or simply the Power & Light District, KCP&L or the P&L, is a dining, shopping, office and entertainment district in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, United States, developed by The Cordish Companies of Balt ...
, Historic Garment District, and the
T-Mobile Center T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It is located at the intersection of 14th Street and Grand Boulevard on the east side of the Power & Light District. It has effectively becom ...
are in the downtown area. * The Northland is a section of the metropolitan area north of the Missouri River, comprising Clay and Platte Counties in Missouri. This area includes the northern half of Kansas City, Missouri, which is referred to as Kansas City, North to distinguish it from the rest of the Northland and the city of
North Kansas City North Kansas City is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. It is also enclaved in Kansas City. Even though the name is similar to its larger counterpart, Kansas City, it is an independent municipality part of the Kansas City metropoli ...
. The area is also referred to as "North of the River" by local residents and by local television stations in news and traffic reports. * River Market is an area north of downtown, south of the Missouri River and west of Highway 9, and is home to a large farmer's market. *
North Kansas City North Kansas City is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. It is also enclaved in Kansas City. Even though the name is similar to its larger counterpart, Kansas City, it is an independent municipality part of the Kansas City metropoli ...
(NKC, also known as Northtown) is an enclaved city within Kansas City, Missouri. * Shawnee Mission is a district created by the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...
that encompasses 16 cities and towns in northeast Johnson County, Kansas, most of which also lie in the school district of the same name. * The Waldo Residential District (Waldo) is in Kansas City, Missouri, near 75th Street and Wornall Road. * Country Club Plaza ("the Plaza") is an upscale shopping district built by the J.C. Nichols Company in 1923, and was the first suburban shopping district in the United States. * The
Country Club District The Country Club District is the name of a group of neighborhoods comprising a historic upscale residential district in Kansas City, developed by noted real estate developer J.C. Nichols. The district was developed in stages between 1906 and 1950, ...
is an associated group of neighborhoods built along
Ward Parkway Ward Parkway is a boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, near the Kansas-Missouri state line. Ward Parkway begins at Brookside Boulevard on the eastern edge of the Country Club Plaza and continues westward along Brush Creek as U.S. R ...
by J.C. Nichols, which is just south of the Country Club Plaza and includes Sunset Hill, Brookside, Crestwood, and Mission Hills, Kansas. * 39th Street (also referred to as the Volker neighborhood or "Restaurant Row") is a small section of West 39th Street between State Line Road and the Southwest Trafficway in Kansas City, Missouri. The area has many restaurants, bars and shops, and is just across the state line from the University of Kansas Medical Center. * University of Kansas Hospital (KUMED) is the corporate name of the hospital on the KU Medical Center campus. * Benton Curve is a curve at the cross-section of Interstate 70 and Benton Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri; the area has long been prone to traffic accidents. * Pendleton Heights is a neighborhood in the Historic Northeast district of Kansas City, Missouri, which is bordered by Cliff Drive to the north, Chestnut Trafficway to the east, Independence Avenue to the south, and The Paseo to the west. It is Kansas City's oldest surviving neighborhood, and has the city's largest concentration of Victorian homes. * The Grandview Triangle is the intersection of four major highways: Interstate 435, Interstate 470, Interstate 49, and U.S. Route 71 ( Bruce R. Watkins Drive). Notorious for fatal accidents, the Triangle has undergone improvements and upgrades in recent years. * Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, named for former mayor and current Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, comprises recently renamed portions of 47th Street and Brush Creek Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri. *
18th and Vine Historic District 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...
(18th and Vine) is a neighborhood on Kansas City, Missouri's north side that contains the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the American Jazz Museum. This area was the heart of Kansas City's black business district. * The Library District is a recently defined district around the new Central Library at 14 West 10th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. * 135th Street (Overland Park, Kansas) is a shopping area featuring several indoor and outlet malls, restaurants, and two movie theaters. * Prariefire is a modern shopping and leisure area featuring fine restaurants such as Cocobolos and The Brass Onion, and high-end bowling venue Pinstripes. The Museum of Prariefire is its main attraction. *
Strawberry Hill Strawberry Hill may refer to: United Kingdom *Strawberry Hill, London, England ** Strawberry Hill House, Horace Walpole's Gothic revival villa **Strawberry Hill railway station United States * Strawberry Hill (San Francisco), California *Strawber ...
is a historical area in Kansas City, Kansas that was home to many eastern European immigrants. Later, the neighborhood became home to many Latino and Latino families. *
Hospital Hill Hospital Hill is a neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. The neighborhood is located between 22nd Street to 25th Street and Gillham Road to Troost Avenue. This name reflects the geography and a history of public hospitals on the same site since 1 ...
is an area near 23rd Street and Holmes Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, and consists of two major hospitals (University Health and the Children's Mercy Hospital) and the University of Missouri-Kansas City's School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Pharmacy, and School of Nursing. * Argentine is a neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas, centered along Metropolitan and Strong avenues from 27th to 30th streets. It is one of the oldest Mexican/Latino neighborhoods in Kansas City, with Mexican immigration to that area starting in the 1800s. * The Crossroads Arts District is a neighborhood in the downtown area between the Central Business District and Union Station, centered around the intersection of 19th Street and Baltimore Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. It contains dozens of art galleries, and is considered to be the center of the arts culture in the metropolitan area. Local artists sponsor exhibits in the district on the first Friday of each month. * Quality Hill is a residential and commercial neighborhood atop the bluff on the west side of the Central Business District of Downtown Kansas City, across the river from the Charles B. Wheeler Airport. * Washington-Wheatley is a historically
Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
neighborhood southeast of the 18th and Vine Historical District. * The Westside is a historically African American and Chicano/Latino neighborhood near Southwest Boulevard and Interstate 35. * Westport is a historic district that includes the oldest building still standing in the city and that is home to much of the metropolitan area's entertainment and nightlife. * Valentine is a neighborhood north of Westport that includes the historic Uptown Theater. * West Bottoms has many of the oldest buildings and the former location of the city's stockyards. It is now known for its arts community, the American Royal, Hy-Vee Arena, antique stores, and First Fridays events. * Rosedale is the southernmost district of Kansas City, Kansas, and the only part of that city whose streets are on the metropolitan grid. Home to the main hospital of the
University of Kansas Health System The University of Kansas Health System, commonly known as KU Med and formerly known as The University of Kansas Hospital, is a nonprofit, academic medical center located in Kansas City, Kansas, United States, with branch hospitals and education c ...
, it was the last municipality absorbed by Kansas City, Kansas, prior to the creation of the Unified Government of Kansas City and Wyandotte County. * Union Hill * Armourdale is a residential and commercial neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas, and is one of the historically Chicano(a) neighborhoods of the Kansas City metropolitan area. *
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...
is an industrial district in the Blue River valley on the city's far northeast side. * East Bottoms, also known as the Industrial District, is primarily known for its industrial businesses and railroad activity. * Brookside is a pedestrian-friendly district built in the 1920s, centered on the Brookside Shopping District at 63rd Street and Brookside Boulevard. * Hanover Heights is a small neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas' Rosedale section that was once primarily noted for the antiques shops along 45th Avenue, with the neighborhood's boundaries running mainly between Rainbow Boulevard and State Line Road, running south of the KU Medical Center to the Johnson County border. * The Historic Northeast District (Northeast) is a working-class immigrant collection of neighborhoods between downtown Kansas City and the suburb of Independence. * The Truman Sports Complex, at the junction of I-70 and I-435 (east of downtown Kansas City, Missouri), is home to several professional sports attractions. It is anchored by
Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium has been officially named GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stad ...
, home of the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...
NFL franchise; and Kauffman Stadium, home of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
's
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
.


