Kansas City, Kansas

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Kansas City is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of the "Unified Government"<ref>wycokck.org</ref> which also includes the cities of Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 146,867. The city is situated at Kaw Point, which is the junction of the Missouri and Kansas rivers.

Contents 1 Abbreviations and nicknames 2 History 3 Government 4 Geography 4.1 Cityscape 4.1.1 Local places 4.1.2 Parks and parkways 5 Climate 6 Demographics 7 Economy 7.1 GM Fairfax plant 7.2 Village West development 8 Law and government 9 Crime 10 Neighboring areas 10.1 Cities 10.2 Counties 11 Transportation 11.1 Major highways 11.1.1 Notable roads 12 Culture 12.1 Media 12.1.1 Broadcast media 12.1.2 Film community 12.1.3 Newspapers 12.2 Sites of interest 13 Sports 13.1 Kansas Speedway 13.2 Kansas City T-Bones 14 Educational institutions 14.1 Colleges and universities 14.1.1 Private 14.1.2 Public 14.2 Public and private school districts 14.3 Secondary schools 15 Sister cities 16 External links

Abbreviations and nicknames

Kansas City, Kansas, is often abbreviated as "KCK", It is also nicknamed the Heart of America<ref name="CityOf" /> because it is within 250 miles (400 km) of both the geographic and population centers of the United States. Another nickname is "The Dot"<ref>KCK, The Dot... Has it Really Made Good?</ref> or "The Dotte"<ref>The 'Dotte Is The Spot</ref> which derives from the name of Wyandotte County.

History

Kansas City, Kansas dates back to the middle of the 1800s. Kansas City, Kansas (KCK) formed in 1868 and incorporated in October 1872. It was one of the nation's 100 largest cities for many US Census counts, from 1890-1960, including 1920, when it had over 100,000 residents for the first time. <ref>[Media:http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab15.txt]</ref>. In 1997, voters approved a Unified Government for the county and city.

The Kansas City Metropolitan Area, straddling the border between Missouri and Kansas at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, was a good place to build several settlements. When the area was opened to Euro-American settlement, the area became the first battlefield in the conflict over slavery and southern secession that led to the American Civil War. The first city election was held October 22, 1872, by order of Judge Hiram Stevens of the Tenth Judicial District, and resulted in the election of Mayor James Boyle. The mayors of the city after its organization have been James Boyle, C. A. Eidemiller, A. S. Orbison, Eli Teed and Samuel McConnell. John Sheehan was appointed Marshal in 1875, by Mayor Eli Teed. He was also Chief of Police, having a force of five men. In June, 1880, the Governor of Kansas proclaimed the city of Kansas City a city of the second class with the Mayor Samuel McConnell present. James E. Porter was Mayor in 1910.

Government

Mayor/CEO
- Joe Reardon

Board of Commissioners
- At-Large District 1-Mayor Pro Tem, Rev Mark Holland
- At-Large District 2, John J. Mendez
- District 1, Nathaniel Barnes
- District 2, William J (Bill) Miller
- District 3, Ann Brandau-Murguia
- District 4, Mark Mitchell
- District 5, Mike Kane
- District 6, Particia Huggins Pettey
- District 7, Thomas R. Cooley
- District 8, Benoyd M. Ellison

County Administrator's Office
- Dennis Hays

Ethics Commission
- Rhonda Smiley, Ethics Chair
- Mary Ann Slattery
- J. Anthony Snorgrass
- John Zawacki
- Gilbert Castro
- Ruth Benien, Ethics Administrator

Other Elected Officials
- District Attorney, Jerome A Gorman
- Wyandotte County Sheriff, Don Ash
- Wyandotte County Register of Deed, Barbara Rodina Golubski

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 127.8 sq mi ( 331.0 km²). 124.3 sq mi (321.8 km²) of it is land and 3.5 sq mi (9.2 km²) of it is water.

