Possible Relocation from Spfd MO to Johnson County KS- Best place to live around there (apartments, crime)

[rwiksell]

Originally Posted by empires228

That's why I'm surprised that people are recommending SM North. East is essentially the only SM school left with the affluent demographics and a great school rating. I know parents and teachers in the East schools who feel that anything nice the other high schools and their feeders receive is all being subsidised by the property taxes the district collects in Mission Hills and Prarie Village :/.

Where is SM South in this whole discussion. I attended South 20 years ago, when our family was pretty middle-middle class, and I was definitely in the bottom 20% in terms of affluence. I know that was two decades ago, but I don't see anything particular having changed about those neighborhoods. Maybe a few extra apartment complexes have gone up, but that's it.

My understanding is this:

SM East: Mostly wealthy
SM South: Mostly upper-middle class
SM Northwest: Middle to upper-middle
SM West: Mostly middle class with some rough patches
SM North: Middle class with more serious rough patches

[nycrite]

Originally Posted by rwiksell

Where is SM South in this whole discussion. I attended South 20 years ago, when our family was pretty middle-middle class, and I was definitely in the bottom 20% in terms of affluence. I know that was two decades ago, but I don't see anything particular having changed about those neighborhoods. Maybe a few extra apartment complexes have gone up, but that's it.

My understanding is this:

SM East: Mostly wealthy
SM South: Mostly upper-middle class
SM Northwest: Middle to upper-middle
SM West: Mostly middle class with some rough patches
SM North: Middle class with more serious rough patches

This seems about right, though I would classify SMS as middle class with few, if any rough patches. I don't view much, if anything near SMS as upper-middle. SMNW would be about the same as SMS.

[rwiksell]

Originally Posted by nycrite

This seems about right, though I would classify SMS as middle class with few, if any rough patches. I don't view much, if anything near SMS as upper-middle. SMNW would be about the same as SMS.

When you say "near SMS" keep in mind that most of the students who go to South live 3-6 miles west of it. That was my problem as a high school student. I actually lived 1/2 mile away, but I was surrounded by young families and retirees. So all my friends were 3-6 miles away.

If you think about all the neighborhoods between 435 and 95th Street, and between Antioch and Pflumm, that's where 90% of South students live. And there's a lot of upper-middle class in that area.

[empires228]

Originally Posted by rwiksell

Where is SM South in this whole discussion. I attended South 20 years ago, when our family was pretty middle-middle class, and I was definitely in the bottom 20% in terms of affluence. I know that was two decades ago, but I don't see anything particular having changed about those neighborhoods. Maybe a few extra apartment complexes have gone up, but that's it.

My understanding is this:

SM East: Mostly wealthy
SM South: Mostly upper-middle class
SM Northwest: Middle to upper-middle
SM West: Mostly middle class with some rough patches
SM North: Middle class with more serious rough patches

Northwest isn't too different from north. Most of the apartment complexes along 75th are now low income with section 8. Many of my friends neighbors are immigrants and the few businesses located amonst the dead stripmalls in the area (including a massive one that had been anchored by a long vacant Dillons) are dotted with fantastic minority owned businesses, a rundown Big Lots, and check cashing places. I just spent a week in that area and have spent time there previously. I'm surprised that North has the lowed demographics considering that the area around it has a considerably less amount of suburban blight than what exists around Northwest. I don't know anything about south except that one of my former classmates graduated from there and partied himself out of school in a single semester while waiting for his trust fund to kick in.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by rwiksell

When you say "near SMS" keep in mind that most of the students who go to South live 3-6 miles west of it. That was my problem as a high school student. I actually lived 1/2 mile away, but I was surrounded by young families and retirees. So all my friends were 3-6 miles away.

If you think about all the neighborhoods between 435 and 95th Street, and between Antioch and Pflumm, that's where 90% of South students live. And there's a lot of upper-middle class in that area.

You are correct on the school district delineation because 103rd street does in fact end right at Pflumm. The demographics are generally consistent in the area, but mostly aging as the housing stock is in the 40-60 year old range with some areas west of Quivira being around 30 years old. I heard about this supposed "infill" or large redevelopment at I-435 and Antioch due to Brookridge golf course closure and exchanging ownership.

[PA650]

Originally Posted by empires228

Northwest isn't too different from north. Most of the apartment complexes along 75th are now low income with section 8. Many of my friends neighbors are immigrants and the few businesses located amonst the dead stripmalls in the area (including a massive one that had been anchored by a long vacant Dillons) are dotted with fantastic minority owned businesses, a rundown Big Lots, and check cashing places. I just spent a week in that area and have spent time there previously. I'm surprised that North has the lowed demographics considering that the area around it has a considerably less amount of suburban blight than what exists around Northwest. I don't know anything about south except that one of my former classmates graduated from there and partied himself out of school in a single semester while waiting for his trust fund to kick in.

A bit of a digression, but thanks for the history lesson. I actually work near 67th, but I have gone through the 75th street corridor countless times and wondered what happened to the area. Frankly, it reminds me of some of the more lower socioeconomic areas I traveled through countless times when I grew up in the East Bay of the SF Bay Area,

[empires228]

Originally Posted by PA650

A bit of a digression, but thanks for the history lesson. I actually work near 67th, but I have gone through the 75th street corridor countless times and wondered what happened to the area. Frankly, it reminds me of some of the more lower socioeconomic areas I traveled through countless times when I grew up in the East Bay of the SF Bay Area,

Shawnee apparently has a fantastic police force to keep what could be a high crime area at bay. My friend lives in a nice enough complex that isn't subsidized, but several of the units at his complex have been transformed into income based and section 8. It's something that landlords are really embarrassing in that area to fill their buildings. My friend is considering learning Spanish because of how many hispanic children their school is receiving a semester with the students and parents speaking little to no english. I'm from southwest Kansas so this "shocking" news didn't phase me in the least. The area is still substantially safer and cleaner than similar areas in WyCo. I'm surprised they can't get that old Dillons filled with anything grocery related... The Walmart down the street is a general merchandise only store, and the neighborhood market near it does good business. They haven't been able to get that center redeveloped even with TIFS, but if they go after the right store it would be really successful.

[zach_33]

^ indeed. If you zoom in on the area around 75th and Quivira, the 30 year change in demographics is pretty remarkable.

Poverty by Race, 1980 to 2010

[empires228]

Originally Posted by zach_33

^ indeed. If you zoom in on the area around 75th and Quivira, the 30 year change in demographics is pretty remarkable.

Poverty by Race, 1980 to 2010

It really shows how much poverty has exploded all over the metro. It also proves what many will deny about the area around 435 and Bannister... One metro where relatively little change has taken place compared to what Denver, STL, and KC show is Wichita. The poor parts of Wichita are still poor and the rich parts are still rich. NOTHING ever changes in Wichita haha.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by zach_33

^ indeed. If you zoom in on the area around 75th and Quivira, the 30 year change in demographics is pretty remarkable.

Poverty by Race, 1980 to 2010

Thank you for that fascinating link. Truly one of the most valuable and interesting pages I've seen posted here - ever.

Here you have it - in a nutshell. The globalization and third-worlding of America as we have watched it happen over the last 30 years - graphically represented. Stark contrasts throughout the nation as our wealth and living standard has been steadily slip-sliding away.

This is truly a remarkable tool with a multitude of purposes....not the least of which is retirement planning.