Kansas City, Missouri

==History==
{{Main|History of the Kansas City metropolitan area}}
{{For timeline}}
Kansas City, Missouri, was incorporated as a town on June 1, 1850, and as a city on March 28, 1853. The [[Kansas City Metropolitan Area|area]], straddling the border between Missouri and Kansas at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, was considered a good place to build settlements.

The [[Antioch Christian Church (Kansas City, Missouri)|Antioch Christian Church]], [[Dr. James Compton House]], and [[Woodneath]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a|dateform=mdy}}</ref>

===Exploration and settlement===
[[File:Westport Pioneers Statue.jpg|thumb|The Kansas City Pioneer Square monument in Westport features [[Pony Express]] founder [[Alexander Majors]], Westport/Kansas City founder [[John Calvin McCoy]], and Mountain-man [[Jim Bridger]] who owned Chouteau's Store.]]
In past centuries, the area's tribal inhabitants include the [[Hopewell tradition]], [[Mississippian culture]], [[Kaw people|Kansa]], [[Osage Nation|Osage]], [[Otoe]], and [[Missouria|Missouri]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visitkc.com/visitors/things-do/trip-ideas-tools/discover/diversity/native-american-culture-kansas-city |title=Native American Culture in Kansas City |website=VisitKC.com |access-date=February 8, 2023}}</ref> The first documented European visitor to the eventual site of Kansas City was [[Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont]], who was also the first European to explore the lower Missouri River. Criticized for his response to the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] attack on [[Fort Détroit]], he had deserted his post as fort commander and was avoiding French authorities. Bourgmont lived with a Native American wife in a village about {{convert|90|mi|km}} east near [[Brunswick, Missouri]], where he illegally traded [[furs]].

To clear his name, he wrote ''Exact Description of Louisiana, of Its Harbors, Lands and Rivers, and Names of the Indian Tribes That Occupy It, and the Commerce and Advantages to Be Derived Therefrom for the Establishment of a Colony'' in 1713 and ''The Route to Be Taken to Ascend the Missouri River'' in 1714. In the documents, he describes the junction of the "Grande Riv[ière] des Cansez" and Missouri River, as the first adoption of those names. French cartographer [[Guillaume Delisle]] used the descriptions to make the area's first reasonably accurate map.

The [[Kingdom of Spain|Spanish]] took over the region in the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1763, but were not to play a major role other than taxing and licensing Missouri River ship traffic. The French continued their [[fur trade]] under Spanish license. The [[Chouteau]] family operated under Spanish license at [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], in the lower [[Missouri River Valley|Missouri Valley]] as early as 1765 and in 1821 the Chouteaus reached Kansas City, where [[François Chouteau]] established Chouteau's Landing.

===After the Louisiana Purchase (1803)===
{{see also|Bleeding Kansas|History of slavery in Missouri}}
[[File:Kansas City in 1843, drawing from Centennial History of Oregon.png|thumb|In 1843, Kansas City was depicted in a history of [[Oregon]].]]
After the 1803 [[Louisiana Purchase]], [[Lewis and Clark]] visited the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, noting it was a good place to build a fort. In 1831, a group of [[Mormons]] from [[New York state]] led by [[Joseph Smith]] settled in what would become the city. They built the first school within Kansas City's current boundaries, but were forced out by [[mob violence]] in 1833, and their settlement remained vacant.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilkinson |first=Ernest L. |title=Brigham Young University: The First 100 Years |location=Provo |publisher=BYU Press |year=1976 |volume=1 |page=7 }}</ref>

In 1831, Gabriel Prudhomme Sr., a Canadian trapper, purchased 257 acres of land fronting the Missouri River.  He established a home for his wife, Josephine, and six children. He operated a ferry on the river.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In 1833, [[John Calvin McCoy|John McCoy]], son of [[Baptist]] missionary [[Isaac McCoy]], established [[Westport, Kansas City|West Port]] along the [[Santa Fe Trail]], {{convert|3|mi|km|abbr=off|adj=off|sp=us}} away from the river. In 1834 McCoy established [[Westport, Kansas City|Westport Landing]] on a bend in the Missouri to serve as a landing point for West Port. He found it more convenient to have his goods offloaded at the Prudhomme landing than in Independence.  Several years after Gabriel Prudhomme's death, a group of fourteen investors purchased his land at auction on November 14, 1838. By 1839, the investors divided the property and the first lots were sold in 1846 after legal complications were settled. The remaining lots were sold by February 1850.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In 1850, the landing area was incorporated as the Town of Kansas.<ref>{{cite web | title=Why is Kansas City located in Missouri instead of Kansas? | url=http://www.kclibrary.org/kchistory/why-kansas-city-located-missouri-instead-kansas | access-date=January 2, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716232838/http://www.kclibrary.org/kchistory/why-kansas-city-located-missouri-instead-kansas | archive-date=July 16, 2010 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> By that time, the Town of Kansas, Westport, and nearby [[Independence, Missouri|Independence]], had become critical points in the [[Territorial acquisitions of the United States|westward expansion]] of the United States. Three major [[Historical roads and trails of the United States|trail]]s – the [[Santa Fe Trail|Santa Fe]], [[California Trail|California]], and [[Oregon Trail|Oregon]] – all passed through Jackson County.

