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I'm admittedly in the minority, but I have a much greater love for the Midwest, in terms of living, than the coastal cities I enjoy visiting, but always love returning home from.
If I were choosing between those two, I'd choose DC/SS in a heartbeat. I'm sure you also have to take cost of living into account, but outside of that, there's not much reason to choose KC in my opinion.
The salaries usually make up for the difference in the cost of living, at least in my experience. I lived in New Jersey outside of Philly from 2004 through 2009 and loved my stay there..... Higher cost of living than my current location of Omaha; however, salary was quite a bit higher than Omaha/Council Bluffs.
What would you consider the advantages of DC/SS over the KCMO area?
^Ha, depends on the industry. I'd actually make less money in New York than I do here, but I'd actually get to do what I specifically want to do.
But regardless, my reason for saying it would be an easy choice to take DC over KC is simple: far more singles. The average age for first marriage is later, and statistics aside just having a larger total number of singles would have to have a positive effect on your dating life.
I've never personally lived in DC, though we have family up there (we visited just this past summer) and the city itself is lively and its suburbs were very nice. Their weather isn't stunningly different than KC, though it's certainly more humid. If you enjoy weekend-getaway travel, the proximity to other great cities would have to be a bonus.
I'm sure others could share more -- one of our regular posters kcmo actually lives in DC now and I'm sure he'd be happy to share some thoughts. You should DM him though, because I'm not sure you'll see much of him anytime soon on this particular forum.
Well I go away for one day, and look what happens.
Hey all, I didn't mean to spark a debate here.... I merely wanted some info about the area.
Thanks to all of you who took the time to contribute to this thread -- I've found much of the information you provided to be quite helpful.
I have to choose between Kansas City and the DC/Silver Spring area, but no sweat -- just give me a few minutes while I go out back and hang myself.
Now I'm laughing! It never fails that a specific subject will get steered into somehting completely off key due to ego's, opinions or just plain thick headedness.....
Picking between KC and DC would be something I can say is not a real hard decision but I admit I don't like heavy traffic, expensive dwellings or high crime so it is KC hands down.
With the recent additions to the KC entertainment scene I would think you would be able to enjoy cheaper living, less traffic and tons of stuff to do. In the course of "Doing Stuff" you just may strike up a conversation and meet someone nice. That ball is completely in your court and you decide how to play it.
Now I'm laughing! It never fails that a specific subject will get steered into somehting completely off key due to ego's, opinions or just plain thick headedness.....
Picking between KC and DC would be something I can say is not a real hard decision but I admit I don't like heavy traffic, expensive dwellings or high crime so it is KC hands down.
With the recent additions to the KC entertainment scene I would think you would be able to enjoy cheaper living, less traffic and tons of stuff to do. In the course of "Doing Stuff" you just may strike up a conversation and meet someone nice. That ball is completely in your court and you decide how to play it.
Good luck!
Trying to decide between KC and DC has more to do with what one's career field is. DC salaries are the highest in the country and northern VA has a booming private sector (thanks in part to government contractors, military contractors etc). So one can make far more in DC than KC even when adjusted for COL. Some might prefer KC in a more affordable package. One has to admit that KC is just isolated from other metros of any size so you had better not be afraid of flying...
Reading through the replies. Well, I am mid 40s and I think that the most concern for dating here (I moved here from the West Coast) is for 20 and 30 somethings. That is where I hear the most complaints. Sadly, I moved to the Missouri (Mis-er-y) side and it's redneck city. Had I known it was like this prior to moving here I would have set my stakes on the KS side. So, if rednecks are your type, the MO side is the place to be for middle aged single men. I spend most of my time away from home on the KS side and the men seem a bit pretentious. It's like cowboys wearing tuxedos. So, I'm still not real impressed. I think I will just remain single here and enjoy my brief stay until I move back to the West Coast where more of my type exist. Good luck :-)
No, you didn’t do anything. I post a ton of promo posts for KC, but I also post a lot of things that people don’t want to hear and people would rather ignore. KC has a lot of issues that most in KC like to pretend don’t exist. I discuss the positives and negatives of KC and that gets me attacked on a personal level, called out in threads, etc. That’s why I’m done with this forum.