Jackson County, Missouri


Downtown

Downtown
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
has a population of 25,204. Downtown is Kansas City's historic center, located entirely within Kansas City, Missouri, and contains the city's original town site, business districts, and residential neighborhoods. Downtown is bounded by the Missouri River on the north, the Missouri-Kansas state line on the west, 31st Street on the south and Woodland Avenue on the east. The downtown area includes the
Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
and its buildings, which form the city's skyline. The Downtown Loop is formed by Interstates 670, 70, and 35. Within the downtown loop are many of the tall buildings and skyscrapers that make up the city's skyline. The downtown loop also has small, distinct neighborhoods such as Quality Hill, the Garment District, the Financial District, the
Convention Center A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
District, and the
Power and Light District The Kansas City Power & Light District, or simply the Power & Light District, KCP&L or the P&L, is a dining, shopping, office and entertainment district in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, United States, developed by The Cordish Companies of Balt ...
. Other nearby neighborhoods are River Market and Columbus Park, both located between the downtown loop and the Missouri River. Between the downtown loop and the state line are the Westside neighborhood and the West Bottoms, located at the bottom of the bluff adjacent to Kaw Point. East of the loop are the 18th & Vine District, the North Bottoms, and Northeast Kansas City (the East Bottoms, Northeast, and Pendleton Heights). South of the loop is the Crossroads District, Union Hill,
Crown Center Crown Center is a shopping center and neighborhood located near Downtown Kansas City, Missouri between Gillham Road and Main Street to the east and west, and between OK/E 22nd St and E 27th St to the north and south. The shopping center is a ...
,
Hospital Hill Hospital Hill is a neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri. The neighborhood is located between 22nd Street to 25th Street and Gillham Road to Troost Avenue. This name reflects the geography and a history of public hospitals on the same site since 1 ...
, Longfellow, Wendell Phillips, and Washington Wheatley. The Kansas City Convention Center, Municipal Auditorium,
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
, Lyric Theater,
Midland Theatre The Midland Theatre is a 3,000-seat theater located in the Power & Light District of Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The National Collegiate Athletic Association under Walter Byers had its headquarters in the building from the 1950s until ...
, Ilus Davis Park, and
Barney Allis Plaza The Barney Allis Plaza is a park located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the intersection of 12th Street and Wyandotte. It is named after the prominent Kansas City hotelier, and owner of the Standard Theater, Barney Allis. From April 11 2 ...
are within the Central Business District inside the downtown loop. The
T-Mobile Center T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It is located at the intersection of 14th Street and Grand Boulevard on the east side of the Power & Light District. It has effectively becom ...
and the
College Basketball Experience The College Basketball Experience is a fan-interactive facility located downtown in Kansas City, Missouri, which includes the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. It cost $24 million to build, was opened in October 2007, and is owned and ...
are within the Power & Light District, also within the downtown loop. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is perched upon a high point immediately south of the downtown loop. South of the loop is the Crossroads District, Union Station,
Crown Center Crown Center is a shopping center and neighborhood located near Downtown Kansas City, Missouri between Gillham Road and Main Street to the east and west, and between OK/E 22nd St and E 27th St to the north and south. The shopping center is a ...
, the
National World War I Museum The National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri was opened in 1926 as the Liberty Memorial. In 2004, it was designated by the United States Congress as the country's official war memorial and museum dedicated to World Wa ...
, Liberty Memorial, Penn Valley Park, University Health Truman Medical Center,
Children's Mercy Hospital Children's Mercy Kansas City is a 390 bed comprehensive pediatric medical center in Kansas City, Missouri, that integrates clinical care, research and medical education to provide care for pediatric patients from birth through adulthood. The h ...
, and the 18th & Vine District. North of the loop are City Market within the River Market and Richard L. Berkeley Riverfront Park. West of the loop within the West Bottoms are Hy-Vee Arena and Hale Arena.


Midtown/Plaza

Midtown/Plaza is entirely within Kansas City, Missouri with a population of 40,355. It is just south of downtown, and bounded by 31st Street on the north, the state line on the west, West Gregory Boulevard (71st Street) on the south, and
Troost Avenue Troost Avenue is one of the major streets in Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is 10.7 miles long, from the north point at 4th Street to the south point at Bannister Road. History The street is named after the first ...
on the east. Midtown/Plaza, the core of the metropolitan area, has many cultural attractions, shopping and entertainment areas, large hospitals, universities, and the metro area's most densely populated neighborhoods. Midtown/Plaza has many distinct and historic neighborhoods, including Westport, Hyde Park, and
Southmoreland Southmoreland is a neighborhood located in Kansas City, Missouri. Home to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Kansas City Art Institute, it is noteworthy for its reputation as home to Kansas City’s art ...
. Shopping is centered on the Country Club Plaza, which has luxury retailers, hotels, and restaurants. Brookside and Westport also contain smaller-scale, neighborhood-oriented, and niche-market retailers. Midtown is home to Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City and
Research Medical Center Research Medical Center is a 590-bed hospital located in Kansas City, Missouri at 2316 East Meyer Boulevard. It is part of the HCA Midwest Division. Background German Hospital was originally established in 1886 in a brick farmhouse near present d ...
. Cultural attractions include the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art,
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994 in Kansas City, Missouri. With a $5 million annual budget and approximately 75,000 visitors each year, it is Missouri's first and largest contemporary museum. Founders The core of the museum's perm ...
, Uptown Theater, Starlight Theater, the
Kansas City Zoo The Kansas City Zoo is a zoo founded in 1909. It is located in Swope Park at 6800 Zoo Drive Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. The zoo has a Friends of the Zoo program. It is home to more than 1,300 animals and is an accredited membe ...
, Loose Park, and Swope Park. The last of these has a soccer complex that is home to the Swope Park Rangers, a USL Championship team that is the official reserve side for the area's
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...
club, Sporting Kansas City. Major educational institutions include the University of Missouri–Kansas City,
Rockhurst University Rockhurst University is a private Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It enrolled 2,980 students in 2019. History In 1909, Fr. ...
, Kansas City Art Institute, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Midwest Research Institute, and
Penn Valley Community College Metropolitan Community College (MCC) is a public community college system in the U.S. state of Missouri. The system consists of five separate campuses in Kansas City, Independence, and Lee's Summit. The campuses had a total enrollment of 15,770 in ...
.


East Side

East Side of the Metro is primarily eastern Jackson County which is an area of the Kansas City Metro that contains the far-eastern urban side of Kansas City, Missouri and the following large suburbs of Blue Springs,
Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...
, and Lee's Summit. The area includes western Lafayette County Missouri and the far northeast portion of Cass County Missouri. The East Side of Metro includes the
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
suburbs of
Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...
, Grandview, Blue Springs, Raytown, Lees Summit, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, Sugar Creek, River Bend, Lake Lotawana, Lone Jack, Greenwood, Unity Village, Buckner, Pleasant Hill, Bates City, Odessa, and Lake Tapawingo.
Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium has been officially named GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stad ...
, home of the NFL's
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...
and Kauffman Stadium, home of the MLB's
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
are on the eastern edge of Kansas City. The
Cable Dahmer Arena Cable Dahmer Arena (formerly, Silverstein Eye Centers Arena and Independence Events Center) is a 5,800-seat multi-purpose arena in Independence, Missouri, United States. It was opened in November 2009. It serves as the home arena and administra ...
home of the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
's Kansas City Mavericks and the MASL's Kansas City Comets is in Independence.


Johnson County, Kansas

Johnson County, Kansas contains many municipalities with a population of 609,863. It has the largest economy in the metropolitan area and is the fastest growing county by total population. Municipalities include Overland Park, Olathe,
Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
,
Leawood Leawood is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 33,902. History 19th century After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the area ...
, Lenexa, Prairie Village, Gardner, Merriam, Mission,
Roeland Park Roeland Park is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and located within the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,871. History The community was named after John Roe, an immigrant ...
, Fairway, Lake Quivira, Mission Hills, Mission Woods, Westwood, and Westwood Hills. Corporate headquarters include Garmin,
Black & Veatch Black & Veatch (BV) is the largest engineering firm in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Founded in 1915 in Kansas City, Missouri it is now headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas It is a global engineering, procurement, construction ( EPC) ...
, and AMC Theatres, and the secondary headquarters of T-Mobile. Many local area attractions and shopping districts are in Johnson County, such as Oak Park Mall,
Town Center Plaza Town Center Plaza is an open-air shopping center in Leawood, Kansas, United States. It is home to a number of upscale stores with few or no other locations in the Kansas City area, including Allen Edmonds, Arhaus, Brooks Brothers, Bonobos, Cr ...
, and Prairie Fire.


The Northland (Missouri)

The Northland is the area north of the Missouri River, bordered by the Kansas state line on the west. The southern half of Platte County, and much of
Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Flo ...
make up the area. The Northland is a fast-growing, primarily suburban region of the metropolitan area, although much of it is contained within the city limits of
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
. The economy of the Northland is dominated by
Cerner Cerner Corporation is an American supplier of health information technology (HIT) services, devices, and hardware. As of February 2018, its products were in use at more than 27,000 facilities around the world. The company had more than 29,000 emp ...
, Kansas City International Airport, Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant, the Zona Rosa shopping community and three riverboat casinos. The metro area's largest amusement park, Worlds of Fun and
Oceans of Fun Oceans of Fun is a tropically-themed water park that opened on May 31, 1982, in Kansas City, Missouri, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the adjacent Worlds of Fun amusement park. When it opened, it was the largest water park in the world. I ...
, is in the Northland. Major educational institutions in the Northland include Park University, William Jewell College, and the Maple Woods campus of Metropolitan Community College. The Northland is also home to the popular recreational reservoir, Smithville Lake. Communities of the Northland outside the city limits include Parkville, Kearney,
Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
, Platte City,
Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-cons ...
, Riverside, Smithville,
North Kansas City North Kansas City is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. It is also enclaved in Kansas City. Even though the name is similar to its larger counterpart, Kansas City, it is an independent municipality part of the Kansas City metropoli ...
, and Weatherby Lake.


