Kansas City

Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a port on the Missouri River at its confluence with the Kansas River coming in from the west. The city was incorporated as a town on June 1, 1850, and as a city on March 28, 1853. It sits on Missouri's western boundary with Kansas, with Downtown near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers. Celebrated cultural traditions include Kansas City jazz; theater, as a center of the Vaudevillian Orpheum circuit in the 1920s; the Chiefs and Royals sports franchises; and famous cuisine based on Kansas City-style barbecue, Kansas City strip steak, and craft breweries. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It serves as one of the two county seats of Jackson County, along with the major Satellite city of Independence. Other major suburbs include the Missouri cities of Blue Springs and Lee's Summit and the Kansas cities of Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, and Kansas City, Kansas. It is the 23rd largest city by total area in the U.S., with 319.03 square miles (826.3 km²) The city is composed of several neighborhoods, including the River Market District in the north, the 18th and Vine District, and the Country Club Plaza in the south. The Antioch Christian Church, Dr. James Compton House, and Woodneath are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Kansas City is the primary city name, but also Avondale, N Kansas City, North Kansas City, Randolph are acceptable city names or spellings, Kansas City North, Nkc on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is City of Kansas City. Kansas City, Missouri, was incorporated as a town on June 1, 1850, and as a city on March 28, 1853. The area, straddling the border between Missouri and Kansas at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, was considered a good place to build settlements. The first documented European visitor to the eventual site of Kansas City was Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, who was also the first European to explore the lower Missouri River. The Spanish took over the region in the Treaty of Paris in 1763, but were not to play a major role other than taxing and licensing Missouri River ship traffic. The French continued their fur trade under Spanish license. In 1821 the Chouteaus reached Kansas City, where François Chouteau's Landing was established. The Antioch Christian Church, Dr. James Compton House, and Woodneath are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They are listed as part of the National Park Service's National Lakeshore National Park System, which includes the National Mall, the Grand Canyon, and the Great Lakes National Park. They were built in the early 19th century, when the area was first explored by European explorers. The city was named after the Kansas River, which runs through the center of the city. It was the site of the first recorded European settlement, in 1713, when a group of French explorers arrived. The name Kansas City is now used to refer to the city's central business district, which was established in the late 1800s.

After the Louisiana Purchase (1804)

After the 1804 Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark visited the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers. In 1831, a group of Mormons from New York state led by Joseph Smith settled in what would become the city. The selection of the city over Leavenworth, Kansas, for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad bridge over the Missouri River brought about significant growth. In 1900, Kansas City was the 22nd largest city in the country, with a population of 163,752 residents. In 1903, the 8th Street Tunnel was built as part of J.C. Nichols' Country Club District plan. In 1914, the relocation of Union Station to its current location provided a driving force in the funding for the Liberty Memorial Association. In 1925, the Long-Bell Building, home of wealthy businessman and businessman L.Bell Lumber Company, was built. In the 20th century, the city had hundreds of miles of streetcars running through the city and one of the largest streetcar systems in the U.S. The city is home to the Kansas City Museum, which was built in the 1930s and has a collection of more than 2,000 pieces of art and memorabilia. It is also the home of the American Museum of Natural History, which opened in the 1940s. The City of Kansas was incorporated as the Town of Kansas on February 22, 1853, and the city limits were extended south and east on December 2, 1897. The population exploded after 1869, when the Hannibal Bridge, designed by Octave Chanute, opened.

Geography

Kansas City, Missouri, has an area of 319.03 square miles (826.28 km²) It is the closest major city to the geographic center of the contiguous United States, or "Lower 48" The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art opened its Euro-Style Bloch addition in 2007, and the Safdie-designed Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2011. Kansas City is home to significant national and international architecture firms including ACI Boland, BNIM, 360 Architecture, HNTB, Frank Lloyd Wright designed two private residences and Community Christian Church there. The City Market has been one of the largest and most enduring public farmers' markets in the American Midwest, linking growers and small businesses to the community. It was the first suburban shopping district in the U.S. to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile, and is surrounded by apartments, condominiums, and high rise buildings. The Country Club Plaza, or simply "the Plaza", is an upscale, outdoor shopping and entertainment district. The Power and Light Building is influenced by the Art Deco style and sports a glowing sky beacon. The four industrial artworks atop the support towers of the Kansas City Convention Center (Bartle Hall) were once the subject of ridicule, but now define the night skyline near the T-Mobile Center along with One Kansas City Place (Missouri's tallest office tower) The Liberty Memorial is a World War I memorial and museum that flaunts simulated flames and smoke billowing into the night sky.

