Commute from KC to Saint Joseph?

[Thrillcekr]

Originally Posted by redgirl

Hi,
My husband may be taking a job in St. Jo. We currently live in PA, and we are wondering how long a commute from Liberty to St. Jo would be? We love well-kept historic areas. We've thought of Smithville or Platte City. Are those do-able commutes to St. Jo. Thanks!

You would really be smart to concentrate your search along I-29 if commuting to St. Joseph is part of the plan. You WILL have to jump on 29 to make that commute and there are many nice places close to it with as many or more amenities as Liberty. It's 12 miles from the western edge of Liberty to I-29.

My recommendations are as follows. If you want to live within a stone's throw of mucho amenities then I'd say you'd be happiest in the areas around I-29 and 152. Retail, restaurants, and entertainment are springing up in this area like dandelions.

You've obviously discovered Zona Rosa which has a great deal of shopping as is. Phase II is currently under construction and there will be a Phase III. Caddy corner from ZR is Tiffany Springs Market Center which is now under construction. Phase I is set to open this spring and will mostly be your big box retailers like SuperTarget, Home Depot, Best Buy, Sports Authority, J.C. Penney, Chuck E. Cheese blah, blah, blah.. The second phase will open in 2009 and I have no idea what's going in there. There's the Lowes and Wal-Mart complex behind that as well as a couple of other shopping centers with crap like Chipotle, Borders Books, Houlihans and so on. One would think that would be it for awhile but it's not. Just about a mile to the west on the northeast corner of MO 152 and Amity is going to be another retail development called Riverstone which will be about 250,000 square feet. Basically the area is becoming a shoppers paradise.

You're right in your assumption that St. Joseph will not be comparable. That's not a knock on SJ at all. It's just a fact. Platte County is growing at a pretty good clip while SJ really isn't. The per capita income is also a great deal higher in PC. The county just recently made the list of top 100 wealthiest counties in the US and will continue to climb the ladder with all of the high end housing being built here.

I'm not trying to be pry but I can better guide you if you could outline your goals a bit as far as whether you plan to buy or rent. Also, what price range are you looking at?

Platte County in general is not building much entry level housing but there are a few places you can find it if you insist on new construction. One area would be Green Hill Road in KCMO which is very close to the area I've recommended. It's really the only new construction at the moment that is in the specified area that fits within the average Joe's budget. Here's the link:

Genesis Development Team

The Riverstone retail development will also be part of a new housing development but I cannot tell you about pricing. Single family homes start at the mid 300,000 range but there will be townhomes and I saw no price for those. Here's their link:

Riverstone

If you have 300,000 + then there are a ton of options. Too many to go over. If super cheap is what you want then you can only move a bit further south or north but you will not stay be able to stay in the corridor around 152 and 29.

To the south there are some older neighborhoods along Highway 9. You can find more along Prarie View Road just south of 64th Street. You will be putting yourself farther away from St. Joseph though. Not as far as Liberty but farther.

Going to the north you could check into Ferrelview but there's not much there. It's about a mile and a half east of the airport. Platte City is even farther north but it's really an excellent location for what you seek. It's only 10 minutes from Zona Rosa and 20 minutes from St. Joseph. There's tons of new housing options there at a wider variety of price points. You can also find a real bargain (sub 100,000) there once in awhile if you don't mind living in an older home that may need some updating. Platte City is still small but growing quickly. They're constantly getting new amenities. They have a brand new state of the art library and YMCA. There's a new shopping center called Shoppes At Northgate that's supposed to be under construction soon as well as a new Price Chopper.

Another plus is that Platte City is situated right on the intersection of I-29 and 92. I-29 takes you straight to St. Joe and if you follow 92 east you can be at Smithville Lake in 10 or 15 minutes.

If you're looking for someplace with a lot of older housing stock then you may want to check out Weston. It's close to Platte City and is surprisingly lively for a small town. There's tons of old victorians and such there. They also have a ski slope, a microbrewery, wineries, a whiskey distillery etc.. Weston also has a really great Irish festival with good live music. Weston Bend State Park is by far the most scenic and nicest park anywhere near the Kansas City metro. It's situated on heavily wooded limestone bluffs that overlook the Missouri River and you can see for miles.

Anyway, I've went on far too long. Hope you find this information helpful. If you have any further questions feel free to message me. Also, if you need a realtor let me know. I know one who actually lives in the area that knows all the ins and outs of Platte County specifically.

[Thrillcekr]

Originally Posted by northbayeric

Thank you--very much! I'm so glad I got the opportunity to visit St. Joe for the first time back in September, if only for two days. And I'm obviously thrilled that my wife is going to get to see it for her first time in two months. We're not expecting perfection by any means, and we'll have to adjust to the winter weather there. But my wife likes hotter summers, and the sun doesn't beat down as fiercely there as it does in California's Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys (she grew up between Sacramento and Fresno). So we're both convinced the "Big Guy Upstairs" is leading us to St. Joseph. Do you know that we will soon be paying $650 a month in mobile home park space rent--just to rent the space our house is on? There is no front yard except for a small patch of grass between the house and street, and the backyard is about 1/8th to 1/10th the size of the backyard of the house we're looking at in St. Joe--which is actually pretty good for a mobile home park in California. The cost of living is just stupid expensive in the SF Bay Area and in most of California. We are going to have a much better standard of living making 2/3rds of what I'm making here in northern CA. No space rent, a smaller house payment, less expensive things like license plate renewals and insurances--our fixed monthly costs should be much less there, even with higher utilities and sewer rate--which could be our biggest concern actually.

