Kansas City MSA
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 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 state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
(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 Greater St. Louis is a bi-state metropolitan area that completely surrounds and includes the independent city of St. Louis, the principal city. It includes parts of both Missouri and Illinois. The city core is on the Mississippi Riverfront on t ...
) 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 suburbs with populations above 100,000:
Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As ...
;
Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...
;
Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 population of 141,290. History 19th century Olathe wa ...
;
Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020, ...
; and
Lee's Summit, Missouri Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in bo ...
. Business enterprises and employers include
Cerner Corporation 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 ...
(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 te ...
, BNSF Railway, GEICO,
Asurion Asurion, LLC is a privately held company based in Nashville, Tennessee, that provides insurance for smartphones, tablets, consumer electronics, appliances, satellite receivers and jewelry. In 2014, the company operated in 14 countries and had 4 ...
,
T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...
(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) and ...
,
AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...
, Citigroup,
Garmin Garmin Ltd. (shortened to Garmin, stylized as GARMIN, and formerly known as ProNav) is an American, Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in Lenexa, Kansas, United States, with headquarte ...
,
Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...
,
Waddell & Reed Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. was an American asset management and financial planning company founded in 1937 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a publicly traded company from 1998 to 2021, and briefly had its headquarters in Overland Park, Kans ...
,
H&R Block H&R Block, Inc., or H&R Block, is an American tax preparation company operating in Canada, the United States, and Australia. The company was founded in 1955 by brothers Henry W. Bloch and Richard Bloch. As of 2018, H&R Block operates approxim ...
, General Motors,
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 ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...
'', 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 th ...
(representing ''
Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his hum ...
'', ''
Calvin and Hobbes ''Calvin and Hobbes'' is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly cited as "the last great newspaper comic", ''Calvin and Hobbes'' has enjoyed b ...
'', 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 ...
,
Country Club Plaza The Country Club Plaza (often called The Plaza) is a privately-owned regional shopping center in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1923, it was the first planned suburban shopping center and the first regional shoppi ...
,
Independence Center Independence Center is a super-regional shopping mall located in Independence, Missouri. Anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods and Dillard's with two vacant anchors last occupied by Macy's and Sears. History The mall opened in 1974. Its ...
, Legends Outlets Kansas City,
Oak Park Mall Oak Park Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Overland Park, Kansas, containing over 180 stores in a covered area of . It is the largest mall in the Kansas City Metro Area as well as the entire state of Kansas, and is split into two l ...
,
Ward Parkway Center Ward Parkway Center, Ward Parkway Mall, or Ward Parkway Shopping Center is a shopping center located in Kansas City, Missouri on the Kansas/Missouri border line. The location surrounds the area on the North from 85th Terrace to 89th Street on the ...
, and Zona Rosa. Cultural attractions include the
American Jazz Museum The American Jazz Museum is a jazz museum in the historic 18th and Vine district of Kansas City, Missouri. The museum preserves the history of American jazz music, with exhibits on Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong Louis Danie ...
,
Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
, 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 The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of Asian art. In 2007, ''Time'' magaz ...
,
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 The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is a museum and educational facility in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States. The group holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code (issued in 1960). It is located ea ...
,
Arabia Steamboat Museum The Arabia Steamboat Museum is a history museum in Kansas City, Missouri, housing artifacts salvaged from the ''Arabia'', a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856. The 30,000-square-foot museum opened on November 13, 1991, in the ...
, Uptown Theater, Midland Theatre, the Kansas City Zoo,
Swope Park Swope Park is a city park in Kansas City, Missouri. At , it is the 51st-largest municipal park in the United States, and the largest park in Kansas City. It is named in honor of Colonel Thomas H. Swope, a philanthropist who donated the land to ...
(featuring Starlight Theater), Sandstone Amphitheater, the
Kansas City Renaissance Festival The Kansas City Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair held each fall in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States, next to Sandstone Amphitheater. Each year the fair begins on Labor Day weekend and continues for seven weekends, open on Saturday ...
,
Worlds of Fun Worlds of Fun is an entertainment complex with more than 235 acres located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the largest amusement park and water park in the Midwest. Founded by American businessmen Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman, the park opened in ...
, Oceans of Fun, and several casinos. Sports franchises include the NFL's Chiefs, the
MLB 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 (AL), ...
'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,
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 a ...
, and
Kansas City Current Kansas City Current is an American professional women's soccer team based in Kansas City, Kansas. It began play as an expansion team in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2021. History Establishment Kansas City last had an NWSL t ...
. 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 The Harry S. Truman Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District encompassing sites closely associated with US President Harry S. Truman in Independence, Missouri. It includes the Truman Home at 219 North Delaware, Truman's home ...
; and the neighborhoods of Westport,
18th and Vine 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. ...
, and
Pendleton Heights Pendleton Heights is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It is near the downtown highway loop, between Paseo and Chestnut Trafficway to the west and east, and Independence Avenue and Cliff Drive to the south and nort ...
. 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 Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
, barbecue, and
steak A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patti ...
.


Geographic overview

The larger Kansas City Metropolitan Area as seen on a map can be visualized roughly as four quadrants: The southeast quadrant includes Kansas City, Missouri, and surrounding areas in Missouri. It includes the notorious
Grandview Triangle The 3-Trails Crossing Memorial Highway is the official name for an interchange in south Kansas City, Missouri that was once considered one of Missouri's most congested locations. Although it is known as Grandview Triangle, it is not located in ...
. The southwest quadrant includes all of
Johnson County, Kansas Johnson County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas, on the border with Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 609,863, making it the most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat is Olathe. Largely suburban, the county cont ...
, which includes the towns in the area known as
Shawnee Mission, Kansas Shawnee Mission is a region of northern Johnson County, Kansas, part of the Kansas City metropolitan area in the United States. Since August 1, 1960, the United States Postal Service has used the name to denote a large postal coverage area ( ...
.
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 border ...
runs diagonally through
Johnson County, Kansas Johnson County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas, on the border with Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 609,863, making it the most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat is Olathe. Largely suburban, the county cont ...
, from the southwest to downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The northwest quadrant contains Wyandotte, and Leavenworth, counties in Kansas and parts of
Platte County, Missouri Platte County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 106,718. Its county seat is Platte City. The county was org ...
. Wyandotte County, Kansas (sometimes referred to as just Wyandotte), contains
Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...
; Bonner Springs, Kansas; 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 Wyandotte County (; county code WY) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, with whic ...
, and
Platte County, Missouri Platte County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 106,718. Its county seat is Platte City. The county was org ...
, 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 Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Libe ...
, including
North Kansas City, Missouri 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 metropolit ...
, and
Parkville, Missouri Parkville is a city in Platte County, Missouri, United States and is a part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The population was 7,177 at the 2020 census (2021 est, 7,810). Parkville is known for its antique shops, art galleries, and hist ...
, 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 metropo ...
is bounded by a bend in the Missouri River that defines a border between
Wyandotte County, Kansas Wyandotte County (; county code WY) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, with whic ...
, and
Clay County, Missouri Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Libe ...
, running approximately North-South and a border between
North Kansas City, Missouri 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 metropolit ...
, and Kansas City, Missouri, running approximately East-West. The river bend's sharpest part forms a peninsula containing the
Kansas City Downtown Airport Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport serving Kansas City, Missouri. Located in Clay County, this facility is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a general aviat ...
.