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, the racial composition of Kansas City was as follows: White: 59.2% (non-Hispanic white: 54.9%) Black or African American: 34.8%Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 10.0%Some other race: 4.5%Two or more races: 3.2%. Asian population: 2.5%. Native American: 0.5%, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0,2%. Somali and Sudanese populations: 2,5% and 1,715 respectively. The Latino/Hispanic population of Kansas city is spread throughout the metropolitan area, with some concentration in the northeast part of the city and southwest of downtown. The Asian population, mostly Southeast Asian, is partly concentrated within the northeast side to the Columbus Park neighborhood in the Greater Downtown area. The Historic Kansas City boundary is roughly 58 square miles (150 km²) and has a population density of about 5,000 people per sq. mi. It runs from the Missouri River to the north, 79th Street to the south, the Blue River to east, and State Line Road to the west. During the 1960s and 1970s, Kansas City annexed large amounts of land, which are largely undeveloped to this day. The areas of Greater Downtown in the center city, and sections near I-435 and I-470 in the south and Highway 152 in the north are the only areas to have seen an increase in population. The Northland sees the greatest population growth.

Economy

The federal government is the largest employer in the Kansas City metro area. Kansas City is one of ten regional office cities for the US government. The Internal Revenue Service maintains a large service center in Kansas City that occupies nearly 1.4 million square feet (130,000 m2) The IRS has approximately 2,700 full-time employees in the city, growing to 4,000 during tax season. The General Services Administration has more than 800 employees at the Bannister Federal Complex in South Kansas City. The Kansas City Plant, which produces and assembles 85% of the non-nuclear components of the U.S. nuclear bomb arsenal, is located in the same complex. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and The National. Association of Basketball Coaches are based in Kansas. City is the only state to have two of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank headquarters (the second is in St. Louis). In 2014, Kansas City was ranked #6 for real estate investment. Three international law firms, Lathrop & Gage, Stinson &. Leonard Street, and Shinson Bacon are headquartered inKansas City. According to the city's Fiscal Year15 Comprehensive Financial Report, the top ten principal employers are as follows: Sanofi-Aventis, Ford, Dairy Farmers of America, and The Veterans of Foreign Wars. The city's economy makes up 20.5% of Missouri's gross state product. In 2004 Kansas City had a Gross Metropolitan Product of $41.68 billion.

Culture

Kansas City, Missouri is abbreviated as KCMO and the metropolitan area as KC. The city has more boulevards than any other city except Paris and has been called "Paris of the Plains" The fountains at Kauffman Stadium are the largest privately funded fountain in the world. UNESCO designated Kansas City as a City of Music in 2018. Kansas City is home to The Kansas City Chorale, a professional 24-voice chorus conducted by Charles Bruffy. The Starlight Theatre is an 8,105-seat outdoor theatre designed by Edward Delk. In the 1970s, Kansas City attempted to resurrect the glory of the jazz era in a family-friendly atmosphere. Three of the new jazz clubs in the River Quay area of City Market were blown up in a gang war. The annual "Kansas City Blues and Jazz Festival" attracts top jazz stars and large out-of-town audiences. The festival was rated Kansas City's "best" by Pitch-town.com. The City of Fountains is the home of the Kansas City Royals baseball team, which has played in the World Series for the last seven years. The Royals play their home games at Children's Mercy Park, which is also the home stadium for the U.S. Men's National Team. The team plays in the National Football League's Kansas City affiliate, the Missouri Valley Soccer Association (KVSA). The KVSA also has its home at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Sports

