Public Transportation in South Kansas City? (Oran, Cleveland: best neighborhoods, apartment, to rent)

[tulpa]

I am considering relocating to Kansas City for a job offer. At the moment I don't have a car. How feasible would it be to rely on public transportation for a bit to navigate to and from work until I get settled with car?

Edit: I would be working at Cerner's innovation campus in South KC.

Thanks in advance.

[SPonteKC]

Depends on where your job is. If it's anywhere in Kansas, it might range from inconvenient, to very hard, or it might be impossible.

In Missouri, anywhere between Downtown and 75th street has pretty good transit options. South of 75th is spottier, but some of the main employment centers are on workable transit routes down there.

You should also think about things like access to groceries and services. The only part of KC that can be navigated without a car for a year is from the Missouri River on the north to about 89th on the south, from State Line on the west to Cleveland on the east. Within those (rather large) boundaries there a pockets of very transit-accessible neighborhoods and others where bus service is only passable.

Depending on where you work in South KC, I would either recommend living within biking/walking distance of your place of employment and one of the very few grocery stores south of 85th or living in KC's southernmost legitimately walkable neighborhood, Waldo, whose nexus is 75th and Wornall.

[tulpa]

Sorry I should have clarified. I would be working at the Cerner innovations campus in south KC.

Would public transportation be suitable for a bit? I'm terrible with maps.

Also I guess off topic, but would you (or anyone) happen to be able to recommend places nearby to live that would be potential walking distance or somewhat convenient for public transportation?

[SPonteKC]

Luckily for you Cerner is on one of the best, easiest to use, and most convenient public transit lines in KC, the Troost MAX.

You could live about anywhere in the core and get a two seat trip (take a crosstown bus and transfer to the Troost MAX line) that goes right by Cerner. Or you could look for a place anywhere along the Troost line, which goes all the way to Downtown, and get a very convenient one seat trip. That line and the Main Street Max are the two best routes in the city for a rider to live on.

My first recommendation would be to would look for a place downtown. Hands down, it has the best combination of transit options and ammenities of anywhere on the Troost MAX line.

Second choice: the east part of Brookside or the east part of Waldo.

Third: Hyde Park.

There are also a few good, funky, sometimes edgier neighborhoods like Dutch Hill/Longfellow and Troostwood and the area by UMKC that are worth a look. Or, if you are willing to deal with a single tranfer you could always consider living further west (to about State Line, Kansas has very limitted transit). The west side of the urban core is generally a safer and a more vibrant. Brookside and Waldo both abut Troost, but you'd need to take the 175 or the 63rd street bus to Troost if you lived in their western portions. They are both very charming (even better as you get closer to Wornall). Westport is the most walkable neighborhood in the city and one of the most vibrant. Roanoke and Volker (along West 39th street) are my personal favorite neighborhods in the city -- kind of quiet, but very functional from an urban standpoint and with KC flavor in spades -- and a lot of people love the Plaza. All those neighborhoods have crosstown busses that connect with the Troost MAX, and you should definately consider them, but if you can find a place downtown, I think it might be the best fit.

[aragx6]

^That's pretty good advice. It really shouldn't be too difficult to get to Cerner sans car. If I weren't going to have a car, I'd focus too on having the most walkable, accessible neighborhood possible, even if it meant a slightly longer commute on the bus -- for that reason I would definitely suggest Downtown as well. Westport or Volker/39th St West would be my second/third -- you could easily ride your bike to the MAX line, or take a real short bus ride.

[xenokc]

Originally Posted by tulpa

Sorry I should have clarified. I would be working at the Cerner innovations campus in south KC.

Would public transportation be suitable for a bit? I'm terrible with maps.

Also I guess off topic, but would you (or anyone) happen to be able to recommend places nearby to live that would be potential walking distance or somewhat convenient for public transportation?

The Troost Green MAX line will get you near Cerner's S campus but you likely would not want to live directly along that line unless downtown. Whether a concern or not, would be good for you to know much of that line is 'inner city'.

http://www.kcata.org/documents/routes/maps/MaxTroostmwk.jpg (broken link)

You may prefer to live along the line below (MAX Orange line), but it doesn't go to Cerner, would have to transfer via crosstown buses to Troost line. The Orange line has many of the best city amenities along the line.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1238514/pics/bus/maxmwk.gif

Edit: I think Cerner has its own buses, but not sure where the stops are. It might just be from site to site.

Where are you coming from?

