Residency Program

Kansas City

The greater Kansas City metropolitan area combines many municipalities on both sides of the Kansas and Missouri state lines, encompassing five counties and a combined population of 1.9 million people. There is something for everyone in Kansas City. The following is a brief overview of just what our wonderful Metro area has to offer.

For the sports enthusiast, KC is home to many professional sports teams - the Wizards (Soccer), the Royals (Baseball), and the Chiefs (football). Kansas City is only 40 miles away from Lawrence, Kansas and the 2008 National Championship KU basketball team and the 2008 Championship Orange Bowl team. The newly established Tour of Missouri International Cycling Race takes place the first week of September and the Kansas Speedway was completed in 2002 for the NASCAR enthusiast.

For people interested in history, Kansas City has a plethora of places to explore; such as, The Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri, Liberty Memorial, which is the nation’s only WWI memorial and museum, Union Station, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the Toy and Miniature Museum. The area is also rich with visual history; the Alexander Majors House, which was the starting point for the Pony Express; the Shawnee Indian Mission in Fairway; and the Country Club Plaza, which was the country’s first outdoor shopping mall, established in 1920.

The cultural and performing arts are in full bloom in KC with outdoor theaters like the Starlight Theater in Swope Park and the Shakespeare festival held every summer in Southmoreland Park. In 2009, the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts will be completed and will house multiple performance halls, the Kansas City Ballet, the Kansas City Symphony and the Missouri Repertory Theater. It will also host national touring companies. The Crossroads District is home to “First Fridays,” which have become a tradition for tours of the local galleries and studios in the area. The Nelson-Atkins Art Museum is continually ranked as one of the nation’s top art museums. It is known for its excellent private collection, which includes everything from Impressionist painting to its vast Indian and Asian antiquities. The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is just a block away from the Nelson, and has an impressive collection of contemporary American art. Adjacent to both art museums is the Kansas City Art Institute, where many well-known artists, such as Walt Disney were educated.

Kansas City is an area of many cultural traditions, such as the country’s third largest St. Patrick’s Day parade (behind Chicago and Boston); the Croatian community festivals in Strawberry Hill, Scottish Highland games every June; multiple Greek festivals throughout the summer, Spinach Festival every September in Lenexa; and the American Royal Livestock, Horse and Rodeo show every fall, which kicks off the world famous American Royal Barbecue. Despite the reputation as the barbecue capital of the world, plenty of healthful eating is available with dozens of local farmers markets in operation throughout the metro area every Saturday from April to October.

Education is also a focal point of our community, with highly rated public library systems on both sides of the state line, as well as strong educational systems. Kansas has some of the best public and private schools for primary and secondary education, as well as the Johnson County Community College, which is continually ranked first in the country for its programs and services.

Winter Departmental Meeting 2008