Divisions


Areas

*
Downtown Kansas City Downtown Kansas City is the central business district (CBD) of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east ...
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, 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 metropo ...
. 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 The River Market (formerly known as Westport Landing, the City Market, and River Quay) is a riverfront neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri that comprises the first and oldest incorporated district in Kansas City. It stretches north of the down ...
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 metropo ...
(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 U ...
that encompasses 16 cities and towns in northeast
Johnson County, Kansas Johnson County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas, on the border with Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 609,863, making it the most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat is Olathe. Largely suburban, the county cont ...
, 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 Country Club Plaza (often called The Plaza) is a privately-owned regional shopping center in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1923, it was the first planned suburban shopping center and the first regional shoppi ...
("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 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. ...
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 The University of Kansas Medical Center, commonly referred to as KU Med or KUMC, is a medical campus for the University of Kansas. KU Med houses the university's schools of medicine, nursing, and health professions, with the primary health science ...
. *
University of Kansas Hospital 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 ...
(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 Pendleton Heights is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It is near the downtown highway loop, between Paseo and Chestnut Trafficway to the west and east, and Independence Avenue and Cliff Drive to the south and nort ...
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 The 3-Trails Crossing Memorial Highway is the official name for an interchange in south Kansas City, Missouri that was once considered one of Missouri's most congested locations. Although it is known as Grandview Triangle, it is not located in ...
is the intersection of four major highways: Interstate 435, Interstate 470, Interstate 49, and
U.S. Route 71 U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstat ...
( 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 (18th and Vine) is a neighborhood on Kansas City, Missouri's north side that contains the
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is a privately funded museum dedicated to preserving the history of Negro league baseball in America. It was founded in 1990 in Kansas City, Missouri, in the historic 18th & Vine District, the hub of Afri ...
and the
American Jazz Museum The American Jazz Museum is a jazz museum in the historic 18th and Vine district of Kansas City, Missouri. The museum preserves the history of American jazz music, with exhibits on Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong Louis Danie ...
. 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 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 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 Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
is a neighborhood in the downtown area between the Central Business District and
Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
, 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 ...
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 The West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Located in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas it sits at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Kansas River. The area is one ...
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 The American Royal is a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and barbecue competition held each year in September – November at various sites in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The Future Farmers of America (now the National FFA Organiza ...
,
Hy-Vee Arena The Hy-Vee Arena, previously known as Kemper Arena, is an indoor arena located in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to conversion to a youth sports and community gymnasium facility, Kemper Arena was previously a 19,500-seat professional sports 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 a ...
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 Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Br ...
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 The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to two major sports venues: Arrowhead Stadium—home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, and Kauffman Stadiu ...
, 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, 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 ...
NFL franchise; and
Kauffman Stadium Kauffman Stadium (), often called "The K", is a baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent Arrowhead ...
, 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 (AL), ...
's Kansas City Royals.


Jackson County, Missouri


Downtown

Downtown Kansas City, Missouri 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 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 A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...
, the Convention Center District, and the Power and Light District. Other nearby neighborhoods are
River Market The River Market (formerly known as Westport Landing, the City Market, and River Quay) is a riverfront neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri that comprises the first and oldest incorporated district in Kansas City. It stretches north of the down ...
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 The West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Located in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas it sits at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Kansas River. The area is one ...
, located at the bottom of the bluff adjacent to
Kaw Point Kaw Point is the point where the Kansas River (Kaw River) terminates at the Missouri River in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City, Kansas. It is also where the Missouri River ceases its southerly course and turns to flow generally east throug ...
. East of the loop are the 18th & Vine District, the North Bottoms, and Northeast Kansas City (the East Bottoms, Northeast, and
Pendleton Heights Pendleton Heights is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It is near the downtown highway loop, between Paseo and Chestnut Trafficway to the west and east, and Independence Avenue and Cliff Drive to the south and nort ...
). 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 ...
, Hospital Hill, Longfellow, Wendell Phillips, and Washington Wheatley. The
Kansas City Convention Center The Kansas City Convention Center, originally Bartle Hall Convention Center or Bartle Hall, is a major convention center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It was named for Harold Roe Bartle, a prominent, two-term mayor of Kansas City in t ...
, Municipal Auditorium, City Hall, Lyric Theater, Midland Theatre, 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 11 200 ...
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 The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, at 16th and Broadway, near the Power & Light District, the T-Mobile Center and the Crossroads Arts District. Its construction was a m ...
is perched upon a high point immediately south of the downtown loop. South of the loop is the Crossroads District,
Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
,
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 ...
, 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 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 War ...
,
Penn Valley Park Penn Valley Park is an urban park overlooking the Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The park was developed in 1904 on land through which the Santa Fe Trail had passed. It contains several famous landmarks: '' The Scout'' statue and the United Sta ...
,
University Health Truman Medical Center 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 ...
,
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 The River Market (formerly known as Westport Landing, the City Market, and River Quay) is a riverfront neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri that comprises the first and oldest incorporated district in Kansas City. It stretches north of the down ...
and Richard L. Berkeley Riverfront Park. West of the loop within the West Bottoms are
Hy-Vee Arena The Hy-Vee Arena, previously known as Kemper Arena, is an indoor arena located in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to conversion to a youth sports and community gymnasium facility, Kemper Arena was previously a 19,500-seat professional sports 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 a ...
. 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 The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of Asian art. In 2007, ''Time'' magaz ...
,
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,
Loose Park Loose Park is the third largest park in Kansas City, Missouri, located at 51st Street and Wornall Road. It has a lake, a shelter house, Civil War markers, tennis courts, a water park, picnic areas, and a Rose Garden. The Rose Garden hosts all ...
, and
Swope Park Swope Park is a city park in Kansas City, Missouri. At , it is the 51st-largest municipal park in the United States, and the largest park in Kansas City. It is named in honor of Colonel Thomas H. Swope, a philanthropist who donated the land to ...
. The last of these has a soccer complex that is home to the
Swope Park Rangers Sporting Kansas City II is a MLS Next Pro club affiliated with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. For the 2022 season they will play their home games at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Sw ...
, a
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
team that is the official reserve side for the area's Major League Soccer club, Sporting Kansas City. Major educational institutions include the
University of Missouri–Kansas City The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) is a public research university in Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and one of only two member universities with a medical school. As of 2020, the university ...
,
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, ...
,
Kansas City Art Institute The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) is a private art school in Kansas City, Missouri. The college was founded in 1885 and is an accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and Higher Learning Commission. It has approx ...
,
Stowers Institute for Medical Research The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is a biomedical research organization that conducts basic research on genes and proteins that control fundamental processes in living cells to analyze diseases and find keys to their causes, treatment, ...
,
Midwest Research Institute MRIGlobal is an American independent, not-for-profit, contract research organization based in Kansas City, Missouri, with regional offices in Virginia and Maryland. In addition to its own research laboratories, MRIGlobal operates research faciliti ...
, and Penn Valley Community College.


