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The River Market (formerly known as Westport Landing, the City Market, and River
Quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locatio ...
) is a riverfront
neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...
in
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...
,
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 ...
that comprises the first and oldest incorporated district in Kansas City. It stretches north of the downtown
Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...
loop to the Missouri River, and is bordered by the
Buck O'Neil Bridge The Buck O'Neil Bridge is a triple arch bridge that spans the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. It first opened for traffic September 9, 1956 as the Broadway Bridge. It was built at a cost of $12 million. It was a to ...
on the west and the
Heart of America Bridge The Heart of America Bridge is a vehicular girder bridge over the Missouri River, in Kansas City, Missouri. It carries Route 9. It was the vehicular replacement for the upper level of the ASB Bridge, and runs next to it a few hundred yards do ...
on the east. , the population was 1,345.


History

Starting in 1821, the area was an early French fur trading post operated by François Chouteau of the powerful
Chouteau Chouteau was the name of a highly successful, ethnically French fur-trading family based in Saint Louis, Missouri, which they helped found. Their ancestors Chouteau and Laclède initially settled in New Orleans. They then moved-up the Mississipp ...
clan. The name "Westport Landing" is derived from having been the dock on the Missouri River for the exchange of goods destined for the community of Westport three miles to the south on higher ground that was operated by
John Calvin McCoy John Calvin McCoy (September 28, 1811September 2, 1889) is considered the "father of Kansas City". Early life McCoy was born in Vincennes, Indiana. He studied as a land surveyor at Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky, during 1826-1827. ...
. He was to lead a group of settlers to create the Town of Kansas in this location in 1850 which in turn became the City of Kansas in 1853. This made it the first and oldest incorporated district in what is now Kansas City. In the mid 1800s, the public square was located in what is now the southern section of the large
farmers' market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...
. What is now the City Market area was previously known as River Quay, and was the site of many mob activities, including car bombs. The Quay name was applied to the neighborhood in the 1970s by developer
Marion A. Trozzolo Marion A. Trozzolo (1925 – June 30, 1992) was an innovator, inventor, entrepreneur, and professor of business at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the first manufacturer of teflon coated cookware in the United States, an ...
to capitalize on the neighborhood's early French connections. His vision was to make this neighborhood a destination for restaurants and
bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
shops. The area encompasses the location of Kansas City's founding.


Current

The large riverfront warehouses have become increasingly developed into residential lofts, restaurants, bars, shops,
cafes A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...
, and ethnic markets. Since its inception in 1857, the City Market has been one of the largest and most enduring public farmers' markets in the Midwest, linking growers and small businesses to the Kansas City community. There are more than 40 full-time tenants that are open year-round with an eclectic mix of independently owned shops and dining. There is a Farmers Market that features local vendors every weekend of the year. The Arabia Steamboat Museum at 400 Grand Blvd. is a popular tourist attraction displaying thousands of artifacts from a steamboat and its cargo that had sunk nearby in 1856 and was recovered in 1987–88. The manager of the market on behalf of the City of Kansas City is KC Commercial Realty Group. The official neighborhood association for the River Market neighborhood is the River Market Community Association.


See also

*
List of neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri The list of neighborhoods of Kansas City, Missouri has nearly 240 neighborhoods. The list includes only Kansas City, Missouri and not the entire Kansas City metropolitan area, such as Kansas City, Kansas. Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missou ...


References


External links

*
River Market Community AssociationArabia Steamboat MuseumDowntown Neighborhood Association
{{Kansas City, Missouri Economy of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri Downtown Kansas City