We love KC, but for those new to the area or unfamilar we wanted to let them know that Kansas City isn’t just about world-class BBQ and sports, it also has an incredible history and culture too!
In our latest bite-sized post at our KC Towing website we take a look at some of the most interesting facts about the storied so-called “Fountain City” in America’s heartland…
- The first settlement in Kansas City was actually Missouri Town, which was founded by James Piggot in 1831.
- In 1842, the town became part of Jackson County when it split from Platte County.
- The city is named after three American explorers: Lewis, Clark and Henry Leavenworth!
- In 1850, there were only 800 people living in what would eventually become “Kansas” City–and four years later it had grown to over 12000 residents.
- The Kansas City metropolitan area is now the 31st largest in the country, with over 2 million people living there.
- Kansas City played an important role in the westward expansion of America. It was a stop on the Oregon Trail for pioneers heading West, and eventually became one of America’s largest cities.
- One of the most famous residents of Kansas City was Walter Cronkite, who is the only journalist in history to have been honored with a Congressional Gold Medal.
- Another famous resident–and native Missourian! –was Mark Twain. He originally worked for The Missouri Courier and later served as its editor.
- You may know illustrator and author Susan Jeffers from her best-selling children’s books like “The Lion and the Mouse” and “Stone Soup.” But did you know that she was born in Kansas City, Missouri?
- Finally, some interesting trivia about Kansas City: it has more fountains (over 200!) than any other city in the world (except Rome)