On February 22, 1853, the City of Kansas was created with a newly elected mayor. It had an area of {{convert|0.70|sqmi|km2}} and a population of 2,500. The boundary lines at that time extended from the middle of the Missouri River south to what is now Ninth Street, and from Bluff Street on the west to a point between Holmes Road and Charlotte Street on the east.<ref>{{cite web | title=Early City Limits | url=http://images.kclibrary.org/localhistory/media.cfm?mediaID=95980 | access-date =September 11, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927175946/http://images.kclibrary.org/localhistory/media.cfm?mediaID=95980 |archive-date = September 27, 2007}}</ref>

===American Civil War===
{{Further|American Civil War}}
During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the city and its immediate surroundings were the focus of intense military activity. Although the [[First Battle of Independence]] in August 1862 resulted in a [[Confederate States Army]] victory, the Confederates were unable to leverage their win in any significant fashion, as Kansas City was occupied by Union troops and proved too heavily fortified to assault. The [[Second Battle of Independence]], which occurred on October 21–22, 1864, as part of [[Sterling Price]]'s [[Price's Raid|Missouri expedition of 1864]], also resulted in a Confederate triumph. Once again their victory proved hollow, as Price was decisively defeated in the pivotal [[Battle of Westport]] the next day, effectively ending Confederate efforts to regain Missouri.

General [[Thomas Ewing, Jr.|Thomas Ewing]], in response to a successful raid on nearby [[Lawrence, Kansas]], led by [[William Quantrill]], issued [[General Order No. 11 (1863)|General Order No. 11]], forcing the eviction of residents in four western Missouri counties – including Jackson – except those living in the city and nearby communities and those whose allegiance to the Union was certified by Ewing.

===After Civil War===
[[File:Junction of Main and Delaware Streets, Kansas City, Mo (NYPL b12647398-68704).tiff|thumb|The junction of Main and Delaware Streets in 1898]]
After the Civil War, Kansas City grew rapidly. The selection of the city over [[Leavenworth, Kansas]], for the [[Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad]] bridge over the [[Missouri River]] brought significant growth. The population exploding after 1869, when Hannibal Bridge, designed by [[Octave Chanute]], opened. The boom prompted a name change to Kansas City in 1889, and the city limits to be extended south and east. Westport became part of Kansas City on December 2, 1897. In 1900, Kansas City was the 22nd largest city in the country, with a population of 163,752 residents.<ref name="U.S. Census Bureau">{{cite web|title=Missouri – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=December 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012 }}</ref>

Kansas City, guided by landscape architect [[George Kessler]], became a leading example of the [[City Beautiful]] movement, offering a network of boulevards and parks.<ref>{{cite web | title=Historic Sanborn Maps of Kansas City | url=http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/image/umcscsanic/title/kansas+city+missouri | publisher=[[University of Missouri]] Digital Library | access-date=March 21, 2011 | archive-date=July 16, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716001241/https://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu//mu/islandora/object/mu:138690/title/kansas+city+missouri | url-status=live }}</ref> New neighborhoods like [[Southmoreland]] and the Rockhill District were conceived to accommodate the city's largest residencies of palatial proportions.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

The relocation of [[Kansas City Union Station|Union Station]] to its current location in 1914 and the opening of the [[Liberty Memorial]] in 1923 provided two of the city's most identifiable landmarks. [[Robert A. Long]], president of the Liberty Memorial Association, was a driving force in the funding for construction. Long was a longtime resident and wealthy businessman. He built the [[R.A. Long Building]] for the [[Long-Bell Lumber Company]], his home, [[Kansas City Museum|Corinthian Hall]] (now the [[Kansas City Museum]]) and [[Longview Farm]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Further spurring Kansas City's growth was the opening of the innovative [[Country Club Plaza]] development by [[Jesse Clyde Nichols|J.C. Nichols]] in 1925, as part of his [[Country Club District]] plan.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

