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Kansas City Metropolitan Area

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Kansas City satellite map
Kansas City satellite map
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area straddling the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. In 2008, it was estimated to have a population numbering just over 2 million. The metro is the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri and largest with territory in Kansas, though the Wichita Metropolitan Area is the largest metro anchored in Kansas. Satellite cities over 100,000 population in the metropolitan area include Independence, Missouri; Kansas City, Kansas; Olathe, Kansas; and Overland Park, Kansas.

In 2007, Worldwide ERC and Primary Relocation recognized Kansas City third overall as one of the "Best Cities for Relocating Families" in the United States. Also in May 2008, Money rated Overland Park, Kansas, 9th best city to live in the United States. Neighboring city Olathe, Kansas, was rated 11th and Shawnee, Kansas, 39th best. Kansas City is one of 2 metro areas to have 2 cities in the top fifteen.

Geographic overview

See Also: The Districts of Downtown (Kansas City, Missouri)
The core of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area can be visualized roughly by the following divisions:

The Northland is locally referred to as "north of the river" (Missouri River) or "Kansas City North". (Often confused with Northtown, a nickname for North Kansas City) Contained wholly within Missouri, it encompasses portions of Clay County and Platte County including the northern half of Kansas City, Missouri, and the cities of Liberty, North Kansas City and Gladstone. The sharpest part of the river bend forms a peninsula containing the Charles B. Wheeler Kansas City Downtown Airport.
Midtown is the core of the metro area just directly to the south of downtown (south of 31st Street) and is mostly urban terrain. Contained within Kansas City, Missouri, it is broken up into the historical neighborhoods of Westport, Ivanhoe The Country Club Plaza, Hyde Park, Ward Parkway, Brookside, West Plaza, Southmoreland, Valentine, Coleman Highlands and Rockhill. It contains the majority of the metro area's businesses, visitor attractions, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
South KC or "South Kansas City" is the southern half of Kansas City, Missouri as well as the suburbs of Lee's Summit, Grandview, Harrisonville, Belton, Raymore. It is sometimes called "the southland."

The Eastside is an area of the metro that contains the eastern urban side of Kansas City, Missouri as well as the suburbs of Independence, Blue Springs and Raytown. This part of town is best known for the Truman Sports Complex where the Royals and Chiefs play.
Johnson County (the southwest portion of the metro) indicates all of Johnson County, Kansas, which includes the cities of Overland Park, Lenexa, Olathe, Shawnee, and De Soto. Interstate 35 runs diagonally through Johnson County from the southwest toward the northeast and downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
Wyandotte or the western side of the metro contains Wyandotte County, Kansas. Wyandotte County, sometimes referred to as just 'Wyandotte' or 'The Dot', contains Kansas City, Kansas, Bonner Springs and Edwardsville, and it 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'. This area is best known for NASCAR's Kansas Speedway and CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home to the T-Bones and the Wizards. Another bend in the Missouri River forms the county line between Wyandotte and Platte counties to the north and northeast.

In all, more than 2 million people live in the metropolitan area. It is difficult to state exactly the size of the population because there are few natural boundaries and suburban expansion (or sprawl) is ongoing.

Metropolitan Area

Anchor city



The metropolitan area is experiencing continued growth. Between July 2000 and July 2007, the population in the Kansas City MSA grew from 1,842,965 to an estimated 2,037,357, an increase of 10 percent.

Counties

The Kansas City metropolitan area includes all or part of the following counties:

As of 2008, the Office of Management and Budget included the following outlying counties as part of Kansas City's metropolitan statistical area:

The MSA covers a total area of 7,952 sq. mi. 7,855 sq. mi. is land and 97 sq. mi. is water.

Associated areas

Often associated with Kansas City, the cities of Lawrence, Kansas and St. Joseph, Missouri are identified as separate Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS Combined Statistical Area, which encompasses the Kansas City MO-KS MSA, the Warrensburg, MO µSA, and the Atchison, KS µSA, covers a total area of 9,220 sq. mi. 9,117 sq. mi. is land and 103 sq. mi. is water.

Transportation

The Kansas City metropolitan area has by far 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.

Some of Kansas City's interstates include:
  • I-435 - Bi-State Loop through Missouri and Kansas suburbs. 2nd longest in U.S., 4th longest single numbered beltway in the world.
  • I-470 - Connects South Kansas City with Lee's Summit and Independence.
  • 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 71 - In the north, concurrent with I-29 to Amazonia, Missouri, and serves as a freeway (Bruce R. Watkins Drive) South from downtown.
  • 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.
  • MO 152 - A freeway contained entirely in Kansas City's Northland, stretching from Liberty in Clay County west to its intersection with I-435 near Parkville, MO.
  • Route 210 - A minor freeway east of North Kansas City that, as a two-lane road, stretches to Richmond, Missouri.
  • Route 291 - Formerly an eastern bypass route of US 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.

Other notable roads:
  • Broadway - A Street where in the middle of downtown contains various bars, live jazz outlets and restaurants. It is also the eastern border of Quality Hill, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kansas City

Local navigation tips

See related article:

Street numbers

The Missouri side of the Metropolitan Area 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 most of Wyandotte County, Kansas the north-south streets are numbered and the address numbers are measured from Riverview Avenue. A few suburbs use completely independent numbering schemes.

