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Eh the grass is always greener. I’m a young person that just moved here from the east coast. I love KC and find it to be an up and coming city. One of the things that’s great about KC is it’s easier to find entry level work. Less transplants give KC a great and strong civic identity. Speaking of which I’m not sure what people are talking about in terms of no one comes from far away. In my short few months here I’ve met people from all over the country and world. I have no issues finding ethnic food and hear other languages spoken all the tine. Not to mention there is always something to do. One thing I’ve noticed people from KC constantly compare themselves to other cities. I have friends who have moved to the places often mentioned in this thread. Many are not happy because there is so much competition it’s hard to find and keep work. Costs are rising quickly and many people are on and out. I think the issue in KC is you get this group of people who will only be happy if KC turns into this huge city. I found most people on the coast had a positive view of KC and many had visited. I get wanting to improve the city but sheesh people are hard on this town.
Eh the grass is always greener. I’m a young person that just moved here from the east coast. I love KC and find it to be an up and coming city. One of the things that’s great about KC is it’s easier to find entry level work. Less transplants give KC a great and strong civic identity. Speaking of which I’m not sure what people are talking about in terms of no one comes from far away. In my short few months here I’ve met people from all over the country and world. I have no issues finding ethnic food and hear other languages spoken all the tine. Not to mention there is always something to do. One thing I’ve noticed people from KC constantly compare themselves to other cities. I have friends who have moved to the places often mentioned in this thread. Many are not happy because there is so much competition it’s hard to find and keep work. Costs are rising quickly and many people are on and out. I think the issue in KC is you get this group of people who will only be happy if KC turns into this huge city. I found most people on the coast had a positive view of KC and many had visited. I get wanting to improve the city but sheesh people are hard on this town.
Actually, your next-to-last sentence mirrors my own experience with people who aren't from KC but who have visited it - their impressions are just about uniformly positive, and they like the place a lot.
But: which coast?
Many West Coast denizens have relatives in the Kansas City area. Most East Coast dwellers don't. Thanks to the Kansas City Southern Railway, there are lots of people along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana who also have relatives in the area. Some of them I call family.
Eh the grass is always greener. I’m a young person that just moved here from the east coast. I love KC and find it to be an up and coming city. One of the things that’s great about KC is it’s easier to find entry level work. Less transplants give KC a great and strong civic identity. Speaking of which I’m not sure what people are talking about in terms of no one comes from far away. In my short few months here I’ve met people from all over the country and world. I have no issues finding ethnic food and hear other languages spoken all the tine. Not to mention there is always something to do. One thing I’ve noticed people from KC constantly compare themselves to other cities. I have friends who have moved to the places often mentioned in this thread. Many are not happy because there is so much competition it’s hard to find and keep work. Costs are rising quickly and many people are on and out. I think the issue in KC is you get this group of people who will only be happy if KC turns into this huge city. I found most people on the coast had a positive view of KC and many had visited. I get wanting to improve the city but sheesh people are hard on this town.
I do think the locals are often way too hard on KC. I mean, I can be hard on the city, but that’s only because I simply what to see KC continue to improve and evolve. I’m not saying KC is a terrible place when I point out its downfalls. KC will never be a Denver or Minneapolis or Seattle or Boston. But it can learn lessons from other cities and improve. It’s funny when you hear people in KC look down on KC when they see a city like Indianapolis or Nashville or Austin. KC is a relatively slow growth, slow changing place, but it still offers more than most peer sized cities. KC has a LOT to offer for a city of 2.2 million. I feel like KC has the amenities and culture and just as many “things to do” as much larger cities like Atlanta, MSP, Denver etc
The locals are pretty stubborn and stuck in their ways. I will say that. The airport fiasco alone is proof of that. The main thing KC really seems to lack is recreation. I’m sorry, but KC people just don’t seem to be doing what just about every other city in the world is doing. Urban recreation is so lacking in KC and so few people are out doing things like biking, hiking, jogging, enjoying city parks etc compared to pretty much any city you can think of. It also lacks urban “bustle”. It has everything a large city should have, but it still often “feels” empty when you are just exploring the city. Streets, sidewalks, parks etc in KC are all just very empty feeling comparing to most major cities even today even though its way better now than it was 15 years ago. Much of this has to do with all the highways and parking. Few people get more than 50 feet from their parked cars.
