moving to kansas city

[piedad]

a job offer may mean I will be relocating my family to kansas city from upstate, New York. I'm looking for the insider's scopp om best neighborhoods and school districts as I have three children elementary and middle school aged.

[mike]

Most folks live on the KS side with kids or outside of KC proper due to poor public schools in the city. On KS side general opinion is the best districts, in order, are Blue Valley, Olathe, Shawnee Mission.

[katwomansrevenge]

mike wrote:

Most folks live on the KS side with kids or outside of KC proper due to poor public schools in the city. On KS side general opinion is the best districts, in order, are Blue Valley, Olathe, Shawnee Mission.

These are the most expensive places to live in K.C.MO. i was born in K.C. the best places are north of K.C.

[MamaD]

piedad wrote:

a job offer may mean I will be relocating my family to kansas city from upstate, New York. I'm looking for the insider's scopp om best neighborhoods and school districts as I have three children elementary and middle school aged.

You probably should look at Johnson County (on the Kansas side). Kansas City MO has some good neighborhoods but the taxes are higher and crime is more prevalent. The Shawnee Mission School District is very highly rated. Just drive around and look and compare. It won't be a difficult decision.

[LetFreedomRing]

We moved from North Carolina to KC in early 2005. Liberty Schools are awesome (so far!) if you are considering the 'Northlands', but the taxes are higher. They are building a new Police station/academy near Shoal Creek which should beef up local police presence, although, crime hasn't been an issue in our neighborhood. Steer clear of KC Kansas or KC Missouri school systems if you can. Clay and Platte Counties are really growing (MO counties north of the river).

[Sorry I did]

I just moved here from Central NJ. 4 months ago and if I had it to do again I wouldn't. There are no services here and the taxes are rising fast. There are few post offices and all the police are out on the highways setting up speed traps (I've never seen anything like it) The highways are second rate at best (MO side) very unsafe!

The people here are nicer then back east but the landscape is barren and without interest. The downtown area has nothing to offer and the housing stock totally cookie cutter.

My advice is to think it over carefully and plan for a short stay.

[Jerri]

piedad wrote:

a job offer may mean I will be relocating my family to kansas city from upstate, New York. I'm looking for the insider's scopp om best neighborhoods and school districts as I have three children elementary and middle school aged.

I would suggest Lee's Summit or the Kansas side. Kansas City has horrible schools.

[Chris Dowell]

piedad wrote:

a job offer may mean I will be relocating my family to kansas city from upstate, New York. I'm looking for the insider's scopp om best neighborhoods and school districts as I have three children elementary and middle school aged.

I am a real estate agent in Kansas City. Let me know what you are interested in?

Chris Dowell www.DowellTaggart.com

[Roger]

Kansas is about as cookiecutter and cultureless as they come and if you have kids,(and I don't knowhow you may feel about this!) they will brainwash them in the classroom because they continually have court battles about whether to teach magic (Creationism) or science (Evolution)to them!!!
Sure they have new Malls where you drive right up to your store of choice, hop out, walk in, and right back out. No sidewalks to stroll, no historic architecure, no financial district, no great art galleries or major museums to offer your kids, or even a professional sports team for you and them to cheer! KC has its problems with its "Public" school system sure, but we have fantastic private schools! Take a look here: http://www.universityacademy.org/ and here: http://www.kcacademy.org/aboutUs/history.html there are others also. When they get into High School take a look at Rockhurst High, St. Teresa's Academy, and Lincoln Prep. If not KC proper,, take a look at North Kansas City, Lees Summit, and Blue Springs if you like suburban living. But do not let the politics of fear which is so in vogue today scare you away from a city on the rebound like so many others of its size and have been here for 150 years or so. Not every place was an unplowed field of soy beans 25 yrs like much of Kansas and not thrown up overnite.

[FTBRAGGNC]

I was born and raised in kansas city. If you want the honest truth dont go to kansas city kansas there is to much chaos drugs and bad things that anyone who had a family wouldnt want to submit there kids too. Go to Leawood, Shawnee Mission(they have great schools)or Prarie Village, KS. those are some good options. Basehor, KS. is a good place to go....You can always go to the better business beaurou to find out what they are as far as there reputation and such. Good luck...

