Kansas City is the largest city in the state of Missouri. It encompasses parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties and is the anchor city
of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest in Missouri,
which includes counties in both Missouri and Kansas. As of 2006,
the city had an estimated population of 447,306[4], with a
metro area of nearly two million.[5] Kansas City was
founded in 1838 as the "Town of Kansas"[6] at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers and was incorporated in its present form
in 1850. Situated opposite Kansas City,
Kansas, the city was the location of several battles during the Civil War, including the Battle of Westport. The city is
well known for its contributions to the musical styles of jazz and blues as well as to cuisine (Kansas
City-style barbecue).
Abbreviations and nicknames
Kansas City Skyline from Liberty Memorial
Kansas City, Missouri, is often abbreviated as "KCMO", or simply "KC" (both abbreviations often refer to the metro area). It is officially nicknamed the City of Fountains, with over 200 examples, the city claims to have second most in the world, just behind
Rome.[7] The city also has
more boulevards than any city except Paris and has often been called "Paris on the
Plains." Informal nicknames include BBQ Capital of the
World, and residents are known as Kansas Citians. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as the Heart of
America as it is near both the geographic and
population centers of the United States.
History
-
Kansas City, Missouri was incorporated in 1850. The territory straddling the border between Missouri and Kansas at the confluence of the
Kansas and Missouri rivers was considered a good place to build settlements.
Exploration and settlement
The first documented European visit to Kansas City was Étienne de
Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, who was also the first European to explore the lower Missouri River. Criticized for his
handling of a Native American attack of Fort Detroit, he had deserted his post as commander
of the fort and was avoiding the French authorities. Bourgmont lived with a Native American wife in the Missouri village about 90 miles east near Brunswick,
Missouri, and illegally traded furs.
In order to clear his name, he wrote "Exact Description of Louisiana, of Its Harbors, Lands and Rivers, and Names of the
Indian Tribes That Occupy It, and the Commerce and Advantages to Be Derived Therefrom for the Establishment of a Colony" in 1713
followed in 1714 by "The Route to Be Taken to Ascend the Missouri River." In the documents he describes the junction of the
"Grande Riv[iere] des Cansez" and Missouri River, being the first to refer to them by those names. French cartographer
Guillaume Delisle used the descriptions to make the first reasonably accurate map of
the area.
The Spanish took over the region in the Treaty of Paris (1763) but were not to
play a major role in the area other than taxing and licensing all traffic on the Missouri River. The French continued their fur
trade on the river under Spanish license. The Chouteau family operated under the Spanish
license at St. Louis in the lower Missouri
Valley as early as 1765, but it would be 1821 before the Chouteaus reached Kansas City, when François Chouteau established Chouteau's Landing.
After the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis
and Clark visited the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, noting it was a good place to build a fort.
In 1833 John McCoy established West
Port along the Santa Fe Trail, three miles away from the river. Then in 1834,
McCoy established Westport Landing on a bend in the Missouri River to serve as a
landing point for West Port. Soon after, the Kansas Town Company, a group of investors, began to settle the area, taking their
name from an English spelling of "Cansez." In 1850 the landing area was incorporated as the Town of Kansas.[8]
By that time, the Town of Kansas, Westport, and nearby Independence, had
become critical points in America's westward expansion.
Three major trails -- the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon -- all originated in Jackson County.
On February 22, 1853, the City of Kansas was created with a
newly elected mayor. It had an area of 0.70 square miles and a population of 2,500. The boundary lines at that time extended from
the middle of the Missouri River south to what is now Ninth Street, and from Bluff Street on the west to a point between Holmes
Road and Charlotte Street on the east.[9]
Civil War
The area was ripe with animosity as the Civil War approached. As citizens of a
slave state, Missourians tended to sympathize with the southern states. With Kansas
petitioning to enter the Union under the new doctrine of popular sovereignty, many from the area crossed into Kansas to sway the state towards allowing
slavery, at first by ballot box and then by bloodshed.
Bird's eye view of Kansas City, Missouri. Jan. 1869. Drawn by A. Ruger, Merchants Lith. Co., currently located at the
Irish Museum and Cultural Center in Union Station
During the Civil War, the City of Kansas was in the midst of battles, almost all of them victories by the Union. The
Battle of Independence in August 1862 stunted a Confederate advance into northern Missouri (settled by pro-slavery Virginians), and the October 1864 Battle of Westport effectively
ended Confederate efforts to occupy the city. However, a successful raid on nearby Lawrence,
Kansas, led by William Quantrill forced General Thomas Ewing to issue General Order No. 11, forcing
the eviction of residents in four counties, including Jackson, except those living in the city and nearby communities and those
whose allegiance to the Union was certified by Ewing.
