60 Trivia Questions about Kansas City (with Answers)

Kansas City is one of those places that seems to blend history, culture, and a little bit of magic. Known for its rich jazz heritage, mouthwatering barbecue, and fascinating history, it’s a city with stories that keep people coming back for more. Whether you’re a local or someone who’s never set foot in Missouri, Kansas City has plenty to pique your interest.

If you’re someone who enjoys learning little-known facts, testing your knowledge, or simply having fun with trivia, you’re in for a treat. Below, you’ll find 60 trivia questions all about Kansas City. Some will challenge your knowledge, and others might teach you something new.

Take your time, have fun, and don’t peek at the answers too soon—they’re waiting for you right after the questions!

trivia questions about kansas city

60 Trivia Questions about Kansas City

Let’s jump into the fun part. Each question has four options, but only one is correct. Can you guess them all?

Questions

  1. What year was Kansas City officially incorporated?
    A) 1838
    B) 1850
    C) 1865
    D) 1872
  2. Kansas City is famously known as the birthplace of what music style?
    A) Blues
    B) Jazz
    C) Rock and Roll
    D) Country
  3. What is the nickname for Kansas City’s downtown area?
    A) Power & Light District
    B) The Jazz District
    C) The Crown Center
    D) River Market
  4. Which Kansas City building is known for its unique art deco architecture?
    A) Kansas City Museum
    B) The Sprint Center
    C) Kansas City Power and Light Building
    D) Union Station
  5. What’s the name of Kansas City’s famous annual barbecue event?
    A) BBQ Bash
    B) The Great American Grill-Off
    C) American Royal World Series of Barbecue
    D) KC Rib Fest
  6. Who was the famous jazz musician that got his start in Kansas City?
    A) Miles Davis
    B) Louis Armstrong
    C) Charlie Parker
    D) Duke Ellington
  7. Kansas City straddles which two U.S. states?
    A) Kansas and Nebraska
    B) Kansas and Missouri
    C) Missouri and Iowa
    D) Kansas and Oklahoma
  8. What is the name of Kansas City’s NFL team?
    A) Kansas City Warriors
    B) Kansas City Chiefs
    C) Kansas City Royals
    D) Kansas City Titans
  9. Where can you find the famous Shuttlecocks art installation in Kansas City?
    A) Country Club Plaza
    B) Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
    C) Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
    D) Kansas City Zoo
  10. Kansas City is sometimes called the “Paris of the Plains” because of what?
    A) Its many fountains
    B) Its jazz music
    C) Its architecture
    D) Its cultural diversity
  11. How many official fountains does Kansas City have?
    A) Over 100
    B) Over 200
    C) Over 300
    D) Over 400
  12. What river flows through Kansas City?
    A) Missouri River
    B) Mississippi River
    C) Arkansas River
    D) Platte River
  13. What is the historic train station in Kansas City called?
    A) Grand Central Station
    B) Union Station
    C) Kansas City Depot
    D) Main Street Station
  14. Which U.S. President grew up in Independence, just outside Kansas City?
    A) Harry S. Truman
    B) Dwight D. Eisenhower
    C) Woodrow Wilson
    D) Franklin D. Roosevelt
  15. What famous retail center was one of the first outdoor shopping malls in the U.S.?
    A) Crown Center
    B) Zona Rosa
    C) Country Club Plaza
    D) Westport Center
  16. Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is located in which district?
    A) River Market
    B) 18th & Vine
    C) Power & Light
    D) Midtown
  17. What year did the Kansas City Royals win their first World Series?
    A) 1975
    B) 1980
    C) 1985
    D) 1990
  18. What is the largest park in Kansas City?
    A) Swope Park
    B) Penn Valley Park
    C) Loose Park
    D) Jacob L. Loose Park
  19. Kansas City barbecue is known for what style of sauce?
    A) Sweet and tangy
    B) Vinegar-based
    C) Mustard-based
    D) Spicy
  20. Who is the famous artist behind the Kansas City Sky Stations sculpture?
    A) Alexander Calder
    B) R.M. Fischer
    C) Claes Oldenburg
    D) Isamu Noguchi
  21. How tall is the Liberty Memorial Tower?
    A) 185 feet
    B) 217 feet
    C) 265 feet
    D) 302 feet
  22. Which stadium hosts Kansas City Chiefs games?
    A) Arrowhead Stadium
    B) Kauffman Stadium
    C) Sprint Center
    D) Children’s Mercy Park
  23. Kansas City shares its name with a similarly named city in which state?
    A) Nebraska
    B) Arkansas
    C) Kansas
    D) Oklahoma
  24. The Kansas City Zoo is located in which park?
    A) Loose Park
    B) Swope Park
    C) Mill Creek Park
    D) Tower Park
  25. Which historic Kansas City hotel is said to have hosted infamous gangster Al Capone?
    A) Hotel Savoy
    B) Muehlebach Hotel
    C) Westin Crown Center
    D) Kansas City Marriott Downtown
  26. What was the original name of the Kansas City Chiefs?
    A) Kansas City Cowboys
    B) Kansas City Texans
    C) Dallas Texans
    D) Kansas City Monarchs
  27. Kansas City has the second-largest number of what type of public feature in the world?
    A) Libraries
    B) Fountains
    C) Museums
    D) Theaters
  28. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts was designed by which architect?
    A) Frank Gehry
    B) Moshe Safdie
