Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City is a city in the US state of Missouri encompassing parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass as well as Platte counties. It is situated at the junction of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers (Kaw Point) and sits opposite Kansas City, Kansas. It is the largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the most populous city in Missouri, the seventh largest city in the Midwest, and the 40th most populous city in the United States. As of 2005, the city had an estimated population of 444,965.^[3] The city's tap water was recently rated the cleanest among the 50 largest cities in the United States, containing no detectable impurities.^[4] Kansas City is also famous for having more boulevards in the world than any city except Paris and more fountains than any other city except Rome. Its abundance of fountains and boulevards, plus the numerous flowers, statues, trees, and other "objects of beautification" that are prevalent throughout the city have made Kansas City be considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. ^{[attribution needed]}

Abbreviations and nicknames

Kansas City, Missouri, is often abbreviated as "KCMO", or just "KC". (although this often refers to the entire metro area). It is officially nicknamed the City of Fountains, with over 200 installations, ranking second in the world and exceeded only by Rome.^[5] It is also nicknamed the Heart of America because it is within 250 miles (400 km) of both the geographic and population centers of the United States. Informal nicknames include Jazz Capital of the World, Cowtown, and the BBQ Capital of the World, while residents are known as Kansas Citians.

History

Kansas City, Missouri was first incorporated in 1850.

Main article: History of Kansas City

Exploration and settlement

The first documented European visit to Kansas City was Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, who was also the first European to explore the lower Missouri River. Criticized for his handling of a Native American attack of Fort Detroit, he had deserted his post as commander of the fort and was avoiding the French authorities. Bourgmont lived with a Native American wife in the Missouri village about 90 miles east near Brunswick, Missouri, and illegally traded furs.

In order to clear his name, he wrote "Exact Description of Louisiana, of Its Harbors, Lands and Rivers, and Names of the Indian Tribes That Occupy It, and the Commerce and Advantages to Be Derived Therefrom for the Establishment of a Colony" in 1713 followed in 1714 by "The Route to Be Taken to Ascend the Missouri River." In the documents he describes the junction of the "Grande Riv[iere] des Cansez" and Missouri River, being the first to refer to them by those names. French cartographer Guillaume Delisle used the descriptions to make the first reasonably accurate map of the area.

The Spanish took over the region in the Treaty of Paris (1763) but were not to play a major role in the area other than taxing and licensing all traffic on the Missouri River. The French continued their fur trade on the river under Spanish license. The Chouteau family operated under the Spanish license at St. Louis in the lower Missouri Valley as early as 1765, but it would be 1821 before the Chouteaus reached Kansas City, when François Chouteau established Chouteau's Landing.

After the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark visited the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, noting it was a good place to build a fort.

In 1833 John McCoy established West Port along the Santa Fe Trail, three miles away from the river. Then in 1834, McCoy established Westport Landing on a bend in the Missouri River to serve as a landing point for West Port. Soon after, the Kansas Town Company, a group of investors, began to settle the area, taking their name from an English spelling of "Cansez." In 1850 the landing area was incorporated as the Town of Kansas.^[6]

By that time, the Town of Kansas, Westport, and nearby Independence, had become critical points in America's westward expansion. Three major trails -- the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon -- all originated in Jackson County.

On February 22, 1853, the City of Kansas was created with a newly elected mayor. It had an area of 0.98 square miles and a population of 2,500. The boundary lines at that time extended from the middle of the Missouri River south to what is now Ninth Street, and from Bluff Street on the west to a point between Holmes Road and Charlotte Street on the east.^[7]

Civil War

The area was ripe with animosity as the Civil War approached. As citizens of a slave state, Missourians tended to sympathize with the southern states. With Kansas petitioning to enter the Union under the new doctrine of popular sovereignty, many from the area crossed into Kansas to sway the state towards allowing slavery, at first by ballot box and then by bloodshed.

During the Civil War, the City of Kansas was in the midst of battles, almost all of them victories by the Union. The Battle of Independence in August 1862 stunted a Confederate advance into northern Missouri (settled by pro-slavery Virginians), and the October 1864 Battle of Westport effectively ended Confederate efforts to occupy the city. However, a successful raid on nearby Lawrence, Kansas, led by William Quantrill forced General Thomas Ewing to issue General Order No. 11, forcing the eviction of residents in four counties, including Jackson, except those living in the city and nearby communities and those whose allegiance to the Union was certified by Ewing.

