What Makes Kansas City’s Downtowns the Best in America?

Oct. 31, 2011  |  By: Ashlie Hand  |  Category: Economic Development, Entrepreneurs, KC Animal Health Corridor, KC Arts and Culture, KCADC News, Regional KC Business, Technology, Uncategorized
Tags: America’s Best Downtowns, Forbes, Hallmark, Joe Reardon, Kauffman Foundation, KCADC Annual Meeting, Sly James, Sprint, Stinson Morrison Hecker, the Plaza

Last week, Kansas City, Missouri was awarded the no. 7 spot on America’s Best Downtowns by Forbes. The publishing and media superstar noted that the downtown Kansas City area stands out due to its cultural art scene. With mentions of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the artful Plaza neighborhood and the plethora of barbecue options, Forbes portrayed Kansas City as vibrant, eclectic and flourishing—which, of course, it is.

 

But is it really the fountains, the towering buildings and the outstanding barbecue that makes Kansas City stand out? We don’t think so. We think it’s the people throwing pennies in the fountains, working hard in the towering buildings and devouring the outstanding barbecue that make the city what it is today. And not just in Kansas City, Missouri, but across our entire 18-county, 2-state metro of 2 million people.

 

A few weeks ago, we posted a blog about Kansas City’s best asset: its passionate people. Andrea Sellers, Partner at Stinson Morrison Hecker, discussed the passion that she saw at both the 6^th Annual KC Animal Health Corridor Homecoming Dinner and the 3^rd Annual Investment Forum. But the truth of the matter is passionate people are found in virtually every industry in every corner of Kansas City.

 

We come across these passionate people every day—from the walls of Union Station to the streets criss-crossing the region, from our Networking Happy Hours to the local (and warm!) coffee shops. Kansas City residents in general are passionate people.

 

We guarantee that you will see some of Kansas City’s most driven and most influential people—from those behind the Kauffman Foundation to the Honorable Sly James and the Honorable Joe Reardon, from the movers-and-shakers at Hallmark to the tech-savvy crew at Sprint. All of Kansas City’s biggest names will be in one room.

 

We are working on the final details of KCADC’s Annual Meeting at The Kansas City Convention Center Grand Ballroom for a day to celebrate the passion we all have for our OneKC region. If you’ll be with us, we’re encouraging our guests to tweet live from the event using the hashtag #FastKC. We hope to see you there!