Independence, Missouri

Independence, Missouri
City
Jackson County Courthouse in Independence
Location of Independence in Missouri
Coordinates: 39°04′42″N 94°25′10″W / 39.07833°N 94.41944°W / 39.07833; -94.41944
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Jackson
Founded	March 29, 1827
Named for	The Declaration of Independence
Government
• Mayor	Rory Rowland
• City Manager	Zachary C. Walker
Area [1]
• Total	78.42 sq mi (203.10 km2)
• Land	77.97 sq mi (201.93 km2)
• Water	0.45 sq mi (1.17 km2)
Elevation [2]	863 ft (263 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	123,011
• Density	1,577.75/sq mi (609.17/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	64050–64057
Area code	816
FIPS code	29-35000[3]
GNIS feature ID	2395422[2]
Website	City of Independence

Independence is the 5th most populous city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County.^[4] Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020, it had a total population of 123,011.^[5]

Independence is known as the "Queen City of the Trails"^[6] because it was a point of departure for the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe Trails. It is the hometown of U.S. President Harry S. Truman, with the Truman Presidential Library and Museum, and the gravesites of Truman and First Lady Bess Truman. The city is sacred to the Latter Day Saint movement, as the home of Joseph Smith's 1831 Temple Lot, and the headquarters of several Mormon denominations.