CNN/Money names OP #9 on best small city to live in U.S. (Manchester: for sale, apartment complexes)
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Like this post. Not only is KC not even mentioned, but the poster assumes that everybody knows where Johnson County is!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenjermin
Hi Everyone!
My Partner and I will be moving to NH in the next month and are looking at places to rent in the Manchester Area. He will be going to the Pharmacy School (MCPHS) there.
We are looking on advice about what areas would be good places to look for some sort of rental property, or apartment? We are coming from Overland Park KS, which is in Johnson County, not really looking for the same kind of vibe as we both find Overland Park very....overpopulated ..to say the least but do not want to feel like we are in the rural areas either.
After doing some research and looking at the maps,we are considering Nashua and it doesn't look to be to far from Manchester, but looks can be deceiving.
Honestly we are both lost, Neither of us have even been to the New England states so have no idea what to expect. I myself moved to Kansas from Texas so it seems I am only going further north lol
Back on topic if anyone can just maybe give us some general advice on what areas are Ok and which areas to avoid? What area are there things to see/do or are at least within driving distance?
We do not have children so school districts do not really matter at the moment to either of us.
Our rent budget right know is about Maximum $1000.00 but could go up a bit if the property warranted it, just wanted to mention this so that people who respond can take that into consideration.
Thanks for any and all response or advice that is given!
KS tourist in DC asked is where they are from by a DC resident (who obviously doesn't recognize the KU logo on the classic bright blue t-shirted KS tourist)
"We are from Overland Park"
So where is Overland Park?
"it's in Johnson County"
Oh, I know exactly where that is, I wish I could afford to live there. Someday I’ll get out of Bethesda and move to a real place like that.
It's one thing for you to think your neighborhood/city is full of puppies and rainbows...
LOL, totally reminded me of this commercial:
They would need to modify it a bit though. The couple from Overland Park (with the puppy) would ask the new couple how long it took them to save up enough money to move to Johnson County. Then they would ask them to "bundle".
Like this post. Not only is KC not even mentioned, but the poster assumes that everybody knows where Johnson County is!
KS tourist in DC asked is where they are from by a DC resident (who obviously doesn't recognize the KU logo on the classic bright blue t-shirted KS tourist)
"We are from Overland Park"
So where is Overland Park?
"it's in Johnson County"
Oh, I know exactly where that is, I wish I could afford to live there. Someday I’ll get out of Bethesda and move to a real place like that.
Hilarious.
Again: Methinks thou doth protest too much. Are you trying to convince me or yourself? It's kind of humorous to watch!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luzianne
Of course! Overland Park is always on the list of Best Places to Live. I know GraniteStater hates it, but those of us who live in Johnson County love it here. Overland Park is wonderful. I live in Prairie Village, but if I moved from PV (and the only reason I don't is that I have no house payment now and it makes no sense to start making house payments again...) I would love to move to south Overland Park, especially if I could find something with a little bit of acreage or at least an estate lot. But even without a large lot, I love south OP!
Overland Park isn't so great if you don't like massive highways with the inherent road noise/bad drivers that accompanies them. Ask anyone who lives who lives within 10 blocks of 435 about the noise. It sure was awesome OP planning that did not account for a buffer zone between the highway and residential development like most large metropolitan counties have. My parents used to have a house fairly close to 435 and I make a point of never moving to an area that is close to an interstate highway. The eastern side of JOCO is more desirable and is closer to the city amenities while having a far greater tree cover. Compare Lee Blvd tree cover to Pflumm Rd and you'll understand what I'm referring to.
Has anyone heard of the concept/book "edge cities"? In many large metro areas, the old "classic" city is having its roles as center replaced by some large (100k+ pop.) corporate boomburb. Plano is that to Dallas. Irvine is that to Los Angeles. Naperville is that to Chicago. And needless to say, Overland Park is that to KC. And I think this trend has come about by more than just the automobile, but by technology and consumer demands in general, such as not wanting to put up with inner city crime/schools. Obviously in most old school (read: liberal) media the old city is still considered the main city, but most middle and even some upper class people live in an area that can better identify with the new edge city.
I highly doubt Plainold, Irvine, and Naperville are in any way replacing Dullest, LA, or Chicago. Those three real cities are very much vibrant and relevant here in the modern day. They still are the main cities, a fact to which there is no doubt or controversy. Last I checked, they still call it Chicagoland, not Napervilleland.
