Kansas City

Kansas City is a large, major Midwestern metropolitan area that spreads across the border of Missouri and Kansas and has a population of around 2 million. The central city of the metro area is Kansas City, Missouri, the largest city in Missouri, with a population of around 450,000. Across the state border is Kansas City, Kansas, often called “KCK” by locals, which has a population of 150,000. There are also suburbs on both sides of the border.

. . . Kansas City . . .

Kansas City, Missouri is a city that tends to hide itself from tourists. Reputed to have more boulevards than Paris and more fountains than any other city in the world except for Rome, it can be a beautiful city, too. It is also unique, in that it is split down the middle by the state line of Kansas and Missouri. Not to be confused with Kansas City, Kansas, which is a completely different city.

There are suburbs all around the city. In the “Northland” is North Kansas City, Parkville, Gladstone, Liberty, and several others. To the east is Independence, Blue Springs, and Lee’s Summit (SE). In the south is Overland Park, Blue Springs, Olathe, Grandview, and several others. Numbering of east/west streets begins at the Missouri River with the east/west division occurring at Main Street. Westport is around 40th St., the Plaza at 47th St., Brookside at 55th, and Waldo beginning around Gregory (71st St.).

Due to the lack of any large body of water nearby, KC experiences a continental climate with large swings and extremes of temperature. Winters vary from mild to very cold, with significant snow at times, and temperatures occasionally dipping to single digits and below 0°F (-18°C). Snow accumulation occurs 3-5 times per year, on average, sometimes exceeding a foot (31 cm). KC enjoys very pleasant spring and autumn weather, but suffers hot, humid summers. It is not uncommon for the temperature to stay above 90°F (32°C) for weeks at a time, during July and August. Because of the heat, almost all buildings in KC are equipped with air conditioning. While KC has relatively high humidity, the most common weather is clear with almost completely blue skies. The majority of the rain falls in Apr-Jun, but even in these wettest months, rain is light, compared to other cities in the region.

. . . Kansas City . . .

. . . Kansas City . . .