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Independence Essential Info

Overview

Independence, known as the Queen City of the Trails, is a city in western Missouri just east of Kansas City with a population of approximately 110,000. Independence's founding predates that of Kansas City, and it was home to U.S. President Harry S. Truman and the legendary actress Ginger Rogers, as well as the starting point of three of America's great Westward Trails: the Santa Fe Trail, the California Trail, and the Oregon Trail. The city also hosts numerous historical sites related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormons"), American Civil War and Western history.

While offering a full range of entertainment and lodging options for visitors, Independence generally tends to be more "quiet" than its larger neighbor to the west. One notable exception is Labor Day weekend, when it holds its annual Santa-Cali-Gon Days, one of the most important yearly festivals held in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Another exception is during the biennial April general conferences of the Community of Christ, the second-largest Latter-day Saint denomination, whose world headquarters is in the city.

Description is available from Wikitravel under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license. A list of contributors is available at the original article.

Basics

Best Time To Go

Mar-Oct

Current Time

Current Weather

54 °F

Windy

Fun Facts

  1. 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.
  2. Upon leaving the presidency, Harry Truman returned to Independence, Missouri, to live at the Wallace home he and his wide had shared for years with her mother.
  3. President Harry Truman and his wife Bess Truman are buried in Independence.
  4. Named after the Declaration of Independence, Independence was founded on March 29, 1827.
  5. Paul Henning, creator of a number of TV series includingThe Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and Petticoat Junction, was born in Independence.

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