THE SHIELD
04-01-2004, 08:05 AM
Denver, Colo.
2000 census population (rank): 554,636
Denver is the largest city in Colorado, the state capital, and the seat of Denver County. It lies at the foot of the Rocky Mountains at the junction of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek.
The city was born in 1858, when gold was discovered in the sands of Cherry Creek, at first just a tough village of cabins, shacks, and tents. It was incorporated as a city in 1861 and became the territorial capital in 1867. The city is named for James W. Denver, governor of the Kansas Territory, which included part of Colorado. The city prospered following the opening of the famous gold and silver mines of the 1870s and 1880s.
Today, Denver is an important communications, transportation, manufacturing, and agribusiness hub. Telecommunications and biomedical technology are two of the largest industries; construction, real estate, and retail trade are among the fastest-growing industries. The city is also home to many environmental organizations, including federal government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Denver International Airport, the first major new airport constructed in the U.S. in 21 years, opened to passenger traffic in 1995. At 53 sq mi, it is the largest airport in North America.
The city's tourist attractions include the Denver Zoo, the Six Flags Elitch Gardens amusement park, the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Coors Brewery, and nearby Rocky Mountain National Park
Kansas City, Mo.
Mayor: Kay Barnes (to April 2007)
City Manager: Wayne Cauthen (apptd. April 2003)
2000 census population (rank): 451,545 (35); % change: 1.5; Male: 213,141 (48.3%); Female: 228,404 (51.7%); White: 267,931 (60.7%); Black: 137,879 (31.2%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 2,122 (0.5%); Asian: 8,182 (1.9%); Other race: 14,158 (3.2%); Two or more races: 10,780 (2.4%); Hispanic/Latino: 30,604 (6.9%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 74.6%; 65 and over: 11.7%; median age: 34.0.
Land area: 307 sq mi. (813 sq km); 1,470 per sq. mi.
Alt.: Highest, 1,014 ft.; lowest, 722 ft.
Avg. daily temp.: Jan., 25.7° F; July, 78.5° F
Churches: 1,100 churches of all denominations1;
City-owned parks and playgrounds: 189 (10,647 ac.);
Radio stations1: AM, 14; FM, 19;
Television stations1: 7
Civilian Labor Force (MSA) 2002: 1,002,8972;
Unemployed: 57,3882,
Percent: 5.72;
Per capita personal income (MSA) 2001: $32,6932
Chamber of Commerce: Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, 911 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64105
1. Metropolitan area.
2. Kansas City, Mo.–Kan.
Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri. It is located in the western part of the state, at the junction of the Missouri and Kansas rivers. Kansas City is located in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass counties.
In 1821, the year Missouri entered the Union, French trader François Chouteau came from St. Louis to establish a trading post on the site of the present city to take advantage of the growing fur trade with the Kansa, Osage, Wyandotte, and other tribes. In 1833, a settlement called Westport Landing was laid out by John Calvin McCoy and developed. The community became the Town of Kansas and was incorporated as a city in 1850 and renamed Kansas City in 1889. The city's name reflects its Native American heritage—its site was within the territory of the Kansa, or Kaw, Indians.
The city grew rapidly in the mid-1880s as the starting point for gold prospectors and settlers heading westward. The coming of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad in 1865 and the spanning of the Missouri River by the Hannibal Bridge in 1869 also contributed to the city's growth. It also prospered as a center for the nation's cattle business.
The Kansas City metropolitan area, once known primarily for agriculture and manufacturing, has expanded its economic base to include strong growth in areas of telecommunications, banking and finance, and the service industry. A transportation hub since the 1800s, the area enjoys a national and regional prominence as a distribution and manufacturing center. Kansas City ranks nationally as first in greeting-card publishing (Hallmark Cards is located there), frozen food storage and distribution, and hard winter-wheat marketing; second in wheat flour production; and third in auto and truck assembly. The area is one of ten federal regional centers, and the federal, state, and local governments are among the top employers. The city is also a regional center for health care.
St. Louis, Mo.
Mayor: Francis G. Slay (to April 2005)
2000 census population (rank): 343,189 (49); % change: –12.2; Male: 163,567 (47.0%); Female: 184,622 (53.0%); White: 152,666 (43.8%); Black: 178,266 (51.2%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 950 (0.3%); Asian: 6,891 (2.0%); Other race: 2,783 (0.8%); Two or more races: 6,539 (1.9%); Hispanic/Latino: 7,022 (2.0%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 74.3%; 65 and over: 13.7%; median age: 33.7.
