Kansas City, Missouri 2025

Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri, US. It has a population of 491,918 as of 2020, making it the 37th most-populous city in the US and the 21st most-populous metropolitan area. It is situated at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers in the western part of the state.

Kansas City, which encompasses sections of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties, represents the urban core of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Missouri and Kansas counties in the greater Kansas City area account for more than half of the population of Missouri and Kansas, respectively. The City has a diverse population that includes a significant Hispanic and Asian population.

The youngest of the six anchor cities in the United States, Kansas City was founded in 1838 and quickly developed into a major city in the American Midwest. The city's early economy was centered on the Kansas and Missouri rivers, but a prominent road and rail network eventually replaced the rivers'Role. The city became a center of jazz music in the 1920s and 1930s, earning the nickname of the "Paris of the Plains" for its vibrant nightlife, jazz, and flapper culture.

Kansas City is a modern city with a multicultural population, well-known for its thriving arts and culture scene, architectural landmarks, and cuisine. Kansas City is identified by its rich tradition of jazz music, spectacular fountains, and barbecue cuisine. Along with Rome, the city has more fountains than any city in the world. High-quality museums like the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and the Country Club Plaza are among its cultural treasures.

Before World War II, Kansas City became a major center of jazz music, earning the nickname of the "Paris of the Plains" because of its vibrant nightlife, jazz, and flapper culture. Many well-known musicians hailed from the city, including Count Basie, Charlie Parker, and Lloyd Hunter. It was also home to the Austin Nichols Hostess cake bakery and the Intercity Viaduct (commonly known as the "Interstate 35 viaduct") that cut through the neighborhood. The viaduct was demolished in the 1990s to improve traffic flow.

Kansas City has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen classification, and is influenced by the humid continental climate (Dfa) found in the state's eastern Ozarks. Under the Köppen classification, the city experiences both hot summers and cold winters.

Gangster activity ranked second to Chicago in the US during the 1920s and 1930s, and powerful Mafia families were active in the city. Charles Carroll, the city's corrupt police chief until he was removed in 1939, took kickbacks from criminal bosses. In the 1950s, political boss Tom Pendergast dominated the city's politics. President Harry Truman, an ally of the Pendergast machine, frequently came to Kansas City, calling it home.

The Paseo (originally named South Park) was opened in 1899. It was one of the largest urban parks in the United States at the time. Urban blight and White flight caused the city to decline in population from a peak of 455,147 in 1960 to a low of 176,021 in 1990. The population of Kansas City proper remained stable from the 2000 census to the 2010 census, but the urban core lost 23,722 people.

Some large companies based in Kansas City include Cerner, Express Scripts, Gazelle, Payless ShoeSource, Perceptive Software, Kansa City Southern Railway, YRC Worldwide, and Textron. Products originating from the city include H&R Block, Russell Stover Candies, the Kansas City Repertory Theater, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Missouri Repertory Theater.

Overall, the City is an important cultural and commercial center that continues to evolve as a changing city with a rich history and culture. Its vibrant arts scene, iconic fountains, and barbecue culture have helped to establish it as a tourist attraction and popular relocation destination.