Cityscape

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

Local places

Neighborhoods of Kansas City, Kansas

Parks and parkways

• City Park
• Wyandotte County Park
• Wyandotte County Lake Park

Climate

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. The most recent tornado to strike Kansas City itself was in May 2003. 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.<ref>KC powerless as icy barrage pummels the area, leaves behind disaster zone, Accessed 10 September 2006.</ref> The MoKan area was subject to flooding, including the Great Flood of 1993 and the Great Flood of 1951.

Source: U.S. National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, North Carolina.

Notes: Temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit. Dew point is a humidity measure in degrees Fahrenheit. Precipitation includes rain and melted snow or sleet in inches. Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Average high 41 43 54 66 75 84 90 88 80 69 54 42 Average low 21 25 34 46 56 66 71 69 61 49 36 26 Warmest 75 81 91 95 103 108 112 113 109 98 83 74 Coldest −20 −21 −10 12 27 42 51 43 31 17 1 −23 Average dew point 18 23 29 41 53 62 66 64 56 44 32 24 Average precipitation 1.3 1.3 2.5 3.3 4.5 4.8 3.7 3.9 4.3 3.0 1.9 1.5

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 146,866 people, 55,500 households, and 36,241 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,181.9 people per square mile (456.3/km²). There were 61,446 housing units at an average density of 494.5/sq mi (190.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.7% White, 30.12% African American, 0.75% Native American, 1.72% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.61% from other races, and 2.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.78% of the population.

There were 55,500 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,011, and the median income for a family was $39,491. Males had a median income of $30,992 versus $24,543 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,737. About 13.0% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

GM Fairfax plant

KCK is the home to the GM Fairfax plant, which manufactures the Chevrolet Malibu,Saturn Aura, and the Buick LaCrosse.

Associated Wholesale Grocers is based in KCK.

Village West development

Village West, located at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435 (11 miles from Downtown KCK), is a development that has significantly fueled growth in KCK and Wyandotte County. Anchored by the Kansas Speedway, its attractions and retailers include The Legends At Village West, Phoenix Theatres at The Legends 14, Cabela's, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Great Wolf Lodge, and CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home to the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League, and the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer.

Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, a resort and waterpark, is scheduled to open across I-435 from Village West in June 2009.

There were plans to open a Hard Rock destination resort casino nearby, but this project has been canceled.

There are now two proposals being looked at by the Kansas Lottery Commission. Penn Hollywood "Hollywood Casino" and Kansas Entertainment "Hard Rock Hotel and Casino" have both received an extension from the Kansas Lottery Commission. This extension gives them until August 28, 2009 to finalize their changes in their proposals. The Lottery Commission members expect that the whole 60-day period would not be used. Wyandotte county residents should hear some news shortly.

Law and government

Kansas City, Kansas has a consolidated city-county government in which the city and county have been merged into one jurisdiction. As such, it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation; and a county, which is an administrative division of a state.

The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department was founded in 1898. In 1914, it had one of the first motorcycle units in the nation. By 1918, it was taking photographs and fingerprints of all the felons it arrested.

Crime

Of the statistics available in 2000 based on data collected by the FBI as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which represent from arrests made by State and local law enforcement agencies as reported to the FBI, there were a total of 696 incidents.<ref>fedstats.gov crime county</ref>

Kansas City Kansas rates 41st in the United States in the category of violent crime, according to a study released November 24, 2008.

Neighboring areas

Cities

Other cities in WyCo include:

• Bonner Springs
• Edwardsville

Counties

Kansas City, Kansas' neighboring counties in Kansas include:

• Johnson County, Kansas
• Leavenworth County, Kansas

Kansas City, Kansas' neighboring counties in Missouri include:

• Clay County, Missouri
• Jackson County, Missouri
• Platte County, Missouri

Transportation

Kansas City owes its existence to its location as a crossroads. 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. 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.

