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KC is underrated. It's no Chicago but def in my top 5 of Midwest cities. Half the people living there don't even realize what it has to offer.
The city core is amazing and the skyline and archetecture is great. Good history, etc. It's biggest downside is the sprawl. Even some if the burbs have nice unique things about them like Liberty or Parkville.
Portland unemployment sucks too still an awesome city, point is most people don't judge a city by employment. NYC has horrible taxes but it rocks still
More people should give KC a chance
I gave KC a chance for over 20 years. It caters to an overwhelmingly suburban demographic. Yes, the core is much more revitalized now compared with 10-15 years ago. I never said that the Sprint Center and Power & Light District were not great improvements.
The biggest reason why I moved was: jobs! I switched career fields and am now in the urban planning/GIS realm. THe salaries in the KC metro area paid much lower compared to other metros. Another reason I moved was climate. I hate summer heat and humidity with a passion.
With that being said, KC does offer great entertainment options, pro sports, and cultural advantages given its low COL. However, many smaller cities in the Midwest offer a much better economy with lower unemployment and lower COL. I am an extremely type A person and KC was just not a good fit for me. Period. If I were to move to a larger city I would prefer one that had good transit. I don't like driving my car long distances and prefer to live close to where I work. This is one big reason why I like Minneapolis- along with its extensive trail system.
I gave KC a chance for over 20 years. It caters to an overwhelmingly suburban demographic. Yes, the core is much more revitalized now compared with 10-15 years ago. I never said that the Sprint Center and Power & Light District were not great improvements.
The biggest reason why I moved was: jobs! I switched career fields and am now in the urban planning/GIS realm. THe salaries in the KC metro area paid much lower compared to other metros. Another reason I moved was climate. I hate summer heat and humidity with a passion.
With that being said, KC does offer great entertainment options, pro sports, and cultural advantages given its low COL. However, many smaller cities in the Midwest offer a much better economy with lower unemployment and lower COL. I am an extremely type A person and KC was just not a good fit for me. Period. If I were to move to a larger city I would prefer one that had good transit. I don't like driving my car long distances and prefer to live close to where I work. This is one big reason why I like Minneapolis- along with its extensive trail system.
Salary is lower because cost of living is cheap... you can live super nice in a city with a lot of urban amenities making very little.
Power and Light district and Sprint Center are nice... but there is more going on downtown and other areas of KC then just that.... Crossroads is growing big time as well.
Sprawl and transit suck, but thats about the worst thing for KC. Followed by weather.... summers suck (tho they are getting cooler) and winters are bitter cold...
the point is to say it barely changed in 30 years is ridiculous, the city in the last 10 years is like a completely different place.... the main problems holding KC back are the fact the metro is shared between MO and KS and the KS side doesn't want to invest in anything but itself...
Salary is lower because cost of living is cheap... you can live super nice in a city with a lot of urban amenities making very little.
Power and Light district and Sprint Center are nice... but there is more going on downtown and other areas of KC then just that.... Crossroads is growing big time as well.
Sprawl and transit suck, but thats about the worst thing for KC. Followed by weather.... summers suck (tho they are getting cooler) and winters are bitter cold...
the point is to say it barely changed in 30 years is ridiculous, the city in the last 10 years is like a completely different place.... the main problems holding KC back are the fact the metro is shared between MO and KS and the KS side doesn't want to invest in anything but itself...
I am not going to take a 30% cut in pay compared to where I live now just because KC has a low COL.
I said in a prior post that some of the inner ring suburbs have changed little in 30 years. I never said that about the urban core in KC, MO.
Weather is a subjective matter. KC has hot summers and very mild winters with little snow. (The area I live in now has received 200 inches of snow in the past two winters combined)
Yes, bistate cooperation (especially from JOCO) always seems to be lacking. The 90s boom years in employment growth in JOCO continue to fuel sprawl even further away from KC even presently. The economy of KC is very middle of the road. It is much better than the Great Lakes, but not as strong as the medium sized cities in the Plains/Midwest transition zone like Omaha, Des Moines, Madison, Sioux Falls, etc.
Unfortunate that Cleveland has some sorta stigma to the name. I doubt people honestly know about the history, culture and diversity. Not to mention some of the best suburbs in the nation. The old suburbs with brick McMansions always caught my eye. From where I've been, Rocky River, Lakewood, Chagrin Falls, Shaker Hts, Cleveland Hts, Seven Hills, Brecksville, Bratenahl, etc all have distinct and unique looks you don't find it many other areas.
I am surprised at the non-attention the Twin Cities are getting... Over 600,000 residents, four professional teams (8 if you include lacross, WNBA, soccer and minor league baseball) Miles and Miles and Miles of Lakeshore, Rivershore, and secluded bike trails. A world class area with tons of fortune 500 companies, home to UofM one of the biggest and best schools in the USA, not to mention a metro home to nearly 4 million..Also a world class theatre and arts center, with many museums and wonderful theaters. Also a great music city. And did I mention it's actually clean there...Really clean.
I admit I am a little biased when it comes to Kansas City. Overall, I truely love calling this place home, but we gotta try to get the crime under control here. The amount of violence and homocides in this city is just sickening, the stats will show how bad it is compared to so many cities way bigger. The mayor is a disgrace to us, spending more time in court fighting to keep his wife allowed to volunteer in the city hall with him, then he is trying to change the negatives here. Also, it seems everyone wants to live in the suburbs and work in KC, but the only problem is, they are driving the roads, cluttering the highways, but yet not spending any of the money here. Overall however, KC is a great great city, I always find new things to do, and you could eat at a different restaraunt every single day for years without having even tried them all, there are so many. Shopping is abundant, and for a city its size, it is relatively cheap to live in, even with the 1% city living tax that exists. Now if we could only improve our mass transit system and connect with the burbs, we'd be set .
so for a list, this is my few choices
1. Omaha- Wonderful city with low crime, great hospitals, and a real small city feel. Its growing fast, and there is a good reason for it.
2. Overland Park, Kansas- A suburb of Kansas City, with a heart and mind of its own. Medium sized city of about 150,000+ with a good portion of the city looking as if it just popped up overnight. It is a very clean city, and the people take pride in keeping their homes and businesses looking very nice. Also it is a very safe place, but the catch is, its a bit spendy to live there. Well below the U.S average, but rather expensive if you dont have a great paying job.
3. Kansas City- Where my home and my heart is, explanation listed above .
4. Minneapolis- Well defined city and beautiful to visit.
Last edited by Christian Missouri boy; 08-01-2009 at 03:22 AM..
How is Champaign and Urbana? Good college towns generally have a decent amount to offer, but I haven't heard much about Champaign and Urbana.
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