Kansas City is the largest city within the U.S. State of Missouri. Also referred to as "KC", it is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It covers 820 square km in the counties of Clay, Jackson, Cass and Platte, and serves as a county seat of Jackson County. Kansas City has a population of roughly 459,800. The larger metropolitan area has 2.1 million people.
Kansas City is located at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, opposite Kansas City, Kansas. It was founded as a town in the year 1838 and was incorporated as a city in 1850. KC was the location of the Battle of Westport and several other Civil War battles. Kansas City played an important role in the history of jazz and blues.
Etienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, was the very first European to visit the area 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 married a Native American.
Greater Kansas City is home to Hallmark Cards and numerous Fortune 500 companies. Headquartered there are Sprint Nextel Corporation, YRC Worldwide Inc., International Assets Holding Corporation and H&R Block. Other businesses situated there comprise Great Plains Energy, Aquila, AMC Theatres, Applebee's, DST Systems, Cerner, Russell Stover candies and Garmin International. Three international law companies are also based in the city of Kansas.
The most essential part of the city's economy is in agriculture. Kansas City is home to the largest co-op in the country, Dairy farmers of America.
A number of lakes are situated within the general vicinity of Kansas City, providing recreational opportunities, like swimming, fishing, boating and camping. 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 known for scuba diving and is situated 160 km southeast of the city.