Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. State of Missouri. Also called "KC", it is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It encompasses 820 square km within the counties of Jackson, Clay, Cass and Platte, and serves as a county seat of Jackson County. The city of Kansas has a population of 459,787. The larger metropolitan area has 2.1 million people.
The city of Kansas is situated at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, opposite Kansas City, Kansas. It was founded as a township in the year 1838 and was incorporated as a city during 1850. KC was the site of the Battle of Westport and several other Civil War battles. Kansas City played a vital part in the history of jazz and blues.
Etienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, was the very first European to go to the region and explore the lower Missouri River. He was a commander at the French's Fort Detroit, but left after being criticized for his handling of Native American affairs. A deserter, he evaded authorities, became a fur trader and took a Native American wife.
The Greater Kansas region is home to many Fortune 500 companies like for example Hallmark Cards. LIkewise in the city of Kansas are the head offices of YRC Worldwide Inc., Sprint Nextel Corporation, H&R Block and International Assets Holding Corporation. Other corporations located there consist of Great Plains Energy, Aquila, AMC Theatres, Applebee's, DST Systems, Cerner, Garmin International and Russell Stover Candies. Three international law companies are also based in the city of Kansas.
The most important part of the city's economy is in agriculture. Kansas City is home to Dairy Farmers of America, the largest Dairy Co-op within the nation.
There are several lakes within the area surrounding KC. These lakes offer many recreational opportunities such as fishing, swimming, camping and boating. Popular locations are Lewis and Clark Lake, about 45 minutes north of the city, and Big Lake State Park, further north. Stockton Lake at Stockton State Park is popular for scuba diving and is located 160 km southeast of the city.