To defend myself to this quote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by xenokc
^Yeah, it's astounding the amount of misinformation about KC on this site. And it's coming from people who don't live in KC anymore with no stats to support their self-proclaimed 'anecdotally my view so it's the only view' information. A lot of the misinformation here smells of people who had a bad experience here, such as losing their job, and have radically misconstrued perceptions and confidently post bogus info, and will even repeat crap when shown otherwise.
I’m as Kansas City as you can get. I spent thankgiving diner at my uncle’s beautiful south plaza home with family and we did our traditional walk to the plaza for the lighting after dinner.
But I do not miss Kansas City at all. I only miss our family there, and we still see them often because they love coming out to the east coast. I do love south plaza/brookside, the plaza and parts of downtown, but the rest of KC really leaves a lot to be desired. My views of KC are soley based on comparisons to other cities and not some “bad experience” losing my job in KC was the best thing that has ever happened. My wife and I both have MUCH better jobs now in a city and area we like and our kids like a lot. But I still want to see KC improve. It’s my hometown and one of the better cities in the Midwest, but the only reason we would return to be near family.
Before I came to this forum, there was very little positive said about KCMO proper. Most posts were about how great Johnson County is and it was a very poor impression of the city to outsiders looking for something more metropolitan or urban. So I have tried to put the city in the best light possible with my photos, things to do, places to live, etc. But the city and metro still has a lot of problems, crime, the state line, the corporate welfare, the blight, the very low density sprawl etc and the city still needs to address some issues like KCI, downtown hotels, transit, regional cooperation etc, which keep the city from reaching its potential.
I have spent way too much time talking up KC only to get attacked by people in KC for saying negative things about KC which NEED to be said by somebody. My post are 10 to 1 positive to negative though.
I have been saying KCI needs a new terminal for 15 years and mr xenokc who used to rip me for saying that is now supporting it and still finding ways to rip my KCI posts at the same time.
I have contributed FAR more positive posts to people relocating to KC over the years than he and most of my other attackers ever will. I have many PM messages showing that my post have helped people move to KC when otherwise they would not have given the city a second look. But xenoke can have it now, he has come in here and played the good guy well, so go for it, it’s all yours.
Anyway, as far a KC vs DC. I would go with DC in a heartbeat if you have no ties to either city. It’s just a nicer place to live, more populated, more active, more adult oriented etc. The only reason I would pick KC over DC is if you have family there or if you simply want a slower pace or very low cost of living.
KC is all about college sports and bass pro shops for the most part. It’s a very blue collar city with a lot of white collar jobs. I love KC, but the general demographics of the area is not very “big city” at all. It’s a giant small town. Some people like that. I personally don’t like it. Having said that, you don’t have to live like that in KC. I’m sure most people that live downtown etc are more urban oriented etc. But the metro as a whole just has a different feel than that what I personally prefer and I attribute most of that to its isolated Midwestern location, regardless of what stats are posted, KC takes on a similar culture as the rural Midwest it lies in and draws from. Pretty much a no brainer if you ask me.
I work in downtown Silver Spring and it’s a decent area. I couldn’t tell you about the dating scene there, but I’m pretty sure you would have more luck in DC than KC. People marry very young in KC and stay married or remarry. I think you will find that DC will offer much more in the dating scene at any age as well as more things to do on dates. Silver Spring is on the DC border and a ten minute ride to downtown via the red line and new condo buildings are going up like crazy. Rockville, Bethesda etc are nearby too.
KC is one of the best cities if you want perfect suburbs, decent schools and no traffic though. It’s just a bit more anti city/urban than I care for though.
But seriously, I doubt I will be posting any more information threads (although I will come in here and defend myself if I get called out). Before I was pulled into this thread I was working on a new thread to replace the sticky at the top of the KC forum and a moderator was going to clean it up so I could have a nice updated thread about KC. Then I thought to myself, why? so I can be personally attacked. I don’t have time for that.
Good luck with whatever you do. I think DC is a better choice for you even though I do like KC and I’m sure I will be ridiculed for saying so.
BTW, this was to be a reply to a PM by the OP, but wanted to defend myself to some of what was said here...
Everyone complains about the dating scene in KC, but everyone complains about the dating scene everywhere, because that's what single people (at least those who don't actively and specifically prefer to remain single) do...complain about the dating scene.