Walnut St., Downtown Kansas City, Mo. 1906
Post-Civil War
After the Civil War, the City of Kansas grew rapidly. The selection of the city over Leavenworth, Kansas, for the Hannibal & St.
Joseph Railroad bridge over the Missouri River brought about significant growth. The population exploded after 1869, when
the Hannibal Bridge, designed by Octave Chanute, opened. The boom prompted a name change
to Kansas City in 1889 and the city limits to extend south and east. Westport became part of Kansas City on December 2, 1897.
Kansas City, guided by architect George Kessler, became a forefront example of the
City Beautiful movement, developing a network of boulevards and parks around the
city. The relocation of Union Station to its current location in 1914 and
the opening of the Liberty Memorial in 1923 gave the city two of its most identifiable
landmarks. Further spurring Kansas City's growth was the opening of the innovative Country
Club Plaza development by J.C. Nichols in 1925 as part of his
Country Club District plan.
Pendergast era
At the turn of the century, political machines attempted to gain clout in the city,
with the one led by Tom Pendergast emerging as the dominant machine by 1925. A new city
charter passed that year made it easier for his Democratic Party machine to gain control of the city council (slimmed from 32
members to nine) and appoint a corrupt city manager. Several important buildings and structures were built during this time, to
assist with the great depression-- all led by Pendergast, including the Kansas City City
Hall and the Jackson County Courthouse-- both added new skyscrapers to the city's growing skyline. The machine fell in
1939 when Pendergast, riddled with health problems, pleaded guilty to tax
evasion. The machine, however, gave rise to Harry S. Truman, who quickly became
Kansas City's favorite son.
Post-World War II sprawl
After World War II, the city experienced considerable sprawl, as the affluent populace
left for suburbs like Johnson County, Kansas, and
eastern Jackson County, Missouri. However, many also went north of the
Missouri River, where Kansas City had incorporated areas between the 1940s to 1970s. The population of the urban core significantly dipped, while the city as a whole gained
population.
The sprawl of the city mainly took shape after the "race riots" of the Civil Rights Movement in Kansas City. At this time,
slums were also beginning to form in the inner city, and those who could afford to leave, left for the suburbs and outer edges of
the city. The post-WWII idea of suburbs and the "American Dream" also contributed to the sprawl of the area. As the city
continued to sprawl, the inner city also continued to decline.
In 1940, the city had about 400,000 residents; by 2000, the same area was home to only about 180,000. From 1940 to 1960, the
city more than doubled its physical size, while increasing its population by only about 75,000. By 1970, the city had a total
area of approximately 316 square miles, more than five times its size in 1940.
The future for sprawl in Kansas City is uncertain. Johnson County has continued to sprawl at a constant rate, and Clay County,
Missouri, also has begun to sprawl once more. However recent revelations in urban planning have slowed sprawl and focused instead
on the inner city, existing infrastructure and housing, as well as reviving the city's formerly blighted downtown. Uses of the
New Urbanism style of planning is now also occurring in some of the most prominent suburban
projects.
Notable Kansas City residents/natives
- Johnathan Coachman, WWE
Wrestler/Former General Manager
- Jean Harlow, American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s
- John Kander, American composer of a series of musical theatre successes as part of the
songwriting team of Kander and Ebb
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 318.0 mi² (823.7 km²). 313.5 mi² (812.1 km²) of
it is land and 4.5 mi² (11.6 km²) of it (1.41%) is water.
Kansas City is often imagined to be flat like Chicago, Manhattan or Dallas, but in fact it has many rolling hills. Much of urban
Kansas City sits atop 100-200ft bluffs overlooking the rivers and river bottoms areas. Kansas City proper is bowl-shaped and is
surrounded to the north and south by limestone and bedrock
cliffs that were carved by glaciers. Kansas City is situated at the junction between the
Dakota and Minnesota ice lobes during the maximum late
Independence glaciation of the Pleistocene epoch. The Kansas and Missouri rivers cut wide valleys into the terrain when the glaciers melted and
drained. A partially filled spillway valley crosses the central portion of Kansas City, Missouri. This valley is an eastward
continuation of Turkey Creek valley. Union Station is located in this
valley.[10]
The city's municipal water was recently rated the cleanest among the 50 largest cities in
the United States, containing no detectable impurities.[11]
Climate
Kansas City lies near the geographic center of the contiguous United States, at the confluence of the second largest river in
the country, the Missouri River, and the Kansas
River (also known as the Kaw River). This makes for a humid continental
climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa) with moderate
precipitation and extremes of hot and cold. Summers can be very humid, with moist air riding up from the Gulf of Mexico, and during July and August daytime highs can reach into the triple digits. Winters vary
from mild days to bitterly cold, with lows reaching into the teens below zero a few times a year. Spring and autumn are pleasant
and peppered with thunderstorms.