Some people like that, but I prefer a bit more big city bustle myself. You can drive downtown and find parking almost anywhere for free or a few bucks any time of day in KC and people there still complain about driving and parking in the city. Things like that make me think KC people are kind of country bumkins lol. It’s easier to park and drive in KC than most cities half its size.
Having lived on the east coast now for over a decade, I would move back to KC. It’s a pretty cool place. I miss how everybody is at least on the same page. Here is the DC area, everybody is from everywhere. You really notice it with things like the sports teams. The Nats and Caps both have recently won championships and it’s like only about 5-10% of the metro really even cares. You barely know the teams even exist unless you happen to hop on a train that is going in the direction of a stadium prior to a game. KC is like a giant small town in that regard.
As far as east coast and west coast people’s opinions of KC? I have talked to people up and down both the east and west coast hundreds of times about KC. The bottom line is that KC is generally just not a place people really think about at all. They don’t have a negative opinion, but they don’t really have a positive opinion either. It’s just another flyover city. People on the coasts tend to think more about world travel and travel to the other coasts. If I do get into a more in depth conversation about KC with people, I think the things that really surprise people the most is when I tell them two things. Its size (people never image KC to be over 2 million people for some reason) and the topography (people imagine KC to be flat with no vegetation). Now this is people that have not been there. People that have been to KC have a totally different opinion of it than those that have never been. Most people that have been there seem to really like it, although probably not enough to move there from their east or west coast big city. I’m kind of in that boat now. I like KC a lot, but I just like living here near more much larger cities with more things to do (urban and rural) and being around more diverse people from all over the world, having better airports etc. People here honestly also seem more educated and more world traveled and less conservative. Getting people out here to even consider KC would not be easy though. Just look at the situation with the department of agriculture. Most people that live in the DC area would not even give KC a chance. Too bad, they might have missed out on something they like.
It's funny, people here complain about $40 peak hour tolls, 2 hour beltway commutes, the fact that a suburban 1980's split level or town house that needs updating will set you back 600k, yet most would not consider moving to the midwest for any reason. When I lived in KC, I never understood that, but sort of get it now...
Actually, your next-to-last sentence mirrors my own experience with people who aren't from KC but who have visited it - their impressions are just about uniformly positive, and they like the place a lot.
But: which coast?
Many West Coast denizens have relatives in the Kansas City area. Most East Coast dwellers don't. Thanks to the Kansas City Southern Railway, there are lots of people along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana who also have relatives in the area. Some of them I call family.
I’m from NJ. Thank goodness I got out of that place. Unless your really into and can live in NYC. I found it to be a waste of time and money. I love getting downtown in 15 min and not waiting for an hour long train ride that’s 20 minutes late. I agree though. Seems that KC draws more from the west vs the east.
I’m from NJ. Thank goodness I got out of that place. Unless your really into and can live in NYC. I found it to be a waste of time and money. I love getting downtown in 15 min and not waiting for an hour long train ride that’s 20 minutes late. I agree though. Seems that KC draws more from the west vs the east.
No surprise there. West coast is more suburbia than the East coast and KC is similar in that regard. It's also evidenced by all the California license plates you see out here. I had a neighbor from Washington State too. The commute times are definitely a big advantage for KC so much so that I think I'm getting spoiled by them.