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 statu ...
, and
Lee's Summit Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in both ...
. 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 statu ...
, 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, 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 ...
and
Kauffman Stadium Kauffman Stadium (), often called "The K", is a baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent Arrowhead ...
, home of the
MLB 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 (AL), ...
's Kansas City Royals 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 administrat ...
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 The Kansas City Mavericks are an ice hockey team in the ECHL. Founded in 2009 as the Missouri Mavericks of the CHL, the team plays in Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, at the Cable Dahmer Arena. History On April 16 ...
and the MASL's Kansas City Comets is in Independence.


Johnson County, Kansas

Johnson County, Kansas Johnson County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas, on the border with Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 609,863, making it the most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat is Olathe. Largely suburban, the county cont ...
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 Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. ...
, 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 Lenexa is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is one of four principal cities of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and 9th most populated city of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,434. It is the ...
, Prairie Village, Gardner, Merriam,
Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
,
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 f ...
, Fairway, Lake Quivira, Mission Hills, Mission Woods, Westwood, and Westwood Hills. Corporate headquarters include
Garmin Garmin Ltd. (shortened to Garmin, stylized as GARMIN, and formerly known as ProNav) is an American, Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in Lenexa, Kansas, United States, with headquarte ...
,
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 ...
, and
AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...
, and the secondary headquarters of
T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...
. Many local area attractions and shopping districts are in Johnson County, such as
Oak Park Mall Oak Park Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Overland Park, Kansas, containing over 180 stores in a covered area of . It is the largest mall in the Kansas City Metro Area as well as the entire state of Kansas, and is split into two l ...
, Town Center Plaza, 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, Fl ...
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. The economy of the Northland is dominated by Cerner, Kansas City International Airport,
Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant Kansas City Assembly Plant (KCAP) is a Ford Motor Company automobile assembly facility which produces the Ford F-150 and the Ford Transit. Located in Claycomo, Missouri, United States, the plant is about northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. The p ...
, the Zona Rosa shopping community and three riverboat casinos. The metro area's largest amusement park,
Worlds of Fun Worlds of Fun is an entertainment complex with more than 235 acres located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the largest amusement park and water park in the Midwest. Founded by American businessmen Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman, the park opened in ...
and Oceans of Fun, is in the Northland. Major educational institutions in the Northland include
Park University Park University is a private university in Parkville, Missouri. It was founded in 1875. In the fall of 2017, Park had an enrollment of 11,457 students. History The school which was originally called Park College was founded in 1875 by John A ...
,
William Jewell College William Jewell College is a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and endowed with $10,000 by William Jewell. It was associated with the Missouri Baptist Conventi ...
, 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, 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 metropo ...
, and Weatherby Lake.


Wyandotte County, Kansas

Wyandotte County, Kansas Wyandotte County (; county code WY) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, with whic ...
has a population of 169,245 and contains
Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...
, Bonner Springs, Kansas, 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 (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 contains many area attractions. This includes many sporting venues such as
Children's Mercy Park Children's Mercy Park is a soccer-specific stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, United States, and is the home of Sporting Kansas City. The stadium is located near Kansas Speedway, on the far west side of Wyandotte County, Kansas. It opened during th ...
, home of the area MLS soccer team Sporting Kansas City, the
Kansas Speedway Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in the Village West area near Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It was built in 2001 and it currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also held races at the venue until 20 ...
, which hosts many NASCAR races, and
Field of Legends Legends Field is a baseball park in Kansas City, Kansas, located in the Kansas City neighborhood of Piper. It is the home of the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. It was formerly home of the Kansas City W ...
, 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 19 ...
, and the
Legends A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief. Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to: Narrative * Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth * A fictitious identity used in espionage Books, co ...
shopping district. Bonner Springs is home to the Azura Amphitheater (commonly known as the Sandstone Amphitheater), the
National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is a museum and educational facility in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States. The group holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code (issued in 1960). It is located ea ...
, Wyandotte County Historical Museum, and the annual
Kansas City Renaissance Festival The Kansas City Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair held each fall in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States, next to Sandstone Amphitheater. Each year the fair begins on Labor Day weekend and continues for seven weekends, open on Saturday ...
.


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, Belton, Loch Lloyd, Peculiar, and Raymore.


Leavenworth County, Kansas

Leavenworth County, Kansas Leavenworth County (county code LV) is located in the U.S. state of Kansas and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 81,881. Its county seat and most populous city is Leavenworth. Histo ...
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, makin ...
, and the
Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary The United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth (USP Leavenworth) is a medium security U.S. penitentiary with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp in northeast Kansas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the Unite ...
.


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 – Pop: 508,090 *
Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As ...
– Pop: 197,238 *
Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...
– Pop: 156,607 *
Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 population of 141,290. History 19th century Olathe wa ...
– Pop: 141,290 *
Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020, ...
– Pop: 123,011 *
Lee's Summit, Missouri Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in bo ...
– 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 Blue Springs is a city located in the U.S. state of Missouri within Jackson County. Blue Springs is located east of downtown Kansas City and is the 9th largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population wa ...
– Pop: 58,063 *
Lenexa, Kansas Lenexa is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is one of four principal cities of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and 9th most populated city of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,434. It is ...
– Pop: 57,434


20,000–49,999

* Leavenworth, Kansas – Pop: 37,351 *
Leawood, Kansas 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 ...
– Pop: 33,902 * Liberty, Missouri – Pop: 30,167 * Raytown, Missouri – Pop: 30,012 *
Gladstone, Missouri Gladstone is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States and a suburb of Kansas City. The City of Gladstone is located only 10 minutes from downtown Kansas City, and 10 minutes from Kansas City International Airport. As of the 2020 census, th ...
– Pop: 27,063 *
Grandview, Missouri Grandview is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 24,475 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History A post office called Grandview has been in operation since 1889. The city wa ...
– Pop: 26,209 *
Belton, Missouri Belton is a city in northwestern Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 23,116 at the 2010 census. History Belton was platted in 1871. The city was likely named for surveyor Capt. Marcus Lindsey Belt. A post office called Belto ...
– Pop: 23,953 *
Gardner, Kansas Gardner is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 23,287. It is located inside of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Gardner was founded where the Santa Fe Trail and the ...
– Pop: 23,287 *
Prairie Village, Kansas Prairie Village is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 22,957. History After the successful development of the Country Cl ...
– Pop: 22,957 * Raymore, Missouri – Pop: 22,941


10,000–19,999

*
Grain Valley, Missouri Grain Valley is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. Grain Valley is located in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and is a suburb of Kansas City. The population was 12,854 at the 2010 census and an estimated 14,526 in 2019. It is e ...
– Pop: 15,627 *
Ottawa, Kansas Ottawa (pronounced ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Kansas, United States. It is located on both banks of the Marais des Cygnes River near the center of Franklin County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the c ...
– Pop: 12,387 *
Lansing, Kansas Lansing is a city in Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the west side of the Missouri River and Kansas-Missouri state border. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,239. It is the second most po ...
– Pop: 11,767 *
Excelsior Springs, Missouri Excelsior Springs is a city in Clay and Ray counties in the U.S. state of Missouri and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 10,553 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately northeast of central Kansas City, 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 als ...
– Pop: 11,288 * Smithville, Missouri - Pop: 10,406


