Every once in a while, we like to look back at where we came from. Whether that’s 30 years, 50 years, or even more, we see different generations of Kansas Citians who worked hard and kept the ball rolling for us today. Through the years, a thing or two has changed drastically while others have strangely remained almost identical. Let’s check out what kind of transformations Kansas City has gone through and see which ones have stood the test of time.

1. The junction of Main and Delaware in 1870.
Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views/Wikimedia Commons
You can see where it's divided, and just how much we've filled in the streets.
2. Union and 8th Street in the 1880s.
Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views/Wikimedia Commons
The streets have stayed in the same place, but the buildings are so much taller, it seems. We're not small anymore!
3. The Midtown Theater in 1928.
CharmaineZoe's Marvelous Melange/Flickr
Can you imagine going here in it's heyday?
4. The municipal wharf and freight house in the 1920s.
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/Wikimedia Commons
Businesses were so different back in the day.
5. ISIS Theater in 1929.
CharmaineZoe's Marvelous Melange/Flickr
Moving pictures with sound used to be revolutionary, and now they're standard.
6. Outside of the Wonderland Arcade in 1968.
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/Wikimedia Commons
Arcades used to be THE spot to spend your coin.

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7. The games inside the Wonderland Arcade in 1968.
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/Wikimedia Commons
They were so much simpler and cheaper, I can imagine spending hours here!
8. 1980s City Market produce.
ROBERT HUFFSTUTTER/Flickr
The produce is the same, but where are the crowds of people?
9. Our favorite lights in December of 1980.
Barbara Ann Spengler/Flickr
These lights are every Kansas Citian's favorite, and they definitely haven't changed much.
10. The beautiful holiday Plaza in December of 1980.
Barbara Ann Spengler/Flickr
Our favorite is the Plaza, but it's classically been the same scene for years.
11. The classic Crown Center in December of 1980.
Barbara Ann Spengler/Flickr
Our beautiful tree and lights are the same as we've always remembered, but they're somehow even brighter today.
12. Our Chiefs in November of 1980.
Barbara Ann Spengler/Flickr
Go Chiefs! The stadium's always this full, unless it's freezing outside.
13. Arrowhead Stadium in September of 1980.
Barbara Ann Spengler/Flickr
Of course, the cars outside the stadium aren't always from this era, but it's cool when they are!

Still want to walk down memory lane? Check out these photos from KC in the 1970s, the 1960s, or the 1950s to reminisce on specific decades.

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