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KC Lingo

Talk the Talk

Learn to speak like a local.

KC Lingo

KC Lingo

Here in Kansas City, locals have a language of their own. Check out this guide to uncover insider intel on some common words and phrases you’re sure to hear around town.

Beer Taps

KCK

Kansas City, Kansas.

KCMO

Kansas City, Missouri.

BOULEVARD

You may think this is a street, but locals know this as Boulevard Brewing Company, the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest.

P&L OR PNL

The Power & Light District, a downtown hub complete with more than 50 restaurants, bars, apparel stores and nightlife attractions.

Front of Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, with red flowers on the lawn.

THE K

Kauffman Stadium, home to the Kansas City Royals baseball team.

KCI

Another acronym for MCI, Kansas City’s primary airport.

THE NELSON

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where you can find KC’s signature giant shuttlecocks.

Country Club Plaza

THE RIVER

The Missouri River. Not to be confused with the Kansas River, aka the Kaw, though both rivers meet up near downtown KC.

NORTHLAND

Anything north of the river.

THE PLAZA

The Country Club Plaza, an outdoor shopping oasis architecturally-based on Seville, Spain. (Pro tip: Locals pronounce it PLAH-zuh, not PLAW-zah.)

435

Interstate 435, a loop that encircles much of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Diverse group of young adults sitting around a table, eating and laughing.

JOCO

Johnson County, a Kansas county in the southern region of KC that encompasses Overland Park, Prairie Village, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa and more.

MAHOMIE

According to Patrick Mahomes himself, a Mahomie is “someone who loves to help others and loves to be a part of the community and make the world a better place.”

KANSAS CITY NICE

Kansas Citians take pride in the hospitality we show — there must be something in the water here.
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