Confusion between the two ensued, and the name Kansas City was assigned to distinguish them soon after.
On June 1, 1850, the town of Kansas was incorporated shortly after came the establishment of the Kansas Territory. Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a port on the Missouri River at its confluence with the Kansas River from the west. Most of the city lies within Jackson County, with portions spilling into Clay, Cass, and Platte counties.
It is the urban central city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Missouri– Kansas state line and has a population of 2,392,035. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090, making it the 37th most-populous city in the United States. Kansas City, Missouri ( KC or KCMO) is the most populous city in Missouri and largest by area.