DonFanucci

We may be moving to KC sometime next year (from San Diego, CA). My wife went to college there about 15-years ago (a small college--Rockhurst). We have a 20-month old daughter and a Yellow Lab (Boomer).

What's it like to live there? I'm a life-long SoCal dude...but I'm open to living anywhere, really. I love San Diego, but for reason's relating to my wife, a move to KC might be forthcoming. Of course, I'll miss the OCEAN and the balmy weather. But I won't miss the ridiculously high-priced housing market (median price I think has just hit $375K. You can't get a "decent" home for under $400K nowadays).

What is the housing market like? The school system? The people?

My wife speaks glowingly of her time spent in college...but qualifies it by saying it was 15-years ago...and that she really didn't get to know the city all that well (she'd go home in the summer.)

I love sports, trying different types of food, golf, and just people-watching. My wife is into the arts.

Any information is greatly appreciated!

Keith

I was a trailing spouse that moved to Johnson County, Kansas (suburban Kansas City) about 18 years ago. At the time, I thought of it as the end of the world and it was my last choice of several cities where my wife interviewed.

But my now ex-wife has long ago moved and I stayed in KC. It is a clean, safe city with a lot of charm. People coming here for the first time are surprised at the many trees, fountains and low hills. It is nothing like many people?s image of flat, treeless Kansas.

I _do_ miss the water (I grew up in Michigan), though there are plenty of places to boat or water-ski.

First, what it doesn?t have: major league hockey & basketball, effective mass transit and a bustling downtown.

The other sports (and college sports) are well represented. The mass transit hasn?t developed because it is easy and cheap to get around by car. In place of a good downtown, you have places like the Country Club Plaza.

When I came to town, the restaurant situation was pretty bleak. I remember how excited I was when the first mediocre Indian restaurant opened. But that is no longer the case. This is no longer a city with just BBQ & steak. There are great places for Italian, Indian, Thai, Japanese, etc. Though there is a shortage of places open late at night.

The arts are well represented. It isn?t like Chicago or NYC, but there is a thriving theater community, quality art museums (one world class), growing art district, opera, symphony, jazz, blues, chamber music.

The Kansas City, Missouri school system has little to recommend it, but the suburban systems (particularly in Johnson County as well as Lee?s Summit & Blue Springs in Missouri) are among the best in the country.

Oh, and if you do feel like traveling to get a taste of what you might still be missing, air fares in KC are extremely reasonable and the airport is very easy to get in and out of.

Keith

travelisfun

I agree with Keith's comments and wanted to add my $.02. My husband and I live in KC, MO (just a few minutes from Rockhurst, actually) and we love it. The housing market is great--but the good houses go fast. We found pretty much exactly what we were looking for in a house on our first weekend of looking. You should move to the "Brookside" area of Kansas City--it seems like everyone here has a dog and a baby. There's a great walking/running trail that follows the tracks of an old trolley route in this neighboorhood and if the weather is nice, you could sit all day and watch people go by--a LOT of activity. Lots of young families, young couples. You can get much more than a "decent" home for $200K in this part of town (although nicer ones will be around $250). If you are interested in a newer, suburban development kind of home, you could get a nice (not fancy) 3-4 bedroom for $175k easily.

We lived in Corpus Christi for a while and miss the water, too, but there is SO much here to do. Keith pretty much covered that. But the best thing about Kansas CIty is the people. Midwesterners are nice, friendly, and welcoming. We were greeted by all of our neighboors within a week of living here. One guy ran across the street to help us move in our washer/dryer. People say "Hi" to you on the street, are friendly in stores, etc. IF you end up moving here, you'll love it! Please feel free to post again if you have any more specific questions.

mclhart

I've lived in KC for my whole life and in the Brookside area. If you like mature trees, friendly neighbors and homes that range from quaint to magestic this is the area! However, with schools in mind, almost everyone goes to private or Catholic even though there are a few decent public schools, but they're not neighborhood schools. Johnson Co. is wonderful too if you want newer homes and neighborhoods. But don't overlook Brookside--St. Peter's, St. Elizabeth's and Visitation are among the best Catholic schools in the diocese and they're all in the neighborhood! Good luck!

Jocelyn_P

Don, my husband and I have been living in San Diego for the past ten years, and this spring we're opting for a different lifestyle and moving to Tulsa, OK with our two young kids. I know it's not KC, but I do know KC, and they are similar in many ways. From our perspective, with the obvious exception of the great SD weather, we're getting a pretty good bargain. You still have many of the cultural opportunities with opera, ballet, symphony, and museums (the Nelson-Atkins in KC is fantastic!!!), and many of the same sporting events, zoos, aquariums (no Shamu, of course), etc. As a general rule, though, all these things are more accessible and family-friendy. No getting stuck in traffic for hours on end, no parking a half mile away from your destination, no influx of tourists in the summer (no offense, tourists!). There are still lots of outdoors-y activities to keep you busy, and you get to enjoy the change of season. We have found the people in Tulsa (and KC) remarkably friendly, helpful, welcoming, and open. Although we can't wait for our move, of course everyone will perceive this part of the country differently, and you really should go spend some time there with your wife. Go to a Royals game, hang out at the Plaza, look at some houses/neighborhoods, and get a good feel for the city. Good luck with this big decision!

designmr

Welcome to Oklahoma, Jocelyn P!! Come down I-44 to OKC, okay?