Some of the older homes in St. Joe are fixer-uppers, and then there are some that are really in nice shape that are totally reasonable in price. Neither my wife nor I have ever felt a strong connection to the community we live in, and we would love a place that's more slower-paced and old-fashioned feeling, but not anti-growth or anti-business. I've researched Liberty, and StJoeFanatic told me about Lexington several months ago when I mentioned it to her (a bit TOO small for us and not enough activity, we think). I just kept coming back to St. Joseph after feeling out other nearby cities and towns, researching them online. The natives should be really happy it has such a nice parkway system as well as Krug Park, Hyde Park, other parks, and lots of museums, historic houses and mansions, and a nice riverwalk along the Missouri River. And a great infrastructure--two interstate highways plus Highway 36 going east-west, plus what seems like a great bus system my wife and I would probably both take advantage of. It does need additional financial help, so I need to be mindful of that. Anyway, thanks for your well wishes for us! Keep us in your good thoughts as far as getting our house sold here in CA is concerned! That has to come first before we can move there.

Believe me, I understand your plight. I lived in California for 5 years (2 1/2 in L.A. and 2 1/2 in San Diego). I actually enjoyed living in San Diego a great deal but California in general is a very tough place to make a living. The home prices just keep soaring while it's simultaneously becoming tougher and tougher to find a good job.

You're not alone. I've seen quite a few people with license tags from both coasts driving around here browsing at homes. The economy has a great deal to do with it I believe. People are looking for ways to cut corners so they can still enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. They're taking the massive amounts of equity they've gained while living in these ultra expensive areas and using it to pay cash for a nice home in places like the midwest and the south. I can't blame them. Debt adds a lot of stress to your life and takes away from the quality of it.

[redgirl]

Thrillcekr,
We really appreciate all the helpful information. We definitely would consider Weston. We are looking for an older historic home that wouldn't require complete renovation for under 200,000. We would like to keep the commute to St. Jo under 45 min if possible. We would love info about the realtor you spoke of, though we will not be looking to buy until May or June of this year. I'll for sure be printing out and filing away your post.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by redgirl

Thrillcekr,
We really appreciate all the helpful information. We definitely would consider Weston. We are looking for an older historic home that wouldn't require complete renovation for under 200,000. We would like to keep the commute to St. Jo under 45 min if possible. We would love info about the realtor you spoke of, though we will not be looking to buy until May or June of this year. I'll for sure be printing out and filing away your post.

I would choose Platte City over Weston. Weston sits very close to a large coal power plant complex. I would not want to live on top of a plant.

[Thrillcekr]

Originally Posted by redgirl

Thrillcekr,
We really appreciate all the helpful information. We definitely would consider Weston. We are looking for an older historic home that wouldn't require complete renovation for under 200,000. We would like to keep the commute to St. Jo under 45 min if possible. We would love info about the realtor you spoke of, though we will not be looking to buy until May or June of this year. I'll for sure be printing out and filing away your post.

Yeah, it's possible. I would give you this advice though. Start looking early. Owners of those homes don't seem to vacate them as much so you may have to wait.

That commute is easily doable in under 45 minutes. It'd be more like 35 and only because you gotta travel 55 mph for about 7 or 8 miles to pick up the interstate in that direction. It's only about 5 to pick up 29 south going to the KC.

I wouldn't concern myself about the coal plant. If you even cared to begin with. I've already explained that this plant is several miles north of town but it didn't do much good. Clear out in the boonies (8 miles north of the northernmost part of Weston and probably 10 from the center of town). It won't burden you any. It really doesn't seem to have any effect on it's immediate area much less Weston.

Anyway, I'll get you the email address and number of that realtor. Let me know if you need any more help and don't forget to check your inbox for that info.

[ErinRN]

I have a unique perspective on this topic because I have lived in both St. Joseph and Platte City. My husband currently commutes from Platte City to St. Joseph. Something you may want to consider is actually living in St. Joseph. Their historical homes are beautiful. There are a few neighborhoods that are run down, but there are homes there that you just couldn't find anywhere in the KC area. Plus, the cost of these homes are going to be more in your price range. Most of the St. Joseph schools are very good, also.
I prefer to call Platte City home, though. The reason is that it's a nice little community just outiside of the city. The convenience of this town is unbelievable. There are nice historical homes, but they are rarely for sale. The schools here are the best in the area. Depending on where your husband will work, the drive to St. Joe will be 20-30 minutes.
From Smithville (which I don't recommend over Platte City), he could just stay on Hwy 169 and go right into St. Joseph that way. That would take about 30 minutes, but that road may be bad in the winter. Or, he could take 92 over to I-29 and on up to St. Joe.

[StJoeMOjo]

Born and raised in Joetown. Still live there and drive to KCK everyday. Rotating shift for the past TEN years (bought one of those large attics near 36 and 22nd and got stuck!). 45 minutes tops on Friday at 8AM (worst day/time I encounter). It is 100 mile round trip but I usually set my cruise on 78 until Barry Rd. then 72 to Kansas with minimal, if ever, slowdowns. P.S. moving to either Smithville (best bang for your buck) or NW of parkville SW Platte City area. I have two boys and one of them will start school next year. So I am looking now and Smithville had a housing boom (like Platte City) about 4 years ago when you could buy a home with a paper written IOU. So the market is flooded with whatever you can afford. Realtors can't sell them for what the owners think their worth and your seeing more and more forclosures. If your looking to buy, look now. Offer no more than 85% of the asking price or just wait for the bank to take it.

[GraniteStater]

The housing boom a few years ago also brought a FLOOD of cookie cutter houses to the market as well in towns like Platte City and Smithville. Personally, I really dislike the apperance of many of these newer houses from the outside. Since many of these houses were built at a fairly fast rate during the past boom, I would also look at some of the older homes as well if you desire a house with more "traditional" architecture.