Post-Civil War

After the Civil War, the City of Kansas grew rapidly. The selection of the city over Leavenworth, Kansas, for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad bridge over the Missouri River brought about significant growth. The population exploded after 1869, when the Hannibal Bridge, designed by Octave Chanute, opened. The boom prompted a name change to Kansas City in 1889 and the city limits to extend south and east. Westport became part of Kansas City on December 2, 1897.

Kansas City, guided by architect George Kessler, became a forefront example of the City Beautiful movement, developing a network of boulevards and parks around the city. The relocation of Union Station to its current location in 1914 and the opening of the Liberty Memorial in 1923 gave the city two of its most identifiable landmarks. Further spurring Kansas City's growth was the opening of the innovative Country Club Plaza development by J.C. Nichols in 1925 as part of his Country Club District plan.

Pendergast era

At the turn of the century, political machines attempted to gain clout in the city, with the one led by Tom Pendergast emerging as the dominant machine by 1925. A new city charter passed that year made it easier for his Democratic Party machine to gain control of the city council (slimmed from 32 members to nine) and appoint a corrupt city manager. Several important buildings and structures were built during this time, to assist with the great depression-- all led by Pendergast, including the Kansas City City Hall and the Jackson County Courthouse-- both added new skyscrapers to the city's growing skyline. The machine fell in 1939 when Pendergast, riddled with health problems, pleaded guilty to tax evasion. The machine, however, gave rise to Harry S. Truman, who quickly became Kansas City's favorite son.

Post-World War II sprawl

After World War II, the city experienced considerable sprawl, as the affluent populace left for suburbs like Johnson County, Kansas, and eastern Jackson County, Missouri. However, many also went north of the Missouri River, where Kansas City had incorporated areas between the 1940s to 1970s. The population of the urban core significantly dipped, while the city as a whole gained population.

The sprawl of the city mainly took shape after the "race riots" of the Civil Rights Movement in Kansas City. At this time, slums were also beginning to form in the inner city, and those who could afford to leave, left for the suburbs and outer edges of the city. The post-WWII idea of suburbs and the "American Dream" also contributed to the sprawl of the area. As the city continued to sprawl, the inner city also continued to decline.

In 1940, the city had about 400,000 residents; by 2000, the same area was home to only about 180,000. From 1940 to 1960, the city more than doubled its physical size, while increasing its population by only about 75,000. By 1970, the city had a total area of approximately 316 square miles, more than five times its size in 1940.

The future for sprawl in Kansas City is uncertain. Johnson County has continued to sprawl at a constant rate, and Clay County, Missouri, also has begun to sprawl once more. However recent revelations in urban planning have slowed sprawl and focused instead on the inner city, existing infrastructure and housing, as well as reviving the city's formerly blighted downtown.

Notable Kansas Citians

• Kansas City has served as a launching pad for several storied careers. Ernest Hemingway wrote for the Kansas City Star during World War I.

• Walt Disney moved to Kansas City and established his first animation studio, Laugh-O-Gram Studio, at 31st and Locust streets in 1923.

• Early screen actors Jean Harlow, Ginger Rogers and Craig Stevens; writers Robert Heinlein, William Least Heat Moon and Evan Connell; and director Robert Altman all grew up in Kansas City.

• Wayne Nelson, lead singer of the classic rock's Little River Band, was born in Kansas City.

• David Dreier, a Republican Congressman for California was born and raised in Kansas City.

• Tech N9ne, a rapper.

• Eminem, Rapper was born in K.C. (grew up in Detroit)

See also: People from Kansas City

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 318.0 mi² (823.7 km²). 313.5 mi² (812.1 km²) of it is land and 4.5 mi² (11.6 km²) of it (1.41%) is water.

Kansas City is often imagined to be flat like Chicago, Dallas or New York, but in fact it has many rolling hills. Kansas City proper is bowl-shaped and is surrounded to the north and south by limestone and bedrock cliffs that were carved by glaciers. Kansas City is situated at the junction between the Dakota and Minnesota ice lobes during the maximum late Independence glaciation of the Pleistocene epoch. The Kansas and Missouri rivers cut wide valleys into the terrain when the glaciers melted and drained. A partially filled spillway valley crosses the central portion of Kansas City, Missouri. This valley is an eastward continuation of Turkey Creek valley. Union Station is located in this valley.^[8]

Climate

Kansas City lies almost in the exact geographic center of the continental United States, at the confluence of the second largest river in the country, the Missouri River, and the Kansas River (also known as the Kaw River). This makes for a continental climate with moderate precipitation and extremes of hot and cold. Summers can be very humid, with moist air riding up from the Gulf of Mexico, and during July and August daytime highs can reach into the triple digits. Winters vary from mild days to bitterly cold, with lows reaching into the teens below zero a few times a year. Spring and autumn are pleasant and peppered with thunderstorms.