Wyandotte County, Kansas

Wyandotte County, Kansas has a population of 169,245 and contains Kansas City, Kansas,
Bonner Springs, Kansas Bonner Springs is a city in Wyandotte, Leavenworth, and Johnson counties, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,837. Bonner Springs was incorporated as ...
, and
Edwardsville, Kansas Edwardsville is a city in Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,717. History Edwardsville was surveyed in 1869 on land formerly belonging ...
. Kansas City, Kansas is locally called "KCK" to distinguish it from the larger
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
(KCMO). It contains many residential neighborhoods, the Fairfax Industrial District, and the Village West entertainment district. The
General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant The Fairfax Assembly & Stamping is a General Motors automobile factory at 3201 Fairfax Trafficway, Kansas City, Kansas in the United States. As of 2022, the plant employs over 2,100 hourly and salaried employees. Employees are represented by UA ...
is in the Fairfax Industrial District.
Village West Village West is a $1.2 billion retail, dining and entertainment development that opened in 2002 in Kansas City, Kansas. It is located at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435 ( from Downtown KCK). Village West is the most popular tourist dest ...
contains many area attractions. This includes many sporting venues such as Children's Mercy Park, home of the area MLS soccer team Sporting Kansas City, the Kansas Speedway, which hosts many NASCAR races, and Field of Legends, home of the independent baseball team, the
Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930 ...
, and the Legends shopping district. Bonner Springs is home to the
Azura Amphitheater Azura Amphitheater, also known as Sandstone Amphitheater, is an open-air amphitheater located in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States. It is owned by the unified government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, shares its grounds with th ...
(commonly known as the Sandstone Amphitheater), the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Wyandotte County Historical Museum, and the annual Kansas City Renaissance Festival.


Cass County, Missouri

Cass County, Missouri has a population of 107,824 and contains parts of "South Kansas City". This area consists of the most southern part of Kansas City, Missouri, and the suburbs of
Harrisonville Harrisonville is a town in Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,121 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cass County. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Harrisonville was founded in 1837 u ...
, Belton, Loch Lloyd, Peculiar, and Raymore.


Leavenworth County, Kansas

Leavenworth County, Kansas has a population of 81,881 and contains the cities of Leavenworth and
Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, maki ...
, and the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.


Population

The Kansas City metropolitan area (MO-KS) population in 2018 was 2,106,632 and the Kansas City CSA in 2020 was 2,528,644.


More than 100,000

*
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
– Pop: 508,090 * Overland Park, Kansas – Pop: 197,238 * Kansas City, Kansas – Pop: 156,607 * Olathe, Kansas – Pop: 141,290 *
Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...
– Pop: 123,011 * Lee's Summit, Missouri – Pop: 101,108


50,000–99,999

*
Shawnee, Kansas Shawnee is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the seventh most populous municipality in the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 67,311. History Territory of Kansas Before ...
– Pop: 67,311 * Blue Springs, Missouri – Pop: 58,063 * Lenexa, Kansas – Pop: 57,434


20,000–49,999

* Leavenworth, Kansas – Pop: 37,351 * Leawood, Kansas – Pop: 33,902 * Liberty, Missouri – Pop: 30,167 *
Raytown, Missouri Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City. The population was at 30,012 in 2020 census. The mayor of Raytown is Michael McDonough and the mayor ''pro tem'' is Ryan Myers. It is part of the Ka ...
– Pop: 30,012 * Gladstone, Missouri – Pop: 27,063 * Grandview, Missouri – Pop: 26,209 * Belton, Missouri – Pop: 23,953 * Gardner, Kansas – Pop: 23,287 * Prairie Village, Kansas – Pop: 22,957 * Raymore, Missouri – Pop: 22,941


10,000–19,999

* Grain Valley, Missouri – Pop: 15,627 * Ottawa, Kansas – Pop: 12,387 * Lansing, Kansas – Pop: 11,767 * Excelsior Springs, Missouri – Pop: 11,486 *
Merriam, Kansas Merriam is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,098. Merriam is included in the Shawnee Mission postal designation. It is also ...
– Pop: 11,288 * Smithville, Missouri - Pop: 10,406


5,000–9,999

* Harrisonville, Missouri – Pop: 9,986 * Cameron, Missouri (partial) – Pop: 9,933 * Mission, Kansas – Pop: 9,491 * Kearney, Missouri – Pop: 9,423 * Pleasant Hill, Missouri – Pop: 8,289 * Oak Grove, Missouri – Pop: 7,937 *
Bonner Springs, Kansas Bonner Springs is a city in Wyandotte, Leavenworth, and Johnson counties, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,837. Bonner Springs was incorporated as ...
– Pop: 7,606 * Roeland Park, Kansas – Pop: 6,827 * Parkville, Missouri – Pop: 6,296 * De Soto, Kansas – Pop: 6,074 * Richmond, Missouri – Pop: 6,013 * Spring Hill, Kansas – Pop: 5,981 *
Greenwood, Missouri Greenwood is a city in Jackson and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 5,221 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Greenwood was laid out in 1867. A post office called Greenwood ...
– Pop: 5,569 * Paola, Kansas – Pop: 5,527 * Basehor, Kansas – Pop: 5,403 * Tonganoxie, Kansas – Pop: 5,248 * Odessa, Missouri – Pop: 5,178


Fewer than 5,000

* Peculiar, Missouri – Pop: 4,885 * Platte City, Missouri – Pop: 4,833 *
Higginsville, Missouri Higginsville is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, within the United States. The population was 4,797 at the 2010 census. History Higginsville was founded in 1869 and named after Harvey Higgins, the original owner of the town site. A post of ...
– Pop: 4,662 * Lexington, Missouri – Pop: 4,598 *
Edwardsville, Kansas Edwardsville is a city in Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,717. History Edwardsville was surveyed in 1869 on land formerly belonging ...
– Pop: 4,390 * North Kansas City, Missouri – Pop: 4,354 *
Osawatomie, Kansas Osawatomie is a city in Miami County, Kansas, United States, southwest of Kansas City. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,255. It derives its name as a portmanteau of two nearby streams, the Marais des Cygnes River (fo ...
– Pop: 4,297 * Louisburg, Kansas – Pop: 4,276 * Fairway, Kansas – Pop: 3,970 *
Mission Hills, Kansas Mission Hills is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,594. The east city limits is the Kansas-Missouri state line at State Li ...
– Pop: 3,601 * Sugar Creek, Missouri – Pop: 3,320 *
Riverside, Missouri Riverside is a city in Platte County, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 2,937 at the 2010 census. History Riverside lies on the edge of the Missouri River and was formally ...
– Pop: 3,150 *
Buckner, Missouri Buckner is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,076 at the 2010 census. For decades it was best known for TV and radio commercials promoting local automobile dealership Lasater Ford, run by the Lasater brothers, ...
– Pop: 3,067 * Pleasant Valley, Missouri – Pop: 3,056 *
Lawson, Missouri Lawson is a city in Clay, Clinton, and Ray counties in the U.S. state of Missouri and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 2,541 at the 2020 census. Geography Lawson is located at (39.437848, -94.207973). According to ...
– Pop: 2,409 *
Plattsburg, Missouri Plattsburg is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area in the western part of the state, within the United States. It developed along the Little Platte River. As of the 2020 ce ...
– Pop: 2,291 * Lake Lotawana, Missouri – Pop: 2,018 * Weatherby Lake, Missouri – Pop: 1,848 * Wellsville, Kansas – Pop: 1,818 *
Edgerton, Kansas Edgerton is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,748. It is home to the large BNSF intermodal train facility named Logistics Par ...
– Pop: 1,736 *
Westwood, Kansas Westwood is a city in northeast Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,750. It is the second most densely populated city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. History The land where Wes ...
– Pop: 1,719 * Hamilton, Missouri - Pop: 1,690 * Garden City, Missouri – Pop: 1,625 * Gower, Missouri (partial) – Pop: 1,526 * Claycomo, Missouri – Pop: 1,468 *
Lone Jack, Missouri Lone Jack is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,050 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Lone Jack was platted in 1841. Its name comes from a single black jack ...
– Pop: 1,124 * Drexel, Missouri - Pop: 999 *
Orrick, Missouri Orrick is a town in Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 753 at the 2020 census. History The first community in the area was Albany when it was established by Ely Carter ...
- Pop: 753 * Braymer, Missouri - Pop: 737 * Lake Tapawingo, Missouri - Pop: 723 * Glenaire, Missouri - Pop: 578 * Hardin, Missouri - Pop: 571 * Polo, Missouri - Pop: 509 *
Dearborn, Missouri Dearborn is a city in Buchanan and Platte counties in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 496 at the 2010 census. History The city was named for Henry Dearborn, Revolutionary War gen ...
(partial) – Pop: 496 * Avondale, Missouri - Pop: 440 *
Osborn, Missouri Osborn is a city in northern Clinton and southern DeKalb counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 374 at the 2020 census. The Clinton County portion of Osborn is part of the Kansas City, MO– KS Metropolitan Statistical A ...
(partial) – Pop: 423 * Sibley, Missouri - Pop: 356 * Kingston, Missouri - Pop: 290 *
Henrietta, Missouri Henrietta is a city in southern Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 278 at the 2020 census. History Henrietta was platted in 1868, and named after Henrietta Watkins, t ...
- Pop: 278 * Breckenridge, Missouri - Pop: 258 *
Camden, Missouri Camden is a city in southern Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 175 at the 2020 census. History Camden was platted in 1838. The community most likely was named afte ...
- Pop: 175 * Cowgill, Missouri - Pop: 168 * Oaks, Missouri - Pop: 129 *
Fleming, Missouri Fleming is a city in Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 114 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Fleming was established in 1888, and remained in operation ...
- Pop: 114 * Unity Village, Missouri - Pop: 84 * Levasy, Missouri - Pop: 83 * Randolph, Missouri - Pop: 54 * River Bend, Missouri - Pop: 10