5,000–9,999

*
Harrisonville, Missouri 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 up ...
– Pop: 9,986 *
Cameron, Missouri Cameron is a city in Clinton, DeKalb and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 8,513 at the 2020 census. The Clinton and Caldwell counties portion of Cameron are part of the Kansas City, MO– KS Metropolitan ...
(partial) – Pop: 9,933 *
Mission, Kansas Mission 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 9,954. History An Indian mission was established in 1829 at the town's site, hence ...
– Pop: 9,491 *
Kearney, Missouri Kearney is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population per the 2020 U.S. Census was 10,404. The city was the birthplace of Jesse James, and there is an annual festival in the third weekend of September to recognize the outlaw. I ...
– Pop: 9,423 *
Pleasant Hill, Missouri Pleasant Hill is a city in Cass and Jackson counties, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,113 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Pleasant Hill is home for the National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleas ...
– Pop: 8,289 * Oak Grove, Missouri – Pop: 7,937 * Bonner Springs, Kansas – Pop: 7,606 *
Roeland Park, Kansas 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 f ...
– Pop: 6,827 *
Parkville, Missouri Parkville is a city in Platte County, Missouri, United States and is a part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The population was 7,177 at the 2020 census (2021 est, 7,810). Parkville is known for its antique shops, art galleries, and hist ...
– Pop: 6,296 *
De Soto, Kansas De Soto is a city in Johnson and Leavenworth counties in the U.S. state of Kansas, and part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,118. History The land that would become De Soto was ...
– Pop: 6,074 *
Richmond, Missouri Richmond is a city in Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 6,013 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ray County. History Richmond was platted in 1828. The comm ...
– Pop: 6,013 * Spring Hill, Kansas – Pop: 5,981 * Greenwood, Missouri – Pop: 5,569 *
Paola, Kansas Paola is a city in and the county seat of Miami County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,768. History Native Americans, then Spanish explorers such as Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1541, a ...
– Pop: 5,527 *
Basehor, Kansas Basehor is a city in Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States which is included statistically in the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,896. History In exchange for extensive Delaware holdi ...
– Pop: 5,403 *
Tonganoxie, Kansas Tonganoxie (pronounced ) is a city in Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,573. History Tonganoxie was platted in 1866. It was named ...
– Pop: 5,248 *
Odessa, Missouri Odessa is the largest city in Lafayette County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the Midwestern United States. The population was 5,593 at the 2020 census. Located along Interstate 70 Odessa's historic downtown is ...
– Pop: 5,178


Fewer than 5,000

*
Peculiar, Missouri Peculiar is a city in Cass County, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 4,608 at the 2010 census. The town motto is "Where the 'odds' are with you." History Early settlers of the ...
– Pop: 4,885 *
Platte City, Missouri Platte City is a city in and the county seat of Platte County, Missouri within the United States. The population was 4,691 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Platte City was founded by Zadock ...
– 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 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 metropolit ...
– 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 (form ...
– Pop: 4,297 *
Louisburg, Kansas Louisburg is a city in Miami County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,969. History 19th century Prior to the American Civil War, the land of what is now called Louisburg was part of an area reserv ...
– Pop: 4,276 *
Fairway, Kansas Fairway is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and is included in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area census designation and the Shawnee Mission postal services designation. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,1 ...
– 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 Line ...
– Pop: 3,601 *
Sugar Creek, Missouri Sugar Creek is a city in Clay and Jackson counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 3,271 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Geography Sugar Creek is located at (39.118014, -94.435630). Accord ...
– Pop: 3,320 * Riverside, Missouri – Pop: 3,150 * Buckner, Missouri – 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 c ...
– Pop: 2,291 *
Lake Lotawana, Missouri Lake Lotawana is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States and is located 35 miles southeast of downtown Kansas City bordering Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit. The population was 2,310 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Kansas C ...
– Pop: 2,018 *
Weatherby Lake, Missouri Weatherby Lake is a city in Platte County, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States, which borders Kansas City. The population was 1,723 as of the 2010 census. Geography Weatherby Lake is located at ...
– Pop: 1,848 *
Wellsville, Kansas Wellsville is a city in Franklin County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,953. History Wellsville was platted in 1870. The community was named after D.L. Wells, a railroad construction engineer. ...
– 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 Pa ...
– 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 We ...
– Pop: 1,719 * Hamilton, Missouri - Pop: 1,690 *
Garden City, Missouri Garden City is a city in southeast Cass County, Missouri, Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,642 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city lies within the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Garden City wa ...
– Pop: 1,625 *
Gower, Missouri Gower is a city in Buchanan and Clinton counties in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 1,526 at the 2010 census. The Buchanan County portion of Gower is part of the St. Joseph, MO&nda ...
(partial) – Pop: 1,526 *
Claycomo, Missouri Claycomo is a village in Clay County, Missouri, United States, as part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its name is a portmanteau of "Clay County, MO". The population was 1,343 at the 2020 census. Ford Motor Company owns the Kansas City Asse ...
– Pop: 1,468 * Lone Jack, Missouri – Pop: 1,124 *
Drexel, Missouri Drexel is a city in northwest Bates and southwest Cass counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 968 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Drexel was originally called Stuart City, and und ...
- 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 Carte ...
- 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 ge ...
(partial) – Pop: 496 *
Avondale, Missouri Avondale is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population was 436 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History A post office called Avondale was established in 1915. The city was named after the R ...
- Pop: 440 * Osborn, Missouri (partial) – Pop: 423 *
Sibley, Missouri Sibley is a village in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 357 at the 2010 census. It is known as the home of Fort Osage National Historic Landmark. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Sibley was plat ...
- Pop: 356 * Kingston, Missouri - Pop: 290 * Henrietta, Missouri - Pop: 278 *
Breckenridge, Missouri Breckenridge is a city in northeast Caldwell County, Missouri, and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area with the United States. The population was 258 at the 2020 census. History Breckenridge was laid out in 1856, and named for Vice Pre ...
- 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 after ...
- Pop: 175 *
Cowgill, Missouri Cowgill is a city in southern Caldwell County, Missouri, and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area with the United States. The population was 168 at the 2020 census. History Cowgill was laid out in 1887. The community was named for Judg ...
- Pop: 168 *
Oaks, Missouri Oaks is a village in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population was 128 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all ...
- Pop: 129 * Fleming, Missouri - Pop: 114 *
Unity Village, Missouri Unity Village is a village in Jackson County, Missouri, United States, bordering Kansas City and Lee's Summit. Its population was 99 at the 2010 census. It is the world headquarters of Unity Church, which has over 2 million followers. The Unity ...
- 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 (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
(CSA) encompasses the
Metropolitan statistical areas In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...
(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 Warrensburg is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 20,313 at the 2020 census. The Warrensburg Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson County. The city is a college town as it is ...
,
Atchison, Kansas Atchison is a city and county seat of Atchison County, Kansas, United States, along the Missouri River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 10,885. The city is named in honor of US Senator David Rice Atchison from Missouri ...
, and
Ottawa, Kansas Ottawa (pronounced ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Kansas, United States. It is located on both banks of the Marais des Cygnes River near the center of Franklin County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the c ...
. (Warrensburg is in
Johnson County, Missouri Johnson County is a county located in western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,595 with a 2018 estimate of 53,652. Its county seat is Warrensburg. The county was formed December 13, 1834 from ...
. Atchison is in
Atchison County, Kansas Atchison County (county code AT) is a county located in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 16,348. Its county seat and most populous city is Atchison. The county is named i ...
. 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 rur ...
.) 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 Vegas ...
.