[Stephanie]

Hi Piedad,

I am from Elmira, NY...small world. Everything in the Kansas City area is focused on your price range for a home. After we know that then we can tell you the most popular places to look. If you are looking on the Johnson County side then you will be able to chose between the Desoto Schoold District along with the Blue Valley, Olathe and Shawnee Mission. They are all excellent schools! Post what you want to know and I can get the information for you!

piedad wrote:

a job offer may mean I will be relocating my family to kansas city from upstate, New York. I'm looking for the insider's scopp om best neighborhoods and school districts as I have three children elementary and middle school aged.

[Mary]

Good grief. Leawood & Olathe & Overland Park (all KS) & Lee's Summit & Indepence & very North Kansas City (all MO) are suburbs that are neither more nor less interesting than suburbs in other cities because they are all the same. Cookie cutter is right - but it isn't a midwestern phenomenon.

If you want more interesting neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri look to Brookside or Waldo, which are the Missouri areas right up on Prairie Village (KS) and Shawnee Mission (KS) areas. All are immediately south of the Kansas City, MO plaza area and all are terrific neighborhoods with great homes & access to both wonderful public and private schools. You just have to do your homework.

The Cost of Living here is excellent.

[Knight]

South Overland Park, KS is an excellent choice, choosing
somewhere midtown KC like Brookside and Waldo is borderline
Ghetto. Two blocks east and your in Bling Bling country...

Education in KC, MO is not for the weak of heart and I would
not recommend it. Johnson County Schools are better
and that include Shawnee Mission area.

Do some research, talk to your Real Estate Agent. Cost of living
is a relative term but compared to East Coast, Midwest is alot
less expensive.

BTW theres an ongoing never ending debate (territorial) peeps from the North (of the river) and South Johnson County. Pointless.

Welcome to The Heartland!

[Belinda Reynolds]

we just moved to KC MO and live in or around the Liberty area the schools in liberty are great and there is a lot of great shopping without going into kc

[SKG]

piedad wrote:

a job offer may mean I will be relocating my family to kansas city from upstate, New York. I'm looking for the insider's scopp om best neighborhoods and school districts as I have three children elementary and middle school aged.

I would not move to Kansas City but to the northland or to Johnson County, Kansas.

[Michael]

I've lived in KC for about 10 years now, currently entertaining job offers to move out. KC does a great job at offering low cost of living, excellent schools (on the KS side) and the ultimate in suburbia if that's you thing. It has nothing in regards to culture, (historic, art-filled,diversity or otherwise), attractions or community events. There are more movie theatres here per capita than anywhere else in the US...and that for a reason, there's nothing else to do.

[Knight]

I think one has to go out of there way to
find culture in KC but it is there...somewhere...
maybe....

[AJoD]

Knight wrote:

choosing
somewhere midtown KC like Brookside and Waldo is borderline
Ghetto. Two blocks east and your in Bling Bling country...

Can someone please explain precisely what this means? We're planning to move down soon from Chicago, and we've looked in Brookside and Waldo. Borderline Ghetto?! Yes, I saw black people east of Oak when we were driving around. Is that it? Your chances of running into a black kid with corn rows and a LeBron James jersey are higher?

It seems like a pretty nice neighborhood to me, and I'm having a hard time distinguishing real issues from irrational fear and prejudice. Any enlightenment on the situation would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Knight]

http://www.kcpd.org/

Click the links to Crime Maps (NEW) it's a PDF downloadable file.
Please note your approximate location and vincinity of Waldo and Brookside to the red blobs on the map of HOT SPOT areas of crime.

If you'd like I can post like the past 6 months of crime scene areas with locations and addresses in relation to Waldo and Brookside.

I don't make this stuff up. It's on the local news DAILY.

Is it the term "Ghetto" that has upset you? Would you prefer me to use better, more proper english words to describe that the locations of Waldo and Brookside border crime areas?

Here, lets try this.

I believe Waldo and Brookside are fine established neighborhoods
with diversified individuals. Some individuals that have residency near the Waldo and Brookside neighborhoods have a tendency to commit unlawful actions upon other citizens and thier property.
These actions, are of course have nothing to do with personal decisions based on income, race or religion. Our school system in Kansas City, Missouri is also very diversified both ethnically and financially...while we have a complex obstacle of keeping creditation (sp) and proper tax base to keep the schools open I'm sure your children will have a great opportunity to
advance thier education without any interference.

Good Luck!

[Knight]

http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/crime...

Here's another with a bunch of Stats.