Kansas City metropolitan area | |
---|---|
Kansas City, MO-KS | |
Coordinates: 39°06′N 94°35′W / 39.1°N 94.58°W | |
Country | United States |
State(s) | - Missouri - Kansas |
Largest city | Kansas City, Missouri |
Other cities | - Overland Park - Kansas City, KS - Independence - Olathe - Lee's Summit - Shawnee - Blue Springs - Liberty - Lenexa - Leavenworth - Leawood - Bonner Springs - De Soto |
Area | |
• Total | 8,472 sq mi (21,940 km2) |
Highest elevation | 1,1601 ft (353.51 m) |
Lowest elevation | 6901 ft (210.31 m) |
Population | |
• Total | (2015) 2,159,159 |
• Rank | 30th MSA (2,087,471), 24th CSA (2,428,362) in the U.S. |
• Density | 260.0/sq mi (100.4/km2) |
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a 15-county metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri, that straddles the border between the U.S. states of Missouri and Kansas. With a population of about 2,340,000, it ranks as the second largest metropolitan area with its core in Missouri (after Greater St. Louis). Alongside Kansas City, the area includes a number of other cities and suburbs, the largest being Overland Park, Kansas; Kansas City, Kansas; Olathe, Kansas, and Independence, Missouri; all over 100,000 in population.The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) serves as the Council of Governments and the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the area.
The larger Kansas City Metropolitan Area as seen on a map can be visualized roughly as four quadrants:
The map's northeast quadrant is locally referred to as "north of the river" or "the Northland". It includes parts of Clay County, Missouri including North Kansas City, Missouri. North Kansas City is bounded by a bend in the Missouri River that defines a border between Wyandotte County, Kansas and Clay County, Missouri running approximately North-South and a border between North Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Missouri running approximately East-West. The river band's sharpest part forms a peninsula containing the Kansas City Downtown Airport.