[tulpa]

Originally Posted by xenokc

The Troost Green MAX line will get you near Cerner's S campus but you likely would not want to live directly along that line unless downtown. Whether a concern or not, would be good for you to know much of that line is 'inner city'.

http://www.kcata.org/documents/routes/maps/MaxTroostmwk.jpg (broken link)

You may prefer to live along the line below (MAX Orange line), but it doesn't go to Cerner, would have to transfer via crosstown buses to Troost line. The Orange line has many of the best city amenities along the line.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1238514/pics/bus/maxmwk.gif

Edit: I think Cerner has its own buses, but not sure where the stops are. It might just be from site to site.

Where are you coming from?

I would be coming from Michigan.

Thanks for all the info so far guys. If you have anything else to add/any tips etc please let me know!

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by xenokc

The Troost Green MAX line will get you near Cerner's S campus but you likely would not want to live directly along that line unless downtown. Whether a concern or not, would be good for you to know much of that line is 'inner city'.

http://www.kcata.org/documents/routes/maps/MaxTroostmwk.jpg (broken link)

You may prefer to live along the line below (MAX Orange line), but it doesn't go to Cerner, would have to transfer via crosstown buses to Troost line. The Orange line has many of the best city amenities along the line.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1238514/pics/bus/maxmwk.gif

Edit: I think Cerner has its own buses, but not sure where the stops are. It might just be from site to site.

Where are you coming from?

What he means by what's written in bold is that the Troost MAX line runs along Troost Avenue, which in Kansas City has long been a dividing line between white and black, rich and poor. Either side of it, you're going to be in the "inner city" or urban core, although most of the cities attractions and best neighborhoods are west of Troost, on the white and rich half. However, like others have said, some of our BEST neighborhoods border Troost, all of which have been mentioned here and are certainly worth looking into. Unless you're scared of black people, you shouldn't have a problem catching the bus to work and home with everybody else along Troost.

I assume you're going to want to rent an apartment versus a house? That'll help the other folks here help you find what you need. Oh, and it might be considered sexist by some, but if you're a woman you might make note of that too. Personally, I would never steer a woman to any desolate area in which she has to walk to ride the bus everyday.

I'd like to add one more thing. It looks to me like you'd have to walk possibly a mile to get to the Cerner office building from the Troost MAX bus stop on Bannister Road. That's quite a hike, but hopefully I'm wrong and somebody else who knows more about the bus can help you.

[kcmo]

With all the young people Cerner is bringing to KC it's really a shame that they are spread out in suburban areas that are nearly impossible (or difficult at best) to reach via transit (and getting even worse with the new office by the speedway).

That company could be having a tremendous impact on urban kcmo right now. I'm sure they already are as people are choosing to live in the city and drive to the campuses, but just think of how much they could have done if they had put some of their offices in the city. The cerner offices by the speedway is mind boggling to me. May as well put them in Paola.

Anyway.

To the OP. I would get a bike and do the max thing. You will need a bike to get to the campus from Bannister Road (that's a bit of a hike) or to a MAX stop in Midtown as you will most likely live west of Troost a few blocks, unless you can find something near Rockhurst College etc closer to Troost.

Other options would be the Blue Ridge Route which would give you more options, but not too many better options. Also the Red Bridge Express route stops there too. It's limited rush our service but you could live in the Red Bridge area (which is nicer than the part of SKC around Cerner).

But I would just try to live around the plaza and use the troost max via bicycle or one of the (rather few) east west routes or Downtown where you can take the Troost max the entire way.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

I'd like to add one more thing. It looks to me like you'd have to walk possibly a mile to get to the Cerner office building from the Troost MAX bus stop on Bannister Road. That's quite a hike, but hopefully I'm wrong and somebody else who knows more about the bus can help you.

Yes, this is true. I work in the same vicinity as the Cerner complex, and you can't really get any closer than the stop at Bannister/Marion Park Drive. Unless things have changed fairly recently, and there's now a closer stop, the hike from there isn't necessarily the most doable/pleasant, depending on what you are carrying and the weather. I did have a coworker who took the Troost bus from her apt. near the Nelson Atkins, put her bike on the bus bike rack, and rode the rest of the way to work from the stop, but mostly in the summer, when it doesn't get dark so early. It's not the most awesomely safe-feeling area to be walking-riding by yourself after dark, because it's fairly isolated. There are lots of police in the vicinity, though, because of proximity to the Metro South patrol division.