The Paris of the MidWest

Loved the buzzworthy list presented in the image above. If you looked a few blocks past the tallest building in the picture you would find our loft in the River Market area of downtown KC. Recently I heard Guy Fieri, of Food Channel "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" fame, call Kansas City the "Paris of the MidWest". Reminded me of how great it is to live in this small city - or is that big town? Here are a few things about our fair city that you might not know:

• With over 200 fountains, the city claims to have the second most in the world, just behind Rome.
• Has more boulevards than any city in the world except Paris
• The U.S. Government is the largest employer in the Kansas City metro area, with more than 146 federal agencies.
• Has more barbecue restaurants per capita than any other city in the nation.
• Is the 29th largest metropolitan area in the USA - 2 million people spread over 4,777 square miles.
• Ignored Prohibition during the 1920s, leading to an abundance of jazz clubs, brothels and gambling halls.
• Home to the world’s largest greeting-cards maker, Hallmark Cards and to Sprint telecom.
• Walt Disney opened Laugh-O-Gram Studios, his first animation studio, in Kansas City.
• Is ethnically diverse with a population of about 60% caucasian, 30% African American and 10% Hispanic.
• Since 1857, the City Market has been one of the largest public farmers' markets in the midwest.
• Municipal Auditorium has hosted more NCAA Final Four Championships than any other venue in the country.
• Home to the Kansas City Ballet, the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the Lyric Opera, the Nelson-Atkins Museum, the Kansas City Symphony, the Kauffman Center and many other venues for the Arts.
• The scoreboard at Arrowhead Stadium (home of the KC Chiefs) was the first to transmit instant replay.
• Swope Park is one of the nation's largest city parks and is more than twice as big as New York's Central Park.
• 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.

If you are ever in KC I would consider it an honor to show you around a bit - including some great KC BBQ joints!

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