small towns around kansas city (St. Louis, Independence: homes, neighborhood, living)

[txgal0919]

Hi everyone. My husband just got a job offer in Kansas City. We have never been there before but are planning a trip soon. We are wanting to move to a small town near Kansas City that has that small town Mayberry feeling.
Also we are planning on ranching later on when we save enough money. What are land prices like around KC? Is there lots of ranching around the area? thanks

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by txgal0919

Hi everyone. My husband just got a job offer in Kansas City. We have never been there before but are planning a trip soon. We are wanting to move to a small town near Kansas City that has that small town Mayberry feeling.
Also we are planning on ranching later on when we save enough money. What are land prices like around KC? Is there lots of ranching around the area? thanks

Well, first of all property values are generally higher than TX, especially in areas of JOCO. However, you mention that you wanted a small town. Some small towns exist that are close to the metro, but they also tend to be rapidly growing. Some small towns that have under 10,000 people that I would recommend would be: Platte City, Smithville, Pecuilar, and Lexington.
If you want to go over to the KS side I would recommend Lansing, De Soto, or Stilwell.
Rural land prices have risen rapdily lately, and the cost of land will be quite high close to the KC metro area.
If you want cheaper land you could probably find it up in Atchison or Doniphan counties in NE Kansas. Those areas are more rural, and will not see a big surge in population or speculative increases in land values. Also, the climate there is probably the best in the entire state in terms of farming. A few ranches are common, but larger ranch sizes tend to be found more commonly in areas of central and western Kansas.

[txgal0919]

I forgot to add..he will be working close to where 70 and 435 meet if he decides to take the job. So any small towns within 30 minutes of there.

Is KC a nice place to live in your opinion?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by txgal0919

I forgot to add..he will be working close to where 70 and 435 meet if he decides to take the job. So any small towns within 30 minutes of there.

Is KC a nice place to live in your opinion?

Based on that location you definitely should look into the east side of Independence, Blue Springs, or Grain Valley. If you prefer smaller towns you probably would not like to be in the higher density section of KC, MO. Other towns nearby that would be good to look into include Liberty, Gladstone, or Smithville.
KC, MO is getting a little better in terms of the variety of urban ammenities offered. The Kansas City Power and Light District is an up and coming area. The Plaza area is popular as well if you want urban living.
Overall, the Kansas City metro area is EXTREMELY spread out and very suburban overall. It has more of a "western" feel compared with St. Louis. People tend to be laid back and friendly overall.
Avoid eastern portions of KC, MO.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by txgal0919

I forgot to add..he will be working close to where 70 and 435 meet if he decides to take the job. So any small towns within 30 minutes of there.

Is KC a nice place to live in your opinion?

Is it in KS or MO in terms of the Interstate location? 70 and 435 meet in both KS and MO.

[txgal0919]

Originally Posted by Plains10

Is it in KS or MO in terms of the Interstate location? 70 and 435 meet in both KS and MO.

It is on the side near Bonner springs

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by txgal0919

It is on the side near Bonner springs

The smaller towns in that area would be Lansing, Tonganoxie, De Soto, and Bonner Springs. All of these towns are smaller and in that general vicinity. All four of those towns are located near Interstates or right near them.

[kcmo]

Your not going to get a "Mayberry feeling" in Blue Springs or Lee's Summit or Gladstone or Liberty. Those are all close in, medium sized suburbs. You probably won't even get it in Grain Valley as that town is quickly turning into a built up suburb. Smithville is possible but not sure there is much "ranching" going on up there. It's more of a lake area.

I know nothing about rural living, but I would say if you want to have a lot of land, ranching etc, you would probably be best to go west out by Bonner Springs or Lansing in Kansas were there is a lot of open land and the land is generally cheaper. Edwardsville, Bonner Springs and especially Tonganoxie are pretty "Mayberry feeling" IMO. If you want the MO side, I would try Oak Grove or Odessa but you will have to go further out of the city. It also depends on which 435/70 as plains10 mentioned. There is one in KS and MO.

[Versatile]

Please clarify what you mean by ranching. It will sure help us to know where to send you. Do you mean a coule of cows or do you mean 100 cows or do you mean horses?

[txgal0919]

Originally Posted by Versatile

Please clarify what you mean by ranching. It will sure help us to know where to send you. Do you mean a coule of cows or do you mean 100 cows or do you mean horses?

By ranching I mean having a couple of cows at first. Our goal is to have a working ranch eventually with many cattle but right now we are just looking for some land to get started on. We would love to have 20 acres or more but we have not even been to the area to see what land is like there. I heard it is a beautiful place. We are taking a trip next week to talk to some realtors. I was looking on realtor.com and noticed some of the homes in KC are really cheap--not sure if this is due to the neighborhood or what. I cannot find any land around tonganoxie for anything other than 1-2 acres for 50k and I cannot find any realtor websites that have farm as a search option.

Thanks!