    C) Zaha Hadid
    D) Norman Foster
  29. How many square miles does Kansas City cover?
    A) 200
    B) 310
    C) 320
    D) 400
  30. What is the tallest building in Kansas City?
    A) Kansas City Power and Light Building
    B) One Kansas City Place
    C) Town Pavilion
    D) 1201 Walnut
  31. In what year did Kansas City host the Republican National Convention?
    A) 1916
    B) 1928
    C) 1936
    D) 1944
  32. Kansas City’s streetcar line opened in what year?
    A) 2014
    B) 2015
    C) 2016
    D) 2017
  33. What iconic Kansas City dessert is made with a chocolate crust, a creamy filling, and chocolate curls on top?
    A) Kansas City Chocolate Pie
    B) Mud Pie
    C) French Silk Pie
    D) Kansas City Strip Pie
  34. What Kansas City landmark is known for its holiday lights display?
    A) Union Station
    B) Crown Center
    C) Country Club Plaza
    D) The Scout Memorial
  35. Which riverfront district is famous for its farmers market and historic buildings?
    A) Westport
    B) Power & Light District
    C) River Market
    D) Crossroads Arts District
  36. The famous jazz club The Blue Room is part of what larger museum?
    A) American Jazz Museum
    B) Nelson-Atkins Museum
    C) Kansas City Music Hall
    D) Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
  37. What Kansas City dish is made with slow-smoked beef served with barbecue sauce on white bread?
    A) KC Pulled Pork
    B) Burnt Ends
    C) Beef Brisket
    D) Smoked Ribs
  38. What is the name of Kansas City’s Major League Soccer team?
    A) Kansas City Kickers
    B) Sporting Kansas City
    C) Kansas City United
    D) KC Strikers
  39. Kansas City’s historic Westport area is known for its connection to what?
    A) The Oregon Trail
    B) The Civil War
    C) Jazz history
    D) Route 66
  40. What is the name of the large annual Renaissance festival near Kansas City?
    A) Kansas City Medieval Fair
    B) The Renaissance Experience
    C) Kansas City Renaissance Festival
    D) Crown Center Medieval Days
  41. In what year did Kansas City’s Union Station open?
    A) 1905
    B) 1914
    C) 1923
    D) 1930
  42. What is the name of the historic district that features galleries, studios, and performance spaces in Kansas City?
    A) Crossroads Arts District
    B) River Market
    C) Power & Light District
    D) 18th & Vine District
  43. Kansas City hosted which Super Bowl for its first NFL victory?
    A) Super Bowl III
    B) Super Bowl IV
    C) Super Bowl VI
    D) Super Bowl VII
  44. What is the nickname of the iconic Kansas City Scout statue?
    A) The Watcher
    B) The Plainsman
    C) The Scout
    D) The Sentinel
  45. What Kansas City shopping district was modeled after the architecture of Seville, Spain?
    A) Crown Center
    B) Zona Rosa
    C) Town Pavilion
    D) Country Club Plaza
  46. Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing Company is known for what type of beer?
    A) Wheat beer
    B) IPA
    C) Stout
    D) Lager
  47. What is the name of Kansas City’s airport?
    A) Kansas City International Airport
    B) Charles B. Wheeler Airport
    C) Union Station Airport
    D) Mid-Continent Airport
  48. What Kansas City sports stadium features a large crown-shaped scoreboard?
    A) Arrowhead Stadium
    B) Kauffman Stadium
    C) Sprint Center
    D) Children’s Mercy Park
  49. What iconic Kansas City landmark once housed the world’s largest working clock?
    A) Union Station
    B) Power and Light Building
    C) Kansas City Library
    D) Kansas City Star Building
  50. The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library is located in which nearby town?
    A) Liberty
    B) Independence
    C) Lee’s Summit
    D) Blue Springs
  51. What year did the Kansas City Royals win their second World Series?
    A) 2009
    B) 2012
    C) 2015
    D) 2018
  52. Which popular Kansas City park is home to the iconic Pioneer Mother Memorial?
    A) Swope Park
    B) Penn Valley Park
    C) Loose Park
    D) Mill Creek Park
  53. What famous Kansas City barbecue restaurant is located in a former gas station?
    A) Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que
    B) Gates Bar-B-Q
    C) Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue
    D) Q39
  54. The Kansas City Royals’ mascot is named what?
    A) Crownie
    B) Sluggerrr
    C) Royalty
    D) Homer
  55. What type of cuisine is served at Stroud’s, a Kansas City favorite?
    A) Italian
    B) Fried chicken
    C) Steakhouse fare
    D) Tex-Mex
  56. What’s the nickname for Kansas City’s bustling trainyard area?
    A) The Freight District
    B) The Stockyards
    C) The Rail District
    D) The Tracks
  57. Kansas City’s Science City is located in what iconic building?
    A) Nelson-Atkins Museum
    B) Union Station
    C) Crown Center
    D) Liberty Memorial
  58. What Kansas City street is known for its Christmas lights and festive displays?
    A) Main Street
    B) Ward Parkway
    C) Broadway Boulevard
    D) Wornall Road
  59. What year did Sporting Kansas City win their first MLS Cup?
    A) 2000
    B) 2008
    C) 2013
    D) 2016
  60. Kansas City is home to what major Federal Reserve Bank?
    A) Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
    B) Federal Reserve Bank of Missouri
    C) Midwest Federal Reserve Bank
    D) Plains Federal Reserve Bank