Interstates

The Kansas City area is a confluence of four major U.S. interstate highways: * – North to
St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...
* – 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 Moines, ...
and south to
Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...
* – South to Joplin * – East to
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
and west to
Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...
Other interstates that cross through the area include: * – A bi-state loop through
Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...
,
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 par ...
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 Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...
to
I-29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba ...
,
I-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 c ...
, 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 Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the principa ...
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 Excelsior Springs is a city in Clay and Ray counties in the U.S. state of Missouri and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 10,553 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately northeast of central Kansas City, 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 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 Excelsior Springs is a city in Clay and Ray counties in the U.S. state of Missouri and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 10,553 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately northeast of central Kansas City, Missour ...
. * – A highway linking southern Lee's Summit and Grandview to the Kansas suburbs at
State Line Road State Line Road is a major north–south street in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area that runs along the Kansas–Missouri state line. It runs 12.5 miles (20 km) from Chester Avenue in the north, crossing Shawnee Mission Parkway a couple ...
. * – 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 – 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. ...
– 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
city boundary, from the Missouri River bluffs in the north to 79th Street on the south. *
Shawnee Mission Parkway Shawnee Mission Parkway is a stretch of roadway in Johnson County, Kansas and Jackson County, Missouri (only a fragment). Its western terminus at K-7 (Kansas highway), K-7 in Shawnee, Kansas and its eastern terminus at Ward Parkway in Kansas Ci ...
– 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 Gladstone is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States and a suburb of Kansas City. The City of Gladstone is located only 10 minutes from downtown Kansas City, and 10 minutes from Kansas City International Airport. As of the 2020 census, th ...
. * 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 A supersonic transport (SST) or a supersonic airliner is a civilian supersonic aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. To date, the only SSTs to see regular service have been Concorde and the Tupol ...
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 Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport serving Kansas City, Missouri. Located in Clay County, this facility is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a general aviat ...
, 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 New Century AirCenter , formerly known as Naval Air Station Olathe, Flatley Field and Johnson County Industrial Airport, is a joint civil-military general aviation airport located four miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district ...
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 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 A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
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 twice daily from Kansas City to Saint Louis connecting to Chicago via the
Lincoln Service The ''Lincoln Service'' is a higher-speed rail service operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. The train is a part of the '' Illinois Service'' and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Tra ...
; *
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 Flagsta ...
from Chicago to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. There are no commuter rail services. The
KC Streetcar The KC Streetcar is a streetcar system in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Construction began in May 2014. The system opened for service on May 6, 2016. The KC Streetcar is free to ride, as it is funded by a transportation development district ...
is a 2.2-mile modern streetcar line in
Downtown Kansas City Downtown Kansas City is the central business district (CBD) of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east ...
. Opened to the public in May 2016, it is maintained and operated by the
Kansas City Streetcar Authority The KC Streetcar is a streetcar system in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Construction began in May 2014. The system opened for service on May 6, 2016. The KC Streetcar is Free public transport, free to ride, as it is funded by a transportation ...
, 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 The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) is a public transit agency in metropolitan Kansas City. It operates the Metro Area Express (MAX) bus rapid transit service in Kansas City, Missouri, and 78 local bus routes in seven coun ...
(KCATA) provide most public transportation in the Kansas City area. The
Metro Area Express The Metro Area Express (MAX) is an express bus service with bus rapid transit characteristics run by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The first line, on Main Street, was first operated on ...
(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, and the metropolitan area includes major works by many of the world's most distinguished architects and firms, including
McKim, Mead and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), ...
;
Jarvis Hunt Jarvis Hunt (August 6, 1863 - June 15, 1941) was a Chicago architect who designed a wide array of buildings, including railroad stations, suburban estates, industrial buildings, clubhouses and other structures. Biography Hunt was born in Weath ...
; Wight and Wight;
Graham, Anderson, Probst and White Graham, Anderson, Probst & White (GAP&W) was a Chicago architectural firm that was founded in 1912 as Graham, Burnham & Co. This firm was the successor to D. H. Burnham & Co. through Daniel Burnham's surviving partner, Ernest R. Graham, and Burnh ...
;
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 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd ...
;
Barry Byrne Francis Barry Byrne (December 19, 1883 – December 18, 1967) was a member of the group of architects known as the Prairie School. After the demise of the Prairie School, about 1914 to 1916, Byrne continued as a successful architect by dev ...
;
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 Coun ...
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 The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of Asian art. In 2007, ''Time'' magaz ...
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.