Counties

The MSA covers a total area of including of water.


Associated areas

Often associated with Kansas City, the cities of Lawrence, Kansas and Saint Joseph, Missouri are identified as separate Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City MO-KS (USA)
Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...
(CSA) encompasses the Metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) of Kansas City MO-KS, the St. Joseph metropolitan area and the Lawrence, Kansas metropolitan area with the Micropolitan Statistical Areas (μSA) of Warrensburg, Missouri, Atchison, Kansas, and Ottawa, Kansas. (Warrensburg is in Johnson County, Missouri. Atchison is in Atchison County, Kansas. Ottawa is in
Franklin County, Kansas Franklin County (county code FR) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 25,996. Its county seat and most populous city is Ottawa. The county is predominantly ru ...
.) The combined statistical area covers a total area of including of water.


Politics

The Kansas City metro area is a swing metro area, going between the Republican and Democratic parties for decades.


Economy

, Missouri accounted for 56% of employment and Kansas accounted for 44% of employment. From 2018 to 2019 Kansas added 13,000 jobs and Missouri added 6,500 jobs. Kansas side employment grew by 2.7% and Missouri side employment grew by 1.1%; job growth in Kansas was more than double that in Missouri. Professional and business employment growth was due entirely to a gain of 5,200 jobs in the Kansas portion of the metro area. In 2015, the metropolitan area accounted for 40.9% of the total GDP in the state of Kansas and 22.7% of the total GDP in the state of Missouri.


Transportation


Highways

The Kansas City metropolitan area has more freeway lane miles per capita than any other large metropolitan area in the United States (over 27% more than the second-place Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex), over 50% more than the average American metro area, and nearly 75% more than the large metro area with the least:
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
.


Interstates

The Kansas City area is a confluence of four major U.S. interstate highways: * – North to St. Joseph, Missouri * – North to
Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...
and south to Wichita, Kansas * – South to Joplin * – East to St. Louis and west to Topeka, Kansas Other interstates that cross through the area include: * – A bi-state loop through Jackson,
Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay pa ...
and Platte counties in Missouri and through
Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...
and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. It is the second-longest single-numbered beltway in the U.S., and the fourth-longest in the world. * – Connects South Kansas City with Lee's Summit and Independence. * – Connects Johnson County and Kansas City, Kansas to I-29, I-70, and I-35. * – A southern bypass of I-70 and the southern portion of the downtown loop. The roadway is designated on road signs as East I-70, when exiting from I-35 while traveling north.


US Highways

U.S. Highways serving the Kansas City Metro Area include these: * – Running from Independence Ave. and Winner Rd., between downtown Kansas City and Independence, Missouri, it serves as a street-level connection to Independence. * – U.S. 40 is one of six east-west U.S.-numbered routes that run (or ran) from coast to coast. It serves as a business loop and an alternate route for I-70. * – Enters the area in southern Johnson County, follows I-435 from the west to I-470, then splits off of I-470 in Lee's Summit to continue eastward to Jefferson City and St. Louis as a regular highway. Its former route through Raytown and southeast Kansas City was renumbered as Route 350. U.S. 50 is also one of the six east-west highways that run coast-to-coast through the United States. * - Enters the area concurrent with I-35 until the Shawnee Mission Parkway exit. It runs east along the Parkway into the Plaza area of Kansas City before terminating at US-71. * – Connects Excelsior Springs, Missouri in the north and serves as a freeway in Johnson County Connecting I-35 to I-435 and connecting Overland Park to Louisburg and Linn Valley on the Kansas side. * – In the north, concurrent with I-29 to
Amazonia The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
, Missouri, and serves as a freeway (Bruce R. Watkins Drive) south from downtown, joining with I-49 at the Grandview Triangle. * – Connects Smithville, Missouri, in the north.


Kansas state highways

Kansas highways in the area include these: * – A minor freeway bypassing the north of Kansas City, Kansas, connecting the GM Fairfax plant with I-635. K-5 continues as Leavenworth Road west to I-435 then on to Leavenworth, Kansas. * – A freeway linking Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas. * – A freeway linking I-435 to De Soto and Lawrence. * – A highway that links Lawrence to Wyandotte County in Kansas.


Missouri state highways

Missouri highways in the area include these: * - An important state highway serving the eastern suburbs of the metro. Primarily running north and south through Jackson and Cass Counties. Connecting the following communities: Independence, Blue Springs, Lake Lotawana, Pleasant Hill and Harrisonville. It is the commercial backbone for Blue Springs, Lake Lotawana and Pleasant Hill. * – A minor freeway northwest of North Kansas City, and serves as a commercial backbone to North Kansas City, Riverside, Platte Woods and Parkville. * – Known as Tom Watson Parkway in the Kansas City vicinity until it intersects with I-435, it is a highway that spans 42 miles from I-29/US-71 to US-59/MO-273 in Lewis & Clark Village, Missouri. Its eastern segment is also known as NW 64th Street. The highway serves as a commercial backbone of Parkville, Missouri and runs across Riss Lake. The
National Golf Club of Kansas City The National Golf Club of Kansas City is an exclusive golf club located in the Kansas City, Missouri, suburb of Parkville. The golf course was designed by champion golfer Tom Watson, a native of Kansas City, Missouri. For two years (2003–04) th ...
is located on MO-45. * - A state highway serving the southern suburbs of Belton and Raymore. * – This narrow and hilly road crosses the northern part of the metro, connecting Platte City, Smithville, Kearney, and Excelsior Springs. * – A highway linking southern Lee's Summit and Grandview to the Kansas suburbs at State Line Road. * – A freeway contained entirely in Kansas City's Northland, stretching from Liberty in Clay County west until it intersects with I-435 near Parkville, Missouri. * – A minor freeway east of North Kansas City that, as a two-lane road, stretches to Richmond, Missouri. * – Formerly an eastern bypass route of U.S. 71, this minor freeway connects Harrisonville and Lee's Summit to Independence, Sugar Creek, Liberty and Kansas City North. The roadway is designated on road signs alongside I-470 north of Lee's Summit. * – This road crosses through Raytown as Blue Parkway.


