Kansas City, Missouri, is often abbreviated as "KCMO", or simply "KC" (both abbreviations often refer to the metro area). It is officially nicknamed the City of Fountains. With over 200 fountains, the city claims to have second most in the world, just behind Rome.[9] The city also has more boulevards than any city except Paris and has often been called "Paris on the Plains." Informal nicknames include BBQ Capital of the World, and residents are known as Kansas Citians. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as the Heart of America as it is near both the population center of the United States and the geographic center of the 48 contiguous states.

In 1940, the city had about 400,000 residents; by 2000, the same area was home to only about 180,000. From 1940 to 1960, the city more than doubled its physical size, while increasing its population by only about 75,000. By 1970, the city had a total area of approximately 316 square miles (820 km²), more than five times its size in 1940.

The future for sprawl in Kansas City is uncertain. Johnson County has continued to sprawl at a constant rate, and Clay County, Missouri, also has begun to sprawl once more. However recent revelations in urban planning have slowed sprawl and focused instead on the inner city, existing infrastructure and housing, as well as reviving the city's formerly blighted downtown. Uses of the New Urbanism style of planning is now also occurring in some of the most prominent suburban projects.

Kansas City is organized into a system of more than 150 neighborhoods, some with histories as independent cities or the sites of major events.

Downtown, the center of the city, is currently undergoing major redevelopment. Near Downtown, the urban core of the city has a variety of neighborhoods, including historical Westport, the Crossroads Arts District, 18th and Vine Historic District, Pendleton Heights, Quality Hill, the West Bottoms and the River Market.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kansas City".