Major highways

• 25px Interstate 35: To Des Moines, Iowa, to the North and Wichita, Kansas, to the South.
• 25px Interstate 70: To St. Louis, Missouri, to the East and Topeka, Kansas/Denver, Colorado, to the West.
• 25px Interstate 435: A Bi-State Loop through the Missouri and Kansas suburbs.
• 25px Interstate 635: Connects the Kansas suburbs with Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City International Airport.
• 25px Interstate 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.
• 25px25px US-24-40: Combination of the US-24 and US-40 highways that pass through Kansas City.
• 25px 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.
• 25px K-7: A freeway linking Leavenworth County, Kansas, Wyandotte County, Kansas, and Johnson County, Kansas.
• 25px K-32 A highway that links Leavenworth County, Kansas, Wyandotte County, and Douglas County, Kansas.

Notable roads

• US-169, 7th Street Trafficway
• South 18th Street Expressway
• State Avenue and Parallel Parkway
• Kansas Avenue and the Turner Diagonal

Culture

Kansas City has a variety of architecture points of interest, various historically notable landscapes and many famous and interesting buildings. Kansas City, Kansas is home to the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, which covers of the Roman Catholic community in eastern Kansas.

Media

The Kansas City Metro's audience, which includes KCK residents, is a stepping stone for many national broadcasters including Walter Cronkite, Rush Limbaugh, and Mancow Muller.

Broadcast media

The Kansas City metro area's media market includes ten television channels along with 30 FM and 21 AM radio stations. KCK residents receive broadcasts from the following stations:

Film community

Kansas City metro area has been a locale for Hollywood productions and television programming. Most notably, the 1983 television movie The Day After was filmed in Kansas City metro area and Lawrence, Kansas.

Newspapers

• The Wyandotte West (weekly publication for western Wyandotte Co.)

Sites of interest

Memorial Hall (Kansas City, Kansas) is a 3,500-seat indoor arena/auditorium located in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. The venue, which has a permanent stage, is used for public assemblies, concerts and sporting events.

Kansas Speedway is an auto racetrack in western Kansas City, Kansas. A 1-1/2 mile tri-oval, the speedway has 15-degree banking in its turns. The speedway held its first race on June 2, 2001 with the Winston West series' Kansas 100.

In 1887, John G. Braecklein constructed a Victorian home for John and Margaret Scroggs in the area of Strawberry Hill. It is a fine example of the Queen Anne Style architecture erected in Kansas City, Kansas.

thumb|right|222px|Rosedale arch, a replica of the Arc de Triomphe, at the top of memorial drive (). The Rosedale Arch, dedicated to the men of Kansas City, Kansas who served in World War I, is a small-scale replica of France's famous Arc de Triomphe. It is located on Mount Marty in Rosedale, overlooking the intersection of Rainbow and Southwest boulevards.

Wyandotte High School is a notable public school building located at 2501 Minnesota Avenue. Built in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project, the school was later designated as a Kansas City, Kansas Historic Landmark in 1985 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1986.

Other sites of interest include:

