Questions about neighborhoods IN KC Proper (Kansas City: crime, houses, safe area)

[Luke9686]

I may be moving to KC in January. I have a question about a few places IN the city. What I would like is a good area close to dining, bars, etc. An older area where homes have character.

From what I have read, Westport, Waldo and Brookside all fit the bill. Westport being my first choise because of price.

Now my questions regarding the area is this. I have noticed online that some homes are selling for $150K and up, while a short distance away they are half of that. I'm assuming it is because the neighborhood deteriorates at some point.

Could someone spell out the SAFE bounderies of Westport, Waldo and Brookside, streetwise?? I would like to buy a fixer upper in a safe area of Westport, but don't know the bounderies where I would be safe.

Hope this makes sense, thanks in advance.


P.S. PLEASE DON'T MENTION JOHNSON COUNTY. It's a great place, but not what I'm looking for.

[zachcampbell]

It's kind of hard to say exactly. There's definitely (unfortunately) a color line, but, at least to my knowledge, I don't know if there's a definite point where it's "safe" and "not safe".

for me, anything south of the low 30's and west of Oak has seemed safer, but I've hung out further east later and it's seemed fine as well. I'm willing to admit it didn't help to grow up in a bleached johnson county suburb with paranoid folks, either.

westport's quite a bit more historic than waldo or brookside. for me those last two areas are a bit too suburban.

[zachcampbell]

this site might help, kinda confirmed some of my suspicions: Kansas City Crime Map

[violet70]

You are probably looking for something in the Volker neighborhood... great old houses, some fixer uppers. An up and coming area. Here are the borders for the best part:

north: 36th St.
west: State Line Rd
east: Southwest Trafficway
south: Westport Rd

you can easily go further south from here, all the way to Waldo really. Just south of Westport Rd is a nice area too, it's just that Volker ends at Westport Rd.

39th St is full of restaurants and bars, Westport Rd too (good one: PotPie -- good bistro food). You can walk too to Westport or the Plaza very easily. Definitely the most 'walkable' neighborhood in KC.

[KevK]

I just watch "Kansas City SWAT" on cable and, if you see Sgt Chip Huth and his boys coming up the street you are thinking about moving to, probably time to look elsewhere