Overland Park concerns (Mountain View, Leawood, Parkway: safest area, buy, schools)

[zach_33]

Originally Posted by luzianne

I particularly like the area between Mission Road and Nall between 119th and 145th. But there are other nice areas too. I would say it is better to look in Leawood and Overland Park than Olathe. Bucyrus is nice and not as far out as Louisburg. I like Leawood between 119th and 143rd but there has been some crime lately in south KC just on the Missouri side of the state line and I personally prefer not to live really close to the state line.

It would be ridiculous to work in OP and live in Lee's Summit. Why sign up for a 435 rush hour commute when OP is a great place to live and is always on Money Magazine's list of best places to live?

I agree with this except for the part about avoiding State Line because of crime. There was a triple homicide at Wornall and 128th last year - I think it may have been more homicide in one event than the zip code had seen in the previous decade. It would be irrational to write off the area for that one unfortunate event. The housing is much cheaper on the MO side of state line because the schools are not as coveted, but there are some beautiful, safe, tree lined neighborhoods over there that I would not hesitate to live in even with kids. Red Bridge, Verhona Hills, around Blue Hills country club - it's all quite nice.

In regard to OP, I prefer Leawood in general, and there are a lot of open fields south of 135th which gives it a rural feel. The subdivisions south of the Town Center (where I live) are very nice if not a little boring. I think the area is currently being governed by ideologues, but the people with money aren't rushing for the exit yet. Schools will have to tighten their belts but I believe smarter choices will be made in the future.

OP is huge - 175k people I believe makes it the third largest city in the state. It has some downtrodden areas for sure, and some spectacularly wealthy ones too. It ain't too bad. A bit socially conservative for my liking but all around a decent place to let the kids grow up (and hopefully move away to cooler places when they graduate from high school).

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by zach_33

The housing is much cheaper on the MO side of state line because the schools are not as coveted.

While I generally agree with your post, this is not an accurate statement. Sure, the KS side is generally more affluent then the MO side because there is very little low income residents near state line on the KS side while incomes on the MO side quick drop off as you go east (till you reach the MO side suburbs where they go back up)

However, the homes in neighborhoods very close to state line on the MO side often cost considerably more expensive than the homes right across state line road. The MO side is far more affluent than areas just west of state line Rd in areas such as along Ward Parkway near Prairie Village.

Down south, the homes on the MO side across from the Hallbrook area are still priced quite well for their size, although the homes in Hallbrook are some of the largest in the metro, so they will no doubt be more expensive.

The schools along state line (KCMO, Center and Grandview districts) are not as good as those on the KS side and even with Kansas budget problems, that's not likely to change much. For public schools that are on par with Johnson County, you have to go to similar areas of the MO side (Lee's Summit, Northland etc).

But people that choose to live on the MO side near state line are doing so by choice. Be it for the charming, more historic homes, walkable neighborhoods, the tree lined streets etc or simply because they don't want to live in Kansas. They either don't care about schools (empty nesters etc), use private schools (some of best in midwest located in western KCMO) or are willing to deal with the challenge of the public schools there. There is a big lifestyle and cultural difference between living in Brookside, South Plaza, or Red Bridge than living in Mission Hills or Prairie Village or Hallbrook.

The Bottom line is that both sides of state line in that area of KC are really nice and really safe, although they generally appeal to very different people.

[zach_33]

Originally Posted by kcmo

There is a big lifestyle and cultural difference between living in Brookside, South Plaza, or Red Bridge than living in Mission Hills or Prairie Village or Hallbrook.

Your knowledge of the area is superb, but you tend to exaggerate the cultural differences that occur when one crosses State Line. I'd love to live up west of Country Club Plaza by a mile or so - either side of State Line would work just fine for me. Fairway Triangle vs 63rd and Wornall? I'd take either. The homes east and west of State Line right around the the mid fifties (for example) are all old school mansions with the very similar familial traits and cultural backgrounds, I would guess. Same goes for Verona Hills (MO) vs Verona Gardens (KS) - although I would wager there are more empty nesters on the MO side. Lots of old folks down here in the south burbs on both sides of State Line though.

[eastward_ho]

Originally Posted by RadioSilence

My youngest brother lives in Encinitas. He and his girlfriend, with a collective income of around $120,000, live in a studio apartment attached to someone's house. But, they can walk to the beach in five minutes. San Diego is a strange place, remarkably beautiful, but trashy and rickety at the same time.

