STL vs KC (Kansas City, Liberty, Union: 2015, buying, college)
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What the hell does St Joe and and Topeka have to do with people in Olathe having zero respect or pride for KC?
Denver has small adjacent metro areas much like KC and they are more like StL than KC when it comes to having civic pride in the primary core city.
I disagree that this is even an accurate statement of reality. The entire statement is hyperbole: "people in Olathe having zero respect or pride for KC". You use loaded terms to create the scenario that you think exists, and then ask people to debate you based on the reality that you have created. Whether someone has civic pride in a city where they don't even live is subjective. How are you going to measure that? According to you, if someone wears a KU shirt in Missouri, they lack civic pride. It's just pointless debating you.
Since you specifically called me out, I had to defend myself. I knew what I was saying and what I meant. You obviously did not, and made a comment that made me look like I didn't know what I was saying, so I clarified it.
I wasn't calling you out I was stating that in fact there was cities over 50k within 100 miles. YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE SAYING AND MEANT, but that doesn't mean anybody else did thats why I commented. I do consider suburbs cities next time say seperate MSAs or CSAs close to St. Louis instead of expecting everyone to know what your actually trying to say.
Scrapping the bottom of the barrel today, eh? Bashing Kansas Citians (for another one upmanship on this STL vs. KC thread) by referring to your co-workers (many Kansas residents, I'll wager) as ignorant because they aren't familiar with your neighborhood? Pleeeze! Next time consider taking the high road by making restaurant recommendations to your co-workers instead of lamenting their "ton of ignorance."
You know ignorance means a lack of knowledge right? These people worked, and have worked, for years, within walking distance of one of the only truly urban, walkable neighborhoods in the entirety of Kansas City and have no idea what or where it is. That's ignorance, honey.
And I have recommended dozens of restaurants, so let's not put words in my mouth.
I used to work in a suburb, and we'd go out for lunch once or twice a week. Within a year, I could tell you everything to eat in the area and all of the neighboring suburbs. It's weird to me that anyone could be OK with having no idea about their home city and what's available within it. You really don't see that as odd? Then we'll have to agree to disagree (but frankly I think you proved my point).
While I spent a few years working in a small engineering office in Overland Park and hated every minute of it, talk about people ignorant of the city (actually just flat out mean spirited of hating of anything east of state line unless they went there for entertainment), I spent an additional 15 years working downtown and the plaza around mostly suburban white collar professionals. While many of the young new people were city dwellers and had a clue, most absolutely did not. Volker? Are you kidding me? There are tons of people in KC that couldn't find the River Market, let alone Volker. And I'm talking about people that work 15 blocks from it.
Tunnel vision. They knew their commuting route (I-35 to West Penway exit to office). And they often would complain about how bad that was saying how ghetto kcmo streets are ALWAYS comparing some aspect of kcmo to joco. If it wasn't that, it was the e-tax or something else.
It was like they had to be dragged downtown kicking and screaming and many made it known that they would love to find a job out on college blvd or renner blvd or something.
These people couldn't tell you where martini corner is, but would drive 35 minutes from their homes to village west and talk up how great kck is doing and how bad kcmo is doing, all while working in the shadow of six billion in new development downtown. I honestly think that KC's downtown could actually be like Denver or Seattle and it still would not be good enough because, well, it's kcmo and kcmo to so many people in KC is just fail to them no matter what. Village west is god's gift to the area while the P&L district was sure to become a crime ridden,money pit that would join all the other (perceived) failing money pits of kcmo.
I was always the guy that pushed for civic projects. The Liberty Memorial restoration, Union Station restoration, zoo expansions, bartle expansions, the initial power and light project that went to voters, the sprint center, a downtown ballpark and truman sports complex renovations, the light rail initiatives etc etc.
And while often people from the northland or lee's summit or liberty or independence would be apprehensive and sometimes ignorant about kcmo spending money on those types of things or having them help out as suburban residents, by far and large the most anti city people where from kansas that didn't even have a vote in the issues, yet could use them for free if they did get funded. They had to let it be known that they wanted no part in any of it and that kcmo needed to keep their hands out of the pockets of "the wealthy smart people of johnson county".
