Charley Parker, 1947

Kansas City Trivia

Kansas City has more freeway miles per thousand residents than Los Angeles.

Kansas City, Missouri is larger than Kansas City, Kansas, which is just across the river.

Downtown for the region is Kansas City, Missouri.

The Kansas City Metro Area has 2 million people spread over 4,777 square miles.

African Americans number 230,000 in the metro area and own 4,000 businesses.

Kansas City is 250 miles from the geographic center of the lower 48 states. Nearly every American city is reachable by plane within 2.5 hours. It’s also a trucker’s favorite due to central location and freeway abundance.

Kansas City is a center for financial services, warehousing, manufacturing, distribution communications, health care, law, education and government.

Kansas City is frequently named in business publications as “Best Place to Start a Business.”

Pony Express, Sprint, Commerce Bancshares, H&R Block, Russell Stover Candies, American Century Companies, and Hallmark Cards got their start here.

Famous Residents

Residents of greater Kansas City, who have made a huge mark on the world or their region:

Charlie “Bird” Parker – Legendary jazz saxophonist
Satchel Paige – “Mr Negro Leagues Baseball” and showman
Buck Leonard – One of the greatest hitters in baseball history and a peer to Ted Williams
Buck O’Neil – Negro leagues baseball star and manager
Oleta Adams – Jazz vocalist
Maurice Green – Track star and one-time world’s fastest sprinter
Mary Lou Williams – Blues singer
Count Basie – Jazz bandleader
Bennie Moten – Swing and Jazz bandleader
George Lee – Swing and Jazz bandleader
Julia Lee – Jazz pianist
John Brown – Anglo-Americn brother who gave his life to help end slavery
Lester Young – Jazz musician
Jay Mcshane – Jazz bandleader for a young Charlie Parker
Jimmy Rushing – Jazz vocalist
Joe Turner – Jazz vocalist
Rev. Emanuel Cleaver, II – First Black mayor of Kansas City

Return to KANSAS CITY