KANSAS CITY. The largest and most im portant. city of Kansas. and the county-seat of Wyandotte County, on both sides of the Kansas River, at its confluence with the Missouri; op posite and adjoining Kansas City, Mo. (Map: Kansas, H 2). It is usually called Kansas City, Kansas. It is an important railroad centre, a number of great trunk lines entering the city. Among them are the Missouri Pacific; the Union Pacific; the Atchison, Topeka and Santa F6; the Mexico and Orient ; and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific. The city covers an area of ten and a half square miles, and is built partly on bluffs and partly on the river bottoms. Several bridges across the Kansas River unite the east and west sections of the city, which is closely connected also with Kansas City, Mo., by elevated, electric, and cable roads. Of a total street mileage of 160 miles, more than 25 per cent. is paved, principally with brick and asphalt. There are over fourteen acres of public parks. The city is the seat of the State Institu tion for the Blind, and of Kansas City Univer sity (Methodist Protestant), opened in 189'1. The high school is one of the largest and best equipped in the State; and a fine library building which will cost $75.000, the gift of Andrew Car negie, is in course of construction (1903). Kansas City, Kan., is noted for its important live-stock, slaughtering, and meat-packing interests, in, all of which it is allied with the adjacent city—the stock yards and packing-house plants on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri boundary forming the second largest live-stock centre in the United States. (See KANSAS CITY. Thssoutti.)
It is also an important grain and flour market. There arc several large grain.elevators and flour mills, railroad ear and machine shops. and ex tensive manufactures of soap and candles. foun dry and machine-shop products, boxes. barrels, cooperage products, etc. The manufacturing in terests represent a production valued at about $85,000,000, the slaughtering and meat-packing industry, with a capital of $15.000.000. alone having an output equal to $75,000,000. Kansas City spends annually, in maintenance and opera tion. about 3515,000. the principal items of penditure being: $145,000 for schools, $125,000 for interest on debt. $40,000 for the police department, 335.000 for the tire department, 332,000 for municipal lighting, $30,000 for the health department, and $25,000 for streets. Kansas City. Kan.. known also as Wyandotte, was chartered in 1.336, IV hen the former munici palities Annourdale, Kansas City. Wyandotte. and .\rmstrong were consolidated under the pres ent name. ILs subsequent growth has been rapid. Population. in 1390, 38,316; in 1900, 51,41s, including 6400 persons of foreign birth and 6500 of negro descent.