I didn't come to Kansas City in need of a singles scene...I moved here when I was thirty, and already in my current relationship. So I can't speak to how "hard" it is to be single. But the truth is, I've been single, and it's "hard" to be single EVERYwhere if you don't want to be single. To people who want to be dating and it isn't working out, EVERY city/town/whatever is a "bad place for dating," whether that's reality, or just a reflection of their anecdotal experiences.
Missouri/Kansas are located in a part of the country that, like the south, tends to evidence a higher percentage of young "starter" marriages than some other parts of the country, no question about that. If you're a twenty-something and looking to date, you're going to find that a lot of people are engaged/married to their high school/college sweethearts at a fairly young age. It's also notable that many of those pairings don't go the distance, though, resulting in a wave of newly single folks in their upper twenties/early thirties, as well. I grew up in a "marry young" kind of community, myself, and actively avoided such choices,personally, but I've seen them all around me most of my life.
KC is all about college sports and bass pro shops for the most part. It’s a very blue collar city with a lot of white collar jobs. I love KC, but the general demographics of the area is not very “big city” at all.
Yeah, this is another example where you keep getting yourself into trouble and why it deserves correction. You post your opinions as 'fact' and restate even when shown otherwise. Come on now, just because KC has hunting/fishing stores (on the outskirts of the metro at that) and DC doesn't hardly means KC is 'mostly' about that. More than 50% even 25%?? Probably less than 5% of the urbanized/suburbanized part of metro hunts/fishes. Obviously the outkirts of KC (and rural MO/KS) hunt/fish.
And KC is not mostly blue collar. Where do you come up with this stuff? KC is more than 50% white collar leaning and below 35% blue collar with rest in service industry, slightly more white collar than most of Midwest. KC however is doing a better job keeping its blue collar jobs than many other cities. Blue collar industries actually contribute more to GMP than service industry. KC EDC is trying to avoid what STL has ended up with, converting blue collar workforce to service industry.
As long as you post incorrect information, you need to be corrected. You do it with most of your posts, even in this post. You could at least say 'seems to be' or 'IMO" but you state such things as fact and that is what gets you into trouble.
KC is not as urban as older cities but offers more than cities like Phoenix or Tampa and even Dallas in many respects. IMO, it's a really good balance and is why I live here (my job can be anywhere in US). The arts are unusually strong here for a metro this size. You seem to have this image of what KC should be and since it isn't meeting your needs, you partly bash it for what it isn't - it's not a major city. Those who want to live in a major city may not go for KC but it's not fair to compare KC to something it isn't, which you often do.
I said KC is a blue collar city with mostly white collar jobs. Having worked in a white collar job in KC for 15 years, I can tell you that it doesn't matter where people work. Even Johnson County can be pretty blue collar. Behind those 3 car garages when people return home from Sprint you will often find ATVs, gun racks for those Kansas pheasant? hunting trips etc. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT, I’m just saying how KC is blue collar. Having TWO large bass pro shops AND a Cabella’s in a market the size of KC is also pretty indicative that KC is pretty blue collar.
Sure this is an opinion, but so what, I think many other people will say the same thing. Others won't That's why this is an internet forum where people post opinions.
I think KC is culturally blue collar regardless of occupation type. It’s very much like Pittsburgh in that regard. You can believe and post whatever you want and at most, I would simply counter post my opinion, I would not call you out personally. That's why people come here is to get opinions from different people.
This person is asking the DIFFERENCES between KC and DC and KC is much more blue collar than DC. They didn't ask for a KC vs OKC comparison or I would have never even mentioned it. I would have actually said OKC is more blue collar. I simply tried to explain a difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xenokc
KC is not as urban as older cities but offers more than cities like Phoenix or Tampa and even Dallas in many respects. IMO, it's a really good balance and is why I live here (my job can be anywhere in US). The arts are unusually strong here for a metro this size. You seem to have this image of what KC should be and since it isn't meeting your needs, you partly bash it for what it isn't - it's not a major city. Those who want to live in a major city may not go for KC but it's not fair to compare KC to something it isn't, which you often do.
I have said this exact same thing many many times. But sometimes KC doesn't stack up well to some other cities depending on what people want. I try to be honest while giving KC as much respect and promotion as I can. Again this is not KC vs Phoenix. This is KC vs DC and for a single person that likes urban areas, I think DC is a better fit. If you don't fine. Post your own reasons why.
Last edited by kcmo; 11-27-2011 at 03:01 PM..
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