Colleges and universities

Top 5 largest colleges by total enrollment (within the MSA) *1.
Johnson County Community College Johnson County Community College (JCCC) is a public community college in Overland Park, Kansas, which is in Johnson County. History In 1963, Johnson County Commissioners, recognizing the emerging community college movement and seeking to acco ...
- 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, t ...
- 16,383 *4.
Park University Park University is a private university in Parkville, Missouri. It was founded in 1875. In the fall of 2017, Park had an enrollment of 11,457 students. History The school which was originally called Park College was founded in 1875 by John A ...
- 9,512 *5. Kansas Christian College (Overland Park) - 200 List of institutions (including those in the CSA): *
Avila University Avila University is a private Roman Catholic university in Kansas City, Missouri. It is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and offers bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Its 13 buildings are situated on a campus of in Ka ...
- Kansas City, MO *
Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. The College of Ar ...
- Baldwin City, KS *
Benedictine College Benedictine College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, United States. It was established in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College (founded 1858) for men and Mount St. Scholastica College (founded 1923) for ...
- Atchison, KS * Calvary University - Kansas City, MO * Cleveland University-Kansas City - Kansas City, KS *
DeVry University DeVry University () is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Naperville, Illinois. It was founded in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. DeVry is predominantly an online educator but ...
- Kansas City, MO *
Donnelly College Donnelly College is a private Catholic college in Kansas City, Kansas. The college offers bachelor's, associate degrees, and Nursing certifications. It is the only college or university in the state designated as a Hispanic-serving institutio ...
- 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 Friend ...
- Lenexa, KS *
Graceland University Graceland University is a private university with campuses in Lamoni, Iowa, and Independence, Missouri. The university offers degree completion and master's degree programs at satellite campuses in Centerville and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Trent ...
- Independence, MO * University of Arkansas Grantham - Lenexa, KS (administrative location) *
Haskell Indian Nations University Haskell Indian Nations University is a public tribal land-grant university in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1884 as a residential boarding school for American Indian children, the school has developed into a university operated by t ...
- Lawrence, KS *
Johnson County Community College Johnson County Community College (JCCC) is a public community college in Overland Park, Kansas, which is in Johnson County. History In 1963, Johnson County Commissioners, recognizing the emerging community college movement and seeking to acco ...
- Overland Park, KS * Kansas Christian College - Overland Park, KS *
Kansas City Art Institute The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) is a private art school in Kansas City, Missouri. The college was founded in 1885 and is an accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and Higher Learning Commission. It has approx ...
- Kansas City, MO *
Kansas City Kansas Community College Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) is a public two year community college in Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association and the K ...
- Kansas City, KS * Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences - 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 MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) is a private Nazarene (evangelical Christian) university in Olathe, Kansas in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It was established in 1966. History Mid-America Nazarene College (MANC) was founded in 1966. ...
- 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, Spur ...
- Kansas City, MO *
Missouri Western State University Missouri Western State University is a public university in Saint Joseph, Missouri. As of 2019, it enrolled 5,413 students. History Missouri Western State University was founded in 1915 as a two-year institution called St. Joseph Junior College ...
- 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 Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) is a Nazarene seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. The seminary was established by the Eleventh General Assembly in June 1944 and started its first school year in 1945 with 61 students. It moved to its current ...
- Kansas City, MO * Northwest Missouri State University - Maryville, MO *
Ottawa University Ottawa University (OU) is a private Baptist university with its main campus in Ottawa, Kansas, a second residential campus in Surprise, Arizona, and adult campuses in the Kansas City, Phoenix and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. It was founded in ...
- Overland Park, KS *
Park University Park University is a private university in Parkville, Missouri. It was founded in 1875. In the fall of 2017, Park had an enrollment of 11,457 students. History The school which was originally called Park College was founded in 1875 by John A ...
- Parkville, MO *
Pinnacle Career Institute Pinnacle Career Institute (PCI) is a private for-profit technical career school in Kansas City, Missouri. It offers certificates in massage therapy, dental assisting, wind turbine technician, and cell tower technician. Programs are also offere ...
- 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, Wiscons ...
- 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, ...
- Kansas City, MO *
Saint Paul School of Theology Saint Paul School of Theology (SPST) is a United Methodist seminary in Leawood, Kansas, United States. In addition to the Kansas City area campus at Church of the Resurrection, Saint Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University has been ...
- 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 The University of Kansas Edwards Campus, also known as the KU Edwards Campus, is a satellite campus of the University of Kansas. The campus is located in Overland Park in the Kansas City metropolitan area; its four buildings are located on a s ...
- Overland Park, KS *
University of Kansas Medical Center The University of Kansas Medical Center, commonly referred to as KU Med or KUMC, is a medical campus for the University of Kansas. KU Med houses the university's schools of medicine, nursing, and health professions, with the primary health science ...
- Kansas City, KS *
University of Missouri–Kansas City The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) is a public research university in Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and one of only two member universities with a medical school. As of 2020, the university ...
- 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 s ...
- Leavenworth, KS *
Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate program ...
- Webster Groves, MO *
William Jewell College William Jewell College is a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and endowed with $10,000 by William Jewell. It was associated with the Missouri Baptist Conventi ...
- 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. Founde ...
(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 Publ ...
,
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 Public ...
, and Johnson County Library. Private libraries include the
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and resting place of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States (1945–1953), his wife Bess and daughter Margaret, and is located on U.S. Highwa ...
and the
Linda Hall Library The Linda Hall Library is a privately endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, sitting "majestically on a urban arboretum." It is the "largest independently funded public library of scien ...
.


Media


Print

''
The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...
'' 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 The ''Kansas City Kansan'' is an online newspaper that serves Kansas City and other communities in Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States. History Arthur Capper started the newspaper on January 31, 1921, when Kansas City, Kansas, did not have ...
'' 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 The Pitch may refer to: * "The Pitch" (''Seinfeld'') * ''The Pitch'' (TV series), an AMC original series * ''The Pitch'' (podcast), an American podcast * ''The Pitch'' (newspaper), a newspaper in Kansas City * A segment in '' The Gruen Transfer ...
'', 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 WDAF-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Summit Street in the Signal H ...
, channel 4 (
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
) *
KCTV 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 ...
, channel 5 (
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
) *
KMBC-TV KMBC-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside The CW, CW affiliate KCWE (channel 29). Both stations share stud ...
, channel 9 ( ABC) * KTAJ-TV, channel 16 ( TBN) *
KCPT KCPT (channel 19), branded on-air as Kansas City PBS or KC PBS, is a PBS member television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It is owned by Public Television 19, Inc., alongside adult album alternative radio station KTBG (90.9 FM ...
, channel 19 (
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
) * KUKC-LD, 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 includes ...
) *
KCKS-LD KCKS-LD, virtual channel 25 (UHF digital channel 19), is a low-powered Buzzr- affiliated television station licensed to Kansas City, Kansas, United States. The station is owned by Heartland Broadcasting, LLC. KCKS-LD, branded as tv25.tv, simulc ...
, channel 25 (simulcast of sister station
WROB-LD WROB-LD, virtual channel 25 (UHF digital channel 26), is a low-powered Buzzr- affiliated television station licensed to Topeka, Kansas, United States. The station is owned by Heartland Broadcasting, LLC. WROB-LD maintains offices located in the T ...
) *
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 (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
) *
KSHB-TV KSHB-TV (channel 41) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Lawrence, Kansas-licensed independent station KMCI-TV (channel 38). Both stations share ...
, channel 41 (
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
) * 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 * Independ ...
) *KGKC, Channel 39 (Telemundo Kansas City) * KPXE-TV, channel 50 (
Ion Television Ion Television is an American broadcast television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented en ...
) *
KSMO-TV KSMO-TV (channel 62) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate KCTV (channel 5). Both stations share studios on Shawnee Mission Parkway ...
, channel 62 (
MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...
) 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 KCMO-FM (94.9 MHz, "94-9 KCMO") is a commercial radio station licensed to Shawnee, Kansas, and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. The station is owned by Cumulus Broadcasting and airs a classic hits radio format, switching to all-Christmas ...
(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 ow ...
(98.9 FM) – Rock * KRBZ-FM (96.5) – Alternative * KMBZ (98.1 FM) – News/Talk *
WDAF-FM WDAF-FM (106.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Liberty, Missouri, and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station airs a country music radio format, branded as "106-5 The Wolf." Studios and off ...
(106.5) – Country, Kansas City Chiefs flagship *
KZPT KZPT (99.7 FM broadcasting, 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 callsign (radio), call sign KMBC-FM. The station is owned by Auda ...
(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 tw ...
(93.3) - Top 40 *
KFKF KFKF-FM (94.1 Hertz, MHz) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Kansas City, Kansas. It is owned by Steel City Media and airs a country music radio format. The studios and offices are on Pennsylvania Avenu ...
(94.1) - Country * KCFX (101.1) - Classic Rock * KCHZ (95.7 FM) – Top 40/Rhythmic


=Public and community radio

= * KCUR (89.3 FM) –
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
affiliate * KANU-FM (91.5) and
KTBG KTBG (90.9 FM, 90.9 The Bridge) is a listener-supported, non-commercial NPR Music member radio station serving the Kansas City, Missouri market, broadcast from Warrensburg, Missouri, United States. It is currently owned by Public Television 19 ...
(90.9 FM) – both college radio stations; also NPR affiliates *
KKFI KKFI is a radio station located in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by Mid-Coast Radio Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Formed in 1988, it broadcasts at 100,000 watts on 90.1 FM. Its music programming includes blues, jazz, reggae, rock, hip ...
(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 Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
: *
KCZZ KCZZ (1480 AM) is a Regional Mexican radio station licensed to Mission, Kansas and serving the Kansas City market. The station is owned by Edward Reyes, through licensee Reyes Media Group, Inc. History Prior to its current format, the station w ...
(1480 AM) – Spanish Sports (ESPN Deportes) talk *
KDTD KDTD (1340 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Mexican Regional music format. Licensed to Kansas City, Kansas, United States, the station is currently owned by Edward Reyes, through licensee Reyes Media Group, Inc. History Establishment as W ...
(1340 AM) – Mexican regional *
KYYS KYYS (1250 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican format. The station is licensed to Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It is currently owned by Audacy, Inc. and operations are under an LMA with Reyes Media Group. History ...
(1250 AM) – Classic hits


