Kansas City among best cities for working mothers
Forbes.com ranked Kansas City 39th out of 50 for best metropolitan cities to work and raise children. The study accounted for women’s earnings, unemployment rates, crime levels, school systems, health care, and cost of living. Kansas City ranked high in all six categories earning its spot on Forbes list of “Best Places for Working Mothers.” Forbes.com, August 2010.
Sprint Center No. 3 in nation for busiest arena
Pollstar Magazine ranked Kansas City’s Sprint Center as the nation’s third busiest arena and sixth busiest arena worldwide in its 2010 Mid-Year report. “In the 33 months since Sprint Center opened, Kansas City continues to demonstrate that the Heart of America has a diverse and vibrant appetite for live entertainment,” said Brenda Tinnen, AEG Kansas City general manager and senior vice president. According to Pollstar Magazine, the top 10 North American concert tours have performed at Sprint Center this year. July 2010.
Kansas City among top 10 cities for young adults
According to a study conducted by Kiplinger.com, Kansas City ranks among the top 10 cities for young adults. Below-average rent, low cost of living and short commute times were listed as strong reasons why Kansas City made the list. The downtown redevelopment and innovative jobs in business, research and technology also made Kansas City stand out as a location for young adults. July 2010.
Kansas City ranks high for volunteerism
A report from the Corporation of National and Community Service ranked Kansas City 8th out of 51 big cities for highest percentage of residents volunteering. The report, based on a survey of 100,000 people, determined Kansas City had a 32 percent volunteerism rate. Corporation of National & Community Service, June 2010.
Bloch Building recognized for architectural significance
VanityFair.com ranked Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Bloch Building among the 22 most important architectural structures built after 1980. This ranking was based on 52 architectural expert opinions, leading to 132 structures put to vote. The 22 most popular structures were listed in order on the web site. Steven Holl’s addition to the Nelson lit up the no. 18 spot. VanityFair.com, July 2010.
Kansas City stands out for its quality of life
Portfolio.com/bizjournals ranked Kansas City 21st among 67 metros considered in its quality of life analysis. The ranking considered factors such as the education systems, cost of living, the economy and housing stock of each city. Kansas City ranked 5th for rent affordability and 13th for shortest commute time to work. Also, 90 percent of Kansas City citizens above the age of 25 have received a high-school diploma. Portfolio.com/bizjournals, June 2010.
Kansas City is surviving the recession
Kansas City is named by Yahoo Finance as one of the 20 cities surviving the recession. Kansas City stood out for securing jobs reasonably well during the recession, stabilizing home prices and its three-year job growth forecast. Yahoo Finance, May 2010.
Time Magazine: KC Rep’s Venice “Best Musical of the Year”
It took a trip outside New York to Kansas City, Mo. to find this noteworthy show. Named as a rap-musical version of Othello, this local production stood out for its ambitious and expansive production. It combines elements of Shakespeare, Greek tragedy, Brechtian allegory and futuristic political fable, all enhanced by rap narration and a rock-influenced score. The article claims this collaborative effort between Eric Rosen, artistic director of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and composer-performer Matt Sax, could be the next major-American musical. Time Magazine, May 2010
Kansas City on top 10 list of America’s most underrated cities
Yahoo! Travel named Kansas City on its list of “America’s Top 10 Underrated Cities.” Kansas City stood out for its lifestyle and cultural assets, which includes its newly revitalized downtown and thriving jazz scene, museum attractions, fine restaurants and theme parks. Kansas City was among cities like Portland, Houston and Sacramento. Yahoo! Travel, May 2010.
Kansas City in top 20 for easiest job searches
Job search engine JuJu.com listed Kansas City no. 16 on its “Job Search Difficulty Index for Major Cities.” The Kansas City metro area has roughly four unemployed people for every advertised job; a much lower number compared to Detroit and St. Louis, which have 13 and 12 unemployed people per advertised job. The index was calculated by dividing the number of unemployed workers in each metro area, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by the number of jobs in Juju’s index of millions of online jobs in the U.S. Read the full story, May 2010.
Kansas City among “Best Cities for Moms”
The Daily Beast ranked Kansas City No. 31 on its list of “Best Cities for Moms.” Several factors including mothers-per-capita, educational quality, child and maternity care availability were considered. Kansas City was noted for its availability of maternity health specialists. Read the full story, May 2010.
Kansas City No. 16 on Green City Index
American City Business Journals ranked Kansas City 16th on its “Green City Index.” The index ranked 43 metro areas on their “greenness,” and took into account 20 different “green” indicators such as adoption of green technology, utilization of environmentally sound practices and air and water quality. Kansas City ranked in the top 10 for several travel factors including use of excess fuels, congestion and travel delay and air quality. Read the full story, April 2010.
Kansas City No. 9 U-Haul moving destination
U-Haul International Inc. ranked Kansas City No. 9 on its list of “Top U.S. Destination Cities.” The U-Haul National Migration Trend Report reflects nationwide statistics from more than 1 million U-Haul truck transactions in 2009. The rankings consider every city in the nation and are based on destinations for movers traveling farther than 50 miles. Kansas City was flanked by No. 8 Sacramento and No. 10 Denver. Read the full story, April 2010.
Brookings puts Kansas City among 20 strongest U.S. metros
In a Brookings Institution study of quarterly indicators of economic recession and recovery in the nation’s 100 largest metro areas, the Kansas City region is cited as one of the 20 strongest metros during the recession. The study, titled MetroMonitor’s Overall Performance Index, combines metropolitan rankings on four key indicators: percent employment change from peak quarter to 4th quarter 2009, percentage point change in unemployment rate from December 2008 to December 2009, percent GMP change from peak quarter to 4th quarter 2009 and percent change in House Price Index from 4th quarter 2008 to 4th quarter 2009. Read the full report.
Kansas City No. 26 in best markets for young adults
In a Portfolio.com/bizjournals study, Kansas City ranked as the 26th best market in the U.S. for young adults. Portfolio.com ranked the 67 most populated metropolitan areas in the country based on ten factors including employment, per capita income, and population growth. Kansas City’s highest individual rankings were annual rate of employment growth and share of adults aged 18-34 with Bachelor’s degrees. Read the full story, March 2010.
Kansas City No. 5 for telecommuting in Microsoft survey
According to Microsoft, Kansas City ranks fifth in the country for telecommuting among medium and large-sized cities. The study surveyed 3,600 employees in 36 cities on the benefits of telecommuting. Of those surveyed in Kansas City, 58 percent said they were more productive from home. Microsoft Corporation News Center, March 2010.
Kansas City No. 10 for cities where recession is easing
Forbes magazine ranked Kansas City No. 10 on its Cities Where the Recession Is Easing list. The list ranked cities from the 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas based on unemployment, job growth, single-family home price, metro GDP and a 3-year job forecast. Kansas City ranked No. 14 for unemployment, No. 7 for job growth from 2007-2009, No. 20 for single-family home price, No. 27 for gross domestic product, and No. 14 for projected 3-year job growth. Forbes, March 2010.
