This should not be confused with the Kansas City "East Side" and "West Side," a cultural distinction which has arisen from a history of racist segregation in the city, separated by Troost Avenue approximately 1 mile east of Main Street.
This section of Main Street is predominantly commercial and mixed-use, connecting the Financial District, Kansas City Power & Light District, and Crossroads downtown with Union Hill, Westport, and the Plaza Area in midtown.
It continues north as Delaware Street into the Kansas City River Market at its northern terminus and as Brookside Boulevard into Brookside at its southern terminus.
It is noncontinuous at 59th Street, 1.3 miles (2.1 km) south of Ward Parkway, where it is interrupted by Brookside Boulevard.
These portions service the South Plaza, Brookside, Armour Hills, and Waldo neighborhoods.