Kansas City is home to the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL) The Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) play in Kansas City. Kansas City is the host city of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The city has one NCAA Division I program, the University of MissouriKansas City (UMKC) The city also has a number of short-lived major league teams, including the Kansas City Packers in 1914 and the Kansas City Unions of the American Leagues in 1915 and 1915. It has been the home of the Big 12 College Basketball Tournaments since March 2008. It is also the host of the NCAA Big 12 Championship Game five times, and the NCAA Women's Division I Championship Game in 2013 and 2014. It was selected on June 16, 2022, as one of the eleven US host cities for the 2024 World Cup in Brazil. It will be the first time the World Cup has been held in the United States since 1986, when it was held in New Orleans. The World Cup will be held in Brazil for the third time in 2028 and 2029, and will take place at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and at the Estadio Olimpico de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico, for the second and third times in 2027 and 2028, and again in 2029 and 2030, respectively. The team that will host the 2014 World Cup is the defending champion, the New England Patriots, who are based in New England.

Parks and boulevards

Kansas City has 132 miles (212 km) of boulevards and parkways, 214 urban parks, 49 ornamental fountains, 152 ball diamonds, 10 community centers, 105 tennis courts, 5 golf courses, 5 museums and attractions, 30 pools, and 47 park shelters. The Paseo is a major northsouth parkway that runs 19 miles (31 km) through the center of the city beginning at Cliff Drive. Hodge Park, in the Northland, covers 1,029 acres (416 ha) (1.61 sq. mi.). Berkely Riverfront Park, 955 acres (3.86 km²) on the banks of the Missouri River on the north edge of downtown, holds annual Independence Day celebrations and other festivals. Swope Park is one of the nation's largest city parks, comprising 1,805 acres (3 sq mi), more than twice the size of New York City's Central Park. This park includes the 80-acre (320,000 m2) Shoal Creek Living History Museum, a village of more than 20 historical buildings dating from 1807 to 1885. The Kansas City Park and Boulevard System was recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1974. The nomination noted that this park system was among "...the first to integrate the aesthetics of landscape architecture with the practicality of city planning, stimulating other metropolitan areas to undertake similar projects." The park's plan developed by landscape architect George Kessler included some of the "...first specifications for pavements, gutters, curbs, and walks".

Law and government

Kansas City is home to the largest municipal government in the state of Missouri. The mayor is the head of the Kansas City City Council, which has 12 members elected from six districts. The role of city manager has diminished over the years. Kansas City is the seat of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, one of two federal district courts in Missouri. As of November 2012, Kansas City ranked 18th in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual survey of crime rates for cities with populations over 100,000. The urban core of Kansas City consistently votes Democratic in presidential elections; however, on the state and local level Republicans often find success, especially in the Northland and other suburban areas of the city. The last citywide election was held in May 2019. The officials took office in August 2019 and will hold the position until 2023. The city hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention, the 1928 Republican National Convention and the 1976 Republican National convention. The Kansas City Times turned outlaw Jesse James into a folk hero via its coverage. Much of the violent crime occurs on the city's lower income areas. According to a 2007 analysis, downtown experienced the largest drop in crime of any neighborhood in the city during the 2000s. In the early 20th century under Pendergast, Kansas City became the country's "most wide open town". While this would give rise to Kansas City Jazz, it also led to the rise of theKansas City mob (initially under Johnny Lazia), as well as the arrival of organized crime. During the Civil War, Union troops burned all occupied dwellings in Jackson County south of Brush Creek and east of Blue Creek.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri = 45.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 20. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 30. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Kansas City = 4.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 508,090 individuals with a median age of 36.3 age the population grows by 2.90% in Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,614.38 residents per square mile of area (623.31/km²). There are average 2.33 people per household in the 191,349 households with an average household income of $43,633 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is of the available work force and has dropped -2.66% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 23.38%. The number of physicians in Kansas City per 100,000 population = 209.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Kansas City = 36.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 17.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 93. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 215. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 20.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 34, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri which are owned by the occupant = 50.92%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 44 years with median home cost = $125,240 and home appreciation of -4.88%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.66 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,441 per student. There are 14.8 students for each teacher in the school, 553 students for each Librarian and 345 students for each Counselor. 5.40% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 17.59% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.85% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).