Other roads

These are other notable roads: *
18th Street Expressway The 18th Street Expressway (often shortened to 18th Street in everyday speech) is a freeway in Kansas City, Kansas that runs from Interstate 35 north to Interstate 70/U.S. Route 24/U.S. Route 40. It carries the U.S. Route 69 designation its entire ...
– a freeway carrying US-69 through central Wyandotte County from I-35 to I-70. *
Ward Parkway Ward Parkway is a boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, near the Kansas-Missouri state line. Ward Parkway begins at Brookside Boulevard on the eastern edge of the Country Club Plaza and continues westward along Brush Creek as U.S. R ...
– A scenic parkway in Kansas City, Missouri, near the Kansas-Missouri state line, where many large historic mansions and fountains are located. * Broadway – A street that runs from the west side of downtown Kansas City to Westport. The street has long been an entertainment center, with various bars, live jazz outlets, and restaurants along it. It also forms the eastern border of Quality Hill, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kansas City. * The Paseo – Part of the city's original system of parks and boulevards developed beginning in the late 1880s, it is the longest of the original boulevards, and the only one that runs the entire length of the pre-
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
city boundary, from the Missouri River bluffs in the north to 79th Street on the south. * Shawnee Mission Parkway – Former alignment of K-10 from 1929 to 1983; K-58 from 1956 to 1979; US-56 from 1957 to 1968; K-12 from 1983 to 1998. Serves Shawnee Mission. *
Troost Avenue Troost Avenue is one of the major streets in Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is 10.7 miles long, from the north point at 4th Street to the south point at Bannister Road. History The street is named after the first ...
– A north-south thoroughfare 11 blocks east of Main Street, named for an early Kansas City settler and dentist, Benoist Troost. The street roughly divides the city's mostly black neighborhoods to its east from its mostly white ones to its west. * Swope Parkway – Running on the south side of the Brush Creek valley eastward from The Paseo, then southward from its junction with Benton Boulevard, this street is the main route from the city's midtown to its largest city park, Swope Park. * North Oak Trafficway – A major road in the Northland. The roadway is designated as MO-283 from MO-9 to I-29. It is a major road in the Northland and serves as the commercial backbone of Gladstone, Missouri. * Barry Road – Runs along the former route of Military Road, which ran from
Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
to
Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...
. It is now a major commercial street in the Northland, although it has been paralleled by MO-152 for its entire route and has been effectively replaced by it east of Indiana Avenue. * 87th Street Parkway – A major parkway that extends from Overland Park to De Soto. Former alignment of K-10 from 1929 to 1983.


Street numbers

The Missouri side of the metropolitan area south of the Missouri River shares a grid system with Johnson County on the Kansas side. Most east-west streets are numbered and most north-south streets named. Addresses on east-west streets are numbered from Main Street in Kansas City, Missouri, and on north-south streets from St. John Avenue (or the Missouri River, in the River Market area). The direction 'South' in street and address numbers is generally implied if 'North' is not specified, except for numbered 'avenues' in North Kansas City. In the northland, east-west streets use the prefix N.E. or N.W., depending on the side of N. Main on which they lie.


Air

The Kansas City metropolitan area is served by several airports. It is primarily served by Kansas City International Airport, 15 miles northwest of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, was built to serve as a world hub for the supersonic transport and Boeing 747. The airport's gates were positioned from the street; however, since the September 11, 2001 attacks, these have undergone expensive overhauls, retrofitting it to incorporate elements of conventional security systems. The much smaller Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, to the immediate north of downtown near the Missouri River, was the original headquarters of Trans World Airlines (TWA) and houses the
Airline History Museum The National Airline History Museum is an aviation museum located at the Kansas City Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Missouri focused on the history of airlines in the United States. History Founded in 1986 by aviation enthusiasts Larry A. ...
. It served as the area's major airport until 1972, when Kansas City International (then known as Mid-Continent International Airport and was home to an Overhaul Base for TWA) became the primary airport for the metropolitan area after undergoing $150 million in upgrades that were approved by voters in a 1966 bond issue. Downtown Airport is still used to this day for
general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
and airshows. There are two general aviation airports in Johnson County, Kansas. New Century AirCenter borders southwest Olathe and northeast Gardner. The primary runway at New Century AirCenter is the second longest runway in the region next to those at Kansas City International Airport. It is 7 miles from the Logistics Park Kansas City Intermodal Facility. The other airport,
Johnson County Executive Airport Johnson County Executive Airport is a public airport located four miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district (CBD) of Olathe, a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Measured by number of aircraft operations, the fa ...
has one runway on 500 acres and is the fourth busiest towered airport in the state of Kansas.


Rail and bus

Kansas City is a freight and passenger rail hub centered at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri and managed by the Kansas City Terminal Railway.
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
operates two daily, long-distance passenger rail services: *
Missouri River Runner The ''Missouri River Runner'' is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak between Gateway Transportation Center in St. Louis and Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. The eastern half of the route runs largely along the right bank of the ...
twice daily from Kansas City to Saint Louis connecting to Chicago via the Lincoln Service; *
Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and Southwest via Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Flags ...
from Chicago to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
. There are no commuter rail services. The KC Streetcar is a 2.2-mile modern streetcar line in Downtown Kansas City. Opened to the public in May 2016, it is maintained and operated by the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, a non-profit corporation made up of private sector stakeholders and city appointees. A ballot initiative to fund construction of the $102 million line was approved by voters on December 12, 2012. The system runs between River Market and Union Station, mostly along Main Street, with extensions north and south under consideration. City buses operated by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) provide most public transportation in the Kansas City area. The Metro Area Express (MAX) went online as Kansas City, Missouri's first bus rapid transit line in July 2005, and operates and is marketed akin to a rail system as opposed to a local bus line; the MAX links the River Market, Downtown, Union Station, Crown Center and the Country Club Plaza. Buses in Johnson County, Kansas, are operated by Johnson County Transit (known as "The JO").


Cultural attractions


Architecture

The architecture of
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
, and the metropolitan area includes major works by many of the world's most distinguished architects and firms, including McKim, Mead and White; Jarvis Hunt; Wight and Wight; Graham, Anderson, Probst and White;
Hoit, Price & Barnes Hoit, Price & Barnes was a prominent Kansas City architectural firm in the early 20th century. It designed several skyscrapers and mansions including three of the current ten tallest buildings in Kansas City; the Kansas City Power and Light Bui ...
;
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
; the Office of Mies van der Rohe; Barry Byrne;
Edward Larrabee Barnes Edward Larrabee Barnes (April 22, 1915 – September 22, 2004) was an American architect. His work was characterized by the "fusing fModernism with vernacular architecture and understated design." Barnes was best known for his adherence to st ...
;
Harry Weese Harry Mohr Weese (June 30, 1915 – October 29, 1998) was an American architect who had an important role in 20th century modernism and historic preservation. His brother, Ben Weese, is also a renowned architect. Early life and education Harry ...
; and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. * The
KCTV-Tower KCTV (channel 5) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KSMO-TV (channel 62). Both stations share studios on Shawnee Mission Parkway ...
is a pyramid-shaped television and radio tower used primarily by local CBS affiliate KCTV (channel 5). It is at the corner of 31st and Main Streets, next to the studio facilities of PBS member station KCPT (which formerly housed the original studios of KCTV), and is visible from many parts of the city, especially at night due to the string of lights adorning the tower. * The twin red-brick towers of the
American Century Investments American Century Investments is a privately controlled and independent investment management firm. Operations The Building has approximately 1,300 employees and its headquarters are located at 4500 Main in Kansas City, Missouri, near the Countr ...
complex are oriented north and south along Main at 45th Street, just north of the Country Club Plaza (the
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994 in Kansas City, Missouri. With a $5 million annual budget and approximately 75,000 visitors each year, it is Missouri's first and largest contemporary museum. Founders The core of the museum's perm ...
is slightly east, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is east and slightly south). * Kansas City Community Christian Church, at 4601 Main Street, has a group of lights that shoot a beam upwards to the sky at night. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1950s, it is slightly south of and across the street from the American Century Investment Towers (the Nelson Atkins is to the east, and the Kemper Museum is to the north and slightly east). * Bartle Hall has a section that somewhat resembles a north-south suspension bridge, crossing over I-670 at the southwest corner of the downtown loop. It has four towers, with metal sculptures on top of each tower. * The Veterans Affairs Medical Center, near the intersection of I-70, Linwood Boulevard and Van Brunt Boulevard, has a large "VA" emblem. * The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, at 16th Street and Broadway (just south of the downtown loop), with its tiered glass and steel half-domes, has a design reminiscent of the world-famous
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
.


