User:MrsKennedy113/sandbox

Kansas City, Kansas

Kansas City (often abbreviated as "KCK" to differentiate it from Kansas City, Missouri[5]) is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas, the county seat of Wyandotte County, and the third-largest city of the Kansas City metropolitan area.[1] It is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified Government". Wyandotte County also includes the independent cities of Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 145,786 residents.[6] It is situated at Kaw Point, which is the junction of the Missouri and Kansas rivers.

History[edit source] See also: History of Kansas In October 1872, "old" Kansas City, Kansas, was incorporated. The first city election was held on October 22 of that year, 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 were James Boyle, C. A. Eidemiller, A. S. Orbison, Eli Teed and Samuel McConnell. In June 1880, the Governor of Kansas proclaimed the city of Kansas City a city of the second class with Mayor McConnell present.

In March 1886, "new" Kansas City, Kansas, was formed through the consolidation of five municipalities: "old" Kansas City, Armstrong, Armourdale, Riverview, Wyandotte. The oldest city of the group was Wyandotte, which was formed in 1857 by Wyandot Native Americans and Methodist missionaries.[7]:370, 384, 388

In the 1890s, the city saw an explosive growth in population as a streetcar suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, from which it takes its name; this growth continued until the 1930s. It was one of the nation's 100 largest cities for many U.S. Census counts, from 1890 to 1960, including 1920, when it had a population of over 100,000 residents for the first time.[8]

As with adjacent Kansas City, Missouri, the percentage of the city's most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic whites, has declined from 76.3% in 1970 to 40.2% in 2010.[9][10] In 1997, voters approved a proposition to unify the city and county governments creating the Unified Government of Wyandotte County.[11]

Geography[edit source]

Kansas City map According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 128.38 square miles (332.50 km2), of which, 124.81 square miles (323.26 km2) is land and 3.57 square miles (9.25 km2) is water.[2]

Neighborhoods[edit source] See also: Neighborhoods of Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas Neighborhoods of Kansas City, Kansas, include the following:[citation needed]

Downtown Argentine − former home to the silver smelter for which it was named; it was consolidated with Kansas City in 1910. Armourdale − formerly a city, it was consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1886. Armstrong − a town absorbed by Wyandotte. Bethel − a neighborhood located generally along Leavenworth Rd., between 72nd and 77th Streets. It was never incorporated as a municipality. Fairfax District − an industrial area along the Missouri River. Muncie Maywood − until the late 1990s, Maywood was a quiet, isolated residential area; it is now part of the "Village West" project that includes the Legends shopping and entertainment district, the Children's Mercy Park soccer stadium, T-Bones' Community America baseball park, the Schlitterbahn amusement water park, the Kansas Speedway racetrack and Hollywood Casino. Nearman Piper Pomeroy − a late 19th century-early 20th century Train Depot, Trading Post, Saw Mill, and river landing for barges to load and unload. Riverview Rosedale − merged with Kansas City in 1922. Stony Point Strawberry Hill Turner − community around the Wyandotte-Johnson County border to the Kansas River north-south, and from I-635 to I-435 east-west. Vinewood

