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The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan area situated at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers and straddling the state border between Missouri and Kansas. The 15-county Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area, anchored by Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, is the 27th largest in the United States with an estimated population of 1,947,694 in the year 2005. The Combined Statistical Area also includes the Micropolitan Statistical Areas of Atchison, Kansas, and Warrensburg, Missouri, with estimated populations of 10,232 and 16,741, respectively. The Combined Statistical Area of Kansas City had a population of 2,015,282 in the year 2005.
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Geographic overview
The core of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area can be visualized roughly as four quadrants:
The northeast quadrant is locally referred to as "north of the river" (Missouri River) or "the Northland". (Often confused with Northtown, a nickname for North Kansas City) Contained wholly within Missouri, it encompasses portions of Clay County including the northern half of Kansas City, Missouri, and the cities of Liberty, and North Kansas City. The sharpest part of the river bend forms a peninsula containing the Kansas City Downtown Airport.
The southeast quadrant is the core of the metro area and includes the southern half of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Jackson County, Missouri, suburbs of Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, and Blue Springs. It is sometimes called "the southland". It includes the majority of the metro area's businesses, visitor attractions, cultural institutions, and urban neighborhoods.
The southwest quadrant includes all of Johnson County, Kansas, which includes the towns in the area known as Shawnee Mission. Interstate 35 runs diagonally through Johnson County from the southwest to downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
The northwest quandrant contains Wyandotte County, Kansas, and parts of Platte County, Missouri. Wyandotte County, sometimes referred to as just 'Wyandotte', which contains Kansas City, Kansas, Bonner Springs and Edwardsville, is governed by a single unified government similar to a consolidated city-county. Often the Wyandotte government is referred to simply as 'The Unified Government'. Another bend in the Missouri River forms the county line between Wyandotte and Platte counties to the north and northeast.
In all, nearly 2 million people live in the metropolitan area. It is difficult to state exactly the size of the population because there are no natural boundaries and suburban expansion (or sprawl) is ongoing.
Cities
Anchor city
- Kansas City, Missouri (Major airport: Kansas City International Airport)
The metropolitan area is experiencing continued growth. Between 2003 and 2005, about 32,148 housing permits were issued in the metropolitan area.
Counties
The Kansas City metropolitan area includes all or part of the following counties:- Cass County, Missouri
- Clay County, Missouri
- Jackson County, Missouri
- Platte County, Missouri
- Johnson County, Kansas
- Wyandotte County, Kansas
As of 2003, the United States Census Bureau included the following counties as part of Kansas City's metropolitan statistical area:
- Franklin County, Kansas
- Leavenworth County, Kansas
- Linn County, Kansas
- Miami County, Kansas
- Bates County, Missouri
- Caldwell County, Missouri
- Clinton County, Missouri
- Lafayette County, Missouri
- Ray County, Missouri
Associated areas
Although associated with Kansas City, Lawrence, Kansas; St. Joseph, Missouri; and Warrensburg, Missouri, are identified as separate MSAs.Transportation
Some of Kansas City's interstates include:
- I-29 - To Saint Joseph, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska, to the North.
- I-35 - To Des Moines, Iowa, to the North and Wichita, Kansas, to the South.
- I-70 - To St. Louis, Missouri, to the East and Topeka, Kansas/Denver, Colorado, to the West.
- I-435 - A Bi-State Loop through the Missouri and Kansas suburbs.
- I-470 - Connects South Kansas City with Lee's Summit and Independence.
- I-635 - Connecting the Kansas suburbs with Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City International Airport.
- I-670 - A southern bypass of I-70 and Southern portion of the downtown loop. Signed as East I-70 when exiting from I-35 while traveling north.
Other major highways:
- US 24-40 - Combination of the US 24 and US 40 highways that pass through Kansas City.
- US 50 - Follows I-435 from the west to I-470 then spurs off in Lee's Summit and becomes just U.S. 50.
- US 69 - Connects Excelsior Springs, Missouri, in the north and serves as a freeway in Johnson County suburbs.
- US 71 - In the north, multiplexed with I-29 to Amazonia, Missouri, and serves as a freeway (Bruce R. Watkins Drive) South from downtown.
- US 169 - Connects Smithville, Missouri, in the north.
- K-5 - 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.
- K-7 - A freeway linking Leavenworth County, Kansas, Wyandotte County, Kansas, and Johnson County, Kansas.
- K-10 - A freeway linking Johnson County, Kansas, and Douglas County, Kansas.
- K-32 - A highway that links Leavenworth County, Kansas, and Wyandotte County, Kansas.
