Why move to Kansas City, Missouri?

What more do you need to know?

for perspective on differences.

But you can easily move across the state line or stay in MO over in Lee’s Summit. The murder rate is actually up right now while most major cities are seeing a decline in crime.

Private schools are good and it’s a great area to raise a family (despite aforementioned murder rate). The city is really divided (which is a good and bad thing).

KCMO can vary greatly depending on where you want to live. KCK is either very near (the area around KU Med is a hop-skip from the state line), or very far and up north. Either way, it’s a whole separate town and fairly industrial.

If by KCK you mean the suburbs on the Kansas side (Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, Leawood, etc. — Johnson County or Shawnee Mission as a whole), it depends on how close you want to be to KCMO. You can be literally across the street from it, or 30+ minutes away.

School-wise, some of the best public schools in the nation are in Johnson County (Olathe, Blue Valley or Shawnee Mission school districts). If you’re in KCMO, you’ll want to consider private schools — of which there are many great choices.

Weather is fantastic — KC is one of the few true four season areas (and by four seasons I mean the seasons change every three months, on cue). Summers are hot and humid; winters aren’t horrible, but there is the occasional ice storm or snow dump. Spring and fall are BEAUTIFUL. Weather comes in and out very fast and can be severe at times due to the plains and the jet stream. Either you’ll love or hate the severe weather when it happens — but it’s quick and powerful when it comes.

Happy to answer any questions, though I think you’ll find plenty of opinions around here. I’m a fourth-generation native who is now living away from KC, so I might have a slightly different point-of-view that will be helpful.

Remember to:
Stay out of Raytown, and stay south of the river.

I disagree with gritsnyc – the weather here is God awful. Swamp nuts city in the summer.

Well I was born in Shawnee Mission, grew up in Shawnee Mission, Lake Lotawana, Shawnee, Lee’s Summit. Attended the Lee’s Summit school district from K-12 grade.
Played football and wrestled against most schools on the MO side of the line. Mother and Father are KU fans and I am a Tiger, who’d of thunk! Served or country in TX, MS, and back to TX. And back to Home. Home for better or worse. Lakes are plentiful to live on our just boat. Ozarks are close for that Big Lake feel. Weather is weather, get up and go to work. Commuting to KCK for work is not a problem from anywhere in the 8+ counties that surround Arrowhead Stadium. Raytown is a Place just like most for better or worse.

your not in the inner city the schools are above average for the area and the stadium is about 10 minutes down I-70, i havent lived there in the last few yrs(army) but everytime i go home Blue S is bigger and better

Plus Truman lake is nice and the ozarks are great, and the airport is pretty easy to get to. the weather is iffy ive seen all four seasons in one week but its no that bad

Give me Brookside or Waldo as a neighborhood.
I actually lived in Quality Hill, and I LOVED being downtown… but that’s not for everyone.

Arthur Bryants or Oklahoma Joes’ for BBQ.

Great places to hang out in Westport, Plaza, Midtown/warehouse district, and power and light (if you are a tourist or want to pay too much for drinks)

The stadiums are great, and reasonably priced (esp. to see the Royals)

I love the “urban renewal” going on in KC… there are great areas of the city coming alive now, more so than in many many years.

I hate the suburbs (sorry, folks) especially Independence and Raytown… but BlueSprings/Lee’s Summit, OP and NKC have their value, I guess…

KC is a great city, and there’s plenty to do… if you get bored, KCI is an easy airport to fly in and out of, and KC is close enough to StL, and the other midwest cities (I recommend Des Moines, my current home!) for great weekend trips.

is the boulevard system. I have never seen another major urban area with such expansive boulevards. The great thing about boulevards is that due to the distance between the opposite-bound lanes (~1/4 to 1/2 a block or more) the major thoroughfare is allowed to proceed for miles without a traffic light; completely unheard of in most cities. On the Ward Parkway, for instance, you can drive from 47th street all the way to 95th street encountering only 6 or 7 lights (recalling from memory, been in TX too long). Recall that for each numbered street there is also a -terrace and you have covered roughly 100 blocks with only 6 or 7 stop lights.

Also, the space between the opposite-bound lanes is filled with what is essentially park space. Not many cities have done such a a good job of incorporating the natural landscape into the the planning. As such, KC boasts a large area of greenspace within the city.

I live in Lee’s Scummit most of the year and love it. It’s a great alternative to being totally immersed in the city. I really like the area and as an avid traveller and roadtripper KC is “close” to everything. Mountains are close west, gulf close south, whatever suits you. I would input more but everyone else has covered everything so well.

then there’s no reason not to live here. Like someone else said, your money goes pretty far here compared to other places.

However, there isn’t a whole lot to do in KC. There’s worlds of fun/oceans of fun, Royals, Chiefs, BBQ, Strouds (fantastic homestyle cooking), KC Power and Light, Sprint Center, Westport, Crown Center, the nascar/irl race track with Legends nearby… and that’s about it.

The “metro” is seriously spread out, so to get pretty much anywhere, it’s a 20 minute drive. You want to go downtown, it’s going to take 20 minutes. You want to go to the stadiums, it’s about 20 minutes. You want to go Village West, 20 minutes. Casino, 20 minutes. I’ve live in 3 different places in KC, North and South, and everytime I want to go anywhere, it takes damn near 20 minutes. The public transit is nonexistant, so don’t expect to take a bus anywhere.