Overland Park, while tolerable to some and trying it's hardest to put KC out of business, lacks things that are very crucial to overall livability. They hate having to admit that there is absolutely nothing to do there 'cept shop, eat and sleep. They hate to admit they need KC. Otherwise OP does not exist, or at best, clawing it's way to Springfield MO's status.
Liberal. Perhaps I'm the only one in the known universe, but I'm a pro-city conservativish-libertarianish, something-or-other. Not liberal, but on have less problems with government intrusion on local scales to promote livability. Not sure why the feds want to force so many different cultures within the U.S. onto the same page though.
No, it's not necessarily a liberal thing pushing the current trend to the cities. Think about it. People are having fewer children and later in life when they do. Places like Overland Park appeal to some types of families, but are often considered abject torture to folks without kids. Cities are vastly more appealing when you don't have to think about schools. Crime? Heh, many urban areas are as crime free and clean as the suburbs. Shocking, I know.
Suburbs are fine (when they play nice and grow jobs naturally), but they're not for everyone, and neither are the cities.
Oh, the list? 100 places I'll avoid.
Actually, people do have a clue where it is. Often when people ask me where I live I start out telling them more generally the area. They actually question me more specifically and when I tell them exactly where I live, they very often say "Oh yes! I know where that is!" I get that a lot! Sorry to burst your bubble, though!
Of course people are going to know where your from if all you ever do is Vacation in St Louis, Omaha, Branson and Wichita.
These lists are so stupid, they pretty much just churn all the different suburbs of major cities every year. Lenexa, Shawnee, Olathe, Liberty, Lees Summit and Blue Springs have all made these lists in previous years. Other years a lot of suburbs of Milwaukee and Cincinnati made the lists but hardly see any of them on it this year, in fact i think Mason Ohio made the top 10 one year but don't see it in top 100 this year.
For all we know this list is created by a couple big real estate companies and these suburbs might be where they have the highest real estate holdings because i have a real hard time believing places like Gilbert, Chandler and Henderson all making this list but I would believe that Chandler, Gilbert and Henderson would have huge housing surpluses because of the crap economy in Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Of course people are going to know where your from if all you ever do is Vacation in St Louis, Omaha, Branson and Wichita.
Never been to Omaha, don't care for St. Louis, never been to Wichita. But I have been to Springfield (Missouri), Branson, Fort Smith, Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver, Denver, Las Vegas and Dallas in the last nine months.
My family and I just moved back to KC from Denver. We found a place in Kansas City, MO limits that is just as nice as anything in OP with great schools and no crime. My job takes me out of town weekly and I feel that my wife and 3 young children are just as safe in KC, MO as anyplace in Kansas.
Since we have been back we have been to the: WW1 Museum, Kauffman Performing Arts Center, Zoo, Lego Discover and Aquarium, First Fridays in the Crossroads, Plaza and Zona Rosa, and Smithville Lake, along with all the great places that we like to eat at. We plan to see the Chiefs play next month and are going to see the Avalanche play at Sprint Center in October.
My point in all of this is that although I grew up in Kansas I , like many in KC, would rather live in Missouri and support the attractions that make the city great, then live in a part of the metro that seems to be more about what the “Jones” have.
I do know of 2 reasons to go to Johnson County. One is to go to a fantastic saltwater store, and the other is to see friends. Although, my friends have mentioned many times when they come over about how they will be looking at homes in Missouri when the time comes to move.
Anyway…I hear that there is some list about Overland Park being in the top ten of something.
Never thought my seemingly innocous post would generate this much backlash. My post's intent was not to to start a 'my city is better than your city' thread, but simply give some people reason to feel proud of where they live, even if they live near OP and not in it.
I read an article about the top High Schools in the nation. If memory serves the only Kansas City metro HS that made the list was Shawnee Mission East. It's not in OP, and I didn't attend it (I went to SMS), but it was nice to see a Shawnee Mission school make the list...
I'm just saying, you don't need to live in OP to enjoy reading the article. Why can't we just be happy that a Kansas/MO city made the list. Instead we feel the need to get defensive and cry BS...
Many of the schools on the "top schools" list are magnate schools that skim the cream from the surrounding area leaving behind sub-par schools. Chicago is a poster-child for this.
With that said, it's refreshing that pretty much all of the public schools in JOCO are solid or better...and they aren't doing so by consolidating the above and below average students into their own little silos.
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