|
|
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - USA
Kansas City is a city in Clay, Cass, Jackson, and Platte counties in
Missouri.
Often abbreviated KCMO, Kansas City is the center of the Kansas City
metropolitan area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. As of
the 2000 census, the city had a population of 441,545, making it the largest
city in Missouri. Combined with Kansas City, Kansas, the population is
588,411, but the entire urban area (in both states) is well over a million
and a half.
History
Significant non-native settlement of the area dates to 1831, when members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) coming from
Kirtland, Ohio and New York State purchased about 2,000 acres (8 km˛) of
land in the Paseo and Troost Lake areas. Conflict between the Yankee Saints
and southern Missourians led to the expulsion of the Mormons from Jackson
County in 1833.
About this time a dock was established on the Missouri River to land
supplies for Westport Landing (now Westport). The land surrounding the dock
was bought by "Town Company" in 1838. The area outside of Westport Landing
was renamed the Town of Kansas, after the local Kanza Indians, in 1839. The
town was incorporated by the state of Missouri as the City of Kansas on
March 28, 1853. At the first municipal election in 1853 there were sixty-seven
voters from a population of 2,500. In 1889, with a population of around
60,000, the city adopted a new charter and changed its name to Kansas City.
In 1897, Kansas City annexed Westport.
The City was connected to the telegraph system in 1858, to the railway in
1864 (with a bridge crossing the river in 1869) and the first aircraft
landed at the Municipal Airport in 1927.
Due to its central location, Kansas City became and remains the third
largest railroad hub in the United States, behind St. Louis and Chicago.
Initially, the city's major industry was cattle; by the 1860s it had one of
the largest cattle markets in America. That industry peaked in the early
20th century.
Pendergast era
Starting in 1915, with the city grown to 250,000 people, the city was run by
one man, Tom Pendergast. He maintained control until 1940.
The city also became a center for night life and music, with jazz by
musicians such as Count Basie and blues (Kansas City blues) flourishing in
areas such as 18th and Vine.
Harry S. Truman, former U.S. president, was county judge of Jackson County,
Missouri, under the Pendergast regime, and was initially regarded in his
early career as a corrupt politician because of this. However, most people
came to regard him as having a great deal of integrity because of his
subsequent actions in various political offices.
Perpetual motion
In the 1910s and 1920s, Harry Perrigo (of Kansas City) and a graduate of
MIT, claims development of a free energy device. Perrigo claimed the energy
source was "from thin air" or from ether waves. Perrigo demonstrated the
device before the U.S. Congress on December 15, 1917. Perrigo had a pending
application (filed December 31, 1925; Serial Number 78,719) for the "Improvement
in Method and Apparatus for Accumulating and Transforming Ether Electric
Energy". Investigators report that his device contained a hidden motor.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
823.7 km˛ (318.0 mi˛). 812.1 km˛ (313.5 mi˛) of it is land and 11.6 km˛ (4.5
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 1.41% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 441,545 people, 183,981 households, and
107,444 families residing in the city. The population density is 543.7/km˛
(1,408.2/mi˛). There are 202,334 housing units at an average density of
249.2/km˛ (645.3/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 60.68% White, 31.23%
African American, 1.85% Asian, 0.48% Native American, 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.
Parks and parkways
Kansas City is well-known for its spacious parkways and many 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 the nation's largest in-city parks, comprising over one
thousand acres (4 km˛), and including a full-fledged zoo, two golf courses,
a lake, an amphitheater, day-camp area, and numerous picnic grounds.
Kansas City has always had one of the nation's best urban forestry programs.
At one time, almost all residential streets were planted with a solid canopy
of American elm; Dutch elm disease was devastating to Kansas City, with
almost all of its elms dying and replaced with a variety of other shade
trees.
Attractions
Kansas City ranks second in the world in number of fountains (160), exceeded
only by Rome.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (website (http://www.nlbm.com/))
18th and Vine Historic District
Crown Center
Country Club Plaza
Kansas City's Union Station, now home to Science City, restaurants, shopping,
and theaters
Liberty Memorial -- Only major World War I memorial in the United States.
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Westport
Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun
Kansas City Zoo
Educational institutions
Avila University
DeVry University of Kansas City
The Pembroke Hill School
Rockhurst High School and Rockhurst University
University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City Art Institue
Airports
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City Downtown Airport
Sports
Kansas City Sports team presently include the Kansas City Chiefs of the
NFL's American Conference Western Division; The Kansas City Royals, of MLB's
American League Central; The MLS's KC Wizards; the MISL's KC Comets; the
ABA's KC Knights; and the newly formed and still unnamed Kansas City team in
the United Hockey League.
Past teams include NBA's Kings, IHL's Blades, NHL's Scouts, and MLB's
Athletics.
Kansas City Royals (Major League Baseball - American League) at Kauffman
Stadium
Kansas City Chiefs (National Football League) at Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City Wizards (Major League Soccer) at Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City Knights (American Basketball Association) at Kemper Arena
Kansas Citians
The following is a partial list of people associated with Kansas City for
various reasons, including birth:
Robert Altman
Wallace Beery
George Brett
Evan S. Connell
Walt Disney
Jean Harlow
Robert A. Heinlein
Ernest Hemingway
Ub Iwerks
Pete Johnson
Ewing Kauffman
Suzanne Lieurance
General Richard B. Myers
Charlie Parker
Edgar Allan Poe
Casey Stengel
Big Joe Turner
Smokey Joe Wood
|
|
