Possible Relocation to KC area...need advice from locals! (Kansas City: high crime, school district)

[traveler13]

I live in Brookside and I know homeschool families who feel completely comfortable. And I don't think that all homeschool families are necessarily conservative, are they? There is a big homeschool network that I think someone might have already mentioned - the people I know are plugged into something like that and it is amazing. And the area is hopping with stuff to do. It is an easy bike ride to two libraries, several parks, the Plaza, the Nelson Atkins, and Shakespeare in the Park in the summer. The only thing parents might find themselves compelled to drive to are sporting events. Club leagues, swim teams and things of that nature tend to take place in the suburbs and I know lots of families who drive a lot with their kids in those activities.
There are lots of nice places to live in the KC area, but I have to agree that if you don't need the public schools and with the OP's general criteria, it is hard to beat Brookside.

[emr317]

I apologize for taking so long to return to my thread! We traveled for the holidays. Anyway, THANK YOU to everyone for your input. To clarify for some, since some interesting questions/assumptions have arisen:

1. Nope, not all homeschooling families are ultra-conservative. I would say we are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I guess that makes us Libertarians. We have NO problem living in a culturally, racially, ethnically, etc. diverse area. In fact, we'd prefer it. Where we live now (and it is where my husband and I were both raised), diversity is extremely hard to come by. It is very WASPy here, 89.9% white. This is an area where people of alternative religious or spiritual beliefs, sexual orientations or gender identities, and minority race or ethnicity are not exactly made to feel welcome. Education is not highly valued here either. We don't ascribe to the social scene here either (if you can call it that!), as it revolves around hitting up the dive bar and getting drunk on cheap beer, or attending someone's bonfire/barn party and more of the same. Its just not our style at all. To be frank, we don't want this current living situation to be the future for our children, but we're here now because this is where we were raised, and it is where most of our family still resides.

2. We don't necessarily need a Craftsman, but we do really love older homes with lots of character, as opposed to newer homes. It looks as though many of the neighborhoods suggested offer the type of home we're looking for, in the kind of neighborhood we'd want to live in. We'd definitely be the type you'd see riding bikes in the evenings, shopping at the local co-op, fresh farmer's market or Whole Foods on a Saturday afternoon, and gardening and playing in the yard with the neighbor kids. You'd see us taking walks to the library on Monday mornings, going to the local parks when the weather is nice, sledding down the big hill in the winter time, and heading to the baseball game in the summer.

3. Its tough to say what our budget for home purchasing would be. I gave an estimate, but I'm going by what home prices are out here, which are significantly lower. However, considering the response about Brookside and its home prices, I did take a gander, and there seems to be a wide mix in the pricing. I assume the lower prices are in the more unsavory parts of the neighborhood, which would definitely be of concern to us, as we have two very young children.

I do have another question: how is the commute in the metro area? My husband would mostly telecommute, but would have to check in at a warehouse location occasionally. We're used to zero traffic. Is parking a concern as well? Do you have to pay for parking when you live in the city? (When I lived in Milwaukee, you had to buy a pass to park your car on the street, and garage and lot parking prices were ridiculous.) I also heard a rumor that there are significant taxes for living in KCMO proper...something about a 1% tax, but I can't remember specifics.

I'll also look into the Shawnee Mission area of KS. Thanks for the suggestions! I really appreciate all of this information. It is helping us to explore and narrow our decisions!

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

Traffic in KC is usually not too bad, particularly in comparison to other cities. In what part of town is the warehouse located?

By most standards, Pparking in KC is also a breeze. In central Downtown, you may have to pay - but prices are generally much lower than other cities. Just about everywhere else in the city, parking is free and ample. Too many people in KC (generally the suburbanites) are way too concerned about ease of parking, so developers and city officials oblige and make sure plenty of parking is available (yet some people still complain).

Yes there is a 1% earnings tax for living or working in KCMO. However, other taxes and fees are lower in KC, so it generally evens out (or in some cases could end up being less in KC).

As far as the range of prices in Brookside, I would say that there are no parts of Brookside that are unsavory enough to be a concern for the safety of children. The homes in Brookside can be in a wide range of styles and sizes as well as condition - resulting in the wide range of prices.

[aragx6]

If you're an average-income family the earnings tax will be less than a cup of coffee each day and covers several city services including trash collection. It's really a non-issue for all but some super wealthy trying to avoid paying their fair share.

If you share some of the listings in B-Side you're looking at I'm sure we could happily offer our opinions as to the safety of the neighborhood.

Also be sure to check out ZIP codes 64111 (which will include Coleman Highlands, Roanoke and Volker) and 64112 which will include West Plaza and some of South Plaza

[TabulaRasa]

Seriously, the E-tax is so not a big deal that it's hard to keep from rolling my eyes when people squawk about it.

[Okey Dokie]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Seriously, the E-tax is so not a big deal that it's hard to keep from rolling my eyes when people squawk about it.

Agreed!! The old city sticker for your car was much more irritating.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by WiseOwlSaysHoot

Yes there is a 1% earnings tax for living or working in KCMO. However, other taxes and fees are lower in KC, so it generally evens out (or in some cases could end up being less in KC).

Originally Posted by aragx6

If you're an average-income family the earnings tax will be less than a cup of coffee each day and covers several city services including trash collection. It's really a non-issue for all but some super wealthy trying to avoid paying their fair share.

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Seriously, the E-tax is so not a big deal that it's hard to keep from rolling my eyes when people squawk about it.

Originally Posted by Okey Dokie

Agreed!! The old city sticker for your car was much more irritating.

[emr317]

Ok, so I have been researching the metro area quite a bit more, and came across the KC Star's expose' on the staggering homicide rate. Oh my word. Rethinking the whole relocation. It's pretty bad when a city has earned the nickname "Killa City." 140 murders and the year is not over. I live 2 hours from Detroit and 3.5 from Chicago. Both are nice to visit, but we would NEVER live there. For all of you living in the metro area, how do you get past the high crime rate? Do you feel unsafe? Have any of you been victims of crime? We have two young kids. Granted, we're not aiming for our current situation (you can leave your home unlocked, and your neighbor will put your garage door down if you accidentally leave it up), but I can't fathom moving to a place where it appears that there is a major crime problem that is only getting worse. Sorry if this offends the locals. I surely don't mean to be rude.

[aragx6]

Crime in Kansas City is very localized and most middle class areas are very safe with little spillover. My city neighborhood is extremely safe by city standards and we have had zero problems, only just a couple of car break ins in the surrounding areas in the three years we've lived here. In our neighborhood, as in many places in and around the city, violent crime is very rare. It's of no real concern to my husband and me.

But then again, it really depends on your individual experience and comfort with petty crimes. We lived in Chicago too and had zero problems.

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

I never give the murder rate a moment of thought. It does not affect my life, nor the life of the vast majority of Kansas Citians. As aragx pointed out, the crime, particularly violent crime, is overwhelming isolated to certain areas of town that most people would have no reason to ever enter. Furthermore, violent crimes like murder are very rarely random. So unless you happen to be dealing drugs or caught up in a dispute with some violent people, you have absolutely no reason to fear.

Kansas City does have some bad areas - and they are especially rough. But this has very little impact on the majority of the city, which is perfectly safe.

I have lived my entire adult life in areas that certain people would consider "sketchy" or "borderline" and I have had zero problems and feel safe.

And I think the "Killa City" name is just something that fake gangsta rappers came up with so they could sound tough.

The "crime problem" is not getting worse, it has been on a steady decline for a number of years. You might have an occasional year (like this one) where murders might tick up, but overall, the crime rate has been improving.