Quote:
Originally Posted by BigMover
We're a young (soon-to-be-married) couple (early 20s) trying to decide between Denver and Kansas City. Which city would fit us best given the following criteria...
- We want a vibrant, clean city with lots of arts and culture. We love ballet and a great arts scene.
- We are looking for great suburbs. Overland Park and Douglas County would be more or less what we're looking for.
- We are a young couple so affordability is important. My career field is lucrative, but we're just starting out.
- We really need a family-friendly city. The whole "urban swinger" mindset is what we're trying to avoid.
- I love the outdoors and love hiking. We needs lots of parks and greenspaces.
- We are Trader Joe's-eating and Ikea-shopping yuppies. We need a healthy, organic-y kind of town.
- We are also a very conservative couple. We want one of those scary "I-voted-for-Bush-and-homeschool-my-kids" kind of families.
- We value education (she's a teacher). We want a well-educated city without the usual snobbery of super-smart cities like Boston and San Francisco.
- We love charming, older neighborhoods with cool cafes and bistros (Wash Park in Denver is a lot of fun for us).
- Good economy. Economy vibrancy is a big deal.
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Overall, I would say Douglas County, Colorado would be a much better fit for you.
1) "We are a young couple so affordability is important. My career field is lucrative, but we're just starting out."
This is a bit more challenging. You would more likely to find greater affordability further southeast in Douglas County or neighboring Elbert County. Highlands Ranch or Parker come to mind. Looking long-term, you will enjoy the more rapid appreciation of property in suburban Denver compared to KC!
Advantage= Douglas County from an RE investment perspective.
2)"We really need a family-friendly city. The whole "urban swinger" mindset is what we're trying to avoid."
Douglas County is a "boomburg" so has a fast growing younger population with lots of families. Castle Rock seems to quite a desirable place for many to relocate to. The county is loaded with newer construction compared to other suburban areas.
JOCO, on the other hand, is a bit older and more established in many areas by comparison. The newer developments in JOCO are mainly found in south Overland Park, south Leawood, and areas of Olathe.
Advantage= A tie. Both have a number of pockets of ultra-conservative areas. JOCO seems more religious IMO.
3) "I love the outdoors and love hiking. We needs lots of parks and greenspaces"
This is where the Front Range offers a big time edge over JOCO in terms of outdoor recreation opportunities. Douglas County is literally on top of the mountains. JOCO and metro KC has a number of reservoirs and some larger parks, but can not compare to metro Denver AT ALL.
Advantage= Douglas County WITHOUT A DOUBT.
4) "We are Trader Joe's-eating and Ikea-shopping yuppies. We need a healthy, organic-y kind of town."
Ikea and Trader Joe's? Those are definitely NOT in JOCO. I am not even sure those stores are in Douglas County, CO either. JOCO does have a Whole Foods store, but most large metros have similar offerings these days.
In terms of shopping, both offer a huge range of stores, restaurants, (many of the chain variety), etc. I think the Front Range is more embracing of the organic foods movement.
Advantage=Tied; It could go either way depending on who you associate with in JOCO or Douglas County.
5) "We are also a very conservative couple. We want one of those scary "I-voted-for-Bush-and-homeschool-my-kids" kind of families."
I have the perfect place for you. It would be Olathe in JOCO. Megachurches are huge there and Bush stickers are common. Houses there tend to be extremely cookie cutter, though. However, be prepared for more of a "socially conservative" atmosphere in JOCO compared to a "fiscally conservative/libertarian" atmosphere more common in the Mountain West.
Advantage= Tied;It depends how much you value a socially conservative atmosphere compared to a less religious more fiscally conservative atmosphere.
6) "We value education (she's a teacher). We want a well-educated city without the usual snobbery of super-smart cities like Boston and San Francisco."
Both JOCO and Douglas County are very well educated suburban places.
Advantage= a tie. (although some people in JOCO will look down at you if you attended a more prestigious university).
7) "We love charming, older neighborhoods with cool cafes and bistros" (Wash Park in Denver is a lot of fun for us).
I'm afraid you are searching for something that doesn't really exist in cookie cutter suburbia that is outside of a strip mall. Neighborhood cafes and bistros tend to be more common in inner ring suburban areas that are more established and substantially older. Northern JOCO would have a few more options in that regard, but most eateries tend to be found in strip malls! I don't know enough about Douglas County to comment on their offerings.
Advantage= Not really enough info to judge.
8) "Good economy. Economy vibrancy is a big deal"
The Front Range has much better long-term ecnomic growth propsects in my opinion. It is a place where people want to live, and a place where many people are relocating to. It offers a dry and sunny climate that is appealing to many. Although JOCO has a growing economy as well, it is just not nearly as appealing for younger people in my opinion. Some areas of JOCO are so conservative that most young people really do want to leave.
Advantage= Douglas County for the reasons I stated above.
Overall advantage= Douglas County
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