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Kansas City info needed please

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  • Kansas City info needed please

    All,

    The wife & I headed to the KC area in about a month on a scouting trip for a potential residential move. We will probably looking at both sides of the state line, but are likely to end up in the Johnson County area because of schools, taxes, etc. if we do relocate.

    We have 3 kids, currently 9, 5 & 3. This is the one of the primary drivers for the move. The possibility to move much closer to extended family (currently its about 1,200+ miles to the closest relative). One of the kids has a medical condition that while not life threatening, needs to have regular, extensive medical monitoring to ensure a long, enjoyable life. The KC Metro area is one of a handful of locations that has a clinic established for this condition.

    Going in February to get the full effect of winter. After 15+ years being gone from the Midwest, its going to be a rude remembrance, I think.

    Any thoughts other than not eating at the Other Place? Thanks in advance.

  • #2
    Re: Kansas City info needed please

    Definitely Johnson County.

    Beautiful city. Great schools in Shawnee, Olathe, and Overland Park.
    #MACtion

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    • #3
      Re: Kansas City info needed please

      I'm not too surprised about the violations at The Other Place. Honestly, their food is extremely bad.

      Living-Arrangements:
      You're definitely going to want to look at Johnson County. I'm sure that you already know that Overland Park is the popular area, but the cost of living in OP (Overland Park not The Other Place) can get pretty high.

      Take a look at a map of Johnson County. For the most part, everything located south of I-435 is much newer in comparison to everything located north of I-435. Additionally, as you move west from State Line Road, the quality/price level gradually declines. Leawood is definitely the most expensive, Overland Park is second, followed by Olathe.

      Most recently I have had some friends move out to Lenexa, KS. If you don't mind being on the complete outskirts of the metro area, I would suggest checking out the Lenexa, KS area between Kansas Hwy 7 and I-435.

      I do not have any children, so I am not a very good reference in regard to the local schools.

      Food:
      You can't come to Kansas City without eating BBQ. Oklahoma Joe's is by far the best BBQ place around, but there are many other great places.

      In 2011, the Kansas City Star did a bracket challenge with 64 Kansas City restaurants. Each day people would go online and vote on each matchup. Oklahoma Joe's was the overall champ, but you can checkout this site to see the full results:



      Entertainment:
      Obviously the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs are located in the area. Unfortunately their stadiums are located about 25 minutes away from the Overland Park area. Other sports include Sporting KC and UMKC basketball. Sporting KC has an amazing stadium that typically sells out. Additionally, next year Sporting KC is hosting the MLS all-star game. UMKC basketball is horrible, but it's always fun to go watch teams like SDSU, NDSU, and Oakland play. Last month, UMKC hosted a game against Iowa State, and about 6 or 7 years ago UNI came down here and played as well.

      There are numerous concert venues including Star Light, the Sprint Center, the Midland, and many many more.

      Other notable entertainment items include the Overland Park arboretum, the Country Club Plaza, Legend, Zona Rosa, and the Oak Park Mall. I'm not too high on shopping, so I'm not the best reference in that regard.

      What other questions do you have about the area?

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      • #4
        Re: Kansas City info needed please

        I think the worst BBQ in KC will equal 2x the best "BBQ" in California. Thanks for the KC restaurant bracket. That will make for some interesting reading/eating.

        As for housing costs, we are potentially moving from the East SF Bay area. 4 bedroom, 2,000 sq ft home with 2 car garage (no basements) tract house will run $550,000-$850,000 depending on the area & house itself. Not talking about mansions, just non-bullet ridden neighborhoods. So, we are expecting to be able to get a much, much better place for a fraction of the cost. Certainly a major factor in relocating.

        My question as a business owner, is how is the local business environment? I know that Sprint is about to embark a giant transformation. Just wondering how the locals view that situation?

        Anyone have experience with the Google Fiber offering?

        Not to get ahead of things, but I am considering moving my employees over time to the KC area. Quality of life is the big motivation (being able to buy a house, raise a family, etc.). The biggest obstacle to that is the culture shock that most of them would hit moving from SF Bay to Kansas. I'm viewed as fairly conservative here, but would likely be viewed as moderate to leaning liberal in Kansas.

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        • #5
          Re: Kansas City info needed please

          I lived in Olathe for a couple years as a kid and loved it. We moved around a lot and my parents say Olathe was one of their favorite places to live.

          I've heard Overland Park is much the same. Great people, quality schools, and nice neighborhoods.
          Originally posted by TH1974
          This guy was all-UNI, and wanted to show it by pretending to play a non-existant musical instrument in public.

