A city of 121,740, settled in 1827. Home to 26 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
The 3 things Independence does most differently from other towns.
c. 1842 · Joseph Smith junior 1842
Ginger Rogers6 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 26 places on the National Register.
c. 1842
Joseph Smith junior 1842
Photo · Wikimedia Commons. A different picture from Independence’s archive appears here every day.
See all 6 archive items →What neighbors are saying. Town Square →
Nothing on the calendar.
Ordered by what stands out in Independence. Another town gets a different order.
46 miles of trails across 51 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area | 4.8 mi | 280 |
| 2. George Owens Nature Park | 2.2 mi | 87 |
| 3. Independence Athletic Complex | 1.9 mi | 136 |
Most working residents leave Independence for work: only 16% work in town. The top destinations are Kansas City (33%), Lee's Summit (7%) and Blue Springs (4%). Half commute less than 11 miles.
Independence reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less. Compared with places its own size, it does better than 41%.
Independence beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13.
| What stands out | Independence | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 11.5% | 8.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 17.9% | 13.7% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 15.6% | 12.1% |
The typical Independence home is worth about $213,000, up 3.7% in a year, 21% below the Missouri typical home.
Independence has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
The public schools Independence’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 62% of Missouri’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sycamore Hills Elem. | PK–5 | 574 | B |
| Sunny Pointe Elem. | K–5 | 506 | A |
| William Yates Elem. | K–5 | 463 | A |
| William Southern Elem. | PK–5 | 458 | C |
| Korte Elem. | PK–5 | 444 | C− |
| Glendale Elem. | PK–5 | 417 | B |
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 43% of U.S. communities.
Where Independence’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
26 places in Independence on the National Register of Historic Places.
64 notable people were born in Independence.
City in Missouri, United States
Independence is a city mostly in, and one of two county seats of, Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020, it had a total population of 123,011, making it the fifth-most populous city in Missouri. A small part of the city extends into Clay County. Independence is known as the "Queen City of the Trails" because it was a point of departure for the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe Trails. It is the hometown of U.S. President Harry S. Truman, and houses the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum and the gravesites of Truman and First Lady Bess T…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Independence.