====20th century streetcar system====
[[Streetcars in Kansas City|The Kansas City streetcar system]] once had hundreds of miles of streetcars running through the city and was one of the largest systems in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcur.org/show/central-standard/2013-11-22/the-history-of-the-kansas-city-streetcar|title=The History Of The Kansas City Streetcar|website=KCUR 89.3 – NPR in Kansas City.|access-date=April 19, 2020|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505063343/https://www.kcur.org/show/central-standard/2013-11-22/the-history-of-the-kansas-city-streetcar|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1903 the 8th Street Tunnel was built as an underground streetcar system through the city. The last run of the streetcar was on June 23, 1957, but the tunnel still exists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2016-09-15/the-8th-street-tunnel-is-a-gateway-to-kansas-citys-history-but-you-probably-cant-get-in|title=The 8th Street Tunnel Is A Gateway To Kansas City's History — But You Probably Can't Get In|date=September 15, 2016|website=KCUR 89.3 – NPR in Kansas City.|access-date=April 19, 2020|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505010844/https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2016-09-15/the-8th-street-tunnel-is-a-gateway-to-kansas-citys-history-but-you-probably-cant-get-in|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Pendergast era===
At the start of the 20th century, [[political machines]] gained clout in the city, with the one led by [[Tom Pendergast]] dominating the city by 1925. Several important buildings and structures were built during this time, including the [[Kansas City City Hall]] and the Jackson County Courthouse. During this time, he aided one of his nephew's friends, [[Harry S. Truman]], in a political career. Truman eventually became a senator, then vice president, then [[Presidency of Harry S. Truman|president]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Jon |title=Harry Truman and the Pendergast Political Machine |url=https://pendergastkc.org/article/harry-truman-and-pendergast-political-machine |website=pendergastkc |date=June 16, 2017 |publisher=Kansas City Public Library |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=October 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010214303/https://pendergastkc.org/article/harry-truman-and-pendergast-political-machine |url-status=live }}</ref> The machine fell in 1939 when Pendergast, riddled with health problems, pleaded guilty to tax evasion after long federal investigations. His biographers have summed up his uniqueness:

{{blockquote|Pendergast may bear comparison to various big-city bosses, but his open alliance with hardened criminals, his cynical subversion of the democratic process, his monarchistic style of living, his increasingly insatiable gambling habit, his grasping for a business empire, and his promotion of Kansas City as a wide-open town with every kind of vice imaginable, combined with his professed compassion for the poor and very real role as city builder, made him bigger than life, difficult to characterize.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lawrence H. Larsen and Nancy J. Hulston |year=2013 |title=Pendergast! |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=n-Qiu53FCOsC|page=11}} |publisher=University of Missouri Press |page=xi}}</ref>}}

====Troost redlining and white flight====
[[Troost Avenue]] was once the eastern edge of Kansas City, Missouri and a residential corridor nicknamed Millionaire Row. It is now widely seen as one of the city's most prominent racial and economic dividing lines due to urban decay, which was caused by [[white flight]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://info.umkc.edu/unews/troost-wall-the-product-of-kansas-citys-long-running-racial-plight/|title='Troost Wall' the product of Kansas City's long-running racial plight: Racist real estate practices leave urban decay – University News|website=info.umkc.edu|date=March 5, 2013 |access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505031259/https://info.umkc.edu/unews/troost-wall-the-product-of-kansas-citys-long-running-racial-plight/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcur.org/community/2014-03-27/how-troost-became-a-major-divide-in-kansas-city|title=How Troost Became a Major Divide in Kansas City|date=March 27, 2014 |publisher=KCUR 89.3 – NPR in Kansas City|access-date=April 19, 2020|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505063331/https://www.kcur.org/community/2014-03-27/how-troost-became-a-major-divide-in-kansas-city|url-status=live}}</ref> During the civil rights era the city blocked people of color from moving to homes west of Troost Avenue, causing the areas east of Troost to have one of the worst murder rates in the country. This led to the dominating economic success of neighboring [[Johnson County, Kansas|Johnson County]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kansan.com/opinion/shondell-redlining-in-kansas-city-contributes-to-systemic-racism/article_2987f836-1779-11e8-afce-7fa966f3796e.html|title=Shondell: Redlining in Kansas City contributes to systemic racism|first=Joseph|last=Shondell|website=The University Daily Kansan|date=February 25, 2018 |access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=June 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623055156/https://www.kansan.com/opinion/shondell-redlining-in-kansas-city-contributes-to-systemic-racism/article_2987f836-1779-11e8-afce-7fa966f3796e.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1950, African Americans represented 12.2% of Kansas City's population.<ref name="U.S. Census Bureau"/> The city's most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic whites,<ref name="census1">{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/2938000.html |title=Kansas City (city), Missouri |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=April 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423160756/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/2938000.html |archive-date=April 23, 2012 }}</ref> declined from 89.5% in 1930 to 54.9% in 2010.<ref name="U.S. Census Bureau"/>