- MO-9 - A minor freeway northwest of North Kansas City, and serves as a commercial backbone to North Kansas City, Riverside, Platte Woods, and Parkville.
- MO-150 - A highway linking southern Lee's Summit and Grandview to the Kansas suburbs at State Line Road.
- MO-152 - A freeway contained entirely in Kansas City's Northland, stretching from Liberty in Clay County west to its intersection with I-435 south of KCI in Platte County.
- MO-210 - A minor freeway east of North Kansas City that, as a two-lane road, stretches to Richmond, Missouri.
- MO-291 - Formerly an eastern bypass route of U.S. 71, the minor freeway connects Harrisonville and Lee's Summit to Independence, Sugar Creek, Liberty and Kansas City North. It is signed along with I-470 north of Lee's Summit.
- MO-350 - Crosses through Raytown as Blue Parkway.
Local navigation tips
''See related article: WikiTravel entry on Kansas City, Missouri
Street Numbers
The Missouri side of the Metropolitan Area share a grid system with Johnson County on the Kansas Side with most east-west streets numbered and 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 'N' is not specified, except for numbered 'avenues' in North Kansas City. In most of Wyandotte County, Kansas the north-south streets are numbered and the address numbers are measured from Riverview Avenue. Some suburbs use completely independent numbering schemes.Highways
- Kansas Citians tend to express US and Missouri highway designations with the number before the word "highway". This colloquialism tends not to apply to interstates or Kansas route numbers ("I-70", "K-10").
- 69 Highway "The Overland Parkway": Southbound on I-35 from Kansas City, Missouri towards Johnson County there are two exits marked South 69. The first or northern one (Metcalf Ave/I-635) is a left lane exit and leads to Metcalf, an at-grade trafficway, before turning west along Shawnee Mission Parkway, to rejoin I-35. The southern US-69 exit is a two lane right lane exit between the 75th and 87th street exits and begins a four lane highway known as the Overland Parkway.
- Bruce R. Watkins Drive. is the name of the new U.S. Highway 71 in Kansas City, Missouri. The old 71 Highway ran mostly on Prospect Ave.
- When traveling north on I-35 from Johnson County the first signs that say I-70 west actually guide the driver through the southern portion of the I-670 loop which goes underneath the Bartle Hall Convention Center and some downtown overpasses. This is sometimes referred to as "going under downtown".
Rush Hours
- During "rush hours" I-35 from the city to the Johnson County suburbs and Highway 69 south of I-35 are usually clear headed south in the morning and north in the evenings.
- The southern portion of I-435 is usually backed up in both east and west directions during rush hour. When near downtown or southeast Kansas City, Missouri in the morning rush and traveling to Johnson County it is often quicker to go north or northwest to I-35 and then take I-35 South (southwest) and also highway 69 southern exit (see "Highways" above). To go east from Johnson County during the afternoon rush go north on Highway 69 and I-35, east on I-70 (I-670) and then south on Highway 71.
Navigation Landmarks
- The KCTV pyramid shaped television and radio tower can be seen from many parts of the city and is well lit at night. It is next to the KCPT studios at the corner of 31st and Main.
- The twin red brick towers of American Century Investments are oriented north and south along Main at 45th street. They are just north of the Country Club Plaza. The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is slightly east. The Nelson Atkins is east and slightly south.
- Kansas City Community Christian Church at 4601 Main has a group of lights that shoot a beam straight up at night. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1950's, 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 looks somewhat like 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 has a large "VA" emblem. It is near the intersection of I-70, Linwood and Van Brunt.
Areas of the metro
- "The Northland" refers to the area of the metro area that is 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 North Kansas City.
- "North Kansas City" is a separate city that is completely surrounded by Kansas City, Missouri (abbreviated NKC). It is also called Northtown.
- Shawnee Mission, Kansas, is an area recognized by the United States Postal Service that includes many towns in Johnson County, Kansas.
- Waldo refers to the Waldo Residential District in Kansas City, Missouri, near 75th Street and Wornall Road.
- The Country Club Plaza (called "the Plaza" by locals) is an upscale shopping district built by the J.C. Nichols Co. in the 1920s.
- 39th Steet usually refers to the small section of West 39th Street between State Line Road and Southwest Trafficway in Kansas City, Missouri. It has many restaurants, bars and shops, and is just across the state line from the University of Kansas Medical Center.
- University of Kansas Hospital (KUMED) is the corporate name of the hospital on the KU Medical Center campus.
- Benton Curve, a curve located where Interstate 70 crosses Benton Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, is a site of many accidents.
