Need opinions on living in the City

[aragx6]

^Not sure of exact numbers, but that's probably pretty true.

There's been excellent progress made at the hyperlocal level in many KC neighborhoods, but the simple fact is that for the poor to get pushed out (however one may feel about that pushing is beside the point) there's got to be something pushing them -- increased housing costs, property taxes etc. and that won't happen until gentrification speeds significantly.

But as long as the job center continues to move to OP that's very unlikely to happen -- more likely to help KC's south and west sides (which were never particularly bad to begin with).

[kcmo]

I have found it quite interesting just how close KC and DC are when it comes to racial and corporate migration.

It's not a complete match, primarily because DC has a very strong corporate economy and so much of the city has been revitalized. But the way the suburbs are growing is extremely similar to that of KC's suburbs both present and past patterns.

The close in VA suburbs which are very close to the heart of downtown DC and thriving west side of DC are where most of the new jobs are. That's where most of the office parks are going up etc. It's very much like how JoCo is to the west side and the most thriving part of KCMO.

While the african americans have been pushed out of DC and into MD where new jobs and new office parks are rare. The PG County suburbs seems to have peeked decades ago economically. Even so, there are some very affluent parts of PG County and the county as a whole is one of the wealthiest AA majority counties in the nation, but much of the area has to commute to DC and VA. The poorer people are pushed into MD and not VA and over time that has taken it's toll on PG County. Much like the eastern Jax suburbs are to KCMO. Ruskin, Hickman Mills etc. Lee's Summit reminds me of Bowie, MD or is heading that way. (a high minority population for an affluent suburb, but still few white collar jobs).

Also, when driving from MD into DC, you have to go through the worst parts of DC and some rough suburbs to reach downtown. When Driving from VA into DC, you don't get that. You miss all the rough areas of DC. Again much like how the MO suburbs and KS suburbs relate to KCMO.

Montgomery County to the north is sort of a mix of both (migration from DC yet still very affluent and plenty of jobs). But it still doesn't get near the corporate development that northern VA gets and it's more economically diverse than the VA suburbs. I find that comparable to KC's Northland (Clay and Platte).

There is nothing like KCK though. If only KCK were ANYTHING like Arlington or Alexandria rather than the freaky rural/urban and blightened city it is (with a mall way out there in the hinterlands).