Kansas City News Blog

Courtesy of the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association

Forbes hasn't always been so kind to Kansas City. Just a couple of months ago, they called KC a ghost town. Buck up, KC. You are now a part of the "zone of sanity." I had no idea. But since housing prices only dropped 7 percent and the job market has only experienced a "ratcheting down" without the job losses of the coasts, KC is looking pretty sane. That's what columnist Joel Kotkin writes. He celebrates the organic growth of the Crossroads and the Plaza and talks up KC as an attractive relocation site for businesses thanks to KC's stability, family-friendly environment and easy everyday life.

But my favorite quote in the article -- and the truest -- comes from Mary Cyr, who explains city leaders desire for grand projects like the Power & Light District.

"There's a real kind of self-loathing here. We feel less than what we are. We do not know what we are as a city. We don't even realize what we have."

And there's hope for the future, KC. Kotkin says its "possible to project a very bright future for Kansas City -- and across the zone of sanity."

Unless there is a massive shift in conditions, the zone should see a return to prosperity earlier than places bogged down with excess foreclosures, shuttering industries, soaring taxes and ever-tightening regulation.

So much for self-loathing ... and no one wanting to live here ... and being fat ... and dateless.