Land area: 62 sq mi. (161 sq km);
Alt.: Highest, 616 ft.; lowest, 413 ft.
Avg. daily temp.: Jan., 28.4° F; July, 78.4° F
Churches: 9001;
City-owned parks: 106 (3,136 ac.);
Radio stations: AM, 21; FM 271;
Television stations: 6 commercial; 1 PBS
Civilian Labor Force (MSA) 2002: 1,379,5022;
Unemployed: 78,8552,
Percent: 5.72;
Per capita personal income (MSA) 2001: $32,6662
Chamber of Commerce: St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, One Metropolian Square, Suite 1300, St. Louis, Mo. 63102
St. Louis, the second-largest city in Missouri, is located in the east central part of the state on the Mississippi River. The city is independent and is not part of any county.
St. Louis was founded by the French in 1764 when Auguste Chouteau established a fur-trading post and Pierre Laclède Liguest, a New Orleans merchant, founded a town at the present site. They named it after King Louis XV of France and his patron saint, Louis IX. From 1770 to 1803, St. Louis was a Spanish possession, but it was ceded back to France in 1803 in accordance with the Treaty of San Ildefonso (1800), only to be acquired by the U.S. as part of the Louisiana purchase later that year.
The town was incorporated in 1809. From 1812 to 1821, St. Louis was the capital of the Missouri Territory, and it was incorporated as a city in 1822.
John Jacob Astor opened the Western branch of the American Fur Company in 1819, and the city prospered during the early part of the 19th century as a commercial center for the fur trade. St. Louis continued to grow as a major transportation hub with the development of steamboat traffic and the later expansion of the railroads in the 1850s. The world-famous Louisiana Purchase Exposition was held here in 1904.
Manufacturing is important to the city's economy, and its highly developed industries include automobiles, aircraft and space technology, metal fabrication, beer, steelmaking, chemicals, food processing, and storage and distribution.
The giant stainless steel Gateway Arch, 630 ft high, standing on the banks of the Mississippi, symbolizes St. Louis as the Gateway to the West.
2000 census population (rank): 554,636
Denver is the largest city in Colorado, the state capital, and the seat of Denver County. It lies at the foot of the Rocky Mountains at the junction of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek.
The city was born in 1858, when gold was discovered in the sands of Cherry Creek, at first just a tough village of cabins, shacks, and tents. It was incorporated as a city in 1861 and became the territorial capital in 1867. The city is named for James W. Denver, governor of the Kansas Territory, which included part of Colorado. The city prospered following the opening of the famous gold and silver mines of the 1870s and 1880s.
Today, Denver is an important communications, transportation, manufacturing, and agribusiness hub. Telecommunications and biomedical technology are two of the largest industries; construction, real estate, and retail trade are among the fastest-growing industries. The city is also home to many environmental organizations, including federal government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Denver International Airport, the first major new airport constructed in the U.S. in 21 years, opened to passenger traffic in 1995. At 53 sq mi, it is the largest airport in North America.
The city's tourist attractions include the Denver Zoo, the Six Flags Elitch Gardens amusement park, the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Coors Brewery, and nearby Rocky Mountain National Park
Kansas City, Mo.
Mayor: Kay Barnes (to April 2007)
City Manager: Wayne Cauthen (apptd. April 2003)
2000 census population (rank): 451,545 (35); % change: 1.5; Male: 213,141 (48.3%); Female: 228,404 (51.7%); White: 267,931 (60.7%); Black: 137,879 (31.2%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 2,122 (0.5%); Asian: 8,182 (1.9%); Other race: 14,158 (3.2%); Two or more races: 10,780 (2.4%); Hispanic/Latino: 30,604 (6.9%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 74.6%; 65 and over: 11.7%; median age: 34.0.
Land area: 307 sq mi. (813 sq km); 1,470 per sq. mi.
Alt.: Highest, 1,014 ft.; lowest, 722 ft.
