On my way to KC... a little help?

[JD Runyan]

I write this as someone who has lived in KC for the lion's share of my life.  
I honestly would recommend that you find a nice place to rent for the first 
year, and learn the city for yourself before you buy.  KC is a great town 
with lots of personality.  It is an old machine city that has shifted to a 
service driven economy.  There are some great places to live all over town.  
The biggest consideration to make is do you need a good school district.  If 
you do this eliminates a few areas quickly.   For the most part KC suburbs 
have great schools.  JoCo has set the standard for years in schools, and in 
the last ten or fifteen years the Schools north of the river, Independence, 
and Lee's Summitt have really decided they didn't want to be ignored anymore, 
and thier schools have become top notch as well.  I have given some comments 
on areas in town below.  I hear a lot of people say mid-town is great, as is 
wesport.  I would agree, and lived there when I was single.  I would not live 
there as married man with children.  If you like the areas near there, I 
would move 10 or so blocks south so you are just south of the Plaza in areas 
like Brookside, Waldo, or Romineli Gardens.

On Thursday 16 January 2003 00:04, admin at kclinux.net wrote:
> Kansas taxes are higher than Missouri on several things like property tax
> and cigarettes.  Kansas has better roads than Missouri, even tho road rage
> has increased higher on the Kansas side than Missouri in the last year (and
> you'll see why).

Not necessarily true.  The tax rates are higher, but it has been my experience 
that MO just asseses the taxable values as being higher, so the taxes I paid 
on a car that I drove while living in both states were actually higher in 
KCMO.

> > Can anyone tell me about the "zones" around KC?  I'll be working in
> > Lenexa, so I'd want to be _sortof_ close to that.
> >
Lenexa, Overland Park, Shawnee, Olathe are all going to be close, and safe 
bets for schools and houses and are close to where you will be working.  

Older parts of Johnson County you get less for your money, but the communities 
have more personality.  Areas like Prairie Village, Leawood, and Fairway   
along the state line.  You can look at Mission, Merriam, Roland Park for 
older suburbs with more racial and economic diversity.  I graduated from SM 
North, and it is one of the most racially diverse schools in the city.  You 
must keep in mind that KC is one of the most segregated cities in the 
country.  This is the history.  This is changing rapidly too.  I am seeing 
much more of a rainbow throughout JOCO.

Anywhere between Holmes and Nall and south of 55th or 63rd street are very 
lucrative buys.  This area straddles the stateline.  This area goes up in 
value very quickly.  It is a good investment buy, and depending on the value 
of your home in salt lake, you might be able to find a good sized family home 
in your price range.

Parts of Independence and Lees Summitt are nice.  The newer areas in these 
cities and the western part of JoCo are similiarly priced.  Independence is a 
very old city, so it has some run down areas, and it has some really great 
new developments.

Areas north of the MO river are very much a world of thier own.  There is a 
level of detachment from the rest of the city in the culture there.  There is 
a large Asian population in the Northland.  If you like a smaller town feel 
with the ammenities of the city, and access to the city then Gladstone and 
the surrounding cities are great.

I would avoid KCK and most of KCMO unless you know the city are used to living 
in a more urban area, and know the challanges.  Number one is the school 
systems, and often unpredictable property values.  If you are interested in 
living in an area that is closer to the city look in the areas near the 
stateline, and buy an investment house.  Something that you can turn over 
fast for more money after you discover the part of town you like the best.

> > I'm gathering that Overland Park / Lenexa is pretty Ritzy!?!  Will I
> > get more bang for my buck planting my family (wife and son) somewhere
> > else close by?  I must be close enough to attend meetings, right??
Yes and no.  There are houses in both areas ranging from 130K to your wildest 
dreams.
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