“Motoring off Interstate 480 onto Rockside Road on a weekday morning, it’s hard to imagine you’re entering a small town.
Thanks to the offices, hotels and restaurants clustered near the interchange, Independence supports a daytime population of about 21,000 people.
But after 6 o’clock, Mayor Fred Ramos observes, “we roll up the sidewalks and go back to what we were”– a small town of 7,100 residents.”