Colleges and universities

Top 5 largest colleges by total enrollment (within the MSA) *1. Johnson County Community College - 18,638 *2. Metropolitan Community College - 17,025 *3.
University of Missouri-Kansas City A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
- 16,383 *4. Park University - 9,512 *5.
Kansas Christian College (Overland Park) Kansas Christian College is a private, four-year Christian college in Overland Park, Kansas, United States, affiliated with the Church of God (Holiness). The college is accredited with the Association for Biblical Higher Education, a commissi ...
- 200 List of institutions (including those in the CSA): * Avila University - Kansas City, MO * Baker University - Baldwin City, KS * Benedictine College - Atchison, KS *
Calvary University Calvary University is a private Christian university in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2019, total enrollment was 430, with undergraduate enrollment of 348 and graduate enrollment of 82. History The university originally opened in 1932 as Calvary ...
- Kansas City, MO *
Cleveland University-Kansas City Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a private university in Overland Park, Kansas, United States. Cleveland University-Kansas City is known primarily for its chiropractic doctorate program (D.C.) but it also offers associate, bachelor's, ...
- Kansas City, KS * DeVry University - Kansas City, MO * Donnelly College - Kansas City, KS *
Friends University Friends University is a private nondenominational Christian university in Wichita, Kansas. It was founded in 1898. The main building was originally built in 1886 for Garfield University but was donated in 1898 to the Religious Society of Fri ...
- Lenexa, KS * Graceland University - Independence, MO * University of Arkansas Grantham - Lenexa, KS (administrative location) * Haskell Indian Nations University - Lawrence, KS * Johnson County Community College - Overland Park, KS * Kansas Christian College - Overland Park, KS * Kansas City Art Institute - Kansas City, MO * Kansas City Kansas Community College - Kansas City, KS *
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences Kansas City University (KCU) is a private medical school with its main campus in Kansas City, Missouri and an additional campus in Joplin, Missouri. Founded in 1916, KCU is one of the original osteopathic medical schools in the United States. ...
- Kansas City, MO * Kansas State University Olathe Innovation Campus - Olathe, KS * Metropolitan Community College (Penn Valley, Maple Woods, Business and Technology Center, Blue River, and Longview) - Kansas City, MO * MidAmerica Nazarene University - Olathe, KS *
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Kansas City, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary also houses an undergraduate college, Spu ...
- Kansas City, MO * Missouri Western State University - St. Joseph, MO *
National American University National American University (NAU) is a private for-profit online university with locations at Ellsworth Air Force Base and Naval Submarine Base King's Bay. It is owned by National American University Holdings, Inc. (NAUH). In 2018, NAU a ...
- Kansas City, MO * Nazarene Theological Seminary - Kansas City, MO *
Northwest Missouri State University Northwest Missouri State University is a public university in Maryville, Missouri. It has an enrollment of about 8,505 students. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, its campus is based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis Worl ...
- Maryville, MO * Ottawa University - Overland Park, KS * Park University - Parkville, MO * Pinnacle Career Institute - Kansas City, KS *
Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. History ...
- Lenexa, KS *
Rasmussen College Rasmussen University is a private for-profit university with multiple locations throughout the United States. It offers associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at 23 campuses in Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota, Florida, Wisconsin ...
- Overland Park, KS *
Rockhurst University Rockhurst University is a private Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It enrolled 2,980 students in 2019. History In 1909, Fr. ...
- Kansas City, MO * Saint Paul School of Theology - Leawood, KS *
University of Central Missouri The University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a public university in Warrensburg, Missouri. In 2019, enrollment was 11,229 students from 49 states and 59 countries on its 1,561-acre campus. UCM offers 150 programs of study, including 10 pre-profes ...
- Warrensburg, MO *
University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
- Lawrence, KS * University of Kansas Edwards Campus - Overland Park, KS * University of Kansas Medical Center - Kansas City, KS * University of Missouri–Kansas City - Kansas City, MO *
University of Saint Mary The University of Saint Mary (USM) is a private Catholic university in Leavenworth, Kansas, United States. It is sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, who established it in 1923 as Saint Mary College. Though it was originally a sch ...
- Leavenworth, KS * Webster University - Webster Groves, MO * William Jewell College - Liberty, MO


Libraries

The metro public library systems include
Kansas City Public Library The Kansas City Public Library is a public system headquartered in the Central Library in Kansas City, Missouri. The system operates its Central Library and neighborhood branches located in Kansas City, Independence, and Sugar Creek. Foun ...
(Missouri),
Mid-Continent Public Library Mid-Continent Public Library, officially known as Consolidated Library District #3, is a consolidated public library system serving Clay, Platte, and Jackson Counties in Missouri, with headquarters in Independence, Missouri. Mid-Continent Public ...
,
Kansas City, Kansas Public Library Kansas City, Kansas Public Library (KCKPL) is the public library system of Kansas City, Kansas, headquartered in the Main Library. The library serves Wyandotte County, Kansas. It is governed by the Board of Education of Kansas City Kansas Publi ...
, and Johnson County Library. Private libraries include the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum and the Linda Hall Library.


Media


Print

'' The Kansas City Star'' is the metropolitan area's major daily newspaper.
The McClatchy Company The McClatchy Company, commonly referred to as simply McClatchy, is an American publishing company incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law and based in Sacramento, California. It operates 29 daily newspapers in fourteen states an ...
, which owns ''The Star'', also owns two suburban weeklies: ''Lee's Summit Journal'' and ''Olathe Journal''. The '' Kansas City Kansan'' serves Wyandotte County, having moved from print to an online format in 2009. Additional weekly papers in the metropolitan area include the ''Liberty Tribune'', ''Sun Newspapers'' of Johnson County, '' The Examiner'' in Independence and eastern Jackson County, '' The Pitch'', and the ''Kansas-Missouri Sentinel''. The faith-based newspapers are ''The Metro Voice Christian Newspaper'' and the ''Jewish Chronicle''. ''Dos Mundos'' is a bilingual newspaper with articles in Spanish and English, and ''Mi Raza'' magazine is the area's only weekly Hispanic publication printed in Spanish. The '' Kansas City Call'' is an African American weekly newspaper.


Broadcast

According to Arbitron, about 1.5 million people over the age of 12 live within the Kansas City DMA, making it the 30th largest market for radio and 31st for television according to Nielsen. The Kansas City television and radio markets cover 32 counties encompassing northwestern Missouri and northeast Kansas.


Television

Television stations in the Kansas City metropolitan area, with all major network affiliates represented, include: * WDAF-TV, channel 4 ( Fox) * KCTV, channel 5 ( CBS) * KMBC-TV, channel 9 ( ABC) *
KTAJ-TV KTAJ-TV (channel 16) is a religious television station licensed to St. Joseph, Missouri, United States, serving the St. Joseph and Kansas City markets as an owned-and-operated station of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). The station's studi ...
, channel 16 ( TBN) * KCPT, channel 19 ( PBS) *
KUKC-LD KUKC-LD, virtual channel 20 ( UHF digital channel 14), is a low-powered Univision- affiliated television station licensed to Kansas City, Missouri, United States and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. The station is owned by Media Vist ...
, channel 20 (
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and include ...
) * KCKS-LD, channel 25 (simulcast of sister station WROB-LD) *
KCWE KCWE (channel 29) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside ABC affiliate KMBC-TV (channel 9). Both stations share studios on Winchester Avenue in the Rid ...
, channel 29 (
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
) * KSHB-TV, channel 41 ( NBC) * KMCI-TV, channel 38 (
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...
) *KGKC, Channel 39 (Telemundo Kansas City) * KPXE-TV, channel 50 ( Ion Television) * KSMO-TV, channel 62 ( MyNetworkTV) The Kansas City television market is in very close proximity to two other media markets, St. Joseph and Topeka. As such, most of the television stations in the Kansas City area are receivable over-the-air in portions of both markets, including their principal cities; likewise, stations from Topeka are receivable as far east as Kansas City, Kansas and stations from St. Joseph are viewable as far south as Kansas City, Missouri's immediate northern suburbs.


Radio

Over 30 FM and 20 AM radio stations broadcast in the Kansas City area, with stations from Topeka, St. Joseph and Carrollton also reaching into the metropolitan area. The highest-rated radio stations, according to Arbitron are: *
WHB WHB (810 AM) is a commercial radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The station is owned by Union Broadcasting and it airs an all-sports radio format. For most of the 1950s through the 1970s, while it was broadcasting at 710 AM ...
(810 AM) - Sports, ESPN Radio Affiliate *
KPRS KPRS is an Urban contemporary radio station that broadcasts on the 103.3 MHz frequency licensed to Kansas City. The station's playlist consists of hip-hop, R&B, and gospel music. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it is ...
(103.3 FM) – Urban * KCMO-FM (94.9) – Classic Hits *
KQRC KQRC-FM (98.9 MHz, "98-9 The Rock") is a radio station licensed to Leavenworth, Kansas and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its studios are located in Mission, Kansas, and the transmitter site is in South Kansas City. The station is owne ...
(98.9 FM) – Rock * KRBZ-FM (96.5) – Alternative * KMBZ (98.1 FM) – News/Talk * WDAF-FM (106.5) – Country, Kansas City Chiefs flagship *
KZPT KZPT (99.7 FM) is a hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1962 under the call sign KMBC-FM. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its transmitter is locat ...
(99.7) - Adult Top 40 * KCSP (610 AM) - Sports, Kansas City Royals flagship *
KMXV KMXV (93.3 FM "Mix 93.3") is a Top 40 (CHR) station based in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The Steel City Media outlet operates with an ERP of 100 kW. Its current slogan is "Kansas City's #1 Hit Music Station". It is also one of two ...
(93.3) - Top 40 * KFKF (94.1) - Country *
KCFX KCFX (101.1 FM, "101 The Fox") is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to the suburb of Harrisonville, Missouri, it serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media. The station ...
(101.1) - Classic Rock *
KCHZ KCHZ (95.7 FM, "95-7 The Vibe"), is a Top 40 (CHR) radio station licensed to Ottawa, Kansas and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. The Cumulus Media, Inc. outlet operates at 95.7 MHz with an ERP of 98 kW. Its transmitter is loc ...
(95.7 FM) – Top 40/Rhythmic