Avg. daily temp.: Jan., 25.7° F; July, 78.5° F
Churches: 1,100 churches of all denominations1;
City-owned parks and playgrounds: 189 (10,647 ac.);
Radio stations1: AM, 14; FM, 19;
Television stations1: 7
Civilian Labor Force (MSA) 2002: 1,002,8972;
Unemployed: 57,3882,
Percent: 5.72;
Per capita personal income (MSA) 2001: $32,6932
Chamber of Commerce: Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, 911 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64105
1. Metropolitan area.
2. Kansas City, Mo.–Kan.
Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri. It is located in the western part of the state, at the junction of the Missouri and Kansas rivers. Kansas City is located in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass counties.
In 1821, the year Missouri entered the Union, French trader François Chouteau came from St. Louis to establish a trading post on the site of the present city to take advantage of the growing fur trade with the Kansa, Osage, Wyandotte, and other tribes. In 1833, a settlement called Westport Landing was laid out by John Calvin McCoy and developed. The community became the Town of Kansas and was incorporated as a city in 1850 and renamed Kansas City in 1889. The city's name reflects its Native American heritage—its site was within the territory of the Kansa, or Kaw, Indians.
The city grew rapidly in the mid-1880s as the starting point for gold prospectors and settlers heading westward. The coming of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad in 1865 and the spanning of the Missouri River by the Hannibal Bridge in 1869 also contributed to the city's growth. It also prospered as a center for the nation's cattle business.
The Kansas City metropolitan area, once known primarily for agriculture and manufacturing, has expanded its economic base to include strong growth in areas of telecommunications, banking and finance, and the service industry. A transportation hub since the 1800s, the area enjoys a national and regional prominence as a distribution and manufacturing center. Kansas City ranks nationally as first in greeting-card publishing (Hallmark Cards is located there), frozen food storage and distribution, and hard winter-wheat marketing; second in wheat flour production; and third in auto and truck assembly. The area is one of ten federal regional centers, and the federal, state, and local governments are among the top employers. The city is also a regional center for health care.
St. Louis, Mo.
Mayor: Francis G. Slay (to April 2005)
2000 census population (rank): 343,189 (49); % change: –12.2; Male: 163,567 (47.0%); Female: 184,622 (53.0%); White: 152,666 (43.8%); Black: 178,266 (51.2%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 950 (0.3%); Asian: 6,891 (2.0%); Other race: 2,783 (0.8%); Two or more races: 6,539 (1.9%); Hispanic/Latino: 7,022 (2.0%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 74.3%; 65 and over: 13.7%; median age: 33.7.
Land area: 62 sq mi. (161 sq km);
Alt.: Highest, 616 ft.; lowest, 413 ft.
Avg. daily temp.: Jan., 28.4° F; July, 78.4° F
Churches: 9001;
City-owned parks: 106 (3,136 ac.);
Radio stations: AM, 21; FM 271;
Television stations: 6 commercial; 1 PBS
Civilian Labor Force (MSA) 2002: 1,379,5022;
Unemployed: 78,8552,
Percent: 5.72;
Per capita personal income (MSA) 2001: $32,6662
Chamber of Commerce: St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, One Metropolian Square, Suite 1300, St. Louis, Mo. 63102
St. Louis, the second-largest city in Missouri, is located in the east central part of the state on the Mississippi River. The city is independent and is not part of any county.
St. Louis was founded by the French in 1764 when Auguste Chouteau established a fur-trading post and Pierre Laclède Liguest, a New Orleans merchant, founded a town at the present site. They named it after King Louis XV of France and his patron saint, Louis IX. From 1770 to 1803, St. Louis was a Spanish possession, but it was ceded back to France in 1803 in accordance with the Treaty of San Ildefonso (1800), only to be acquired by the U.S. as part of the Louisiana purchase later that year.
The town was incorporated in 1809. From 1812 to 1821, St. Louis was the capital of the Missouri Territory, and it was incorporated as a city in 1822.
John Jacob Astor opened the Western branch of the American Fur Company in 1819, and the city prospered during the early part of the 19th century as a commercial center for the fur trade. St. Louis continued to grow as a major transportation hub with the development of steamboat traffic and the later expansion of the railroads in the 1850s. The world-famous Louisiana Purchase Exposition was held here in 1904.
Manufacturing is important to the city's economy, and its highly developed industries include automobiles, aircraft and space technology, metal fabrication, beer, steelmaking, chemicals, food processing, and storage and distribution.
The giant stainless steel Gateway Arch, 630 ft high, standing on the banks of the Mississippi, symbolizes St. Louis as the Gateway to the West.