Weather

Kansas City is situated in "Tornado Alley," a broad region where cold air from the Rocky Mountains and Canada collides with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the formation of powerful storms. Kansas City has had many severe outbreaks of tornados, including the Ruskin Heights tornado in 1957,^[9] and the May 2003 Tornado Outbreak Sequence. The region is also prone to ice storms, such as the 2002 ice storm during which hundreds of thousands lost power for days and (in some cases) weeks.^[10] Kansas City and its outlying areas are also subject to flooding, including the Great Flood of 1993 and the Great Flood of 1951.

See also: List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, List of tornadoes striking downtown areas, and 1980 United States heat wave

Cityscape

Kansas City, Missouri, is organized into a system of more than 150 neighborhoods, some with histories as independent cities or the sites of major events.

Downtown, the center of the city, is currently undergoing major redevelopment. Downtown Kansas City has a variety of neighborhoods, including historical Westport, the Crossroads Arts District, 18th and Vine Historic District, Pendleton Heights, Quality Hill, the West Bottoms and the River Market.

Other areas near Downtown Kansas City include:

The 39th Street District is known as Restaurant Row[1] and features one of Kansas City's largest selections of independently owned restaurants and boutique shops. It is a center of literary and visual arts and bohemian culture.

Crown Center is the headquarters of Hallmark Cards and a major downtown shopping and entertainment complex. It is connected to Union Station by a series of covered walkways.

The Country Club Plaza, or simply "the Plaza," is an upscale, outdoor shopping and entertainment district. It was the first shopping district in the United States designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile, and is surrounded by apartments and condominiums, including a number of high rise buildings.

The associated Country Club District to the south includes the Sunset Hill and Brookside neighborhoods, and is traversed by Ward Parkway, a beautiful, landscaped boulevard known for its statuary, fountains and large, historic homes.

Kansas City's Union Station is now home to Science City, restaurants, shopping, theaters, and the city's Amtrak facility.

Further information: List of neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri

Downtown redevelopment

Main article: Downtown Kansas City

Downtown Kansas City is an area of 2.9 square miles bounded by the Missouri River to the north, 31st Street to the south, Bruce R. Watkins Drive (U.S. Highway 71) to the east and I-35 to the west.

After years of neglect and seas of parking lots, downtown Kansas City is currently undergoing a period of change. Many residential properties have recently been or are currently under redevelopment. A planned entertainment district, which will be called the "Power and Light District", is being developed in the southern part of the downtown freeway loop by the Cordish Company of Baltimore, Maryland; adjacent to the entertainment district will be a new arena, named the Sprint Center, set to open in 2007. The arena is to be designed by a consortium of local architects, and hopes to lure an NBA or NHL franchise to the city. Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group has invested in the arena project and will run its daily operations.

See Also: Downtown Kansas City Redevelopment

Parks and parkways

Kansas City is well-known for its spacious parkways and numerous parks. The parkway system winds its way through the city with broad, landscaped medians that include statuary and fountains. One of the best examples is Ward Parkway on the west side of the city, near the Kansas state line.

Swope Park is one of the nation's larger in-city parks, comprising 1,763 acres (2.75mi²)[2]. It includes a full-fledged zoo, two golf courses, a lake, an amphitheatre, day-camp area, and numerous picnic grounds.

Kansas City has always had one of the nation's best urban forestry programs^{[citation needed]}. At one time, almost all residential streets were planted with a solid canopy of American elms but Dutch elm disease devastated them. Most of the elms died and were replaced with a variety of other shade trees. A program is underway currently to replace many of the fast-growing sweetgum trees with hardwood varieties.^[11]

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 441,545 people, 183,981 households, and 107,444 families residing in the city. The population density is 543.7/km² (1,408.2/mi²). There are 202,334 housing units at an average density of 645.3/km² (249.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 60.68% White, 31.23% African American or Black, 0.48% Native American, 1.85% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 3.21% from other races, and 2.44% from two or more races. 6.93% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 183,981 households out of which 28.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% are married couples living together, 16.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% are non-families. 34.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size is 3.06.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $37,198, and the median income for a family is $46,012. Males have a median income of $35,132 versus $27,548 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,753. 14.3% of the population and 11.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 20.2% are under the age of 18 and 10.5% are 65 or older.

