Belton, MO

The closest-in of this cluster's five outer-county anchor cities: a Cass County town with its own Main Street downtown just 17 miles south of downtown Kansas City on I-49, a few miles from the Kansas state line.

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Belton Fire Department's Station 1 on Main Street in Belton, Missouri — Belton Fire Department's Station 1 on Main Street. Photo: Tyler Silvest, CC BY 2.0.

What Belton is actually like

Belton was platted in 1871 and is thought to be named for surveyor Capt. Marcus Lindsey Belt; a post office opened in 1872 Wikipedia: Belton, Missouri.

Today Belton sits just a few miles from the Kansas border in northwestern Cass County -- Raymore is about four miles east, Peculiar about seven miles southeast, and Grandview, in Jackson County, about five miles north -- and the city markets its location at just 17 miles south of downtown Kansas City on Interstate 49, with the Three Trails Crossing interchange (I-49/I-435/I-470) a few miles to the north Wikipedia: Belton, Missouri, City of Belton Economic Development: Location.

The 2020 census recorded 23,953 residents Wikipedia: Belton, Missouri, making Belton by far the largest of the five places in this outer-MSA cluster -- more a genuine outer suburb than a small county-seat town.

Home values in Belton

The median sale price of a home in Belton, MO was $299,850 (about $300K) over the three months ending July 2026, up 3.4% from the same period a year earlier Redfin: Belton, MO Housing Market.

Evenings and weekends

Downtown Belton's Main Street, organized around Downtown Belton Main Street Inc., is the focal point for community life, hosting the annual Belton Fall Festival -- a two-day September street fair with local vendors, food trucks, and live music both evenings City of Belton: Belton Fall Festival. Belton Regional Medical Center anchors the city's other commercial corridor along US-71.

Getting around

Even at just 17 miles from downtown Kansas City, Belton sits outside the RideKC/KCATA fixed-route bus network, so there's no regional transit option for commuting -- I-49 and US-71 carry essentially all of the traffic between Belton and the rest of the metro, and a car is required for daily life.

Belton FAQ

How far is Belton, Missouri from downtown Kansas City?

About 17 miles south of downtown Kansas City via Interstate 49 -- the closest of this outer-MSA cluster's five towns to the urban core.

Is there a Belton, Missouri hospital?

Yes -- Belton Regional Medical Center, an 85-bed HCA Midwest Health facility on US-71 that's served the area since 1984.

Which school district serves Belton, Missouri?

Most of the city is in Belton School District #124; a small eastern portion is in the Raymore-Peculiar School District.

Does Belton have regional bus service to Kansas City?

No -- despite its proximity, Belton is outside the RideKC/KCATA route network, so commuting is car-dependent.

Nearby alternatives*

Harrisonville

The Cass County seat, about 20 miles south of Belton via US-71/I-49 -- both towns share Cass County government.

Excelsior Springs

The other Missouri-side small city in this cluster, on the opposite (northeast) side of the metro.

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Quick facts

County: Cass County, MO
Transit: Walk Score puts Belton at 22 out of 100, "Car-Dependent" Walk Score: Belton, MO. None of these outer-county towns are in the RideKC/KCATA fixed-route bus network -- KCATA's historical service area covers the urbanized cores of Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, per Wikipedia's KCATA entry, but that network does not reach this town. There is no local fixed-route bus service here, and daily life is car-dependent. Despite being the closest of these five places to the urban core, Belton is still outside KCATA's mapped RideKC route network.
Landmarks: Downtown Belton's historic Main Street district (home to Downtown Belton Main Street Inc.), the Cass County Public Library's Belton branch, and Belton Regional Medical Center
Commute to Downtown: About 17 miles south of downtown Kansas City via Interstate 49 City of Belton Economic Development: Location.
Flood & storm risk: No major documented local flood history stands out for Belton specifically; the region's dominant hazard is severe spring/summer thunderstorms and tornadoes.
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We did not find a well-documented, named local flood event specific to Belton -- rather than assert one, this field says so honestly. Confirm flood-zone status for a specific parcel via FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, since FEMA flood maps are drawn parcel-by-parcel and change as they're updated. The Kansas City metro sits in the heart of Tornado Alley and carries real tornado and severe-thunderstorm risk on both sides of the state line, rather than earthquake or hurricane risk. The deadliest tornado in the metro's history was the F5 Ruskin Heights tornado of May 20, 1957, which tracked roughly 50 miles from near Williamsburg, Kansas northeast into Martin City, Hickman Mills, Ruskin Heights and northeastern Grandview on the Missouri side, killing 44 people (7 in Kansas, 37 in Missouri) and destroying more than 800 homes and businesses -- still the deadliest tornado to strike the metro, per Wikipedia's 1957 Ruskin Heights tornado entry. The metro also saw a major, well-documented tornado outbreak on May 4, 2003. Spring and early summer (April through June) is the metro's peak severe-weather season on both the Kansas and Missouri sides.
Terrain, sidewalks & stairs: Gently rolling terrain typical of northwestern Cass County, with US-71/I-49 running through the west side of town. Walk Score gives Belton a 22 out of 100, "Car-Dependent" (Walk Score), with a short walkable stretch of sidewalks along historic Main Street downtown and car-dependent subdivisions and commercial strips along US-71 and Cambridge Parkway elsewhere in the city.
Nearest hospital: Belton Regional Medical Center, 17065 S. US Hwy. 71, Belton, MO -- an 85-bed acute-care hospital that's been serving southern Jackson and northern Cass counties since 1984, part of HCA Midwest Health HCA Midwest: Belton Regional Medical Center.
Property taxes: Missouri & Kansas rates →
Relocating here: Employers, licensing & the metro basics →
Zoning & HOA character: Local rules & HOA character →
Utilities: Electric service in Belton is provided by Evergy, and natural gas by MGE/Spire; water and sewer are run directly by the City of Belton City of Belton Economic Development: Utilities. Electric service across almost the entire Kansas City metro, on both sides of the state line, comes from Evergy -- the utility formed by the 2018 merger of Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L, itself tracing back to the 1882 Kawsmouth Electric Light Company on the Missouri side) and Westar Energy (Kansas's largest electric utility, formed from a 1992 merger of Kansas Gas and Electric and Kansas Power and Light). Evergy now serves more than 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across the western half of Missouri and the eastern half of Kansas, per Wikipedia's Evergy overview.

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Schools

Belton School District #124 operates six elementary schools, two middle schools, and Belton High School; a small eastern portion of the city is instead in the Raymore-Peculiar School District Wikipedia: Belton, Missouri.