- Pendleton Heights is a historic neighborhood in the Northeast, home to the city's largest concentration of Victorian homes. It is bordered to the north by Cliff Drive, the east by Chestnut Trafficway, the south by Independence Avenue and to the west by the Paseo Trafficway. It is Kansas City's oldest surviving neighborhood.
- Grandview Triangle is the intersection of three major highways: Interstate 435, Interstate 470, and 71 Highway (Bruce R. Watkins Drive). Notorious for fatal accidents, as of February 2005, improvements and upgrades on the Triangle have mostly been completed.
- 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 refers to the 18th and Vine Historic District that contains the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the American Jazz Museum.
- The Library District is a recently defined district around the new Central Library at 14 West 10th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.
- Strawberry Hill is a historical area in Kansas City, Kansas that was home to many eastern European immigrants. More recently, the neighborhood is home to many Latino families.
- Hospital Hill is the area near 23rd and Holmes in Kansas City, Missouri, and consists of two major hospitals (Truman Medical Center, The Children's Mercy Hospital) and the University of Missouri, Kansas City's School of Medicine.
- Argentine is a part of Kansas City, Kansas, near 30th and Argentine.
- The Crossroads Arts District is a Downtown neighborhood between the Central Business District and Union Station, centered around the intersection of 19th Street and Baltimore in Kansas City, Missouri. It contains dozens of art galleries and is considered by many to be the center of the arts culture in the metropolitan area. Local artists sponsor exhibits there on the first Friday of each month.
- Quality Hill is an upscale residential and commercial neighborhood on top of a western hill in the Central Business District Downtown Kansas City, across the river from the Charles B. Wheeler Airport.
- Washington-Wheatley is a historically Black neighborhood southeast of the 18th and Vine District.
Educational institutions
Post-secondary
In Kansas City, Missouri: - Avila University
- Calvary Bible College
- DeVry University of Kansas City
- Kansas City Art Institute
- Metropolitan Community Colleges
- Penn Valley
- Maple Woods
- Business and Technology Center
- Blue River
- Longview
On the Missouri Side:
On the Kansas Side:
- Baker University
- Johnson County Community College
- Kansas City Kansas Community College
- MidAmerica Nazarene University
- Ottawa University
In Nearby Lawrence:
Other Nearby Missouri Educational Institutions:
Elementary and Secondary
Missouri schools - Blue Springs School District
Blue Springs HS
Blue Springs South HS - Center School District
Center HS - Excelsior Springs School District
Excelsior Springs HS
Excelsior Springs Area Career Center - Fort Osage School District
Fort Osage HS - Grandview C-4 School District
Grandview HS - Hickman Mills C-1 School District
Hickman Mills HS
Ruskin HS - Independence School District
Truman HS
William Chrisman HS - Kansas City Missouri School District
Central High School
Lincoln Prep Academy
Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts
Southeast High School
Van Horn High School
Northeast High School
Manuel Technical Vocational School - Lee's Summit R-VII School District
Lee's Summit Senior High School
Lee's Summit North High School
Lee's Summit West High School - Liberty School District
Liberty HS - North Kansas City School District
North Kansas City HS
Oak Park HS
Staley HS
Winnetonka HS - Park Hill School District
Park Hill South HS
Park Hill HS - The Pembroke Hill School
- Raytown C-2 School District
Raytown HS
Raytown South HS - Rockhurst High School
- St. Pius X High School
Kansas schools - Bishop Miege High School
- Blue Valley School District
Blue Valley High School
Blue Valley North High School
Blue Valley Northwest High School
Blue Valley West High School
Blue Valley Academy - Kansas City, KS School District
Sumner Academy of Arts & Science
Washington HS
Wyandotte HS - Mill Valley High School
- Shawnee Mission School District
Shawnee Mission East
Shawnee Mission North
Shawnee Mission Northwest
Shawnee Mission South
Shawnee Mission West - Turner Unified School District
Turner High School
Media
Print Media
The primary newspaper of the metropolitan area is The Kansas City Star. The McClatchy Company, the owner of The Star, also owns the suburban weeklies Lee's Summit Journal and Olathe Journal.The five-day daily "Kansas City Kansan" serves Wyandotte County. Additional weekly papers in the metropolitan include the Liberty Tribune, Sun Newspapers of Johnson County and the Northland, The Examiner in Independence and Eastern Jackson County, and The Pitch. Two newspapers serve the area's faith communities: "The Metro Voice Christian Newspaper" and the "Jewish Chronicle".
Broadcast Media
According to Arbitron, about 1.5 million people over the age of 12 are part of the Kansas City DMA, making it the 29th largest market for radio and 31st for television Nielsen ratings.
