Forbes 30 most visited US cities (Kansas City, St. Louis: live in, zip codes, stats)

[smellykat]

Originally Posted by Brickmama

We arent comparing cities we are comparing skylines. Trust me you dont want to go to the point of comparing cities. You will lose miserably.

Kansas City will lose MISERABLY? No, I don't think so, Brickmama. Your statement regarding Kansas City is totally false! I will agree with you, however, on your view of the St. Louis skyline. The Arch and the Mississippi River are stunning and your pictures do certainly reflect the beauty and the historical significance of St. Louis.

[GraniteStater]

St. Louis is a Midwest city while KC is more of a Plains city. St. Louis has MUCH MUCH MUCH more in common with cities like Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh than it does with KC.

[Brickmama]

I would agree with that comment. STL's built environment is much more like eastern cities in terms of density while KC is more sprawled out like south and western cities.

[northbound74]

Maybe it's just me, but I've seen the St. Louis skyline from every angle in person and in pictures, and it just isn't that impressive. The arch is nice and all, but it doesn't add enough of whatever to make that big of a difference. It is kind of cool up close looking straight up the side of it.
Kansas City's buildings are much more architecturally interesting overall than St. Louis' in my opinion. I especially like KC's old art-deco skyscrapers.

[skrazzle]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

St. Louis is a Midwest city while KC is more of a Plains city. St. Louis has MUCH MUCH MUCH more in common with cities like Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh than it does with KC.

Exactly what plains city would you compare KC to? It's not even located in the great plains, it's not a great plains state...

In what way is STL so much mor elike Cincinnati/Pittsburgh, etc? The main difference I saw between STL people and KC people is that STL people seemed to be a lot more intolerent and a lot of racism...not everywhere of course but, but i've seen situations of it everytime i've been there which makes it stick out, and I while i'm sure it happens here in KC i've lived in the burbs and the city and hardly ever see it happen...

[skrazzle]

Originally Posted by Brickmama

I would agree with that comment. STL's built environment is much more like eastern cities in terms of density while KC is more sprawled out like south and western cities.

STL has some pretty sprawling burbs.... but KC is def worse from what i've seen personally...

the urban cores are just as dense, and shown in other threads KC has more people living in its urban core then STL and has been increasing in population at a faster pace then STL.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by skrazzle

Exactly what plains city would you compare KC to? It's not even located in the great plains, it's not a great plains state...

In what way is STL so much mor elike Cincinnati/Pittsburgh, etc? The main difference I saw between STL people and KC people is that STL people seemed to be a lot more intolerent and a lot of racism...not everywhere of course but, but i've seen situations of it everytime i've been there which makes it stick out, and I while i'm sure it happens here in KC i've lived in the burbs and the city and hardly ever see it happen...

STL is similar to Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee in terms of: demographics, similarities in manufacturing dominance in the past, commerce related to water and rivers, relative stagnation in population over the past several decades, neighborhoods and suburbs that appear more sharply divided, eastern influenced industrial architecture with lots of brick, and with the exception of Pittsuburgh seem to have more Germanic influences.

[skrazzle]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

STL is similar to Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee in terms of: demographics, similarities in manufacturing dominance in the past, commerce related to water and rivers, relative stagnation in population over the past several decades, neighborhoods and suburbs that appear more sharply divided, eastern influenced industrial architecture with lots of brick, and with the exception of Pittsuburgh seem to have more Germanic influences.

Demographics:

KC:
Metro: 2 mil
54.6% white
31.2% black
1.9% asian
6.9% latino
3.2% other


STL:
Metro: 2.8 mil
51% black
43% white
1.9% asian
2% latino
1.9% other

Cincinnati
Metro: 2.1 mil
52.3% white
42.9% black
1.5% asian
1.3% latino
.63% other

Milwaukee
Metro: 1.7 mil
46.8% white
40% black
3.5 asian
1.2% native american
10.6% other
15% latino (they may identify as white other others)

Pittsburgh
Metro: 2.4 mil
67.63% white
27.17% black
2.75% asian
1.32% latino

Not sure what you mean by with the exception of Pittsburgh have a more Germanic influence, Pittsburgh has a larger German ancestry population then STL. 16% of KC reports Germany ancestry. STL is 14.5%.