In 1940, the city had about 400,000 residents; by 2000, it had about 440,000. From 1940 to 1960, the city more than doubled its physical size, while increasing its population by only about 75,000. By 1970, the city covered approximately {{convert|316|sqmi|km2}}, more than five times its size in 1940.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} Aggressively annexing the surrounding suburbs and undeveloped land spared Kansas City from the severe population loss suffered by cities like St. Louis and Detroit, similar cities which both lost over 50% of their population in the postwar era. In the most neglected neighborhoods, however, the same pattern of abandonment occurred and left behind massive numbers of vacant lots and abandoned homes, especially in the areas east of Troost.

====Hyatt Regency walkway collapse====
The [[Hyatt Regency walkway collapse]] was a major disaster that occurred on July 17, 1981, killing 114 people and injuring more than 200 others during a [[tea dance]] in the 45-story [[Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center|Hyatt Regency hotel]] in [[Crown Center]]. It is the deadliest structural collapse in US history other than the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://interestingengineering.com/understanding-hyatt-regency-walkway-collapse|title=Understanding the Tragic Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse|date=July 4, 2017|website=interestingengineering.com|access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=February 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227121238/https://interestingengineering.com/understanding-hyatt-regency-walkway-collapse|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015 a memorial called the Skywalk Memorial Plaza was built for the families of the victims of the disaster, across the street from the hotel which is now a Sheraton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcur.org/community/2015-11-12/three-decades-on-a-memorial-for-the-victims-of-the-hyatt-disaster|title=Three Decades On, A Memorial For The Victims Of The Hyatt Disaster|date=November 12, 2015|website=KCUR 89.3 – NPR in Kansas City.|access-date=April 19, 2020|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505031302/https://www.kcur.org/community/2015-11-12/three-decades-on-a-memorial-for-the-victims-of-the-hyatt-disaster|url-status=live}}</ref>