Television
Kansas City metro television stations, with all major network affiliates represented, include:- WDAF-TV 4 - FOX affiliate.
- KCTV 5 - CBS affiliate.
- KMBC-TV 9 - ABC affiliate.
- KCPT 19 - PBS Member Station
- KCWE 29 - UPN affiliate; The CW in September 2006
- KMCI 38 (independent)
- KSHB-TV 41 - NBC affiliate.
- KPXE 50 - i affiliate.
- KSMO-TV 62 - WB affiliate; My Network TV in September 2006
Radio
Over 30 FM and 20 AM stations broadcast in the Kansas City area, with stations from Topeka, St. Joseph, and Carrollton also reaching into the metropolitan. The highest rated radio stations according to Arbitron:=Public and community radio
=- KCUR-FM NPR affiliate
- KKFI-FM Locally-owned not-for-profit station
=Specialty Radio
= Hispanics account for five percent of the market and are served by three AM radio stations (KCZZ, KDTD, and KKHK) and a Univision affiliate, KUKC-LP.Business interests
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area's largest private employer is Sprint Nextel Corporation. The international telecommunications company maintains its global operational headquarters at its 200-acre campus facility in south Overland Park. During 2003, the company employed nearly 18,500 people in the five-county metropolitan area, with wages of more than $1.16 billion generating $58 million in local and state income taxes. Sprint spent more than $21 million on property taxes and $1.74 billion for goods and services from area businesses. Since the merger, Sprint Nextel's corporate headquarters moved to Reston, Virginia, and the company spun off its local telephone service into a new company called Embarq, also based in Overland Park.Other major employers are AT&T, BNSF Railway, Hallmark Cards, Harley-Davidson, General Motors, Honeywell, and Ford Motor Company. Kansas City also has a large pharmaceutical industry, with companies such as Bayer and Aventis having large presences.
Headquarters
The following companies and organizations are headquarted in the area:- American Century Companies, an investment firm
- Andrews McMeel Universal, a syndication and publication company which represents features such as Dear Abby, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes and Doonesbury
- Applebee's restaurant chain
- Aquila, Inc., a major energy company
- Black & Veatch, Major engineering firm
- Burns & McDonnell, an architectural firm
- Cerner, leading supplier of healthcare information technology solutions.
- Church of the Nazarene church
- Commerce Bancshares, bank serving Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois
- Community of Christ church (Mormon RLDS)
- DST Systems, Inc., global provider of sophisticated information processing and computer software services and products
- Ferrellgas, the nation's largest retailer and distributor of natural gas
- Garmin, makers of GPS-based electronics
- Hallmark Cards
- HOK Sport + Venue + Event, world leader in sports architecture
- H&R Block, financial corporation and former parent company of CompuServe
- Inergy, LP, one of the nation's largest retailers and distributors of natural gas
- Interstate Bakeries Corporation, makers of Twinkies and Wonder Bread
- J.E. Dunn Construction Group, major construction contractor.
- Kansas City Power & Light Company, a leading regulated provider of electricity and energy-related products and services
- Kansas City Southern Industries, operators of a Class I railroad
- Lockton Companies, the largest privately held insurance brokerage in the nation
- Premium Standard Farms, provider of pork products, producing pork products for the retail, wholesale, foodservice, further processor and export markets
- Russell Stover Candies
- Sprint Nextel Corporation, one of the world's largest telecommunication companies.
- The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States of America
- Wolferman's bakery
- YRC Worldwide Inc., one of the largest transportation service providers in the world.
Kansas City has a Federal Reserve Bank.
Retail centers
- Antioch Center
- Bannister Mall
- Crown Center
- Country Club Plaza
- The Gateway (formerly Mission Center)
- Great Mall of the Great Plains
- Independence Center
- Landing Mall
- Metcalf South Shopping Center
- Metro North Mall
- Oak Park Mall
- Town Pavillion
- Village West
- Ward Parkway Shopping Center
- Zona Rosa
Local organizations
External links
- Mid-America Regional Council
- Kansas City Scout Traffic Management System
- National Weather Service - Kansas City Office
- ThinkKC
- Kansas City Direct Action Network
- KC Chapter of National Lawyers Guild
- Kansas City Independent Media Center
- Kansas City Development Forum
- Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation
- The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
- ThinkOneKC
- India Association of Kansas City (IAKC)
- KC "The Metro" Transportation Authority
- KC Red Cross
- Kansas City Metro Crime Commission
- Kansas City Science Fiction & Fantasy Society
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