"The New Midwest" (Kansas City, St. Louis: transplants, real estate, 2015)

[kcmo]

I think that’s kind of a silly attitude because you should care about those that do and could travel to KC or those that schedule conventions etc. This is why the new terminal at KCI is so overdue or that downtown needs more modern hotels. KC is starting to put together a really nice complete package to compete with other 2nd and 3rd tier convention cities again, but they need to show that they have the streetcar, hotels, airport terminal, P&L district etc to potential visitors. All cities create these videos. But to everyday people, the problem is that if you are from DC, Boston, Seattle, SF, NYC, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, MSP, Denver etc etc etc, those things are a big “so what” to most people. Congrats KC. Welcome to being a halfway modern city I guess? You are finally replacing your terminal and have built 2 miles of streetcar. Just saying… All cities are doing at the very least what KC is doing.

The only people beyond 200 miles of KC that will ever even think about the city (that don’t have relative connections) are people forced to go there for jobs and if those people are from another major city or anyplace on the either coast, they will need a lot of convincing to even consider the idea of moving to KC.

And it’s getting worse. This country is dividing into two demographics. Urban(democrat) vs Rural(conservative). To people on the coasts, KC is lumped with all the far right politics that surround it. I don’t think people in the Midwest realize just how much damage the whole Trump thing (and other far right issues) is doing to the image of that entire part of the country. And as I have said before, this image of middle America has become worldwide, not just on the coasts. Most people out here want no part of what they think is the culture out there.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

We continue to hope that people from East or West coasts just stay there. We are happy as we are and we really don't give a rat's rear about what people on the coasts think.

The irony is that far too many people have a “monolithic” view of a the East or West coast. There is certainly a huge area that isn’t a populated metro area or not as expensive. I have lived in many areas, and would much prefer to be closer to the coast, and will make that happen down the road.

[Sassybluesy]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

We continue to hope that people from East or West coasts just stay there. We are happy as we are and we really don't give a rat's rear about what people on the coasts think.

Well...I don't know about that.


I live in the St. Louis MO metro area, and there are plenty of us wishing we were known for other things besides high crime and the Michael Brown/Ferguson debacle.


I've been to KC many many times, and I like KC a lot. It's a fun and vibrant town.


IMO, KC's main draw back is the weather, and again, IMO, why vacationers don't typically pick Kansas City as a destination. It's cold in the winter, and usually colder with more precipitation than St. Louis. But, it's hot in the summer, just like St. Louis. LOL

[Traveling Mike]

Not sure? Maybe, I’m the exception but having lived in the NY area my whole life and recently just moved to KC. I find a good deal of people have or know people who have been to KC. These same people look at me with envy when they hear what I am paying each month. A good number of people know quiet a bit about KC and that it’s not all about BBQ. Then again NJ isn’t exactly making a name for its self these days. In the short time I have been I”ve come to love KC despite some of its flaws like it’s lack of transportation, crime ect. It’s a neat town with a solid future.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

We continue to hope that people from East or West coasts just stay there. We are happy as we are and we really don't give a rat's rear about what people on the coasts think.

It's fascinating to see how far you can get under their skin with two simple sentences. Doesn't take much independence to make them squirm.

There is one and only one well scripted way to think in their world and, from a thousand miles away, it annoys them no end that you refuse to get in lock-step sync. Excellent.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

It's fascinating to see how far you can get under their skin with two simple sentences. Doesn't take much independence to make them squirm.

There is one and only one well scripted way to think in their world and, from a thousand miles away, it annoys them no end that you refuse to get in lock-step sync. Excellent.

Interesting as I have lived in different places all over the country. In reality, I would prefer to be no more than one hour from the coast to have the most reasonable balance between overall cost of living and proximity to amenities. The Lakes Region of NH is on my list for retirement locations because it offers an unparalleled quality of life compared to most of the US, and one pays more for that privilege... Nice lakes, mountains in every direction, and the coast an hour away.