===21st century===
====Downtown Kansas City re-development====
[[File:Kansas_city_(16778782291).jpg|thumb|[[Downtown Kansas City]] looking over [[Union Station (Kansas City)|Union Station]] from the Liberty Memorial]]
In the 21st century, the Kansas City area has undergone extensive redevelopment, with more than $6 billion in improvements to the downtown area on the Missouri side. One of the main goals is to attract convention and tourist dollars, office workers, and residents to downtown KCMO. Among the projects include the redevelopment of the [[Power & Light District]] into a retail and entertainment district; and the Sprint Center, an 18,500-seat arena that opened in 2007, funded by a 2004 ballot initiative involving a tax on car rentals and hotels, designed to meet the stadium specifications for a possible future NBA or NHL franchise,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2004/08/02/daily19.html|title=Voter OK of arena tax 'changes everything'|work=Kansas City Business Journal|access-date=March 30, 2018|archive-date=March 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307203144/https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2004/08/02/daily19.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and was renamed [[T-Mobile Center]] in 2020; Kemper Arena, which was functionally superseded by Sprint Center, fell into disrepair and was sold to private developers. By 2018, the arena was being converted to a sports complex under the name [[Hy-Vee Arena]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.hy-vee.com/corporate/news-events/news-press-releases/iconic-kansas-city-venue-named-hyvee-arena/|title=Iconic Kansas City Venue Named Hy-Vee Arena|publisher=[[Hy-Vee]]|access-date=May 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529130457/https://www.hy-vee.com/corporate/news-events/news-press-releases/iconic-kansas-city-venue-named-hyvee-arena/|archive-date=May 29, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The Kauffman Performing Arts Center opened in 2011 providing a new, modern home to the KC Orchestra and Ballet. In 2015, an 800-room Hyatt Convention Center Hotel was announced for a site next to the Performance Arts Center & Bartle Hall. Construction was scheduled to start in early 2018 with Loews as the operator.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article180921826.html|title=For some on the KC council, patience on the convention hotel is wearing thin|work=kansascity.com|access-date=November 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119103816/http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article180921826.html|archive-date=November 19, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 2007 to 2017, downtown residential population in Kansas City quadrupled and continues to grow. The area has grown from almost 4,000 residents in the early 2000s to nearly 30,000 {{as of|2017|lc=yes}}. Kansas City's downtown ranks as the sixth-fastest-growing downtown in America with the population expected to grow by more than 40% by 2022. Conversions of office buildings such as the Power & Light Building and the Commerce Bank Tower into residential and hotel space has helped to fulfill the demand. New apartment complexes like One, Two, and Three Lights, River Market West, and 503 Main have begun to reshape Kansas City's skyline. Strong demand has led to occupancy rates in the upper 90%.<ref name="kansascity">{{Cite news|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article84819842.html|title=Three projects are part of a surge in downtown KC apartments|work=kansascity.com|access-date=November 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201104733/http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article84819842.html|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The residential population of downtown has boomed, and the office population has dropped significantly from the early 2000s to the mid-2010s. Top employers like AMC moved their operations to modern office buildings in the suburbs. High office vacancy plagued downtown, leading to the neglect of many office buildings. By the mid-2010s, many office buildings were converted to residential uses and the Class A vacancy rate plunged to 12% in 2017. Swiss Re, Virgin Mobile, AutoAlert, and others have begun to move operations to downtown Kansas City from the suburbs and expensive coastal cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2017/10/25/swiss-re-office-kansas-city-move.html|title=Missouri writes up $20M to lure 400-employee insurer across state line|work=Kansas City Business Journal|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308031734/https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2017/10/25/swiss-re-office-kansas-city-move.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://kceconomy.org/2017/10/05/source-of-metro-employment-growth-shifting-east/|title=Source of Metro Employment Growth Shifting East?|date=October 5, 2017|website=Kceconomy.org|access-date=November 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041614/https://kceconomy.org/2017/10/05/source-of-metro-employment-growth-shifting-east/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Transportation developments====
The area has seen additional development through various transportation projects, including improvements to the [[Grandview Triangle]], which intersects Interstates 435 and 470, and [[U.S. Route 71 (Missouri)|U.S. Route 71]].

In July 2005, the [[Kansas City Area Transportation Authority]] (KCATA) launched Kansas City's first [[bus rapid transit]] line, the [[Metro Area Express]] (MAX), which links the River Market, Downtown, Union Station, Crown Center and the Country Club Plaza. The KCATA continues to expand MAX with additional routes on Prospect Avenue, Troost Avenue, and Independence Avenue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kcata.org/transit-initiatives/prospect_max|title=Prospect MAX {{!}} Transit Initiatives|publisher=KCATA|access-date=November 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112190613/http://www.kcata.org/transit-initiatives/prospect_max|archive-date=November 12, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2013, construction began on a two-mile [[KC Streetcar|streetcar]] line in downtown Kansas City (funded by a $102 million ballot initiative that was passed in 2012) that runs between the River Market and Union Station, it began operation in May 2016. In 2017, voters approved the formation of a TDD to expand the streetcar line south 3.5 miles from Union Station to UMKC's Volker Campus. Additionally in 2017, the KC Port Authority began engineering studies for a Port Authority funded streetcar expansion north to Berkley Riverfront Park. Citywide, voter support for rail projects continues to grow with numerous light rail projects in the works.<ref>{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Mark |url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article334693/Missouri-Supreme-Court-all-but-ends-battle-over-KC-streetcar-financing.html |title=Missouri Supreme Court all but ends battle over KC streetcar financing |newspaper=[[The Kansas City Star]] |date=December 24, 2013 |access-date=July 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806194804/http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article334693/Missouri-Supreme-Court-all-but-ends-battle-over-KC-streetcar-financing.html |archive-date=August 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kcrta.org/streetcar/|title=Midtown/UMKC Streetcar Extension Resources|publisher=KCRTA|access-date=November 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044055/http://kcrta.org/streetcar/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2016, Jackson County, Missouri, acquired unused rail lines as part of a long-term commuter rail plan. For the time being, the line is being converted to a trail while county officials negotiate with railroads for access to tracks in Downtown Kansas City.

On November 7, 2017, Kansas City voters overwhelmingly approved a new single terminal at [[Kansas City International Airport]] by a 75% to 25% margin. The new single terminal replaced the three existing "Clover Leafs" at KCI Airport on February 28, 2023.