=Public and community radio

= *
KCUR KCUR-FM (89.3 MHz) is a public, listener-supported radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, broadcasting over the Kansas City metropolitan area and parts of Missouri and Kansas. It is a service of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which al ...
(89.3 FM) – NPR affiliate *
KANU-FM KANU is the flagship station of Kansas Public Radio (KPR), a seven-station network based in Lawrence at the University of Kansas. In addition to KANU (91.5 FM), KPR also operates full-power stations KANH in Emporia (at 89.7 FM), KANV in Olsbur ...
(91.5) and KTBG (90.9 FM) – both college radio stations; also NPR affiliates * KKFI (90.1 FM) – Locally owned not-for-profit station * KGSP (1480 FM) – Park University college station


=Specialty radio

= Hispanics, who account for 8% of the market's population, are specifically served by three AM radio stations who broadcast in Spanish: * KCZZ (1480 AM) – Spanish Sports (ESPN Deportes) talk * KDTD (1340 AM) –
Mexican regional Regional Mexican is a Latin music radio format encompassing the musical genres from the different parts of rural Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Genres include banda, country en español, Duranguense, grupero, mariachi, New Mexico m ...
* KYYS (1250 AM) – Classic hits


Business interests

The Kansas City metropolitan area's largest private employer is Cerner Corporation. Cerner, a global healthcare IT company which is headquartered in North Kansas City, employs nearly 10,000 people in the area with a total workforce of nearly 20,000 people including global employees. In August 2014, the company announced its acquisition of competitor
Siemens Healthcare Siemens Healthineers AG (formerly Siemens Healthcare, Siemens Medical Solutions, Siemens Medical Systems) is a German medical device company. It is the parent company for several medical technology companies and is headquartered in Erlangen, Ger ...
. Cerner has several campuses across the area with its World Headquarters building in North Kansas City, Innovations Campus in South Kansas City, and Continuous Campus in Kansas City, Kansas. Other major employers and business enterprises are
AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile ...
, BNSF Railway, GEICO, Asurion, T-Mobile,
Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi ( stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomera ...
, EMBARQ, Farmers Insurance Group, Garmin, Hallmark Cards, Husqvarna, H&R Block,
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
,
Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
,
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
, MillerCoors, State Street Corporation, '' The Kansas City Star'', and Waddell & Reed, some of which are headquartered in the metropolitan area. Kansas City also has a large pharmaceutical industry, with companies such as Bayer and Aventis having a large presence.


Headquarters

These are among the largest companies and organizations, excluding educational institutions, that are headquartered in or have since relocated from the metropolitan area. Headquarters of most are located in Kansas City, Missouri. *
American Century Investments American Century Investments is a privately controlled and independent investment management firm. Operations The Building has approximately 1,300 employees and its headquarters are located at 4500 Main in Kansas City, Missouri, near the Countr ...
, an investment management firm * AMC Theatres, a movie theater chain (Leawood, Kansas) *
Andrews McMeel Universal Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU) is an American media corporation based in Kansas City, Missouri. It was founded in 1970 by Jim Andrews and John McMeel as Universal Press Syndicate and was renamed in 1997 to AMU to reflect the diversification that ...
, a syndication and publication company which represents media/entertainment features such as '' Dear Abby'', '' Garfield'', '' Calvin and Hobbes'' and ''
Doonesbury ''Doonesbury'' is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, ...
'' *
Applebee's Applebee's Restaurants LLC. is an American company that develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain. The Applebee's concept focuses on casual dining, with mainstream American dishes such as salads ...
, a restaurant chain (Lenexa, Kansas), relocated to Glendale, California in 2015 *
BATS Global Markets Bats Global Markets is a global stock exchange operator based in Lenexa, Kansas, with additional offices in London, New York, Chicago, and Singapore. Bats was founded in June 2005, became operator of a licensed U.S. stock exchange in 2008 and o ...
, a stock exchange (Lenexa, Kansas) * Black & Veatch Corporation, engineering firm (Overland Park, Kansas) * CenturyLink (formerly Embarq Corporation), telecommunications company (headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana) *
Cerner Cerner Corporation is an American supplier of health information technology (HIT) services, devices, and hardware. As of February 2018, its products were in use at more than 27,000 facilities around the world. The company had more than 29,000 emp ...
, supplier of healthcare information technology solutions (North Kansas City, Missouri) *
Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its members ...
* Commerce Bancshares, a bank serving Kansas, Missouri and
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
*
Community of Christ The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...
, International Headquarters (Independence, Missouri) * DST Systems, provider of information processing and computer software services and products * Engineered Air, worldwide supplier and manufacturer of industrial air conditioners (De Soto) *
Fellowship of Christian Athletes The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international non-profit Christian sports ministry founded in 1954 and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has staff offices located throughout the United States and abroad. History FCA was foun ...
(FCA) * Ferrellgas, retailer and distributor of natural gas (Liberty, Missouri) * FishNet Security, a provider of information security services and technology resale - Overland Park, KS * Fort Dodge Animal Health, an animal health pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturer and a division of Wyeth (Overland Park, Kansas) * Freightquote.com, largest online third party logistics provider * Garmin, largest maker of GPS-based electronics (Olathe, Kansas) * Goodcents Subs and Pastas, notable midwest restaurant chain (De Soto) * Hallmark Cards, largest maker of greeting cards in the U.S. * HNTB Corporation, architectural and engineering firm * H&R Block, financial corporation and former parent company of CompuServe, known mostly for their income tax preparation services * Hostess Brands Maker of
Twinkies A Twinkie is an American snack cake, described as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling". It was formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands. The brand is currently owned by Hostess Brands, Inc. (), having been formerly owned by private ...
and other snack cakes. * Huhtamaki, makers of Chinet paper dinnerware (De Soto) * Inergy, L.P., retailers and distributors of natural gas *
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (IBB) is a trade union in the United States and Canada. It is for boilermakers and related occupations, and is affiliated with both the AFL–C ...
* J. E. Dunn Construction Group, construction contractor * Kansas City Board of Trade, a commodity futures and options exchange *
Kansas City Power and Light Company Kansas City Power and Light Company was an electric utility company serving the Kansas City metropolitan area The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle th ...
, a regulated provider of electricity and energy-related products and services *
Kansas City Southern Industries Kansas City Southern (KCS) is a pure transportation holding company with railroad investments in the United States, Mexico, and Panama. The KCS rail network includes about of track in the U.S. and Mexico.https://www.kcsouthern.com/pdf/communi ...
, operators of a Class I railroad * Lockton Companies, the largest privately held insurance brokerage in the U.S. * Merck Health Institutions, pharmaceutical corporation (De Soto) * MK12 Studios, a filmmaking, animation, and design studio *
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...
(NAIA) * Newport Television – privately held broadcasting company * North Kansas City Hospital (North Kansas City, Missouri) *
People to People International People to People International (PTPI) is a program established on September 11, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as part of the United States Information Agency. After President Eisenhower left the office of President in 1961, he arranged t ...
, a voluntary organization founded by President Dwight Eisenhower * Perceptive Software, makers of "Image NOW" software (Lenexa, Kansas) * Polsinelli, AmLaw100-ranked national law firm * Populous (formerly HOK Sport + Venue + Event), a major sports architectural firm *
Russell Stover Candies Russell Stover Chocolates, Inc., founded by Russell Stover, an American chemist and entrepreneur, and his wife Clara Stover in 1923, is an American supplier of candy, chocolate, and confections. The corporate headquarters are in Kansas City, M ...
* T-Mobile which is retaining the former Sprint campus as a secondary headquarters (Overland Park, Kansas) * Tradebot, a high-frequency trading firm *
UMB Financial Corporation UMB Financial Corporation is an American financial services holding company founded in 1913 as City Center Bank and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It offers a number of financial services from checking and savings accounts, credit services inclu ...
, a commercial bank serving a multi-state area of the Midwest * Unity Church * Veterans of Foreign Wars * Waddell & Reed, an investment management and brokerage firm (Overland Park, Kansas) * Walton Construction, a construction contractor * YRC Worldwide Inc., known mostly from its former name and brand Yellow Freight, one of the largest transportation service providers in the world (Overland Park, Kansas) The Kansas City
Federal Reserve Bank A Federal Reserve Bank is a regional bank of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. There are twelve in total, one for each of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts that were created by the Federal Reserve ...
is one of twelve such banks located in the United States.