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
Avg high °F
(°C) |
38
(3) |
44
(7) |
56
(13) |
67
(19) |
76
(24) |
86
(30) |
90
(32) |
89
(32) |
80
(27) |
69
(21) |
53
(12) |
42
(6) |
66
(19) |
Avg low °F
(°C) |
21
(-6) |
26
(-3) |
36
(2) |
46
(8) |
57
(14) |
67
(19) |
72
(22) |
70
(21) |
61
(16) |
49
(9) |
36
(2) |
25
(-4) |
47
(8) |
Rainfall in inches
(millimeters) |
1.13
(28.7) |
1.02
(25.9) |
2.38
(60.5) |
3.27
(83.1) |
4.55
(115.6) |
4.73
(120.1) |
3.61
(91.7) |
3.62
(91.9) |
4.17
(105.9) |
3.28
(83.3) |
2.30
(58.4) |
1.45
(36.8) |
35.51
(902) |
Weather
Kansas City is situated in "Tornado Alley," a broad region where cold air from the
Rocky Mountains and Canada collides with warm air from
the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the formation of powerful storms. Kansas City has had many
severe outbreaks of tornados, including the Ruskin Heights tornado in
1957,[12] and the May 2003 Tornado Outbreak Sequence, as well as other severe weather, most notably the
Kansas City derecho in 1982. The region is also prone to
ice storms, such as the 2002 ice
storm during which hundreds of thousands lost power for days and (in some cases) weeks.[13] Kansas City and its outlying areas are also subject to flooding, including the
Great Flood of 1993 and the Great Flood of
1951.
- See also: List of tornadoes
and tornado outbreaks, List of tornadoes striking downtown
areas, and 1980 United States heat wave
Cityscape
Kansas City, Missouri, is organized into a system of more than 150 neighborhoods, some
with histories as independent cities or the sites of major events.
Downtown, the center of the city, is currently undergoing major redevelopment. The urban core of the city has a variety of
neighborhoods, including historical Westport, the Crossroads Arts District,
18th and Vine Historic District, Pendleton Heights, Quality Hill, the West Bottoms and the River Market.
The city's tallest buildings and characteristic skyline is roughly contained inside the
downtown freeway loop (shaded in red). Downtown Kansas City itself is established by
city
ordinance to stretch from the Missouri River south to 31st Street (beyond the
bottom of this map), and from I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins
Other areas near Downtown Kansas City include:
The 39th Street District is known as Restaurant Row[1] and features one of
Kansas City's largest selections of independently owned restaurants and boutique shops. It is a center of literary and visual
arts and bohemian culture.
Crown Center is the headquarters of Hallmark
Cards and a major downtown shopping and entertainment complex. It is connected to Union Station by a series of covered
walkways.
The Country Club Plaza, or simply "the Plaza," is an upscale, outdoor shopping and
entertainment district. It was the first shopping district in the United States designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by
automobile, and is surrounded by apartments and condominiums, including a number of high rise buildings.
The associated Country Club District to the south includes the Sunset Hill and Brookside neighborhoods, and is traversed by Ward
Parkway, a beautiful, landscaped boulevard known for its statuary, fountains and large, historic homes.
Kansas City's Union Station is now home to Science City, restaurants, shopping, theaters, and the city's Amtrak
facility.
- Further information: List of neighborhoods in Kansas
City, Missouri
A look down Downtown Kansas City streets today.
Downtown redevelopment
-
Downtown Kansas City is an area of 2.9 square miles bounded by the Missouri River to the north, 31st Street to the south,
Bruce R. Watkins Drive (U.S. Highway 71) to the east and I-35 to the west.
After years of neglect and seas of parking lots, Downtown Kansas City is
currently undergoing a period of change. Many residential properties have recently been or are currently under redevelopment. A
planned entertainment district, which will be called the "Power & Light
District", is being developed in the southern part of the downtown
freeway loop by the Cordish Company of Baltimore, Maryland; adjacent to the entertainment district will be a new arena, named the
Sprint Center, which opened on October 10, 2007. The arena was designed by a consortium of
local architects, and hopes to lure an NBA or NHL franchise to the city. Los Angeles-based
Anschutz Entertainment Group has invested in the arena project and will run
its daily operations.
