Kansas City Homes for Sale

Kansas City traces its foundation to 1821, when Missouri was admitted as a state in the Union. Until 1889, Kansas City had been named “City of Kansas”.

In the early years of this area, Francois Chouteau, a Frenchman from St. Louis, established a waterway trading post in 1821 along the Missouri River and created the first non-Native American settlement in Kansas City. It wasn’t until June 1, 1850 when Jackson County incorporated Kansas City and granted a charter.

Kansas City’s image as a “cow town” is rooted in one of the city's first and largest industries – cattle. Shortly after the Civil War, Kansas City served as a major cattle market and in 1870, the Kansas City stockyard was founded.

Shortly after in 1880, William Rockhill Nelson moved to Kansas City and later bought The Kansas City Star. Nelson left a lasting mark on Kansas City with the founding of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art which opened in 1933 just east of the Country Club Plaza. The museum houses one of the nation's largest and most prestigious art collections.

In 1909, Kansas City voters approved an annexation that more than doubled the city's size. Additional annexations in the 1950s and 1960s helped Kansas City expand to more than 316 square miles.

Today, the city includes parts of Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass counties. As of 2005, Kansas City had nearly 450,000 residents and the entire Kansas City metro area had an estimated population of nearly 1,950,000 residents. Overall, the city boasts more fountains than Rome and is also said to have more boulevards than any other city except for Paris. Downtown, the city's urban core is undergoing an exciting period of redevelopment. Plans call for a new downtown arena, performing arts center and entertainment district by the end of the decade.

Whether looking to live in an urban Kansas City neighborhood, on the Country Club Plaza, or in the suburbs, Prudential Kansas City may have the right living arrangement for you. Contact us today!