Answers

  1. B) 1850
  2. B) Jazz
  3. A) Power & Light District
  4. C) Kansas City Power and Light Building
  5. C) American Royal World Series of Barbecue
  6. C) Charlie Parker
  7. B) Kansas and Missouri
  8. B) Kansas City Chiefs
  9. B) Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
  10. A) Its many fountains
  11. C) Over 300
  12. A) Missouri River
  13. B) Union Station
  14. A) Harry S. Truman
  15. C) Country Club Plaza
  16. B) 18th & Vine
  17. C) 1985
  18. A) Swope Park
  19. A) Sweet and tangy
  20. B) R.M. Fischer
  21. C) 265 feet
  22. A) Arrowhead Stadium
  23. C) Kansas
  24. B) Swope Park
  25. B) Muehlebach Hotel
  26. C) Dallas Texans
  27. B) Fountains
  28. B) Moshe Safdie
  29. C) 320
  30. B) One Kansas City Place
  31. C) 1936
  32. C) 2016
  33. C) French Silk Pie
  34. C) Country Club Plaza
  35. C) River Market
  36. A) American Jazz Museum
  37. B) Burnt Ends
  38. B) Sporting Kansas City
  39. A) The Oregon Trail
  40. C) Kansas City Renaissance Festival
  41. B) 1914
  42. A) Crossroads Arts District
  43. B) Super Bowl IV
  44. C) The Scout
  45. D) Country Club Plaza
  46. A) Wheat beer
  47. A) Kansas City International Airport
  48. B) Kauffman Stadium
  49. A) Union Station
  50. B) Independence
  51. C) 2015
  52. C) Loose Park
  53. A) Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que
  54. B) Sluggerrr
  55. B) Fried chicken
  56. B) The Stockyards
  57. B) Union Station
  58. B) Ward Parkway
  59. C) 2013
  60. A) Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City