Highways

  • Kansas Citians tend to express US and Missouri highway designations with the number before the word "highway," (e.g., 40 highway, 71 highway). This colloquialism tends not to apply to interstates or Kansas route numbers (e.g., "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.
  • When traveling north on I-35 from Johnson County the first signs that say I-70 east actually guide the driver through the southern portion of I-670 which takes motorists into the southern part of the Downtown Freeway Loop and goes underneath the Bartle Hall Convention Center and some downtown overpasses. This is sometimes referred to as "going under downtown".

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.
  • 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 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 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

See Also: The Districts of Downtown (Kansas City, Missouri)
The center of Kansas City is roughly contained inside the downtown loop (shaded in red).
The center of Kansas City is roughly contained inside the downtown loop (shaded in red).
  • Downtown Kansas City refers to the downtown area of Kansas City, MO, where a large concentration of the area's employees work, and where much of the entertainment is located. It has been going through a massive revitalization since 2000, and gained over 7,000 people from 2000 to 2005. The area houses the Power and Light District and the Sprint Center.
  • "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.
  • River Market refers to the area north of downtown, south of the river, and west of highway 9. It is home to a large farmer's market.
  • "North Kansas City" is a separate city that is completely surrounded by Kansas City, Missouri (abbreviated NKC). It is also called Northtown.
  • Country Club District is the name for the associated group of neighborhoods built along Ward Parkway by J.C. Nichols just south of the Country Club Plaza, and includes Sunset Hill, Brookside, Crestwood, and Mission Hills, Kansas.
  • 39th Street 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. The area is also referred to as the Volker neighborhood or "Restaurant Row".
  • 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.
  • 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. Later, the neighborhood became home to many Latino/Chicano families. However, with recent immigration from Eastern Europe, Strawberry Hill is currently seeing immigration once again from Eastern Europe.
  • 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, School of Dentistry, School of Pharmacy and School of Nursing.
  • Argentine is a part of Kansas City, Kansas, near 30th and Argentine. It is one of the oldest Mexican/Chicano neighborhoods in Kansas City with Mexican immigration to that area dating to the 1800s.
  • 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.
  • The Westside is a historically African American and Chicano/Latino neighborhood near Southwest Blvd. and Interstate 35.
  • Westport is a historic district offering much of the metro area's entertainment and nightlife.
  • Squier Park
  • Armordale, in Kansas City, KS, is one of the historically Chicano(a) neighborhoods of the Kansas City metro.
  • Brookside
  • Northeast, refers to the Historic Old Northeast District, a working-class immigrant collection of neighorhoods. It is between downtown Kansas City and the smaller city of Independence. It was originally one of the more fashionable areas in the city, and the oldest residential neighborhoods. It is also home to peoples from dozens of nations, representing cultures from Africa, Central and South America, Europe and Asia. Though a vital part of the KCMA and unique, it is often overlooked by non-Kansas Citians for political and economic reasons.
  • Ivanhoe, located in the core of the city of Kansas City, MO. 64130 zip code. Running from Benton BLVD on the east, Paseo BLVD on the west, 39th street on the north and 47th street on the south. This area is known for its high crime.

Educational institutions

Post-secondary

Secondary

Libraries

  • (MO)

Media

Print media

The Kansas City Star. is the region's major daily newspaper. 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". "Dos Mundos" is the area's primary newspaper that serves the Spanish speaking community with articles printed in Spanish and English.

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 30th largest market for radio and 31st for television Nielsen ratings.

Television

Kansas City metro television stations, with all major network affiliates represented, include:
  • KMCI 38 (independent)

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

KANU-FM and KTBG-FM, both college radio stations, are also NPR affiliates
  • KKFI-FM Locally-owned not-for-profit station

Specialty TV and 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 world headquarters at its campus facility in south Overland Park. During 2005, 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. Sprint's headquarters was temporarily moved to Reston Virginia in 2003 after it merged with Nextel. Since then, the world headquarters has been reconsolidated in Overland Park.

Other major employers are AT&T, BNSF Railway, Asurion, Cerner, Citigroup, EMBARQ, Farmers Insurance Group, Garmin, Hallmark Cards, Harley-Davidson, Husqvarna, 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 headquartered in the area:
  • Cerner, leading supplier of healthcare information technology solutions.
  • DST Systems, Inc., global provider of sophisticated information processing and computer software services and products
  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
  • Garmin, largest maker of GPS-based electronics
  • International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Ironship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers,

/*world headquarters*/Brotherhood Block, Downtown Kansas City, Kansas
  • National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
  • Populous (formerly HOK Sport + Venue + Event), world leader in sports architecture
  • Premium Standard Farms, provider of pork products, producing pork products for the retail, wholesale, foodservice, further processor and export markets
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars
  • Wolferman's bakery

Kansas City has a Federal Reserve Bank.

Shopping Centers

  • The Landing Mall
  • Metcalf South Shopping Center

Local organizations

See also
 
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