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          • #6
            Re: Kansas City info needed please

            I love the KC area. Yes the BBQ is amazing (Oklahoma Joes, Arthur Bryants, Gates, etc). I have an easy 20 min drive to get to Kaufmann stadium (Cheap tickets, lots of parking, easy to get in and out of). Right now google fiber is only in KCK and KCMo. Overland Park business owners were asleep at the wheel when Google was looking for candidates.

            Assuming you are from Iowa, the winters are much more tolerable. Last year I golfed every month at least once (and today)

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally from Cherokee, so have had the lifetime supply of shoveling snow at 3°F.

              sent from my Samsung Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk for one percenters

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              • #8
                Re: Kansas City info needed please

                KC area is nice ... have lived hear since 1995. Don't worry about winter. Not quite California but much nicer than God's country. Lots of days in the 30's and 40's with the occasional day that allows for golf. 17-18 inches of snow is average. Lived in Johnson County for 9 years and moved northwest of town 6 years ago. It was the right move for our family. Have two kids and didn't want them growing up around all of the money in Johnson County. Schools are extremely good out in the country as well. Stay away from the Missouri side.
                Last edited by panther91; 01-26-2013, 06:25 PM.

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                • #9
                  Re: Kansas City info needed please

                  There's an OP in Overland Park, what else do you need to know? We hve family in the Shawnee Mission school district. They seem to really enjoy living there.
                  "10% of life is what happens to you, 90% is how you react to what happens."

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                  • #10
                    Re: Kansas City info needed please

                    Lived there for 2 1/2 years for work. Great area!

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                    • #11
                      Re: Kansas City info needed please

                      i just turned down a job offer in KC. its really very similar to DSM. i will probably question myself for turning down more money but its important to us that our parents get to see their grandkids often.

                      anyways, when it was looking like we might be moving from DSM, we were definitely going to buy in johnson county. lots of UNI fans down there and its very similar to waukee/clive/urbandale. it actually seemed like we would get more house for the money down than compared to waukee, but who knows. my best friend from high school has lived in OP, olathe, and now lenexa. we are from the cedar valley and they are very comfortable down there. very similar schools, values, etc to iowa.

                      we were looking in the falcon valley area of lenexa.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Kansas City info needed please

                        A lot of what people a saying is very accurate. In Johnson county blue valley is probably the best school district with Olathe very close if not equal. Shawnee Mission is also a quality school district for the most part, however there are some schools that lag behind others. I currently live in OP and have 1 kid in blue valley and one starting soon. I taught there for 8 years and my wife still does. North of the river has some good districts also, Park Hill & Liberty are the two best, North Kansas City is also good, but has some rough areas. If you are interested in more info feel free to PM me and I can give you plenty as far as favorable neighborhoods north and south of the river also. If you need a realtor or mortgage guy I know two excellent ones and can give you their info too. Good luck on the move!

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                        • #13
                          Re: Kansas City info needed please

                          KCPANTHER22:

                          Hey. I live in Overland Park,KS. Considered the best schools (Blue Valley school district) in the areaThe best BBQ in town is Oklahoma Joes. Dont go anywhere first . Two locations. One near Town Center ( 119th and Roe ) and Olathe ( 119th and Strangline ( Near I-35 S ).

                          My email address is [email protected] if you need more info about anything.
                          So how are you a Panther fan? Are you an alum?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Kansas City info needed please

                            You really can't go wrong with KC. I moved here about 5 years ago from Cedar Falls. I think the answer of where you should live will be different based on who you ask.

                            Most people will say Johnson County, it's real nice down there. Good schools, entertainment, shopping, food, etc. My biggest complaint when I was looking to live down there...TRAFFIC. 35 south gets bottled up every night for the drive home.

                            I live near Liberty (north of the river). It's booming up there too. Commute to work (downtown) is not bad. Schools in Liberty are good, which Kansas City, MO families are allowed to attend up there. Crime rate is low. Plus, we are on the Missouri side. It's a little bit cheaper as far as sales tax and gas tax, stuff like that. Not big things, but stuff to consider.

                            Bottom line is, you'll be great to live in any Suburb of KC. Watch out for the urban core with kids. KCMO public Schools lost their accreditation a year or so back and while they have made strides, still haven't gotten it back yet. Good luck with the search and move and if you have any other questions, PM me.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Kansas City info needed please

                              KCMO public schools lost their accreditation - wtf??? Do you mean to say a diploma from a KCPS does not qualify you as a high school grad? I suppose that's a dumb question, but I've never heard of such a thing for public elementary/secondary schools. At the same time I have a hard time believing KC schools are any worse than many other large city/southern cities.
                              Last edited by Silent Earl; 01-25-2013, 03:36 PM.

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