Kansas City, Mo.
America’s Best Places Rank: 43rd
Population: 474,396
Mayor: Sly James
Why it’s ranked: The pilot (along with the Kansas side of Kansas City) for Google’s plan to put ultra-high-speed broadband in place for a single city, the “Paris of the Plains” is a good place to live if you want to surf the Web. Unemployment, which is above the national average, may get a boost from the initiative. Kansas City is home to such companies as H&R Block, Interstate Bakeries, and AMC Entertainment. Its pro sports teams are the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and baseball’s Kansas City Royals.
How it ranked:
Percent with bachelor's degrees: 29.8
Percent under poverty level: 17
Median household income: $44,436
Violent crime rate: 1,300.4
Property crime rate: 5,507.7
School score: 70.3
Pro sports teams: 2
Foreclosure rate: .0115
Percent Unemployment: 10
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 35.8
Bars: 146
Restaurants: 847
Museums: 64
Colleges: 22
Libraries: 21
Air Quality Index: 98
Population: 474,396
Mayor: Sly James
Why it’s ranked: The pilot (along with the Kansas side of Kansas City) for Google’s plan to put ultra-high-speed broadband in place for a single city, the “Paris of the Plains” is a good place to live if you want to surf the Web. Unemployment, which is above the national average, may get a boost from the initiative. Kansas City is home to such companies as H&R Block, Interstate Bakeries, and AMC Entertainment. Its pro sports teams are the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and baseball’s Kansas City Royals.
How it ranked:
Percent with bachelor's degrees: 29.8
Percent under poverty level: 17
Median household income: $44,436
Violent crime rate: 1,300.4
Property crime rate: 5,507.7
School score: 70.3
Pro sports teams: 2
Foreclosure rate: .0115
Percent Unemployment: 10
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 35.8
Bars: 146
Restaurants: 847
Museums: 64
Colleges: 22
Libraries: 21
Air Quality Index: 98