I absolutely never understood it and over the years it really got to me, especially when you combine that with the poaching and other crap that goes on in KC.
Kansas City would be an absolutely amazing city if the Kansas side acted more like an important part of KC and less like kcmo's biggest enemy/competitor. It really would. KC is already a decent place even with these problems, but I think it could actually be the best city between the coasts if the entire area ever were to get on the same page.
As a St. Louis resident, one advantage I find are day trips to other metro areas. We have 6 major metropolitan areas within roughly 300 miles:
Indy = 243 miles
KC = 248 miles
Louisville = 260 miles
Memphis = 284 miles
Chicago = 298 miles
Nashville = 308 miles
In this regard, Kansas City is more isolated - though it does have smaller metro areas within an easy drive (Des Moines, Omaha, and Wichita.
I enjoy BOTH cities, and enjoy the diversity each bring to Missouri. In Kansas City, I actually like the Westport area the most for nightlife. One thing that I notice in Kansas City is the absence of the older brick homes that are abundant in St. Louis.
As a St. Louis resident, one advantage I find are day trips to other metro areas. We have 6 major metropolitan areas within roughly 300 miles:
This is one of the reasons I considered moving to St. Louis back in 2001/2002 and one of the reasons I had considered moving to Austin, TX when my wife graduated.
This is one of the reasons I considered moving to St. Louis back in 2001/2002 and one of the reasons I had considered moving to Austin, TX when my wife graduated.
KC is definitely isolated compared to St. Louis and Indy which are two places that truly are the "Crossroads of America."
The unfortunate thing is that KC just does not have a large area of high urban density overall and the prevalent mentality is anti-city because most of the metro is overtly suburban in character.
Red herring.
KC's urban core is basically the same size and density as most midsized midwestern cities, although it is admittedly on the low-end of average, much like Cincy or Columbus.
And "most" of every city in America is overtly suburban in character. KC's ratio of core city to suburb is well within the bell curve, especially for the midwest.
KC's urban core is basically the same size and density as most midsized midwestern cities, although it is admittedly on the low-end of average, much like Cincy or Columbus.
And "most" of every city in America is overtly suburban in character. KC's ratio of core city to suburb is well within the bell curve, especially for the midwest.
Right. Even Chicago is highly suburbanized when you look at the big picture. It's not that KC is suburbanized, it's just that so many residents of KC (including even kcmo proper) are more anti-city than normal or at least anti kcmo. I just have never though KCMO deserved such lack of respect. It's no worse (and in most cases it's better) than similar large urban cities. But for some reason kcmo is held to a suburban standard. Too many people think kcmo should be just like overland park and that’s just not going to happen, from public schools and snow plowing. It’s just not going to happen.
People need to realize that KCMO is not a suburb, it’s a city with a historic urban core with many big city social and infrastructure problems that every large city deals with and they need to try to look at kcmo from a little different perspective then they do with Lenexa.
You know ignorance means a lack of knowledge right? These people worked, and have worked, for years, within walking distance of one of the only truly urban, walkable neighborhoods in the entirety of Kansas City and have no idea what or where it is. That's ignorance, honey.
And I have recommended dozens of restaurants, so let's not put words in my mouth.
I used to work in a suburb, and we'd go out for lunch once or twice a week. Within a year, I could tell you everything to eat in the area and all of the neighboring suburbs. It's weird to me that anyone could be OK with having no idea about their home city and what's available within it. You really don't see that as odd? Then we'll have to agree to disagree (but frankly I think you proved my point).
Seriously? Your co-workers are clueless of the Plaza, Crown Center, the zoo, Starlight, Union Station, Liberty Memorial, Power&Light? That is a ton of ignorance!
Your remarks to me, a Kansas City native, continue a seemingly natural propensity of condescension of the locals. No takers for lunch dates on restaurant row? Hmmm, . .
Last edited by smellykat; 10-28-2011 at 06:27 PM..
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