When people think of, or hear about, Kansas City, it is usually the one in
Missouri.
That's where the Chiefs and Royals play. It's where the Country Club Plaza is located.
The Nelson-Atkins art museum is in MO, as well as the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and the numerous theater venues. The Liberty Memorial, WW1 Museum,
ALL the big buildings downtown, the international airport, as well as the old downtown airport.... all in Missouri. The boulevards, the fountains, Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun... in Missouri.
Sprint Center, Power & Light District, City Market, 18th & Vine, Crossroads Arts District... all are in Missouri.
Kansas City, Kansas has the NASCAR track and the Legends shopping center. Also, a Schlitterbahn (?) water park is being built there. The T-Bones minor-league baseball team plays there.
The one in Missouri has a very wide mix of dense urban development, as well as numerous suburban-type areas old and new, and even wide open countryside (for now).
KCK, as it's known, has some older neighborhoods, some newer ones, and some open space as well, but not much in the way of true "urban" development.
KCMO takes up portions of 5 counties, while KCK is in 1.
Both have some very nice areas, and both have some very crime-ridden parts.
Ward Parkway in KCMO is a gorgeous old street lined with mansions from the early part of the 20th century. The Paseo at one time was the middle-class alternative, but now.. not so great. Still kind of pretty, though.
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Kansas City, KS vs. Kansas City , MO (live, state, better) - City vs. City - City-Data Forum