Kaw Point from the west Wolcott Welborn Parks and parkways[edit source] Main article: List of Wyandotte County parks and parkways City Park Wyandotte County Lake Park Climate[edit source] See also: List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, List of tornadoes striking downtown areas, and 1980 United States heat wave Kansas City lies in the Midwestern United States, as well as near the geographic center of the country, at the confluence of the longest river in the country, the Missouri River, and the Kansas River (also known as the Kaw River). The city lies in the Humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) zone, with four distinct seasons, and moderate precipitation, and is part of USDA plant hardiness zones 5b and 6a[12] Being located in the center of North America, far removed from a significant body of water, there is significant potential for extremes of hot and cold swings in temperature throughout the year. Unless otherwise stated, normal figures below are based on data from 1981 to 2010 at Downtown Airport. The warmest month of the year is July, with a 24-hour average temperature of 81.0 °F (27.2 °C). The summer months are hot, but can get very hot and moderately humid, with moist air riding up from the Gulf of Mexico. High temperatures surpass 100 °F (38 °C) on 5.6 days of the year, and 90 °F (32 °C) on 47 days.[13][14] The coldest month of the year is January, with an average temperature of 31.0 °F (−0.6 °C). Winters are cold, with 22 days where the high is at or below the freezing mark and 2.5 nights with a low at or below 0 °F (−18 °C).[13] The official record maximum temperature is 113 °F (45 °C), set on August 14, 1936, at Downtown Airport, while the official record minimum temperature is −23 °F (−31 °C), set on December 22 and 23, 1989.[13] Normal seasonal snowfall is 13.4 inches (34 cm) at Downtown Airport and 18.8 in (48 cm) at Kansas City International Airport. The average window for freezing temperatures is October 31 to April 4, while for measurable (0.1 in or 0.25 cm) snowfall, it is November 27 to March 16 as measured at Kansas City International Airport. Precipitation, both in frequency and total accumulation, shows a marked uptick in late spring and summer.

Kansas City is situated on the edge of the "Tornado Alley", a broad region where cold air from the Rocky Mountains in Canada collides with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the formation of powerful storms especially during the spring. A few areas of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area have had some severe outbreaks of tornadoes at different points in the past, including the Ruskin Heights tornado in 1957,[15] and the May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence. The region can also fall victim to the sporadic ice storm during the winter months, such as the 2002 ice storm during which hundreds of thousands lost power for days and (in some cases) weeks.[16] Kansas City and its outlying areas are also subject to flooding, including the Great Flood of 1993 and the Great Flood of 1951.

[show]Climate data for Kansas City, Missouri (Downtown Airport), 1981–2010 normals,[a] extremes 1934–present) [show]Climate data for Kansas City Int'l, Missouri (1981–2010 normals,[a] extremes 1888–present)[b] Demographics[edit source] Historical population Census	Pop.		%± 1880	3,200		— 1890	38,316		1,097.4% 1900	51,418		34.2% 1910	82,331		60.1% 1920	101,177		22.9% 1930	121,857		20.4% 1940	121,458		−0.3% 1950	129,553		6.7% 1960	121,901		−5.9% 1970	168,213		38.0% 1980	161,087		−4.2% 1990	149,767		−7.0% 2000	146,866		−1.9% 2010	145,786		−0.7% Est. 2015	151,306	[22]	3.8% U.S. Decennial Census[23] 2013 Estimate[4] [hide]Demographic profile	2010[9]	1990[10]	1970[10]	1950[10] White	52.2%	65.0%	78.9%	79.4% —Non-Hispanic	40.2%	61.9%	76.3%[24]	N/A Black or African American	26.8%	15.8%	10.7%	9.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	27.8%	7.1%	3.2%[24]	N/A Asian	2.7%	1.2%	0.1%	− According to the 2010 census, there were 145,786 people, 53,925 households, and 35,112 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,168.1 inhabitants per square mile (451.0/km2). There were 61,969 housing units at an average density of 496.5 per square mile (191.7/km2).[3] The median age in the city was 32.5 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 10.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

There were 53,925 households of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.9% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.32.

The racial composition of Kansas City, Kansas, as of 2010, was as follows:

White: 52.2% [9][10] Black or African American: 26.8% Native American: 0.8% Asian: 2.7% Pacific Islander: 0.1% Other races: 13.6% Two or more races: 3.8% Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 27.8% Non-Hispanic Whites: 40.2% As of the 2000 census, the median household income 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[edit source]

Google Fiber promotes Google Fiber in Kansas City. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that employment in Wyandotte County, Kansas increased 4% from March 2011 to March 2012. The sharp rise in the number of workers resulted in Wyandotte County ranking 19th in the nation and 1st in the Kansas City metropolitan area for job growth as of September 28, 2012.[25]

Kansas City, Kansas, is the home to the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant, which manufactures the Chevrolet Malibu and the Buick LaCrosse. The Federal Bureau of Prisons maintains its North Central Region Office in the city.[26] In addition, Associated Wholesale Grocers and Kansas City Steak Company are based within the city. The largest employer is the University of Kansas Hospital. The adjoining University of Kansas Medical Center, including the schools of medicine, nursing, and allied health, is also among the city's largest employers (with a student population of about 3,000).

