Contents
Find out how far it is from St. Louis to Kansas City and see a map of the route.
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Introduction
The two major metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri and Kansas City, Missouri are approximately 220 miles apart. Each city has its own unique attractions, but they both offer a variety of activities for visitors and residents alike. If you’re planning a trip from one city to the other, it’s important to know how far in advance to start planning and how to make the most of your time on the road.
The Distance Between St. Louis and Kansas City
The distance between St. Louis, Missouri and Kansas City, Missouri is approximately 240 miles. This distance can be traveled in a variety of ways, the most popular being by car. The drive time between the two cities is approximately 4 hours.
How long is the drive from St. Louis to Kansas City?
The distance between St. Louis, Missouri and Kansas City, Missouri is approximately 230 miles (370 kilometers). The drive time would be approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes if you were to take the most direct route.
How far is it from St. Louis to Kansas City by plane?
The distance from St. Louis to Kansas City by plane is 189 miles.
The History of the Two Cities
Although the answer to the question in the title is “about 200 miles,” the story of these two Missouri River cities is much more complicated and interesting. The cities of St. Louis and Kansas City have a long and complicated history together, dating back to the early days of American settlement.
St. Louis
St. Louis is the second largest city in Missouri with a population of around 315,000 people. The city was founded in 1764 by Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau and named after King Louis IX of France. St. Louis became an important hub for trade and transportation because of its strategic location on the Mississippi River. In the 19th century, the city became known for its brewing industry, and in the 20th century, it became a major center for the automotive industry. Today, St. Louis is a major center for education, healthcare, research, and manufacturing.
Kansas City
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the county seat of Jackson County. It is situated along the Missouri River in the western part of the state, near the border with Kansas. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had an estimated population of 488,943 in 2017, making it the 37th most-populous city in the United States. It is one of two cities, along with St. Louis, that serve as anchors of the larger four-state metropolitan area known as Greater Kansas City.
Kansas City was founded in 1838 as a port town at its confluence with the Kansas River coming from the west. On June 1, 1850, 46 were killed when a tornado struck near Westport and Hickman Mills just south of present-day Kansas City. In October 1864 a raid by William Quantrill occurred as he led 400 guerrillas into Lawrence which resulted in 150 dead men and boys and $850,000 worth of destruction;[17] this event became known as Quantrill’s Raid or alternatively, The Lawrence Massacre.[18][19]
In 1889, Albert Ritchie laid out plans for a new city on high ground overseen by architect John McKecknie; this area eventually became Quality Hill.[20] Soon after Jackson County voters approved a $500,000 bond issue to finance construction of main streets and sewers for what became Downtown Kansas City.[21][22] The days before Labor Day 1890 saw one of America’s first great waves of high-rise construction;[23][24] multiple hotels went up around Union Station along with several office buildings including The New York Life Building (1890),[25][26][27] Irvings Block (1891),[28][29] The Midland (1896),[30][31] The Realty Syndicate Trust Company Building (1896),[32][33] and several theaters.[34]
The Two Cities Today
St. Louis and Kansas City are two major metropolitan areas in the state of Missouri. Today, the two cities are about four hours apart by car. But how did they become so far apart?
St. Louis
St. Louis is a midwestern U.S. city on the Mississippi River, with a 2018 population of 302,838. It is the 58th-most populous U.S. city and the second-largest city in Missouri after Kansas City. The Greater St. Louis metro area, which includes parts of Illinois, has a population of 2,807,338, making it the largest metropolitan area in Missouri and the 19th-largest in the United States.
St. Louis was founded in 1764 by French fur traders Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, and named for Louis IX of France. The early history of St. Louis is closely linked with the history of the French colony of New France in North America and the Mississippi River Valley more specifically – prior to 1764 settlers primarily from this region had moved west across to the Illinois Country (a part of New France) establishing villages such as Cahokia which grew into sizable towns prior to 1764 (by which time it had reached a population of around 10,000).
Kansas City
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Kansas–Missouri border. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had an estimated population of 491,918 in 2019, making it the 38th most-populous city in the United States. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, and together with Independence, it serves as one of the two major central cities of Greater Kansas City. Kansas City is nicknamed “TheCity” and has many directions – north, south, east and west – giving rise to its longstanding unofficial motto, “What goes around, comes around.” Located mostly on Missouri’s western border near Kansas’, Downtown KC is set apart from its Midwestern neighbors by its vibrant music and arts culture