Pumpy

I'm from KC but have lived in SoCal & TX among other places before moving back. If you have kids and are not planning on sending them to private schools, look into living on the KS (Johnson County area) side of state line. If kids are not an issue, then I agree with the posters above and would consider the Brookside area. I say this because JoCo schools districts are rated in the top 10% nationally & the KCMO school district is so bad the federal goverment has threatened to take it over (no joke). I hate to sound corny but KC is truly a great place to raise a family. Two neighbors on my street, besides me, moved back here from the west coast to start and/or raise their kids. However, we all agree we miss the weather and the ocean.

travleis

My sister used to live in KC and we were talking about Johnson County schools last year when US News & World Report (I think was the source) printed their top high schools in the nation. We noted that there was not a Johnson County school in the top 800. But there was one from Kansas City, KS relatively high up! Go figure.
Regardless, the reputation is as all the above posters have described.

cdfev

My wife and I moved from SD to the KC area in 1995 after living in SD for more than 10 years. There are advantages to both areas but have never regretted our decisions and we feel that our kids have been better off for it. There are more opportunities and less distractions in this area and there is just less stress in our life here. Community and schools are still the priorities here and there is less emphasis on looking good and material possessions than in Southern California...not that there is anything wrong with that.

duckling

Depends on where you are moving from. I see you are from San Diego. We moved here from Texas. I did not find people as friendly as others are posting here. I agree that Prarie Village is nice area. I like it myself. I currently live in South Overland Park. I don't like the radio stations here (no big band--no good local talk show..but good oldies and rock station). I don't care for the KC newspaper. The zoo is a joke--currently they have a new director and are stuggling to keep it open. SO!

Rockhurst is a good school--I plan on sending my son there when he is old enough. Girls private HS..St. Theresa's or Notre Dame. We currently send our kids to a private school. I'm not real thrilled with it, but frankly, public schools scare me. What with teaching evolution and the de-religion of holidays (Winter Break instead of Christmas break..why take a break at all then?!)..I just can't live with that. I think some private schools are better than others (St. Michaels' just opened a new school at 143rd/ Nall for example). I'm not familiar with the Missouri side of private schools. Houses are less expensive in Missouri than in KS.

I was shocked by housing here..you can find a brand new BRICK home in TX for 120,000. You can expect to pay double here--and the house isn't made of brick. Groceries are expensive. I was paying 1.59 for a gallon of milk. 2.89 here. Beef---I can't believe flank steak is 7.99 a pound here. I was paying 1.99 a pound in TX ..and it was black angus. Loaf of bread was 89cents...here 1.89-2.09.

IN a nutshell..come here with an open mind and perhaps you'll adjust. It has been 3 years for me and I'm still adjusting. I may live in the wrong neighborhood, have the wrong house, wrong type of neighbors (remember I do live in Johnson County!)...but it is just not clicking for me.

sister2

I used lived in KC for 3 years and just moved away. I found that it really depends on where you move from.I found alot of Nebraska, Iowa and people from Chicago like it here. I never really felt at home in KC. Most of the people I encountered had lived here all their lives and their parents/grandparents had also lived here all their lives. SO there was already a clique thing going that I wasn't part of. I lived in Overland Park (Johnson County)and had a good job. Hubby took a transfer back to our home state. I wish I had met some of the other posters here that talk of friendliness.

If you are into golf, there are plenty of golf courses. I really liked the running/biking trails that connect the cities to suburbs.

jwc

Our son and his family lived in Lenexa, KS which is in the metro KC area. He graduated from Rochurst with his MBA. We have been to KC many times and know it pretty well. We were living in San Diego when our son moved to KC.

Kansas City is my favorite city in the mid-west. However, I could never live there. Our son would also like to move back to California. Our son in his early 30's.

First, the weather is a big problem for us. We love the weather in Southern California. The people are not very friendly in KC which is pretty true of all the mid-west. The countryside is quite boring throughout the mid-west. There is not the variety that we have in California and the west. About the only thing in favor of living there would be the lower cost of housing. We found new housing to be about the same price as where we live in California in the Temecula Valley for a comparable sized home. It is definitely much cheaper than San Diego.

Jocelyn_P

First of all, duckling: what part of Texas are you from? Dallas? Houston? A small town? That makes a huge difference in your comparison. If you're comparing the cost of living in KC to a comparable sized city, okay, but if not, your argument is worthless. Of course a house in (for example) Big Lake, TX is going to cost less than in a larger metropolitan area.

Secondly, I grew up in the midwest so I have lots of family to visit. Whenever I go back to KS, MO, or IN, I am overwhelmed by the locals' generosity and helpfulness--without me even telling them I'm an "insider" because I grew up in the area.

Thirdly, thank you, designermr! My husband and I are really looking forward to calling your beautiful state home. We will definitely be heading down towards OKC (Norman, actually) during the fall as we've already declared ourselves Sooner fans!

sister2

Housing IS expensive in Johnson County. I have 3 sisters that live in Houston.One just had a house built in Pearland for 120,000. Another lives in Katy and purchased a home for under 100,000. These are nice neighborhoods and not run down. A nice just purchased a new home in Lewisville TX--10 minutes north of DFW--- for 140,000. New homes in Johnson County will run you 250-750 easy.

See--you are from the Midwest. To others who are not from the Midwest, KC is not friendly. It all depends on where you are from.

travleis

This talk of an entire city being either friendly or not is just silly.
No different than saying that a house in Chicago costs $212,000.
Where?
What part?
I've lived in major cities in each quadrant of the USA. First off, life is what you make it. If you're a friendly, cheerful, outgoing person, you attract the same from others. Look in the mirror if there's a problem.
Second, every city is comprised of neighborhoods, and individual blocks within neighborhoods vary a lot in character and "friendliness" to be sure. Just simple minded to imply that an entire city's people all share a trait like friendliness or generosity or bigotry or whatever.