Kansas City is sometimes referred to as the Heart of America because it is within 250 miles of the geographic and population centers of the United States. Most of Kansas City, Missouri’s real estate is located in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass counties. It is the most populous city in Missouri, the seventh largest city in the Midwest, and the 40th most populous city in America. As of 2005, the city had an estimated population of 444,965. You might consider this as a point of relocation and think about moving to Kansas City or purchasing real estate
Also of note is the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, it is the future home of the Kansas City Symphony, whose current music director and lead conductor is the world-renowned Michael Stern. The Kansas City Lyric Opera is one of the nation's premier regional opera companies. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is due to reopen in 2009 after extensive renovations.
Attractions
Kansas City knows how to entertain visitors. The following are a few of Kansas City’s featured attractions: Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun; Kansas City Zoo and IMAX Theatre, which are located in Swope Park; Kansas City Renaissance Festival; Kansas City Irish Fest, the annual Labor Day weekend. In addition, the Country Club Plaza Christmas, this lighting ceremony is a tradition that occurs every Thanksgiving; and The Kansas City St. Patrick's Day parade, which is one of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in America. The thought of moving to Kansas City is exciting, with so much to do once you’re there.Museums
Great museums in Kansas City include the following: the American Jazz Museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the Charlie Parker Memorial, the Arabia Steamboat Museum in the historic River Market and the Kansas City Museum, which is located in a renovated 1910 mansion. There is also the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum located in the Kansas City suburb of Independence, Mo.Water Purity
If you are thinking about moving to Kansas City you might be pleased to discover that the city's tap water was recently rated the purest among the 50 largest cities in America. Paris is the only city in the world that has more boulevards and avenues than does Kansas City. In addition, if you adore fountains then Kansas City is for you because it has more fountains than any other city, except Rome.Kansas City Steaks
During the heyday of the Kansas City Stockyards, the city was known for its famed Kansas City Strip cut of steak, which is largely identical to the New York Strip steaks. The most famous of the steakhouses in Kansas City is the Golden Ox in the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange. This is in the stockyards in the West Bottoms.Kansas City Style Barbecue
Another gourmet delight found in Kansas City is barbeque. Along with Texas, Memphis and North Carolina, Kansas City is a world capital of barbecue. There are more than 90 barbecue restaurants in the metropolitan area.Climate
As mentioned before, Kansas City lies almost in the exact geographic center of the continental United States, on the second largest river in the country, the Missouri River and the Kansas River. This means the air can get very humid with moderate precipitation and extremes of hot and cold. Summers can be seriously humid, with moist air coming up from the Gulf of Mexico. During July and August, daytime highs can reach into the triple digits. Winters vary from mild days to bitterly cold, with lows dropping into the teens or below zero. Spring and autumn are usually pleasant. This is the kind of climate worth moving into the area for.History
Kansas City, Missouri. was first incorporated in 1850. It is the territory on the border between Missouri and Kansas on the shores of the Kansas and Missouri rivers. It was considered a good place to build settlements and find relocation for early American pioneers. After World War II, the city experienced a great deal of urban sprawl with residents moving from the inner city. This was because the affluent populace left for suburbs such as Johnson County, Ka. and eastern Jackson County, Mo. And many also went north of the Missouri River, where Kansas City had incorporated areas between the 1940s to 1970s. So, the population of the urban core significantly dipped, while the city and the surrounding area gained population.
City officials are using New Urbanism. It is a style of planning that is occurring in some of Kansas City real estate. It is an effort to stem future sprawl in Kansas City. This recent strategy in urban planning has slowed sprawl and focuses instead on the revitalization of the inner city, its housing and existing infrastructure. A great effort is being put into reviving the city's downtown area. This is in the hopes that more people will consider it for relocation of their homes and relocation of their businesses. The Downtown Kansas City is an area of 2.9 square miles. As mentioned before, many residential properties have recently been or are currently under redevelopment in this area.
Neighborhoods and Real Estate
Kansas City, Missouri, is organized into a system of more than 150 neighborhoods, some with history as independent cities or the sites of major events. There are many opportunities to choose from a wide variety of real estate. For example, downtown is a great place to live because of its major and exciting redevelopment. Downtown Kansas City has a variety of smaller neighborhoods that include the following: historical Westport, the Crossroads Arts District, the 18th and Vine Historic District, Pendleton Heights, Quality Hill, the West Bottoms and the River Market.Other areas near Downtown Kansas City includes the 39th Street District, which is known as Restaurant Row. It features one of Kansas City's largest selections of independently-owned restaurants, shops and great real estate. It is also a center of literary and visual arts and off-beat culture.
Crown Center is the headquarters of Hallmark Cards, and is a major downtown shopping and entertainment complex. Connected by a series of covered walkways the center joins Union Station. By the way, Kansas City's Union Station is now home to Science City, restaurants, shopping, theaters, the city's Amtrak facility and some pricey real estate.The Country Club Plaza, also known as the Plaza, is an upscale, outdoor shopping and entertainment district. It was the first shopping district in America designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by cars. The Country Club District to the south includes the Sunset Hill and Brookside neighborhoods. Its main thoroughfare is Ward Parkway, a landscaped boulevard known for its statues, fountains and historic homes.
Also of note is Swope Park. It is one of America’s larger in-city parks. It has 1,763 acres that includes a zoo, two golf courses, a lake, an amphitheatre and numerous picnic grounds.
Famous Kansas Citizens
Kansas City has been home to many famous people such as Ernest Hemingway, who wrote for the Kansas City Star during World War I. And don’t forget Walt Disney, who moved and bought real estate in Kansas City. He established his first animation studio on Kansas City real estate. Walter Cronkite, who also moved to Kansas City, Mo., started his career there. Early screen actors who hailed from Kansas City include Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, Ginger Rogers, Ed Asner, and the director Robert Altman. In addition, put all your clothes on wooden hangars, because Joan Crawford, the movie actress, was raised in Kansas City. The city was also home to two noted musicians: Burt Bacharach, the pianist and composer, and Charlie Parker, the famous jazz musician.Speaking of jazz, the era of Kansas City jazz influence is bracketed by the music of Count Basie in 1929 to the advent of Kansas City native Charlie Parker in the 1940s. Kansas City is jazz is well worth moving into the area for.
Economy
Greater Kansas City is headquarters to four Fortune 500 companies: H&R Block, Embarq Corporation, Sprint Nextel Corporation, and YRC Worldwide, Inc. It also has five additional Fortune 1000 corporations: Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Great Plains Energy, Aquila, Inc., AMC Theatres, and DST Systems. Hallmark Cards 's gross revenues certainly would qualify it for both lists, but it cannot be included because the Hall family privately owns it. This is certainly some very valuable real estate.Transportation
The Missouri River and Kansas River were the launching points for travelers on the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails. More rail traffic in terms of tonnage still goes through the city real estate than any other city in the country. That’s a lot of moving of our nation’s goods.TWA located its headquarters in the city. Kansas City International Airport was built to the specifications of TWA to make a world hub for the supersonic transport and Boeing 747. The Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport was the original headquarters of Trans World Airlines. It now houses the Airline History Museum.
Hollywood Comes Calling