7 ways Kansas City has changed since the Chiefs started their AFC Championship streak
Kansas City hype has grown in the past six years — and not just because of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs will play in their sixth consecutive AFC Championship Game on Sunday. The streak began on Jan. 20, 2019, when the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid faced off against the New England Patriots partnership of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Since then, the Mahomes dynasty has brought Kansas City to five more appearances in the championship game, including three Lamar Hunt Trophy wins and two Super Bowl wins.
Kansas City has seen a lot of change in those years, too.
From beloved businesses opening and closing to a new sports team and rising rents, the city has evolved. Here is a look at seven things that have changed in Kansas City since the Chiefs started their streak:
Hype comes with a price
In 2019, the median rent for a one-bedroom dwelling in Jackson County was $839, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development data.
Adjusted to today’s dollars, that’s $1,022, which is still less than the median rent for a one bedroom in 2024 of $1,189.
The median rent in Kansas City (for all bedroom types) is now $1,300, according to real estate tracker Zillow.
New tower on the skyline
In 2021, crews broke ground on downtown luxury apartment building Three Light, which joined its counterparts One and Two Light. The $150 million building welcomed residents in fall 2023 . Starting rents ranged from $1,350 for a studio to $6,573 for a two-bedroom penthouse.
Kansas City gets a makeover
Fans of Netflix’s Queer Eye were still waiting for Kansas City episodes to drop when the Chiefs headed to the championship in 2019. The inspirational makeover show film two seasons in the area with the first season released in March of the same year. The Fab Five turned their powers to area residents, like the sisters behind Jones Bar-B-Q in Kansas City, Kansas, and Wesley Hamilton, who in his episode met the man who paralyzed him.
A new sports team ... and stadium
The KC Current women’s soccer team didn’t exist six years ago. The club was founded in December 2020, after the former women’s soccer team left in 2017. Since then, the Brittany and Patrick Mahomes-owned National Women’s Soccer League squad had a 13 match winning streak in 2022 and is expected to open a new stadium this year , according to the venue’s website.
Closed, but not forgotten
Long-running businesses including Cinemark on the Plaza , Tivoli and Californos restaurant in Westport and Crayola Cafe in Crown Center had yet to close. These business shut down in 2019 and early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Kansas City and took more establishments with it. The Star reported in 2019 that restaurant closures were likely caused by increasing competition in the food scene.
Fresh flavors
The city also added many eating and drinking establishments since then. Billie’s Grocery in Midtown opened in 2020 and the year before, Rochester Brewing and Roasting Co. in the Crossroads and The Campground in the West Bottoms first opened their doors.
Taylor’s boyfriends (not karma)
And while Kansas Citians certainly know there’s more to life here than Taylor Swift, she did make a splash on the region with her Eras Tour stop in July before going public with her relationship with tight end Travis Kelce.
Taylor Swift had two other boyfriends before landing with Kelce in 2023. After an almost six year relationship with English actor Joe Alwyn ended in spring 2023, the singer began seeing The 1975 frontman Matty Healy.
Do you have more questions about changes in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
