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We live in Brookside and I can't think of anywhere you would rent a home here for $1000, unless it was rather small and on the eastern side of Brookside Blvd.
But there are complexes around and I haven't exactly scoured the area for rentals. If you have a dog and want a charming, walkable area without a hideous commute to downtown, Brookside would really work for you.
The Kansas/Missouri debate is a big point - while many major metropolitan areas have suburbs that drain on the city's resources - our problem is particularly bad because those suburbs are paying tax dollars into another state's coffers. JOCO is like a big parasite sucking on the city.
(Hey, it's a disgusting visual, but an accurate one)
If you don't care about the Kansas/Missouri thing and want somewhere nice - look to Shawnee Mission - or Fairway Kansas. Lovely area, calm, safe, and not a bad commute. You wouldn't be as remote as Olathe, Lenexa or Overland Park suburbs.
All the advice about northern areas in Missouri is good advice - there are some really nice areas up there.
Kansas City has a long history of Irish bars. Oh yes, indeed. Google the term "Pendegast Machine"
Eastern Kansas is not flat If you can I would advise driving along I-70 through the Flint Hills near Manhattan. They have the Konza Prairie Preserve there and it includes one of the last remaining stands of tall grass prairie mixed in with the rolling landscape. South of Lawrence on highway 59 is also hilly. SW Kansas is quite flat in many areas.
It most definitely is flat when you compare it to the hilly, bluffy areas on the Mo side like that which is found in Jackson County or western Platte. Johnson County in general looks as if someone found a cornfield and started throwing house seeds about. I've driven all over the state of Kansas a million times and seen very few hilly areas. There are a few but the hills end rather quickly and abruptly.
Anyway, I think you said you were interested in suburbs and taxes. You also said you were interested in an apartment that's close to bars and such.
There's about three or four complexes that are a stone's throw away from Zona Rosa including some that have townhomes. There's at least a dozen bars in very close proximity. There's several stores, a comedy club, two movie theaters, and more restaurants than you could possibly ever eat in. O'Dowd's is located in Zona Rosa and is probably right up your alley. It's an Irish pub with a multitude of Irish beers on tap.
Taxwise, you would be smart to stay on the Missouri side since you work in Kansas City, Missouri. You'll be paying double state taxes if you live in Kansas and work in Missouri. Taxes on fuel and sales tax is also higher in Kansas. Personal property tax is also higher so you'll be paying more to keep tags on your car.
No offense meant to you KS folks. I grew up half the time in northwestern NJ (Kittatiny mountain range) and the other half of the time in northeastern PA (Pocono mountains). Both are on the outskirts of the Appalachian Mountain Range...yes KS has some elevation, but to me, it is flat or just too darn close to it. Even Jackson County is a little flat...based on geography alone, I would have much preferred Platte County.
I don't know that we quite have the selection of pubs that Boston does. However there is a large and active Irish/American population here. Smithwicks is definitely one of my favorites. O'Malley's, a very unique pub in Weston, brews a lot of their own stuff. Their guiness is particularly good. The Irish festivals out here are awesome. The KC one is always Labor Day weekend. Lots of great bands, food, beer, mass on Sunday AM, and lots of stuff for kids to do as well.
The Weston Irish Festival is usually mid October. This one is more adult oriented,( I don't mean x-rated material, I mean they just don't have activities for young kids) much smaller venue, much more intimate and is my favorite of the two. The merchants go all out for it and there is an Irish imports store in Weston called the Celtic Ranch. Fantastic clothes, jewelry, music, gifts made by local and Irish artists. And during the Fall, you always get a free Irish Coffee on Saturdays.
There are also the Scottish Highland Games every year. Though I don't know as much about those.
Good luck with your move. This is a wonderful place to live.
I have to recommend Liberty again!
This town is growing fairly fast, but the population is still under 40,000
Commute times to the Downtown loop should be 30 minutes in normal traffic.
Liberty has a fairly good range of shopping and restaurants and they are building more in the surrounding areas as well. I-35 runs directly through Clay County as well as I-435.
I don't know that we quite have the selection of pubs that Boston does. However there is a large and active Irish/American population here. Smithwicks is definitely one of my favorites. O'Malley's, a very unique pub in Weston, brews a lot of their own stuff. Their guiness is particularly good. The Irish festivals out here are awesome. The KC one is always Labor Day weekend. Lots of great bands, food, beer, mass on Sunday AM, and lots of stuff for kids to do as well.
The Weston Irish Festival is usually mid October. This one is more adult oriented,( I don't mean x-rated material, I mean they just don't have activities for young kids) much smaller venue, much more intimate and is my favorite of the two. The merchants go all out for it and there is an Irish imports store in Weston called the Celtic Ranch. Fantastic clothes, jewelry, music, gifts made by local and Irish artists. And during the Fall, you always get a free Irish Coffee on Saturdays.
There are also the Scottish Highland Games every year. Though I don't know as much about those.
Good luck with your move. This is a wonderful place to live.
I think I posted some links from that pub during their Irish festival already but I guess it won't hurt to do so again.
Anyway, you can find quite a few Irish style pubs in the metro. Some like O'Dowds even serve Irish dishes. Don't expect to get the feeling that you're back in Dublin though. They aren't quite that authentic but they do their best.
The input from everyone has been great so far and this weekend we are heading down to look at some places.
In terms of locations we are thinking of places like Parkville, North KC, Lee's Summit and Shawnee (though this one may lead to higher taxes as I'll be working in KCMO). I was thinking about an apartment in Grandview but I read some mentions of higher crime.
Can anyone help out on explaining the tax situation of living in KS working in MO and any other perspectives on Grandview.
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
If you can I would advise driving along I-70 through the Flint Hills near Manhattan. They have the Konza Prairie Preserve there and it includes one of the last remaining stands of tall grass prairie mixed in with the rolling landscape. South of Lawrence on highway 59 is also hilly. SW Kansas is quite flat in many areas.
Thanks for everything so far
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