Located two blocks north of 92 Hwy on Clay Platte Way. Kearney is home to approximately 9,038 residents who were fortunate enough to find the best-kept secret in the Kansas City Metro. The city has a total area of 12.92 square miles of which 12.91 is square miles is land and .02 square miles is water. Founded in 1856 by David T Duncan and W.R. Cave, and was originally called Centerville. Centerville was composed of what is now the southeastern portion of the town. In 1867, John Lawrence began laying out plans for another small settlement around the newly established Kansas City and Cameron Railroad subsidiary of the Hannibal and Saint Joseph Railroad which was to build the Hannibal Bridge establishing Kansas City, Missouri as the dominant city in the region. As they grew, the two settlements of Centerville and Kearney were effectively merged, and the town of Kearney, Missouri was officially incorporated in 1869. Fun fact: On September 5, 1847, Jesse James was born on the James farm, where his family resided to the northeast of the site where Kearney would eventually be established. James formed the infamous James-Younger gang in 1866, which operated until the Younger brothers were captured in 1876. James formed a new gang in 1879 and continued until his death on April 3, 1882, when he was shot by fellow gang member Robert Ford. He is buried on his farm, just outside of Kearney.