Hospitals

* AdventHealth Shawnee Mission * Centerpoint Medical Center *
Children's Mercy Hospital Children's Mercy Kansas City is a 390 bed comprehensive pediatric medical center in Kansas City, Missouri, that integrates clinical care, research and medical education to provide care for pediatric patients from birth through adulthood. The h ...
* Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute * Kansas City Veterans Affairs Hospital * Kindred Hospital Kansas City * Lee's Summit Medical Center *
Menorah Medical Center Menorah Medical Center is an acute care hospital located in Overland Park, Kansas at 5721 West 119th Street. It is part of the HCA Midwest Division. History The Jewish Memorial Hospital Association was established in 1926 by the Jewish communi ...
* North Kansas City Hospital * Olathe Medical Center * Overland Park Regional Medical Center * Providence Medical Center *
Research Medical Center Research Medical Center is a 590-bed hospital located in Kansas City, Missouri at 2316 East Meyer Boulevard. It is part of the HCA Midwest Division. Background German Hospital was originally established in 1886 in a brick farmhouse near present d ...
* St. Joseph Medical Center * Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City *
Saint Luke's East Hospital Saint Luke's East Hospital is a 238-bed hospital located in Lee's Summit, Missouri. History Saint Luke's East first opened in 2006. In 2007, then President of the United States George W. Bush toured the hospital and participated in a roundtable d ...
*
Saint Luke's South Hospital Saint Luke's South Hospital is a 171-bed hospital located in Overland Park, Kansas. History Saint Luke's South first opened in 1998. In 2019, Saint Luke's South completed its 100,000 square-foot Saint Luke's Rehabilitation Institute expansion. ...
* St. Mary's Medical Center * University Health Truman Medical Center * University of Kansas Hospital (KU Med Center)


Shopping centers

* Adams Dairy Landing *
Blue Ridge Crossing Blue Ridge Crossing is a shopping center located in Kansas City, Missouri and Independence, Missouri at the intersections of I-70, US 40 Highway at Exit 11 & Sterling Avenue at Exit 10. Location The location surrounds the area from Interstate 7 ...
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Crown Center Crown Center is a shopping center and neighborhood located near Downtown Kansas City, Missouri between Gillham Road and Main Street to the east and west, and between OK/E 22nd St and E 27th St to the north and south. The shopping center is a ...
* Country Club Plaza *
The Great Mall of the Great Plains The Great Mall of the Great Plains was formerly a shopping mall located in Olathe, Kansas, United States. It was the largest outlet mall in the state of Kansas, and boasted over 150 stores and 10 anchors, laid out in a half-mile racetrack pattern. ...
(Demolished March 2017) * Independence Center * The Landing Mall *
Legends Outlets Kansas City Legends Outlets Kansas City, formerly The Legends at Village West, is a super-regional shopping mall located in the Village West development in Kansas City, Kansas. The mall has a gross leasable area of . The shopping center is surrounded by ...
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Metcalf South Shopping Center Metcalf South Shopping Center was a shopping mall in Overland Park, Kansas. It opened in 1967, near a large, unique department store called the French Market, which later became a strip mall anchored by Kmart and Hancock Fabrics (the Kmart closed ...
(Demolished June/July 2017) *
Metro North Mall Metro North Mall was a Shopping mall, mall located at 400 NW Barry Road, in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, United States Metro North opened in 1976 and was the only enclosed mall located north of the Missouri River in the Kansas C ...
(Demolished 2016) * Oak Park Mall * Park Place * Summit Fair * Summit Woods Crossing *
Town Center Plaza Town Center Plaza is an open-air shopping center in Leawood, Kansas, United States. It is home to a number of upscale stores with few or no other locations in the Kansas City area, including Allen Edmonds, Arhaus, Brooks Brothers, Bonobos, Cr ...
* Town Pavilion * Ward Parkway Center * Zona Rosa


Natural environment

The
USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
provides estimates of the number of trees by county in the Kansas City metropolitan area.https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rb/rb_nrs75.pdf *Cass County, MO - 43,740 *Miami County, KS - 38,700 *Leavenworth County, KS - 332,1000 *Jackson County, MO - 325,4000 *Clay County, MO - 269,4000 *Johnson County, KS - 254,9000 *Ray County, MO - 22,710 *Platte County, MO - 195,900 *Wyandotte County, KS - 653,000 *Total - 2,494,500 The five most common species in the region's urban and rural forest were American elm (28.9 percent), northern hackberry (14.0 percent), Osage-orange (7.2 percent),
honeylocust The honey locust (''Gleditsia triacanthos''), also known as the thorny locust or thorny honeylocust, is a deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae, native to central North America where it is mostly found in the moist soil of river valleys. Hon ...
(6.7 percent), and eastern redcedar (5.0 percent).


Local organizations

*
Irish Museum and Cultural Center The Kansas City Irish Center, formerly known as the Irish Center of Kansas City, is a non-profit organization in Kansas City, Missouri. The Center opened in Union Station on March 17, 2007 ( Saint Patrick's Day). The Center's mission encourages k ...
* Congregation Beth Israel Abraham Voliner * South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce * Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City * ArtsKC Regional Arts Council * Central Exchange * Shepherd's Center KC Central


Notable people

Many notable people through history were born in, or moved to, what is now the Kansas City metropolitan area. The list from Kansas City, Missouri includes these: cartoonists
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
,
Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ...
, and Ub Iwerks; musicians Count Basie, Melissa Etheridge, and Eminem; Representative Emanuel Cleaver and historical city boss Tom Pendergast; actors Ellie Kemper, Don Cheadle, and
Jason Sudeikis Daniel Jason Sudeikis ( ; born September 18, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. In 200 ...
; reporter Walter Cronkite; pilot Amelia Earhart; and writer
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...
. The list from Kansas City, Kansas includes actors
Eric Stonestreet Eric Allen Stonestreet (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for portraying Cameron Tucker in the ABC mockumentary sitcom ''Modern Family'', for which he received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supportin ...
, Scott Foley, and Tuc Watkins; Kermit the Frog puppeteer Matt Vogel; '' West Side Story'' cinematographer Daniel L. Fapp;
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
writer Jason Aaron; sculptor and pioneering black pilot Ed Dwight, Jr.;
Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...
player Ed Dwight, Sr.; and mass murderer Richard Hickock. The list from Independence, Missouri includes President Harry S. Truman, Guns N' Roses keyboardist Chris Pitman, eSports player
Jonathan Wendel Johnathan Wendel (born February 26, 1981), more commonly known by his online alias Fatal1ty (pronounced "Fatality"), is an entrepreneur and former professional esports player of the first-person shooter titles '' Quake'' and ''Painkiller.'' He ...
, actor Arliss Howard, Devo co-founder Bob Lewis, self-freed slave and
Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...
pioneer Hiram Young, Pulitzer-winning historian David McCullough, actor Ginger Rogers, rapper Tech N9ne, fantasy novelist Margaret Weis, television series creator Paul Henning, and black female Civil War soldier Cathay Williams. From Overland Park, Kansas, this includes film directors
Michael Almereyda Michael Almereyda (born April 7, 1960) is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Early work Almereyda studied art history at Harvard but dropped out after three years to pursue filmmaking. He acquired a Hollywood agent on ...
(''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'') and Darren Lynn Bousman ( ''Saw''), actors Rob Riggle and Tom Kane, economist and writer Michael R. Strain, and eSports player Johnathan Wendel. From Lenexa, Kansas, this includes actors
Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. He studied theater at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before making his acting debut in 1991. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame i ...
and Jason Wiles, gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok, and autism researcher William Shaw. From Olathe, Kansas, this includes
George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the e ...
. From Lee's Summit, this includes Bob, Cole, Jim, and John of the James–Younger Gang.


See also


References


Further reading

* Shortridge, James R. ''Kansas City and How It Grew, 1822–2011'' (University Press of Kansas; 2012) 248 pages; historical geography


External links


VisitKC.com

DowntownKC.org

2010 KC Census
{{USLargestMetros Metropolitan areas of Missouri Metropolitan areas of Kansas Regions of Missouri Regions of Kansas