I can't speak on the architecture of the other cities... not without doing more research, but KC has more Art Deco buildings then STL, and it's architecture I love.. and a lot of old brick buildings downtown... sorry your case hasn't been made. KC is midwest, you never said what plains city you seem to think we are more like, and nothing else except perhaps manufacturing and commerce histories of the regions (which I don't know enough about others to speak on) to what makes us less midwest in KC. LOL.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by skrazzle

Demographics:

KC:
Metro: 2 mil
54.6% white
31.2% black
1.9% asian
6.9% latino
3.2% other


STL:
Metro: 2.8 mil
51% black
43% white
1.9% asian
2% latino
1.9% other

Cincinnati
Metro: 2.1 mil
52.3% white
42.9% black
1.5% asian
1.3% latino
.63% other

Milwaukee
Metro: 1.7 mil
46.8% white
40% black
3.5 asian
1.2% native american
10.6% other
15% latino (they may identify as white other others)

Pittsburgh
Metro: 2.4 mil
67.63% white
27.17% black
2.75% asian
1.32% latino

Not sure what you mean by with the exception of Pittsburgh have a more Germanic influence, Pittsburgh has a larger German ancestry population then STL. 16% of KC reports Germany ancestry. STL is 14.5%.

I can't speak on the architecture of the other cities... not without doing more research, but KC has more Art Deco buildings then STL, and it's architecture I love.. and a lot of old brick buildings downtown... sorry your case hasn't been made. KC is midwest, you never said what plains city you seem to think we are more like, and nothing else except perhaps manufacturing and commerce histories of the regions (which I don't know enough about others to speak on) to what makes us less midwest in KC. LOL.

Yes, KC has a lot of Art Deco buildings.
You asked some of the differences between the Midwest cities and the Great Plains cities. Well, many cities in the Midwest are in the Great Lakes subregion, which includes: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This has historically been the industrial heartland with lots of manufacturing, heavy industry, and commerce associated with the Great Lakes system. One example would be steel. The Great Lakes region is strategically located in the middle between the Iron Ore reserves of northern MN and the coal deposits of the Appalachians. In the past, many steel mills dominated the industrial portion of the economy in Great Lakes cities like Youngstown, Duluth, Gary, Pittsburgh, etc. The Midwest cities in the Great Lakes subregion were also settled before cities closer to the Great Plains. This means that river commerce was of great importance which came before the railroad age in the middle and end of the 19th century.

Kansas City is at the edge of the Midwest and the edge of the Great Plains. Other cities that are similar in terms of being on the edge of the two regions include: Omaha, Sioux Falls, Lincoln, Topeka, St. Joseph, and Fargo. These cities were more densely settled after the Midwest core and Great Lakes cities were settled. For example: St. Louis is a much older city compared with Kansas City.

In terms of demographics, I tend to focus more on the average age of the population and the population growth rates of the entire metro. In terms of average age, the Great Lakes cities and Midwest core cities are starting to age a little more quickly as they lose younger people to other states. Some examples where this is taking place include many cities in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The younger cities closer to the Great Plains have had faster population growth rates over the past few decades. However, most of that growth in cities like Omaha, Kansas City, Wichita, Sioux Falls, and Des Moines has been at the expense of the rural areas within those states.

Kansas City is influenced by several different geographical areas as I said before. It has Midwest influences, Great Plains influences, some Ozark influences, and some Upper South influences. Another item that is different about Kansas City compared with Midwest cities in the Great Lakes is the Bible Belt influence. This basically includes most of MO, southern IL, and southern IN. Cities like St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee have a sizable if not majority population that is Catholic while KC is more split evenly between Protestant and Catholic. Rural MO leans heavily Baptist outside of the metro areas.

The last item that Kansas City COMPLETELY diverges from compared to Midwest core and Great Lakes cities is climate. Kansas City has a much warmer climate compared with any city in the Midwest. Winters are much warmer and summers are very hot and humid. Kansas City also gets very little snow compared to most cities in the Midwest as well.

[Brickmama]

Just want to clarify the density comment that Skrazzle disputed. The pop density in the city limits of both cities is posted below.

STL - 5948 per sq mi
KC - 1425 per sq mi

This is one is the reasons STL compares more to eastern cities while KC is more like western cities.