Business interests

The Kansas City metropolitan area's largest private employer is
Cerner Corporation 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 ...
. 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. 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 te ...
, BNSF Railway, GEICO,
Asurion Asurion, LLC is a privately held company based in Nashville, Tennessee, that provides insurance for smartphones, tablets, consumer electronics, appliances, satellite receivers and jewelry. In 2014, the company operated in 14 countries and had 4 ...
,
T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...
, Citigroup,
EMBARQ Embarq Corporation (stylized as EMBARQ) was the largest independent local exchange carrier in the United States (below the Baby Bells), serving customers in 18 states and providing local, long-distance, high-speed data and wireless services to ...
,
Farmers Insurance Group Farmers Insurance Group (informally Farmers) is an American insurer group of vehicles, homes and small businesses and also provides other insurance and financial services products. Farmers Insurance has more than 48,000 exclusive and independen ...
,
Garmin Garmin Ltd. (shortened to Garmin, stylized as GARMIN, and formerly known as ProNav) is an American, Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in Lenexa, Kansas, United States, with headquarte ...
,
Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...
, Husqvarna,
H&R Block H&R Block, Inc., or H&R Block, is an American tax preparation company operating in Canada, the United States, and Australia. The company was founded in 1955 by brothers Henry W. Bloch and Richard Bloch. As of 2018, H&R Block operates approxim ...
, General Motors,
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 MillerCoors was a beer brewing company in the United States. MillerCoors was formed in 2008 as a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors to combine their brewing, marketing and sales operations in the United States. The company was acqui ...
,
State Street Corporation State Street Corporation is an American financial services and bank holding company headquartered at One Lincoln Street in Boston with operations worldwide. It is the second-oldest continually operating United States bank; its predecessor, Un ...
, ''
The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...
'', and
Waddell & Reed Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. was an American asset management and financial planning company founded in 1937 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a publicly traded company from 1998 to 2021, and briefly had its headquarters in Overland Park, Kans ...
, some of which are headquartered in the metropolitan area. Kansas City also has a large pharmaceutical industry, with companies such as Bayer and
Aventis Sanofi S.A. is a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. Originally, the corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 2004, Sanofi-Sy ...
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 Coun ...
, an investment management firm *
AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...
, 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 th ...
, a syndication and publication company which represents media/entertainment features such as '' Dear Abby'', ''
Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his hum ...
'', ''
Calvin and Hobbes ''Calvin and Hobbes'' is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly cited as "the last great newspaper comic", ''Calvin and Hobbes'' has enjoyed b ...
'' 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 ...
, a stock exchange (Lenexa, Kansas) * Black & Veatch Corporation, engineering firm (Overland Park, Kansas) *
CenturyLink Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is ...
(formerly
Embarq Corporation Embarq Corporation (stylized as EMBARQ) was the largest independent local exchange carrier in the United States (below the Baby Bells), serving customers in 18 states and providing local, long-distance, high-speed data and wireless services to ...
), telecommunications company (headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana) * Cerner, supplier of healthcare information technology solutions (North Kansas City, Missouri) *
Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelicalism, evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, Lenexa within Johnson Cou ...
*
Commerce Bancshares Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH) is a registered bank holding company based in Missouri, United States, with primary hubs in Kansas City and St. Louis. It is the corporate parent of Commerce Bank, which offers a diversified line of fina ...
, 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 Rockf ...
* Community of Christ, International Headquarters (Independence, Missouri) *
DST Systems DST Systems, Inc. is an American company that was acquired by SS&C Technologies in 2018. The company provided advisory, technology and operations outsourcing services to the financial services and healthcare industries. It was founded in Februa ...
, 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 Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. is an American supplier of propane founded years ago in Atchison, Kansas by A.C. Ferrell. The nationwide company is headquartered in Liberty, Missouri. History The company was founded in 1939 by Alfred Carl (A.C.) F ...
, 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 Wyeth, LLC was an American pharmaceutical company. The company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1860 as ''John Wyeth and Brother''. It was later known, in the early 1930s, as American Home Products, before being renamed to Wyeth in ...
(Overland Park, Kansas) * Freightquote.com, largest online third party logistics provider *
Garmin Garmin Ltd. (shortened to Garmin, stylized as GARMIN, and formerly known as ProNav) is an American, Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in Lenexa, Kansas, United States, with headquarte ...
, largest maker of GPS-based electronics (Olathe, Kansas) * Goodcents Subs and Pastas, notable midwest restaurant chain (De Soto) *
Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...
, largest maker of greeting cards in the U.S. * HNTB Corporation, architectural and engineering firm *
H&R Block H&R Block, Inc., or H&R Block, is an American tax preparation company operating in Canada, the United States, and Australia. The company was founded in 1955 by brothers Henry W. Bloch and Richard Bloch. As of 2018, H&R Block operates approxim ...
, financial corporation and former parent company of CompuServe, known mostly for their income tax preparation services *
Hostess Brands Hostess Brands is an American-based bakery company formed in 2013. It owns several bakeries in the United States that produce snack cakes under the Hostess and Dolly Madison brand names and its Canadian subsidiary, Voortman Cookies Limited, pr ...
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 privat ...
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–CIO ...
* J. E. Dunn Construction Group, construction contractor *
Kansas City Board of Trade The Kansas City Board of Trade (KCBT), was an American commodity futures and options exchange regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Specializing in the hard-red winter wheat contract, it was located at 4800 Main Street in Kan ...
, a commodity futures and options exchange * Kansas City Power and Light Company, 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/communit ...
, operators of a
Class I railroad In the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, st ...
* 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 st ...
(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 ...
, a voluntary organization founded by President Dwight Eisenhower *
Perceptive Software Perceptive Software is a business unit of Hyland Software, Inc. Hyland announced itacquisition of Perceptivein July 2017. History The company was founded in 1988 as Genesis Software and initially produced accounts payable software application ...
, 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 *
T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...
which is retaining the former Sprint campus as a secondary headquarters (Overland Park, Kansas) *
Tradebot Tradebot Systems, Inc. is one of the larger high-frequency equity trading firms in the US. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, they regularly account for 5% of the total trading volume in the US stock market. According to the founder, Dave Cummings, ...
, 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 Unity, known informally as Unity Church, is an organization founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in 1889. It grew out of Transcendentalism and became part of the New Thought movement. Unity is known for its '' Daily Word'' devotional publi ...
* Veterans of Foreign Wars *
Waddell & Reed Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. was an American asset management and financial planning company founded in 1937 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a publicly traded company from 1998 to 2021, and briefly had its headquarters in Overland Park, Kans ...
, 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 Centerpoint Medical Center is a hospital located in Independence, Missouri at 19600 East 39th Street. It is part of the HCA Midwest Division. Hospital Background Centerpoint opened in May 2007 and is the newest hospital in eastern Jackson County ...
*
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 communit ...
* North Kansas City Hospital * Olathe Medical Center *
Overland Park Regional Medical Center Overland Park Regional Medical Center is a 343-bed acute care hospital located in Overland Park, Kansas. It is part of the HCA Midwest Division. History Overland Park Regional Medical Center first opened in December 1978. In 2002, HCA Inc. anno ...
* 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 South Hospital * St. Mary's Medical Center *
University Health Truman Medical Center 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 ...
*
University of Kansas Hospital 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 ...
(KU Med Center)