The United States Census bureau updated their American Community Survey information in 2005 for Kansas City. Their study estimated a slight population decrease to about 440,885 residents. The margin of error was placed at +/- 9,193 people. There were 3,618 housing permits granted in 2004 and 2005 and as of 2005, about 210,000 households exist.

Economy

Main article: Kansas City Economy

Greater Kansas City is headquarters to 4 Fortune 500 companies (H&R Block, Embarq Corporation, Sprint Nextel Corporation, and YRC Worldwide Inc.) and five additional Fortune 1000 corporations (Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Great Plains Energy, Aquila, Inc., AMC Theatres, and DST Systems). Hallmark Cards's gross revenues certainly would qualify it for both lists, but it cannot be included because it is privately owned by the Hall family. Numerous agriculture companies operate out of the city and the Kansas City Board of Trade is the principal trading center for hard red winter wheat — the principal ingredient of bread.

The business community is serviced by two major business magazines, the Kansas City Business Journal (published weekly) and Ingram's Magazine (published monthly), as well as numerous other smaller publications, including a local society journal, the Independent (published weekly).

Kansas City is literally "on the money." Bills issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City are marked the letter "J" and/or number "10." The single dollar bills have Kansas City's name on them. Missouri is the only state to have two of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank headquarters (St. Louis also has a headquarters). Kansas City's effort to get the bank was helped by former Kansas City mayor James A. Reed who as senator broke a tie to get the Federal Reserve Act passed.^[12]

Law and government

The mayor-elect of Kansas City is Mark Funkhouser, elected on March 27, 2007. The current serving mayor of Kansas City, Missouri is Kay Barnes, the city's first female mayor. Elected in March 1999 and again in March 2003, her second of two terms will expire in April 2007. The city has a city manager form of government, however the role of city manager has diminished over the years following excesses during the heyday of Tom Pendergast.

From the late 19th Century to the mid 20th Century, Kansas City's municipal government was controlled by often corrupt Democrat-controlled political machines. Tom Pendergast was the most infamous leader of the party machine. The most nationally prominent Democrat associated with Pendergast's machine was Harry S. Truman, who became a Senator, Vice President of the United States and then President of the United States from 1945-1953.

Kansas City has hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention, the 1928 Republican National Convention, which nominated Herbert Hoover from Iowa for President, and the memorable 1976 Republican National Convention, which nominated Kansas U.S. Senator Bob Dole for Vice President.

Kansas City consistently votes Democractic in Presidential elections, however on the state and local level Republicans often find some modest success, especially in the Northland and other parts of Kansas City that are prodominatly suburban.

For a list of mayors of Kansas City see: List of mayors of Kansas City

Crime

As of October 30, 2006, Kansas City ranks as twenty first highest amount of crime in the United States, as reported by the FBI.^[13]

Kansas City ranked sixth in rate of murders in the 2006 United States cities by crime rate for cities with populations more than 400,000. The entire Kansas City metropolitan area has the fourth worst violent crime rate among cities with more than 100,000 with a rate of 614.7 crimes per 100,000 residents.^[14]

Most of the city's murders and violent crimes occur in the city's inner core. The violent crime rates in the core have consistently driven the city and metropolitan area down on "livability" indexes, hindering initiatives in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to revive downtown Kansas City. In recent years, however, attempts at revitalizing the downtown area have been more successful.^[15] Downtown currently has one of the lowest crime rates in the urban core, and thousands more people have moved to this area.^{[citation needed]} However, other parts of the urban core with higher poverty levels remain places where crime is unabated.

Most of the crime has stemmed from recent gang wars in Kansas City that started in 2004 when local rappers Mac Dre and Fat Tone were killed. Mac Dre was allegedly killed by a local gang while returning to his hotel after a concert. Fat Tone was then killed in Las Vegas in retaliation for Mac Dre's death. Since their deaths, Kansas City has experienced local gang wars, which has involved some of the prominent local gangs. Police recently announced they had found the sources of a lot of the fighting and were concentrating their efforts on certain individuals and neighborhoods. Some of the recent homicide/shooting suspects had been caught before by the police for other homicides, but had to released after the witnesses were either harmed or threatened. Police were hoping that they can possibly put an end to the gang violence and wars that have been the cause of most of the city's crime rate problems. Recently, Kansas City Police captured Shauntay Henderson in an friend's apartment in the Northland, according to police, she is suspected of being involved with approxamately five murders and twenty shootings, they also suspect her of being in the center of the city's gang wars.

