not possible before the construction of levees protecting North Kansas City from flooding from the Missouri River. The levee on the north bank of the Missouri River was constructed between 1909 and 1912 and is owned and maintained by the North Kansas City Levee District. The city is also protected by a hillside levee.

The city was incorporated on November 4, 1912. A five-member board of trustees was elected in 1914 to oversee municipal affairs. One of the original trustees was William E. Macken, who was elected as the first mayor of North