Independence
City in western Missouri, USA, a suburb of Kansas City, on the Missouri River; seat of Jackson County; population (2000 est) 113,300. It is the centre of an agricultural region; industries include steel, agricultural machinery, Portland cement, petroleum refining, and flour milling.
History
Settled in 1827, it was one of the chief river-ports in the early settlement of the West. Independence was the starting point for the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails, and later for wagon trains to the gold mines in California; it was incorporated in 1832 and re-incorporated in 1849.
| The 33rd president of the USA, Harry S Truman, was raised and died here, and he is buried in the Rose Garden on the site of the Truman Library and Museum. Independence has 22 entries on the national register of historic places including the Harry S Truman National Historic Site. |