There’s plenty of bars, churches, and eateries. A few walking/biking trails. Whoever said to stay south of the river is retarded.

I think you are getting pretty good advice from everyone on here. I pretty much agree with everything I’ve read on here so far.

I grew up in Blue Springs (Lake Tapawingo, specifically)…which is a small residential lake in that suburb. Yes, there are many public lakes around the are which give the big lake appeal (Jacomo, Smithville, etc.) Tapawingo is very small (only 4 miles of road around it)…However, there was nothing better than growing up in a lake community. I absolutely loved growing up there. It is much smaller, so you are somewhat limited on what you can do (no waverunners are allowed because of the size). Granted the houses are packed in like sardines, but the view from your backyard are amazing and the community is very close to each other and very neighborly. The suburbs on the East side of the city have residential lake communities all over the place….Lake Lotowana, Lake Winnebago, Raintree, Lakewood (all around the Blue Springs/ Lee’s Summit area). Honestly, if you are going to move to the Missouri side, I concur that this general area is the place to be. Lee’s Summit has developed like gangbusters over the years, and so has Blue Springs to some degree. Their school systems are both above adequate. Otherwise, you can move to Johnson County on the KS side. It’s very nice and very good schools…However, the cost of living is a little higher over there. This is just my two cents.

The Kansas suburbs have the best schools, facilities etc, unfortunately it is totally white bread lifestyle wise. Grew up on 95th & Metcalf, experienced most of what KC has to offer. Lived in Brookside on the MO side during and after college, a lot more fun, but as I said, street & services were noticeably shabbier.

Hyde park is coming back but is still pretty ghetto. But you can get a 3 story historic landmark home for $150,000; a lot of the hipsters are moving there and renovating, probably a good investment oppty if you have the means.

We have awesome Mexican food as well and a whole lot more, only weakness is seafood.

MUST EAT AT STROUD’S if you do nothing else before you die in KC.

I moved to KC two years ago (from Edmonton, Canada) and I enjoy it here a lot.

Weather – like someone said above, it’s a great “four season” town. Fall is the best time of year IMO – nothing beats watching football and barbecuing on a crisp, clear November afternoon.

Food – there are great restaurants everywhere, and it’s not just BBQ. There are tons of great ethnic places for Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Ethiopian, pretty much whatever you want. Mostly very reasonably priced as well (if you like Indian, India Palace in Overland Park has some of the best curry I’ve ever had). Also some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had (although it probably doesn’t compare to Albuquerque).

Sports – the Royals and the Chiefs might not be the most successful teams, but they’re still always fun to go see. The new Royals stadium in particular has to be seen to be believed. Even my wife likes going, and she hates baseball. My only complaint is that the stadiums are way the hell out in the boonies, and there’s no public transportation (literally none) to get there, so no way to avoid the traffic.

Living conditions – where you live probably depends on what you’re looking for – Missouri has the “funkier”/more interesting areas of town, but it also has crapholes like Independence. The Kansas side is more boring, but would probably be a better place for raising a family (especially in Johnson county). There’s a LOT of variance in neighborhoods, so shop around before you pick one.

Entertainment/things to do – there’s tons of interesting stuff to see and do, especially in and around downtown. There’s several world class museums, the Plaza, lots of parks, basically whatever you’re looking for. Lots of concerts and live music as well.

Roast. Beef.

I was born and raised here though, I live in dreaded Raytown currently. I was born in Northeast Kansas City at St. John and Hardesty, moved to Blue Springs (lived right by Daniel Young Elementary), lived in Independence at my grandma’s after my parents divorced, then moved to Greenwood (moved again inside of Greenwood from Gambrell St. to W. Elm St. after my dad and step-mom divorced), then finally wound up here in Raytown. I would say that Raytown isn’t a “bad” place to live, it’s kind of been forgotten and that’s why I believe it’s well on it’s way to hell—but hey, we did get a new Hy-Vee and they’re currently building a Wal-Mart Supercenter and what’s supposed to be Home Depot where the old Hy-Vee was, I know, it still sucks but anyways…..I would say that if you were going to choose, then pass up Raytown and most of Independence, unless of course you like boring and/or aging suburban areas. But yeah, parts of KCMO and the metro are pretty cool, just depends on what type of area you want to live in, there are countless different communities and neighborhoods to choose from.

#$%^ cold weather. I love KC and Austin is hitting the spot for me right now.

They are okay but they are both low income neighborhoods that i am used to. I would prefer to be closer to D/T personally. Also i don’t have the responsibility of children or a significant other so that also could affect my views in comparison to yours. (again my point of view is towards the two specific neighborhoods in said suburbs).

I grew up in KC and I couldn’t get out fast enough. In all honesty, it’s a good place. It has a lot to offer including affordable living, good schools and amazing bbq. When most of the radio stations decided to go country and my girl at the time started trying to dress me in wranglers and ropers, I had to punt.

I happily call San Diego my home now. My only regret is that I only get to see the Chiefs once a year.

I was born and practically raised(15 years) in Liberty,MO thats only a half hour away from KC. My parents and brother all moved to KC late 80’s(same time as marty…coincidental i guess) but they came from the new england area..let me tell ya once you live there its hard to ever leave. Honestly since youre a Chiefs fan I’d prefer that you’d live aound Blue springs,Liberty, kearney or excelsior springs.those are nice suttle towns with good school districts. Hope you decide to move out there!