• the 1917 Argentine Carnegie Library (the only Carnegie library existing in the metropolitan area),<ref>skyways.lib.ks.us carnegie</ref><ref>Kckpl.lib.ks.us arghomsp (Spanish)</ref>
• the Fire Station No. 9,<ref>archiplanet.org Fire Station No. 9, Kansas_City, Kansas</ref><ref>image FS9-firemen</ref>
• the Granada Theater,<ref>agilitynut.com theatres ks</ref><ref>screenland.com granada</ref>
• the Hanover Heights Neighborhood Historic District,<ref>Located beween Olathe Blvd., Frances St., 43rd Ave., and State Line Rd., Kansas City </ref>
• the Huron Cemetery,<ref>Downtown KCK</ref>
• the Judge Louis Gates House,<ref>"Prairie School" architect Clarence E. Shepard designed house for Judge Louis R. Gates</ref>
• the Kansas City, Kansas Hall and Fire Headquarters,<ref>kckpl.lib.ks.us TN12</ref>
• the Quindaro Townsite<ref>Quindaro, Kansas on the Underground Railroad</ref>,<ref>The Educational Value of Quindaro Townsite in the 21st Century</ref><ref>Quindaro Townsite Artifacts Find a Permanent Home at KSHS</ref>
• the Sauer Castle,<ref>935 Shawnee Rd, Kansas City </ref>
• the Scottish Rite Temple,<ref>The Scottish Rite Masons. skyways.lib.ks.us</ref>
• the Shawnee Street Overpass,<ref>Seventh Street Trafficway</ref><ref>now called Shawnee Rd. </ref>
• the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building,
• the St. Augustine Hall,
• the Theodore Shafer House,
• the Trowbridge Archeological Site,<ref>Harry M. Trowbridge dug around North 61st Street and Leavenworth Road </ref>
• the Westheight Manor District,<ref>North 18th Street to North 25th Street, State Avenue to Wood Avenue , which is just north of the Wyandotte High School</ref>
• the White Church Christian Church,<ref>Built with native stone in 1832, oldest Kansas church still in use. It is located at 2200 N 85th St. </ref>
• the Wyandotte County Courthouse and
• the land of the Muncie area.
• the ASB Bridge

The Grinter Place is near the Delaware Crossing (or "Military Crossing"; sometimes "the Secondine") which allowed passage from the old Indian trail when that trail met the waters of the Kaw River. In 1826, Tenskwatawa established a village in Turner and later moved to Whitefeather Spring in Argentine.

Sports

Since the late 1990s, sports has played a large role in Kansas City, Kansas' recent surge in economic and physical growth as well as increasing its status as a regional tourist attraction. In this decade, the city has become the home of a major auto racetrack as well as a minor-league baseball team.

Kansas Speedway

Kansas Speedway is an auto racetrack adjacent to the Village West area in western Wyandotte County, Kansas. The speedway, which is used by the NASCAR Sprint Cup series and the Indy Racing League, is a tri-oval with 15-degree banking in the turns. The track held its first race on June 2, 2001, when the Winston West series contested the Kansas 100. The top-level NASCAR Sprint Cup series holds the annual Camping World RV 400 at the track.

Kansas City T-Bones

The Kansas City T-Bones are a professional baseball team that moved to Kansas City, Kansas in 2003. The T-Bones are a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2003 season to the present, the T-Bones have played their home games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, located adjacent to the Village West development in western Wyandotte County, Kansas. They are the current (2008) Northern League champions.

Educational institutions

Colleges and universities

Private

• Donnelly College
• University of Saint Mary

Public

• Kansas City Kansas Community College
• University of Kansas Medical Center (home of KU's Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health)

Public and private school districts

• Kansas City Kansas Public Schools - USD #500
• Piper Unified School District #203
• Turner Unified School District #202
• Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas Catholic Schools

Secondary schools

• Bishop Ward High School, Kansas City
• Fairfax Learning Center, Kansas City
• J. C. Harmon High School, Kansas City
• Kansas City Kansas Area Technical School, Kansas City (merged with Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2008)
• Piper High School, Kansas City (Piper, Kansas)
• F. L. Schlagle High School, Kansas City
• Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB), Kansas City
• Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, Kansas City
• Turner High School, Kansas City (Turner, Kansas)
• Washington High School, Kansas City
• Wyandotte High School, Kansas City

Sister cities

• Linz, Austria
• Karlovac, Croatia
• Limerick, Ireland
• Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico

External links

• WikiPedia article for Kansas City, Kansas

• Go to Kansas City, Kansas at Tree52.com (forums, news, free classifieds, weather, events, history and genealogy, etc.)

• Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas
• Kansas City, KS/Wyandotte County Convention and Visitors Bureau