How is Kansas City, MO for living ??

Question

Planning to move..

How is..

Cost of living

Education

Climate


Thanks

Answer 1

A great place to live depending on where you end up. If you want the nicer, but more expensive place to live, try Johnson County on the Kansas side. Olathe is the 3rd fastest growing city in the entire United States, all of the schools are Presidentially recognized, one of the top ranked cities for parks and recreation, etc. (One of the above posters mentioned Blue Valley and Shawnee are the best districts; however Shawnee is having to close their schools en masse due to declining enrollments, deficient school funding, etc and Blue Valley is a smaller district that caters to the more wealthy communities. Olathe Schools is the best district in the State for dealing with children with disabilities and the gifted. The Kansas School for the Deaf is also in Olathe. Olathe is by far the better district in Kansas City.) Kansas is one of the top-ranked states for having the best roadways; however Missouri, especially Kansas City, MO is one of the worst ranked places in the entire country for having horrible roadways. The average per capita income for Johnson County in 2000 was around $30,000 per year, but the Missouri side is lower. The Kansas side is generally better all around for earning, living, etc. New housing on the Kansas side starts at around $200,000 average. Renting appartments can go from $300 a month (in run-down crime areas) to $1,000+ a month in the more upscale areas. If you insist on living on the Missouri side, try areas such as Lee's Summit, Briarcliff, or the Northland, they're closer to what it is like in Johnson County, Kansas. Taxes are higher on the Kansas side, but there's more/better social services provided. There is also a slight culture and attitude difference between Kansans and Missourians.

The Kansas City Metro area in entirity is excellent for College and University education. Depending on what education you'd want would dictate which school you would ultimately want to go to. You can get just about any degree in Kansas City, or no more than a 45 minute commute away. The University of Kansas is about 20 minutes West of Kansas City, the University of Missouri is about 1 hour East, Central Missouri State is about 45 minutes South-East, North-West Missouri State is about 1 hour North, etc. Within Kansas City there is MidAmerica Nazerene University, the University of Kansas City, Missouri, Park University, Johnson County Community College, Longview Community College, etc.

The climate here is extremely hot and humid in the summer, where temps can reach up to 110 and extremely cold and dry in the winter where temps can drop to -20. Ice storms are extremely common in the fall and winter, so you can expect to learn to scrape inch-thick sheet ice off your vehicle. We do get about one good snowfall each year. We DO live in Tornado Alley; however we do not get affected as much from them as other parts of the Midwest. We predominately get Super Storms and Severe Thunderstorms, from about March to October.

Kansas City is also a very historical area of the United States. Independance is where the trails West started, making their last stop in Olathe, Kansas before leaving civilization behind. Kansas City was the site of battles during the Civil War, with cities like Lawrence being sacked and burned to the ground. Kansas City also played an important part in the Mob history of the United States. The Union Station Massacre played a huge role in the reform of the FBI. There is a lot more, but these are just the highlights.

This is a commuter culture out here, so be prepared to drive everywhere. There is some public transit on the Missouri side in the more urban areas, but the system is defunct and deficient. The systems reaching out to the Suburbs are also deficient and lacking in number of routes, stops, run-times, etc. Be prepared to drive EVERYWHERE.

Crime is the last thing to consider. in 2000 Johnson County only had 3 murders, where as in 2000 Kansas City, Missouri had over 100+ murders. Crime is a LOT higher on the Missouri side.

Answer 2

Cost of living here is good, similar to most cities in the midwest.

Education is good in some areas. I assume you are talking about for your children? If you must live right in Kansas City, Missouri, I would recommend North Kansas City, or the Northland area of Kansas City. They have pretty good schools up there. But you should consider the suburbs of kansas City. We have TONS of suburbs...and the ones with the best schools are Overland Park-Kansas, Lee's Summit-Missouri, and many of the towns neighboring those areas have great schools.

The climate here is good for the most part. In the winter we may get two or three snows, and that's pretty much it. For instance, now in December, we have had one snow, but it is all melted right now. Today it was fifty degrees. It can change very quickly though...they are forcasting some thirty degree days coming up next week.
Summers are hot and very humid. Most summer days are 80 or 90 degrees. Some weeks we may be stuck in the hundreds.

Answer 3

I live in Overland Park, KS...which is a suburb of Kansas City, about 15 minutes from the Missouri side in Kansas. I work and go to school in KC Missouri.

Honestly, the cost/quality of living is way better in the Kansas Suburbs, like OVerland Park, Shawnee, Prarie Village, Fairway, Shawnee Mission, Mission, etc.

The schools on the kansas side are 20x better than the missouri side(all but the kansas city kansas district...the best school district is Blue Valley and then Shawnee Mission.)

Climate is very very random. Summers are hot and fairly humid, around 80-100 in June-August. Springs and Falls are beautiful and mild, temps in the 60's-70's. Winters can get pretty cold, down to 0, but its usuually around 40's. But like i said, its random...it was 60 degrees 2 days ago, and now its 30.

Bottom line, if you are thinking of moving here, live on the kansas side, not the missouri side. Everything is within 30 minutes on either side of the state line.

Answer 4

It is a great place to live! Sounds like everyone has already given you pertinent information. One thing to remember as far as schools go, Kansas City, MO schools lost their accreditation so you definitely want to live in the suburbs if you have school age children. Anyway, excellent place to raise a family but not exactly for any young thrill seeking clubbers!

Answer 5

I did a google search for free mammograms Kansas City and the titles of the links I saw on the first page of links said KU Med Center & St Lukes. So just do a search for all the info & phone numbers. Good Luck!

Answer 6

cost of living is excellent...

education, like mrsleslie said...depends on the area. Smithville has a very good school system.

climate...has its ups and downs, wait 5 minutes if you do not like the weather, it will change :) but in general it is not too harsh in winter or summer

Kansas City is a beautiful area, I have lived here for 16 years and fell in love with the place upon sight.

Answer 7

A nice place to raise a family.

Answer 8

A whole lot better than St. Louis