Independence,Missouri ( ?? ) (Kansas City, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs: crime rate, neighborhoods, school district)

[innerpeacezz]

Can anyone tell me about Independence, Missouri ??
What kind of city is it ??
Is it a quiet and safe city ??
How are the people there ??

[rondamarchant]

Independence probabaly would not be considered a quiet town. There's quite a bit of commercial shopping areas - huge plus or minus...depends on the individual. There are defiantly parts that might be a little safer than others. The best thing to do is check crime stats for zip codes you might be considering. Look at my previous posts for great links to find quick access to local info. including crime, schools, etc. Currently, part of Indep. goes to the KC school district which isn't the best for resale. There are talks going on currently however to change all of Indep. back to Indep. schools. I-70 runs through Independence. Nice for commuting. Is there a certain reason you inquire about Indep? You might also look into Blue Springs and Lee's Summit. Little bit smaller towns, great schools and not far from Indep.

[innerpeacezz]

Thank you for your reply.

[northbound74]

Independence is a fine town. The busiest shopping areas are mostly confined to the I-70/291 corridor. The KC school district takes up maybe a fourth of the town...they're trying to change that so it's in the Independence school district. It's a much more convenient place to live than in Blue Springs, which I don't think is any "quieter". Lee's Summit is convenient to the south metro. Quiet? It just depends on where you live. Most of the noise is road/freeway noise, or trains. The further away from those you are, the queiter it is. I can't speak for all neighborhoods, but I almost never hear loud music from cars, people shouting, etc.
It's a very blue collar town, but the people can be quite different depending on the area. In some parts, the people are typical suburbanites. In others, they act very country-like, redneck even. The people are generally friendly, though. The crime rate is at or below average for a town of 110,000.

[innerpeacezz]

Originally Posted by northbound74

Independence is a fine town. The busiest shopping areas are mostly confined to the I-70/291 corridor. The KC school district takes up maybe a fourth of the town...they're trying to change that so it's in the Independence school district. It's a much more convenient place to live than in Blue Springs, which I don't think is any "quieter". Lee's Summit is convenient to the south metro. Quiet? It just depends on where you live. Most of the noise is road/freeway noise, or trains. The further away from those you are, the queiter it is. I can't speak for all neighborhoods, but I almost never hear loud music from cars, people shouting, etc.
It's a very blue collar town, but the people can be quite different depending on the area. In some parts, the people are typical suburbanites. In others, they act very country-like, redneck even. The people are generally friendly, though. The crime rate is at or below average for a town of 110,000.

Thank you for all the info. It makes me feel a lot better knowing a little about Independence. Thank you .....................innerpeacezz

[jstucker029]

I live in Independence and I love it, well, let's just say it's very peaceful and quiet. It's that of a retirement evironment.

[christina0001]

I don't care for Independence. The areas of Independence bordering KC are ghetto-ish. The areas furthest from the city are fine. Compared to all the other KC 'burbs, crime is high. It's not a bad place, but there are much better 'burbs around KC to live in.

[northbound74]

The crime in Independence isn't much different than Grandview, Raytown, North Kansas City, Belton, etc.

It's very conveneient to most places on the Missouri side. It has many conveneiences in and of itself. It's affordable, livable, blue collar... and not perfect. Some parts of town, mostly in the northwest, are low-income and run down a bit.

In the few years I've lived in the KC area, I've heard of bank-robberies, shootings, kidnappings...in virtually EVERY suburb. Johnson County included. No place is immune.
Yes, the further out one lives from the City, the safer you will likely be.

My frustration is that if you're going to live so far out, like Grain Valley, Olathe, Peculiar, Kearney, or even Liberty or Blue Springs, then why live in a metropolitan area at all? Why add to the sprawl and the traffic conjestion?
If you live in any of the places mentioned above, you will more than likely spend a great deal of your life driving around in your car, away from family, friends, "quiet" time...things that really matter.
I don't see the point in that.

[jstucker029]

Well, good luck on your search.

[innerpeacezz]

Thanks everyone for all your replies.

Innerpeacezz