*Downtown Kansas City, Missouri in 1806
In the last 10 years, more than $6 billion dollars has been invested in Downtown Kansas City. No city in America has done so much in such a short time to revitalize its Downtown, and the world has begun to take notice.
Kansas City reached a tipping point over the past few years as national, regional and local media attention has been piqued with two, world class experiences – Google’s selection of Kansas City to be the home of its first high-speed fiber network AND the grand opening of the $400 million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in the Crossroads. Tipping point? Well, consider….
Frommers named Kansas City a Top 10 Travel Destination for 2012 – the only American city on the annual list.
Frommer’s cites a short list of other outstanding attractions, with the vast majority being Downtown – National WWI Museum, College Basketball Experience, Power & Light District, American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
When Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opened in September 2011, the new building was immediately hailed as an architectural icon. It not only looks interesting, it’s one of the most technically advanced performances halls in the nation. The New York Times presented a glowing review of the Kauffman Center and of the Kansas City Ballet’s performance of Tom Sawyer. The exterior is a bold white array of patterned curves, with a line of wires like flying buttresses at the front, all above extensive parking space. It also houses a concert hall, and the all-white foyers provide ample space to audiences of both halls. By evening, these foyers are glamorous and spectacular; the all-glass facade gives a spacious view over the city.
United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), January 30, 2012, The UMKC Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IEI) entrepreneurship MBA emphasis was awarded the 2012 National Model Graduate Entrepreneurship Program from the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). The school beat out 624 programs from other universities. Each university was thoroughly evaluated by The Journal of Product Innovation Management. According to the USASBE, The IEI “inspires and nurtures future generations of entrepreneurs, delivering transformational entrepreneurship education and experiences university-wide.”
The Atlantic presented an article for its series, CITIES: Place Matter. The magazine positioned Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas as twin cities, or “The New Capitals of High Speed Internet.” Waterfalls. Monuments. Beautiful buildings. They’re all classic postcard pictures, summing up what’s good about a place. Fast download speeds, on the other hand don’t lend themselves to easy advertisement. But they are quickly becoming one of Kansas City’s biggest sells.
Forbes ranked Downtown KC as the #7 Best Downtown in America.
Under30CEO ranked Kansas City as the #2 city in America for Young Entrepreneurs behind New Orleans and ahead of New York City, Austin, San Francisco, Boston, Palo Alto, Chicago, Washington DC and Seattle. Under30CEO is a virtual magazine based in New York that is the leading site for young entrepreneur advice, news, trends and events. Readership of 500K
Did you know there was a Silicon Prairie? Well maybe not but Kansas City is at the heart of entrepreneurship in the Midwest. The fact it came in at #2 on the list shows how passionate the community is about being recognized as an up and coming town for entrepreneurship. The city is the headquarters of many major companies like Sprint, H&R Block, AMC Theaters, Applebee’s and more. Kansas City is also home to the largest foundation for entrepreneurs in the world, The Kauffman Foundation.
The Wall Street Journal selected Kansas City as a national industry hub for information technology in an article, “Where the Action Is.”
Across the country, new industry hubs are drawing entrepreneurs and investors—and offering start-ups support and safety in a turbulent economy.
Google, May 2011, introduced Kansas City, Missouri to join KCK has the home to its first high-speed fiber network. Nearly 1,100 communities across the country expressed interest in this project. Our goal was to find a location where we could build efficiently, make an impact on the community, and develop working partnerships with the local government, utility and community organizations. We believe we’ve found this in both Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.
Kansas City… If you don’t believe it’s the greatest city in the world…you’re on the outside looking in.