[lovekcmo]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I think that’s kind of a silly attitude because you should care about those that do and could travel to KC or those that schedule conventions etc. This is why the new terminal at KCI is so overdue or that downtown needs more modern hotels. KC is starting to put together a really nice complete package to compete with other 2nd and 3rd tier convention cities again, but they need to show that they have the streetcar, hotels, airport terminal, P&L district etc to potential visitors. All cities create these videos. But to everyday people, the problem is that if you are from DC, Boston, Seattle, SF, NYC, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, MSP, Denver etc etc etc, those things are a big “so what” to most people. Congrats KC. Welcome to being a halfway modern city I guess? You are finally replacing your terminal and have built 2 miles of streetcar. Just saying… All cities are doing at the very least what KC is doing.

The only people beyond 200 miles of KC that will ever even think about the city (that don’t have relative connections) are people forced to go there for jobs and if those people are from another major city or anyplace on the either coast, they will need a lot of convincing to even consider the idea of moving to KC.

And it’s getting worse. This country is dividing into two demographics. Urban(democrat) vs Rural(conservative). To people on the coasts, KC is lumped with all the far right politics that surround it. I don’t think people in the Midwest realize just how much damage the whole Trump thing (and other far right issues) is doing to the image of that entire part of the country. And as I have said before, this image of middle America has become worldwide, not just on the coasts. Most people out here want no part of what they think is the culture out there.

In the govt that I work and live in and the agency I work for, I know of a lot of people who are/have transferred to KC, STL and OKC because they consider them based on being more conservative from the cities they are escaping from. So there is a "selling" point for being an all American type city for those leaving "certain" areas of the country.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I think that’s kind of a silly attitude because you should care about those that do and could travel to KC or those that schedule conventions etc. This is why the new terminal at KCI is so overdue or that downtown needs more modern hotels. KC is starting to put together a really nice complete package to compete with other 2nd and 3rd tier convention cities again, but they need to show that they have the streetcar, hotels, airport terminal, P&L district etc to potential visitors. All cities create these videos. But to everyday people, the problem is that if you are from DC, Boston, Seattle, SF, NYC, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, MSP, Denver etc etc etc, those things are a big “so what” to most people. Congrats KC. Welcome to being a halfway modern city I guess? You are finally replacing your terminal and have built 2 miles of streetcar. Just saying… All cities are doing at the very least what KC is doing.

The only people beyond 200 miles of KC that will ever even think about the city (that don’t have relative connections) are people forced to go there for jobs and if those people are from another major city or anyplace on the either coast, they will need a lot of convincing to even consider the idea of moving to KC.

And it’s getting worse. This country is dividing into two demographics. Urban(democrat) vs Rural(conservative). To people on the coasts, KC is lumped with all the far right politics that surround it. I don’t think people in the Midwest realize just how much damage the whole Trump thing (and other far right issues) is doing to the image of that entire part of the country. And as I have said before, this image of middle America has become worldwide, not just on the coasts. Most people out here want no part of what they think is the culture out there.

And Casey has already told you they like it that way. This is not complicated.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by luzianne

I think the video comes across as trying too hard to convince people to like KC. And I don’t think the target audience will even bother to watch it. Can’t Kansas City just be Kansas City without acting desperate to be considered a cool place? Kansas City is Kansas City because it’s NOT like other cities.

Kansas City has long been a thing, just not the kind of thing people are trying to make it.

Thing is, I live in a region of the country that is chock-full of cool places, and my recent visits Back Home tell me that KC has indeed gotten cool. Certainly cooler than the city I left in 1976.

Just with a Midwestern accent.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by CrownVic95

And Casey has already told you they like it that way. This is not complicated.

You do know that Jackson County votes Democratic, no? That's largely because of the Kansas Citians, although I don't think Independence is all that conservative either.

The main difference, politically speaking, between Kansas City and St. Louis and the coastal metropolises is that the coastal suburbs have become purple, or even blue, while those of the large Central Plains cities are pinkish at minimum.

They may not be loads of Bernie Bros (though I met a really cool Sanders delegate from Lawrence at the 2016 Democratic National Convention here) or AOC acolytes in Kansas City and environs, but the core city is pretty liberal. You want a conservative core city in the Midwest, head for OKC.

And to one of kcmo's points, OKC's streetcar is further along in its development than KC's, and it didn't face the hostility from parts of the city that KC's has.