Some of the earliest violence in Kansas City erupted during the bloody American Civil War. Shortly after its founding in 1853, the Bleeding Kansas incidents erupted affecting border ruffians and Jayhawkers who both lived in the city. During the war, Union troops burned all occupied dwellings in Jackson County south of Brush Creek and east of Blue Creek to Independence in an attempt to halt raids into Kansas.

After the war, the Kansas City Times turned Jesse James into a folk hero in its coverage. James was born in the metro area at Kearney, Missouri and robbed the Kansas City Fairgrounds at 12th and Campbell.

In the early 20th Century under "Boss" Tom Pendergast, Kansas City became the country's "most wide open town", with virtually no enforcement of liquor laws or hours. While this would give rise to Kansas City Jazz, it also led to the rise of the Kansas City mob (initially under Johnny Lazia) as well as the arrival of gangsters. The 1930s saw the Kansas City Massacre at Union Station, as well as a shootout between police and outlaws Bonnie and Clyde at the Red Crown Tavern near what is now Kansas City International Airport.

In the 1970s, the Kansas City mob was involved in a gangland war over control of the River Quay entertainment district in which three buildings were bombed and several gangsters were killed. Police investigations into the mob took hold after boss Nick Civella was recorded discussing gambling bets on Super Bowl IV (where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated Minnesota). The war and investigation would lead to the end of mob control of the Stardust Casino, which was the basis for the movie Casino (although the Kansas City connections are minimized in the movie).

Sister cities

• Image:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Tainan City, Taiwan
• Image:Flag of Spain.svg Seville, Spain
• Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Xi'an, People's Republic of China
• Image:Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Freetown, Sierra Leone
• Image:Flag of Israel.svg Ramla, Israel
• Image:Flag of Nigeria.svg Port Harcourt, Nigeria
• Image:Flag of Mexico.svg San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico
• Image:Flag of Japan.svg Kurashiki, Japan
• Metz, France
• Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Guadalajara, Mexico
• Image:Flag of Germany.svg Hannover, Germany
• Image:Flag of Tanzania.svg Arusha, Tanzania
• Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Morelia, Mexico

Transportation

Main article: Kansas City Metropolitan Area

Kansas City owes its existence as a major city to its crossroads status.

First, it was at the confluence of the Missouri River and Kansas River and the launching pointing for travelers on the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails. Then with the construction of the Hannibal Bridge across the Missouri River it became the central location for 11 trunk railroads. More rail traffic in terms of tonnage still passes through the city than any other city in the country. TWA located its headquartes in the city and had ambitious plans to turn the city into an air hub for the world.

Missouri and Kansas were the first states to start building interstates with Interstate 70. An ever increasing number of interstate loops has encouraged suburban sprawl.

Airports

Kansas City International Airport was built to the specifications of TWA to make a world hub for the supersonic transport and Boeing 747. Its passenger friendly design in which its gates were 100 feet from the street has, since the September 11, 2001 attacks, required a costly overhaul to retrofit it to incorporate elements of a more conventional security system.

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport was the original headquarters of Trans World Airlines and houses the Airline History Museum. It is still used for general aviation and airshows.

Mass transit

In the first half of the 20th century, Kansas City's mass transit system was rail-based with its interurban running from Kansas City more than 50 miles in all directions between 1900 and 1939. In addition, Kansas City had an electric trolley network that ran through the city until 1959.

Bus rapid transit

In July 2005, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority started a new bus system called, "The MAX" (Metro Area Express). The bus route starts in the City Market in Downtown Kansas City, and has many stops along Main Street, The Plaza and southern Kansas City. At the time of their introduction, MAX buses were to be able to prolong green traffic lights to stay on schedule, but as of September, 2006, this technology has not been put into effect.

• Buses run 7 days a week from 5:00am to 1:00am. During rush hour periods, the buses make stops every 10 minutes. All other times, the buses make stops every 15-30 minutes. Each bus ride costs $1.25. Kansas City also has the METRO bus system which runs through the whole Kansas City Area. Between June 1 and September 20, the fare is reduced to $0.25 on days for which the amount of ground level ozone is predicted to be high.

Light rail

• Kansas City does not have a subway or light rail system, and several proposals to build one have been rejected by voters in the past. On November 7, 2006, a measure proposing a light rail system was passed with a majority of 53 percent. This measure would see light rail running from the Kansas City Zoo, through the urban core, and out to Kansas City International Airport. There has been some criticism of the funding plan.

Culture

Architecture

Main article: