Kansas City, Missouri represents one of the largest metropolitan areas in the Midwest. Set along the Missouri River, Kansas City represents a cultural and entertainment hearth with both first class venues and major league sports franchises. The metro area entails both Kansas and Missouri along their mutual state line in the Great Plains of the U.S. Listed here are things to see and do when visiting the area.

Kansas City Metropolitan Area Travel Information

Founded in 1821 as a trading post along the historic Santa Fe Trail, the metropolitan area now bolsters 1.8 million people. The 36th largest city in the nation (Missouri), Kansas City is home to a variable climate with warm summers and cold winters and various extremes in between. The metropolitan area entails 11 counties and 136 cities spanning two states.

Worldwide the Heartland of America city compares with renowned cities such as Rome and Paris with its numerous fountains and boulevards. The pervasive Swope Park, entailing 1,769 acres, is one of the largest city parks in the United States. Kansas City also competes with Memphis, Tennessee in its culture as it represents a hearth for steaks, bbq, jazz, and blues music. Some even tout it as the barbecue capital of the national as more than 60 bbq joints dot the city. The Kansas City Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum showcase the storied history of two past times in the American heartland.

The prosperity of the area brings several corporate headquarters to Kansas City including Hallmark Cards, U.S. Sprint, Yellow Freight, and H&R Block. The high rise for Yellow Freight even lays claim to that of the tallest building within the state of Kansas.

Kansas City straddles the Missouri and Kansas state lines at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers. The central location of the metropolitan area gives Kansas City a status as a major transportation hub. Kansas City International Airport handles some 400 flights a day and the city's rail system brings 300 daily freight train shipments in and out of the area. Interstates 29, 35, and 70 link Kansas City with St. Louis, Omaha, Denver, and Oklahoma City.