18 Wonderful Photos That Show Kansas City in the Early 1960s

Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, and was the 36th most-populous city in the United States as of the 2020 census. It is the most populated municipality and historic core city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Kansas–Missouri state line and has a population of 2,392,035. Most of the city lies within Jackson County, but portions spill into Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a Missouri River port at its confluence with the Kansas River coming in from the west. On June 1, 1850, the town of Kansas was incorporated; shortly after came the establishment of the Kansas Territory. Confusion between the two ensued, and the name Kansas City was assigned to distinguish them soon after.

Sitting on Missouri’s western boundary with Kansas, with Downtown near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, the city encompasses about 319.03 square miles (826.3 km2), making it the 23rd largest city by total area in the United States. It serves as one of the two county seats of Jackson County, along with the major suburb of Independence. Other major suburbs include the Missouri cities of Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit and the Kansas cities of Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, and Kansas City, Kansas.

The city is composed of several neighborhoods, including the River Market District in the north, the 18th and Vine District in the east, and the Country Club Plaza in the south. Celebrated cultural traditions include Kansas City jazz, theater which was the center of the Vaudevillian Orpheum circuit in the 1920s, the Chiefs and Royals sports franchises, and famous cuisine based on Kansas City-style barbecue, Kansas City strip steak, and craft breweries. The city was ranked as a gamma- global city in 2020 by GaWC. (Wikipedia)

Richards Gebaur Air Force Base Kansas City showing Douglas C-124C Globemaster II Aircraft and some neat vintage cars, July 1961
Linda Hall Library on the campus of the University of Kansas City, July 1961
Paseo High School from Volker Blvd and The Paseo, Kansas City, July 1961
Richards Gebaur Air Force Base Kansas City showing Douglas C-124C Globemaster II Aircraft, July 1961
Kansas City skyline, June 1963
Kansas City trailblazers, 1963
Kansas City trailblazers, 1963
Van Brunt Extension, Kansas City, May 1963
Aztec Theater in Shawnee, Kansas City, March 1964
Aztec Theater in Shawnee, Kansas City, March 1964
Girls catching some rays at UMKC, Kansas City, May 1964
Girls catching some rays at UMKC, Kansas City, May 1964
Kansas City looking east from the Liberty Memorial, May 1964
Kansas City looking north from the Liberty Memorial, May 1964
Kansas City looking south from the Liberty Memorial, May 1964
Kansas City looking southwest from the Liberty Memorial, May 1964
Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery in Kansas City, May 1964
Oak Street Apartments Christmas lights from the back of the dorm at UMKC, Kansas City, December 1964

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