Shopping centers

* Adams Dairy Landing * Blue Ridge Crossing *
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 ...
*
Country Club Plaza The Country Club Plaza (often called The Plaza) is a privately-owned regional shopping center in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1923, it was the first planned suburban shopping center and the first regional shoppi ...
* The Great Mall of the Great Plains (Demolished March 2017) *
Independence Center Independence Center is a super-regional shopping mall located in Independence, Missouri. Anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods and Dillard's with two vacant anchors last occupied by Macy's and Sears. History The mall opened in 1974. Its ...
*
The Landing Mall The Landing is a small mall in Kansas City, Missouri. It was built in 1960, on 63rd Street and Troost Avenue (it also has frontage on East Meyer Boulevard) and it was originally an open-air shopping center. The architect of the Landing Mall was E ...
* Legends Outlets Kansas City *
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 (Demolished 2016) *
Oak Park Mall Oak Park Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Overland Park, Kansas, containing over 180 stores in a covered area of . It is the largest mall in the Kansas City Metro Area as well as the entire state of Kansas, and is split into two l ...
* Park Place * Summit Fair * Summit Woods Crossing * Town Center Plaza * Town Pavilion *
Ward Parkway Center Ward Parkway Center, Ward Parkway Mall, or Ward Parkway Shopping Center is a shopping center located in Kansas City, Missouri on the Kansas/Missouri border line. The location surrounds the area on the North from 85th Terrace to 89th Street on the ...
* 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 com ...
provides estimates of the number of
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s 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 ''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, naturally occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to F ...
(28.9 percent), northern hackberry (14.0 percent), Osage-orange (7.2 percent), honeylocust (6.7 percent), and
eastern redcedar ''Juniperus virginiana'', also known as red cedar, eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, and other local names, is a species of juniper native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico a ...
(5.0 percent).


Local organizations

* Irish Museum and Cultural Center *
Congregation Beth Israel Abraham Voliner Congregation Beth Israel Abraham Voliner is an Orthodox Jewish congregation in Overland Park, in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Formally established as ''Tefereth Israel'' in Kansas City, Missouri in 1894, by 1960 it had moved several times, a ...
* 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, and
Ub Iwerks Ubbe Ert Iwwerks (March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), known as Ub Iwerks ( ), was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, and special effects technician. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Iwerks grew up with a contentiou ...
; musicians
Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
,
Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and its lead ...
, and Eminem; Representative Emanuel Cleaver and historical city boss
Tom Pendergast Thomas Joseph Pendergast (July 22, 1872 – January 26, 1945), also known as T. J. Pendergast, was an American political boss who controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, from 1925 to 1939. Pendergast only briefly held elected ...
; actors Ellie Kemper,
Don Cheadle Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. He is the recipient of  multiple accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also earned nom ...
, 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 20 ...
; reporter
Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...
; 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 Supporti ...
, Scott Foley, and
Tuc Watkins Charles Curtis "Tuc" Watkins III (born September 2, 1966) is an American actor, known for his roles as David Vickers on ''One Life to Live'', Mr. Burns in '' The Mummy, Bob Hunter on ''Desperate Housewives'', Congressman Roger Harris on ''Black ...
;
Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...
puppeteer Matt Vogel; ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...
'' cinematographer Daniel L. Fapp;
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, 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 Co ...
writer
Jason Aaron Jason Aaron (born January 28, 1973) is an American comic book writer, known for his creator-owned series ''Scalped'' and ''Southern Bastards'', as well as his work on Marvel series '' Ghost Rider'', ''Wolverine'', '' PunisherMAX'', ''Thor'', and ...
; 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 Richard Eugene Hickock (June 6, 1931 – April 14, 1965) was one of two ex-convicts convicted of murdering four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction n ...
. The list from Independence, Missouri includes President
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
, Guns N' Roses keyboardist
Chris Pitman Chris Pitman (born November 16, 1961) is an American musician best known for his involvement with the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. A multi-instrumentalist, Pitman is known to play keyboards, guitar and drums, in addition to his role as a lead o ...
, eSports player Jonathan Wendel, actor
Arliss Howard Leslie Richard "Arliss" Howard (born October 18, 1954) is an American actor, screenwriter, and film director. He is known for his roles in the films ''Full Metal Jacket'' (1987), '' Tequila Sunrise'' (1988), '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (19 ...
, 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 Pulitzer may refer to: *Joseph Pulitzer, a 20th century media magnate * Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award *Pulitzer (surname) * Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain *Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-pr ...
-winning historian
David McCullough David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States ...
, actor
Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...
, rapper
Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two ...
, fantasy novelist
Margaret Weis Margaret Edith Weis (; born March 16, 1948) is an American fantasy and science fiction author, of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the ''Dragonlance'' role-playing game (RPG) world. She is ...
, television series creator
Paul Henning Paul William Henning (September 16, 1911 – March 25, 2005) was an American TV producer and screenwriter. Most famous for creating the television sitcom ''The Beverly Hillbillies'', he was also crucial in developing the "rural" comedies ''Pett ...
, and black female Civil War soldier
Cathay Williams Cathay Williams (September 1844 – 1893) was an American soldier. A Black women, Black woman, she enlisted in the United States Army under the pseudonym William Cathay. Williams became the first female African Americans, African American to enli ...
. 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 Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the '' Saw'' films: '' Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and ''Spiral''. He also direc ...
( ''Saw''), actors Rob Riggle and
Tom Kane Thomas Kane Roberts (born April 15, 1962) is a retired American voice actor. He is best known for his work in animation and video games, most notably in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Career Kane began his voice-over career in 1977, at fifteen ye ...
, economist and writer Michael R. Strain, and eSports player
Johnathan 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 ...
. 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 Jason Austin Wiles (born April 25, 1970) is an American actor known for his role in the NBC procedural drama series ''Third Watch'' from 1999 to 2005. Early life Wiles was born in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., and raised in Lenexa, Kansas, where ...
, gunfighter
Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement ...
, and autism researcher William Shaw. From Olathe, Kansas, this includes George Washington Carver. From Lee's Summit, this includes
Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places * Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...
,
Cole Cole may refer to: Plants * Cole crops of the genus ''Brassica'', especially cabbage, kale, or rape (rapeseed). People * Cole (given name), people with the given name Cole * Cole (surname), people with the surname Cole Companies *Cole Motor ...
,
Jim Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim ...
, and
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
of the
James–Younger Gang The James–Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of American outlaws that revolved around Jesse James and his brother Frank James. The gang was based in the state of Missouri, the home of most of the members. Membership fluctuated from ...
.


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