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is a city in Clay County, Missouri, founded in 1952 and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. Like nearby North Kansas City, the city of Gladstone is now completely surrounded by Kansas City. Prior to 1952 this area was known as Linden. The population was 26,365 at the 2000 census. The city's informal nickname is Happy Rock, and there is a Happy Rock Park near the northeastern city limits on Old Antioch Road. The city is served by the Mid-Continent Public Library system and the North Kansas City School District. The city was hit hard by at least one tornado in the early morning hours of May 2, 2008.
Gladstone is located at (39.211752, -94.561687). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.0 square miles (20.7 km²), all of it land. The city is connected to nearby North Kansas City and Kansas City proper by Routes 1 and 269 as well as nearby U.S. Route 169, which sits less than a mile from the city's western border. I-29 runs near the city's southern-most tip shortly after its initial break from I-35. A handful of small subdivisions maintain independent municipalities along Route 269, which is also known as North Oak Trafficway, host to most of the area's shopping.