Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the county had a population of 221,939 making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Liberty. The county was organized January 2, 1822, and named in honor of U.S. Representative Henry Clay from Kentucky, later member of the United States Senate and United States Secretary of State.Clay County contains many of the area's northern suburbs, along with a substantial portion of the city of Kansas City, Missouri. Clay County owns and operates the Midwest National Air Center in Excelsior Springs.

Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri. It lies within Jackson County, of which it is the county seat. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2010, it had a total population of 116,830.Independence is known as the "Queen City of the Trails" because it was a point of departure for the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe Trails. It is the hometown of U.S. President Harry S. Truman, with the Truman Presidential Library and Museum, and the gravesites of Truman and First Lady Bess Truman. The city is sacred to the Latter Day Saint movement, as the home of Joseph Smith's 1831 Temple Lot, and the headquarters of several Mormon factions.

Lexington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri. The population was 4,726 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies approximately 40 miles (64 km) east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It is the home of the Battle of Lexington State Historic Site, and of the former Wentworth Military Academy and College, which operated from 1880 to 2017.

Blue Springs is a city located in the U.S. state of Missouri within Jackson County. Blue Springs is located 19 miles (31 km) east of downtown Kansas City and is the 9th largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census the population was 52,575.