See Also: Downtown Kansas City Redevelopment
Parks and parkways
J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, in Mill Creek Park, adjacent to the Country Club Plaza
Kansas City is well-known for its spacious parkways and numerous parks. The parkway system winds its way through the city with
broad, landscaped medians that include statuary and fountains. One of the best examples is Ward
Parkway on the west side of the city, near the Kansas state line. Originally designed for aesthetics and minor automobile/horse and buggy traffic, many
parkways were drastically altered to accommodate more and more vehicles, becoming minor freeways.
Swope Park is one of the nation's largest in-city parks, comprising 1,763 acres (2.75mi²),
more than twice as big as New York's Central Park[2]. It includes a full-fledged zoo, two golf courses, a
lake, an amphitheatre, day-camp area, and numerous picnic grounds.
Kansas City has always had one of the nation's best urban forestry programs[citation needed]. At one time, almost all residential
streets were planted with a solid canopy of American elms but Dutch elm disease devastated them. Most of the elms died and were replaced with a variety of other
shade trees. A program is underway currently to replace many of the fast-growing sweetgum trees with hardwood varieties.[14]
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 441,545 people, 183,981 households, and 107,444 families
residing in the city. The population density is 1,408.2 people per square mile
(543.7/km²). There are 202,334 housing units at an average density of 249.2 per square mile (645.3/km²). The racial makeup of the
city is 60.68% White, 31.23% African American or Black,
0.48% Native American, 1.85% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 3.21% from other
races, and 2.44% from two or more races. 6.93% of the population are Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There are 183,981 households out of which 28.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% are married couples
living together, 16.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% are non-families. 34.1% of all households are
made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and
the average family size is 3.06.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from
45 to 64, and 11.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.3 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,198, and the median income for a family is $46,012. Males have a median
income of $35,132 versus $27,548 for females. The per capita income for the city is
$20,753. 14.3% of the population and 11.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out
of the total people living in poverty, 20.2% are under the age of 18 and 10.5% are 65 or older.
The United States Census bureau updated their American Community Survey information in 2005 for Kansas City. Their study
estimated a population of about 440,885 people, the margin of error was placed at +/- 9,193 people. Growth in Kansas City is
increasing, with 3,618 housing permits granted in 2004 and 2005. As of 2005, about 210,000 households exist.
Economy
-
Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank "J" insignia on the dollar bill
Greater Kansas City is headquarters to 3 Fortune 500 companies (H&R Block, Embarq Corporation, and YRC Worldwide Inc.) and additional Fortune 1000
corporations (Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Great Plains Energy,Aquila, AMC Theatres, and DST Systems). Hallmark Cards's gross revenues certainly would qualify it for both lists, but it cannot be included
because it is privately owned by the Hall family. Numerous agriculture companies
operate out of the city and the Kansas City Board of Trade is the principal
trading center for hard red winter wheat — the principal ingredient of bread.
The business community is serviced by two major business magazines, the Kansas City Business Journal (published weekly)
and Ingram's Magazine (published monthly), as well as numerous other smaller publications, including a local
society journal, the Independent (published weekly).
H&R Block's new oblong headquarters in downtown Kansas City
Kansas City is literally "on the money." Bills issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City are marked the letter "J" and/or number "10."
The single dollar bills have Kansas City's name on them. Missouri is the only state to have two of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank headquarters (St. Louis also has a headquarters). Kansas City's effort to
get the bank was helped by former Kansas City mayor James A. Reed who as senator broke a
tie to get the Federal Reserve Act passed.[15]
- See also: List of foreign consulates in Kansas
City.
Law and government
City government
- For a list of mayors of Kansas City see: List of mayors of Kansas
City
Kansas City is home to the largest municipal government in
the state of Missouri. The mayor of Kansas City is Mark Funkhouser, elected on March 27, 2007. The city has a city
manager form of government, however the role of city manager has diminished over the years following excesses during the
days of Tom Pendergast. The mayor is the head of the Kansas City City Council, which has 12 members (one member for each district, plus
one at large member per district), and the mayor himself is the presiding member. Kansas City holds city elections on odd
numbered years (every four years unless there is a special reason). The last major city-wide election was May 2007, meaning the
next one will be in May 2011.
From the late 19th Century to the mid 20th Century, Kansas City's municipal government was controlled by often corrupt
olitical machines. Tom Pendergast was the most infamous leader of the party machine. The most nationally prominent Democrat
associated with Pendergast's machine was Harry S. Truman, who became a Senator,
Vice President of the United States and then President of the United States from 1945-1953.
Courts
The
Charles Evans Whittaker United States Courthouse in Downtown Kansas City,
seat of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
Kansas City is the seat of the United
States District Court for
