The median household and family incomes can help paint a broader picture of how people live in their neighborhoods. Income information can determine whether community members are able to make enough money to afford living in their homes as well as define any possible inequalities in employment.

The graph above shows the median household income of the study area surrounding Troost Park compared to the Kansas City metropolitan statistical area. Since the 1990s, our study area has had a median household income that is significantly lower than that of the entire Kansas City metro area. The income in our study area, however, increases at a faster rate than the Kansas City metro. For example, the median household income of the Troost Park area increased 33% between 1990 and 2000 whereas the KC metro increased only by 10%. Although the income in our study area increases at a faster rate over time, it also has experienced sharp declines that are much greater than that of the KC metro area. Between 2000 and 2010, the income for this area declined nearly 30% while the KC metro declined 13%. This sharp decline for the neighborhood could be attributed to the recession of 2008 as well as the completion of highway 71 which displaced a number residents of the Mount Hope neighborhood.

The Troost Corridor was once a bustling retail area for Kansas City with sales surpassing those of the Country Club Plaza in the mid-to-late 1950s. Dress shops, music clubs, and theaters occupied many of the structures along Troost Avenue. Currently, the corridor tells a different story as many of these buildings have been left vacant for a number of reasons such as disinvestment and disputes over ownership of the spaces. The map above shows the current state of the Troost Corridor. While there are good community anchors such as Operation Breakthrough and the Kansas City Board of Education in our study area, the neighborhood has left a lot to be desired in terms of retail businesses such as grocery stores with fresh produce or other commercial uses.

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The photos above are two great examples of existing but vacant retail spaces along the Troost Corridor. These buildings are located across the street from each other near the southern portion of our study area. Both of these buildings have two floors for both retail and potential office space. Reviving Troost Avenue as a vibrant retail corridor will boost economic growth for Mount Hope and surrounding neighborhoods as well as provide new jobs for those in the community.

References:

Social Explorer https://www.socialexplorer.com/explore-tables OnTheMap U.S. Census Bureau https://onthemap.ces.census.gov/