Jackson County · MO
Raytown, MO
Founded 1849 · 9.6 miles from downtown Kansas City · population 29,445
The market, last twelve months
Half of the homes that sold went under contract within 16 days. The median sale closed at 100.0% of asking - at list. 52% closed at or above the original list price, which is the better measure of how much room a buyer actually has.
Aggregated from Heartland MLS closed sales, twelve months to July 2026. Individual sale prices are not shown - Kansas and Missouri are non-disclosure states and MLS rules do not permit their public display. Ask for the full report if you need them.
How it came to befounded 1849 · where the name comes from · 6 dated events
Founded around the blacksmith shop of William Ray, born in Butler County, Ohio in 1808, who moved to Jackson County about 1848 and set up directly on the Santa Fe Trail. The National Park Service dates the establishment of Raytown to 1849. Ray's shop outfitted westbound emigrants with horseshoes, ox yokes, wagon wheels, cookware and iron parts and became a known landmark about one day out from Independence; it appears in emigrant letters and diaries. source
The name. From William Ray's blacksmith shop. The place was first called Ray's Town, contracted to Raytown by 1854. source
Incorporated as a city on July 17, 1950, after a public hearing - residents wanted to avoid annexation by Kansas City and govern themselves. At incorporation Raytown covered about two square miles with roughly 1,000 residents. The city marked its 75th anniversary in 2025. source
- 1836Archibald and Sally Rice settle the site of the Rice-Tremonti homestead, building the farmhouse in 1844. source
- 1849William Ray establishes his blacksmith shop on the Santa Fe Trail; the settlement around it becomes Ray's Town. source
- 1863The Rice-Tremonti homestead survives the Civil War and the forced depopulation of rural Jackson County under General Order No. 11 in 1863. source
- 1903Eight independent elementary schools in the area consolidate - the origin of the present school district. source
- 1950Raytown incorporates on July 17 to avoid annexation by Kansas City; it covered about two square miles and roughly 1,000 people at the time. source
- 1979The Rice-Tremonti Home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 2. source
The housing stockmedian built 1959
The median home sold here was built in 1959. Most of what sells was built between 1950 and 1979. That closely matches the Census figure of 1962 for all housing, so sales are broadly representative of the stock. 47% of sales included finished basement space beyond the above-grade footprint - which matters here, because square footage quoted above grade can understate a house considerably.
Census records the mix as 82.1% single-family detached, 2.5% single-family attached, 14.7% in multi-unit structures., with 65.1% owner-occupied. source
By property type, sales broke down as Single Family (461), Half Duplex (9), Townhouse (9), Condo/Loft (4).
What's hereRice-Tremonti Home, Raytown Historical Society Museum and more
Raytown grew up on the Santa Fe Trail, about eight miles south of Independence, and is probably the second-oldest town in Jackson County. source
The Rice-Tremonti Home, built in 1844, is the greater Kansas City area's oldest surviving residential structure and stands in Raytown; the surrounding homestead was one of the best-known campsites on the Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails and is named in many emigrant diaries. source
Raytown has three sites on the National Register of Historic Places. source
- Rice-Tremonti Home
- 8801 E. 66th Street. Gothic Revival farmhouse of 1844 on a homestead first settled in 1836; the oldest surviving house in the Kansas City area, a major trail campsite, listed on the National Register March 2, 1979. Bought by Dr. Louis G. Tremonti in 1935 and by the Friends of the Rice-Tremonti Home Association in 1987. source
- Raytown Historical Society Museum
- 9705 E. 63rd Street, sitting directly on the historic Santa Fe Trail alignment. Recreates a period general store and blacksmith shop with original artifacts. source
- Cave Spring
- A trail-era spring site, one of Raytown's historic properties. source
- Rock Island Corridor trail
- Rail-trail through the city for walking and cycling. source
Neighborhoods with their own market data2 with enough sales to report
2 subdivisions in Raytown had enough closed sales in the last twelve months to report on individually.
| Subdivision | Sold | Median price | $/sq ft | Days | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwood | 40 | $237,500 | $187 | 11 | 1960 |
| Gregory Heights | 25 | $169,000 | $185 | 16 | 1953 |
Practical detailschool district · highways and transit · 2 employers
- Schools
- Raytown Quality Schools (Raytown C-2 School District). Boundaries do not follow city limits, and in Raytown the gap is unusually large: the district covers about 32 square miles while the city covers about 10. A substantial share of the district's students live at Kansas City, Missouri addresses. Check the address, not the city name. Confirm the assigned school for any specific address before you rely on it. source
- Getting around
- Missouri Route 350 (350 Highway) is the main artery through the city, following the general line of the old Santa Fe Trail route out of Independence; Blue Ridge Boulevard is the historic trail alignment itself. Interstate 435 runs along the east side and Interstate 470 to the southeast. Downtown Kansas City is about 10 miles away in a straight line. source
- Employers located here
- Raytown Quality Schools (Raytown C-2 School District), H&H Color Lab. Listed as present in the city, which is not a statement about hiring.
People from hereTyronn Lue, Bob Allison
More images1 more from the archives
Thinking about buying or selling here?
The numbers above describe the market. What they cannot tell you is what your own house is worth in it, or which of these streets fits what you need. Ask me about Raytown.