I agree with Dana 100%. I'm not originally from the KC,MO/KS area but I currently reside in the Midtown/Westport area (Dana, you could be my neighbor). I actually hail from North central Wisconsin. I've lived in Milwaukee, WI, Phoenix, AZ, and spent my summers as a youth in Chicago. If you want your children to have a good education, I'd have to say JoCo (Johnson County) would be the area, maybe Lee's Summit but that is on the opposite side of town. I like the Midtown/Westport (M/W) area because it is not as homogenized as the Plaza, JoCo (Prairie Village, Lenexa, OP) and some of the South Eastern suburbs like Lee's Summit. M/W has more character, older houses, more diversity but that also means that sometimes you may encounter a few undesirables. Housing (rent) is a lot cheaper too. I pay $675 for a two bedroom house. This is somewhat typical, but I did luck out in finding my place. :) It's also a bit more common to find alternative/progressive thinking people there too. Westport is the entertainment district of KC. lol Almost all of the night clubs the you hear people talking about are there but I've also found some of the best food in Westport too. (Westport is actually divided into two major areas. East of SW Traffic way, and West of SW Traffic way) Clubs to the east, food to the west. A broad generalization but mostly true. lol I hear many people complain about the drive but once you become familiar with the city you'll learn the corridors that will take you west quicker during rush hour than the major highways (435w, I-35s, and I-70w). Also one last thing: The public transportation in KC SUCKS!!!! Westport is also home to many many mountain bikers and has some of the best urban riding around. :> For information on KC check out: www.kcmo.org www.pitch.com (area alternative newspaper) www.kcstar.com (area newspaper) www.kcur.org (kcur is the local public radio station 89.3) Any questions? Just ask. - Michienne ps: Hardly anyone in my neighborhood has RR, my bandwidth rocks! -----Original Message----- From: owner-kclug@marauder.illiana.net [mailto:owner-kclug@marauder.illiana.net]On Behalf Of Dana Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2003 5:27 AM To: kclug@kclug.org Subject: Re: On my way to KC... a little help? As always, it depends on what you are looking for. Lenexa/OP Kansas is very White. If you are not White don't plan on staying long. Racism is alive and well in this area, just more discrete than it used to be. Also there isn't what I would call much of a city there. Lots and lots of new housing developments and malls and not much else. If you are looking for a more multi-cultural environment then you might want to check out the Westport area in KC Missouri. My neighborhood is culturally mixed, mostly blue-collar types with some professionals tossed in. 100 year old houses can still be had for well under $100K. Downside would be a half hour commute to Lenexa. Dana ----- Original Message ----- From: "Matt Graham" To: Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 11:23 PM Subject: On my way to KC... a little help? > Looks like I'm on my way to KC come Summer. (Accepted the Job.)