Village West is a business and entertainment district located at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435. Anchored by the Kansas Speedway, tenants include Hollywood Casino,[27] The Legends At Village West, Cabela's, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Great Wolf Lodge, CommunityAmerica Ballpark, the home stadium of the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association, and Children's Mercy Park, the home stadium of the Sporting Kansas City Major League Soccer franchise. Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, a 370-acre (1.5 km2) resort and waterpark, opened across I-435 from Village West in June 2009.

Kansas City was ranked in 2010 as the #7 best city in the U.S. to start over after foreclosure. Average rent in Kansas City is only $788, which is low in relation to the national average of $1,087 spent on rent.[28]

On March 30, 2011, Google announced that Kansas City had been selected as the site of an experimental fiber-optic network that it would build at no cost to the city. Kansas City was chosen from a field of 1,100 U.S. communities that had applied for the network. The network became operational in 2012.[29] Piper, Kansas, became the first full community in the nation (based on actual residential votes and pre-registration counts) to have residential broadband internet network infrastructures using fiber-optic communication of 1Gbit/sec download and upload speeds provided by Google Fiber.[30]

Largest employers[edit source] According to the City's 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[31] the largest employers in the city are:

1	Kansas University Hospital	5,000+ 2	University of Kansas Medical Center	3,500-4,000 3	General Motors Corporation	3,500-4,000 4	Kansas City, KS School District #500	2,500-4,000 5	Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad	2,500-4,000 6	Cerner	1,000-2,499 7	Unified Government of Wyandotte Co/KCK / Kansas City, Kansas	1,000-2,499 8	Associated Grocers	1,000-2,499 9	Providence Medical Center	1,000-2,499 10	Nebraska Furniture Mart	1,000-2,499 Public libraries[edit source] Kansas City, Kansas, is also home to a library system, with five branch libraries spread throughout Wyandotte County; these include the Main Library, South Branch Library, Turner Community Library, West Wyandotte Library, and the Mr. & Mrs. F.L. Schlagle Environmental Library in Wyandotte County Lake Park. The Kansas City, Kansas Public Library was formed in 1895. In 1899, it came under the authority of the Kansas City, Kansas Public School District Board of Education.[32]
 * 1) 	Employer	# of Employees

Law and government[edit source] City government[edit source] 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 Legislature passed enabling legislation in 1997 and voters approved the consolidation proposal the same year.

The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department was founded in 1898. By 1918, the department had begun taking photographs and fingerprints of all the felons its officers had arrested.

The Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department was founded on December 25, 1883. The fire department is part of the Firefighter's Relief Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters. IAFF Local 64 is a charter member and was organized on February 28, 1918. The department has 18 fire stations in the city, and covers an area of approximately 127 square miles. The department also has specialty teams including heavy rescue, hazardous materials, foam team, water rescue, tactical medic, trench rescue, high angle/rope rescue, and technical urban search and rescue. The fire department has four public service programs: a citizens assist program, fire prevention, safe place, and a smoke detector program.

Mayor/CEO Mark Holland Board of Commissioners At-Large District 1: Melissa Bynum At-Large District 2: Hal T. Walker District 1: Gayle Townsend District 2: Brian McKiernan District 3: Ann Brandau-Murguia District 4: Harold L. Johnson Jr. District 5: Mike Kane District 6: Angela Markley District 7: Jim F. Walters District 8: Jane Winkler Philbrook