I do think the locals are often way too hard on KC. I mean, I can be hard on the city, but that’s only because I simply what to see KC continue to improve and evolve. I’m not saying KC is a terrible place when I point out its downfalls. KC will never be a Denver or Minneapolis or Seattle or Boston. But it can learn lessons from other cities and improve. It’s funny when you hear people in KC look down on KC when they see a city like Indianapolis or Nashville or Austin. KC is a relatively slow growth, slow changing place, but it still offers more than most peer sized cities. KC has a LOT to offer for a city of 2.2 million. I feel like KC has the amenities and culture and just as many “things to do” as much larger cities like Atlanta, MSP, Denver etc
The locals are pretty stubborn and stuck in their ways. I will say that. The airport fiasco alone is proof of that. The main thing KC really seems to lack is recreation. I’m sorry, but KC people just don’t seem to be doing what just about every other city in the world is doing. Urban recreation is so lacking in KC and so few people are out doing things like biking, hiking, jogging, enjoying city parks etc compared to pretty much any city you can think of. It also lacks urban “bustle”. It has everything a large city should have, but it still often “feels” empty when you are just exploring the city. Streets, sidewalks, parks etc in KC are all just very empty feeling comparing to most major cities even today even though its way better now than it was 15 years ago. Much of this has to do with all the highways and parking. Few people get more than 50 feet from their parked cars.
Some people like that, but I prefer a bit more big city bustle myself. You can drive downtown and find parking almost anywhere for free or a few bucks any time of day in KC and people there still complain about driving and parking in the city. Things like that make me think KC people are kind of country bumkins lol. It’s easier to park and drive in KC than most cities half its size.
Having lived on the east coast now for over a decade, I would move back to KC. It’s a pretty cool place. I miss how everybody is at least on the same page. Here is the DC area, everybody is from everywhere. You really notice it with things like the sports teams. The Nats and Caps both have recently won championships and it’s like only about 5-10% of the metro really even cares. You barely know the teams even exist unless you happen to hop on a train that is going in the direction of a stadium prior to a game. KC is like a giant small town in that regard.
As far as east coast and west coast people’s opinions of KC? I have talked to people up and down both the east and west coast hundreds of times about KC. The bottom line is that KC is generally just not a place people really think about at all. They don’t have a negative opinion, but they don’t really have a positive opinion either. It’s just another flyover city. People on the coasts tend to think more about world travel and travel to the other coasts. If I do get into a more in depth conversation about KC with people, I think the things that really surprise people the most is when I tell them two things. Its size (people never image KC to be over 2 million people for some reason) and the topography (people imagine KC to be flat with no vegetation). Now this is people that have not been there. People that have been to KC have a totally different opinion of it than those that have never been. Most people that have been there seem to really like it, although probably not enough to move there from their east or west coast big city. I’m kind of in that boat now. I like KC a lot, but I just like living here near more much larger cities with more things to do (urban and rural) and being around more diverse people from all over the world, having better airports etc. People here honestly also seem more educated and more world traveled and less conservative. Getting people out here to even consider KC would not be easy though. Just look at the situation with the department of agriculture. Most people that live in the DC area would not even give KC a chance. Too bad, they might have missed out on something they like.
It's funny, people here complain about $40 peak hour tolls, 2 hour beltway commutes, the fact that a suburban 1980's split level or town house that needs updating will set you back 600k, yet most would not consider moving to the midwest for any reason. When I lived in KC, I never understood that, but sort of get it now...
You bring up great points. I love DC btw. I’m a history nut. One thing I know you’ve brought up in the past is the lack of recreation in KC. That’s my biggest frustration with KC. I’m an avid walker and KC is really lacking in this regard. It’s such an auto centric city.