Thanks, Radio. Funny you mention Encinitas. We have to drive 45 minutes to Encinitas on Sundays to get to church. We used to go to a church in upper Downtown San Diego, but that once pristine pocket of cleanliness has degraded in just a few years, thus the long drive just to get to church.

[eastward_ho]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Don't worry about KCK. The others are correct in saying that KCMO is in closer proximity to Johnson County and that is where more of the crime comes from. If I were you, I would look in the Blue Valley School District, for one because that's the highest rated district, two because the crime rate is very low and it is very safe and three because you can get a bigger nicer newer house for the same money you'd pay for an older house in the older parts of Johnson County. I particularly like the area between Mission Road and Nall between 119th and 145th. But there are other nice areas too. I would say it is better to look in Leawood and Overland Park than Olathe. Bucyrus is nice and not as far out as Louisburg. I like Leawood between 119th and 143rd but there has been some crime lately in south KC just on the Missouri side of the state line and I personally prefer not to live really close to the state line.

It would be ridiculous to work in OP and live in Lee's Summit. Why sign up for a 435 rush hour commute when OP is a great place to live and is always on Money Magazine's list of best places to live?

Thanks, Luzianne! No...I'm not looking for another long commute. For the last 5 years or so, 40 to 45 minute commutes either way have been a life-sucking reality for me and for thousands of us living here in the "South Bay" area of San Diego. Actually, that's an improvement. I used to spend an hour or more in traffic coming an going to work...which wasn't that far from home!

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by eastward_ho

Thanks, Luzianne! No...I'm not looking for another long commute. For the last 5 years or so, 40 to 45 minute commutes either way have been a life-sucking reality for me and for thousands of us living here in the "South Bay" area of San Diego. Actually, that's an improvement. I used to spend an hour or more in traffic coming an going to work...which wasn't that far from home!

I feel your pain, eastward. For years I had a similar ordeal here as jobs are seldom close to preferred and (relatively) affordable living areas. I'm semi-retired now, so no longer deal with that, fortunately.

But that's one of the beauties of Overland Park. Good jobs abound in close proximity to nice places to live.

[eastward_ho]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

I feel your pain, eastward. For years I had a similar ordeal here as jobs are seldom close to preferred and (relatively) affordable living areas. I'm semi-retired now, so no longer deal with that, fortunately.

But that's one of the beauties of Overland Park. Good jobs abound in close proximity to nice places to live.

Yes indeed, Vic. My wife told me the other day we here in San Diego rank #4 in having the worst traffic in the nation. ...waaahooo!!!

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by eastward_ho

Yes indeed, Vic. My wife told me the other day we here in San Diego rank #4 in having the worst traffic in the nation. ...waaahooo!!!

There's a lot of different rankings out there from different sources. But no matter the source, Kansas City will always be among the large cities with the least traffic problems. The KC metro's low population density is a huge plus for life quality.

10 American Cities With the Worst Traffic - TIME

By comparison to those cities, driving in Cleveland, Indianapolis and Kansas City might be generally less frustrating. Those three cities earned bragging rights for the least amount of traffic.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

The KC metro's low population density is a huge plus for life quality.

This is one of my very favorite things about KC (in addition to the low cost of living ration given the amenities available). It's also something that some people (particularly those with an affinity for more compact, and often, coastal, cities) really dislike about KC, as they feel it makes it too quiet, not bustling enough, too spread out, and, essentially, not crowded enough. So it feels sleepy, by comparison. It's all in what you like.

Personally, I like that there is enough of a population to support a really nice arts scene, nationally-known athletics, museums, festivals and events, various cultural civic amenities, WITHOUT that population being crammed into a lot fewer square miles, unlike a variety of other places I've lived.

[pacificwhim]

Originally Posted by eastward_ho

Thanks, Luzianne! No...I'm not looking for another long commute. For the last 5 years or so, 40 to 45 minute commutes either way have been a life-sucking reality for me and for thousands of us living here in the "South Bay" area of San Diego. Actually, that's an improvement. I used to spend an hour or more in traffic coming an going to work...which wasn't that far from home!

My wife had an opportunity to move to SD (Ocean Beach, I think) back in 2002 when we got married and realized there was no way we could ever afford a home in Laguna Beach, where we were renting. We chose not to move there because of the awful traffic. With only I-5 and I-15 as major in-and-out arteries to the metro, traffic is frequently worse than Los Angeles. We chose Ventura County instead.