As far as east coast and west coast people’s opinions of KC? I have talked to people up and down both the east and west coast hundreds of times about KC. The bottom line is that KC is generally just not a place people really think about at all. They don’t have a negative opinion, but they don’t really have a positive opinion either. It’s just another flyover city. People on the coasts tend to think more about world travel and travel to the other coasts. If I do get into a more in depth conversation about KC with people, I think the things that really surprise people the most is when I tell them two things. Its size (people never image KC to be over 2 million people for some reason) and the topography (people imagine KC to be flat with no vegetation). Now this is people that have not been there. People that have been to KC have a totally different opinion of it than those that have never been. Most people that have been there seem to really like it, although probably not enough to move there from their east or west coast big city. I’m kind of in that boat now. I like KC a lot, but I just like living here near more much larger cities with more things to do (urban and rural) and being around more diverse people from all over the world, having better airports etc. People here honestly also seem more educated and more world traveled and less conservative. Getting people out here to even consider KC would not be easy though. Just look at the situation with the department of agriculture. Most people that live in the DC area would not even give KC a chance. Too bad, they might have missed out on something they like.
It's funny, people here complain about $40 peak hour tolls, 2 hour beltway commutes, the fact that a suburban 1980's split level or town house that needs updating will set you back 600k, yet most would not consider moving to the midwest for any reason. When I lived in KC, I never understood that, but sort of get it now...
Before my trip Back Home in 2014, my Washington-journalist friend and I got to talking about the possibility of my moving back to Kansas City. I allowed as how many of the changes I'd seen on a previous trip plus things I'd heard since then made the idea rather appealing.
Then we arrived. After I took him past the site of my childhood home (which no longer stands), tooling around some of the East Side and heading downtown, as we were driving up I-29 to the hotel my brother ran at the time near KCI, my friend turned to me and asked, "But do you think you could live in a place where you drive everywhere?"
My reply: "Ehhhhhhhh...."
I remain in Philadelphia. And that reporter friend of mine likes KC. He even thanked me for showing him a side of the city (the side I grew up on) he had never seen before on that trip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveling Mike
I’m from NJ. Thank goodness I got out of that place. Unless your really into and can live in NYC. I found it to be a waste of time and money. I love getting downtown in 15 min and not waiting for an hour long train ride that’s 20 minutes late. I agree though. Seems that KC draws more from the west vs the east.
So you lived in North Jersey.
The Philadelphia part of the state has only one commuter train line, one light rail line and one of the best-run rapid transit lines in the country. Had you lived down in South Jersey, you'd probably be complaining about being stuck in traffic on the 42 Freeway or 295 or something like that.
South Jersey also has more affordable housing, like the Philadelphia market in general. The state's higher property taxes tend to knock some value off the houses relative to what they would fetch in Pennsylvania.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VietInKC
No surprise there. West coast is more suburbia than the East coast and KC is similar in that regard. It's also evidenced by all the California license plates you see out here. I had a neighbor from Washington State too. The commute times are definitely a big advantage for KC so much so that I think I'm getting spoiled by them.
The city is the least congested city of 2 million or more in the Western Hemisphere.
We walk, bike, go to parks, and do all kinds of recreational activities.
Yesterday, we took our two little kids to see the Union Pacific Big Boy steam locomotive that came through and made a stop at Union Station, then took them for a ride the street car and waked around the Liberty Memorial... not bad for a random Tuesday afternoon on a whim with no planning. Went to La Boheme with friends last weekend, tomorrow or later on this week is probably the new Nefertari exhibit at the Nelson - Atkins.
Personally, I really LIKE being somewhere where I can do things without having to resign myself to being elbow - deep in people...and I also LOVE that so many amenities are free or low cost, which makes them so much more accessible to families. I grew up with Chicago's amenities being largely out of reach, cost-wise, so we were only very occaisionally able to take advantage of the types of things I can regularly offer my kids with ease. To be able to do so with a calm, relaxed atmosphere with no crowds to fight, no traffic to fight through, and no stress is excellent.
I lived in Chicago prior to KC, and then, after six years here, went back for a year on temporary military assignment with my spouse...yeah... can't go back. I'm glad I lived in Chicago when I did, because now I'm ruined.
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