Wooooo! Kansas City!!!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by denverian

Forget retirement. I left right after graduating from high school! I guess I was alway adventurous and wanted to travel the world, so I did. I think JoCo has a culture that if you don't fit in, you want to leave. It's just too conservative, religious, and suburban for me. But it certainly wasn't a bad place to grow up - low crime, good schools, and it's cheap.

I completely agree with you.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by anifani821

I understand that - people often want to leave the midwest and move some place warmer (don't know if your parents want to do that or not).

Other areas may seem to have things going for them that are not in JoCo, but the reality is - the cost of living, housing, entertainment, restaurants, etc. are excellent in the KCMO metro region. Until you leave the area, you just do not realize how the rest of the country lives. Kansas City is a very convenient area, good highways, excellent healthcare and schools . . . a terrific place to live.

They moved to a small town in northern New England. Small towns in that region are thriving and not dying like many in the Midwest. New Hampshire has no state income tax or sales tax, and has many nice communities close to or in the mountains with lower housing prices compared with most areas of the Rockies.

For the KC metro area:
Yes the cost of living is cheaper. However, you have to accept the fact that you have a very long summer and a long windy winter. Outdoor activities are quite limited, especially on the Kansas side of the metro area.

The Kansas City area is convenient... especially for building inter-modal hubs.
(Don't even get me started on that issue)
I do like the fact that Kansas City International Airport flies to so many different destinations. However, the airport feels like a 1970s cave and is starting to get very outdated.

Kansas City has good highways, and excellent suburban schools. The KC, MO school district is obviously still plagued with problems.

You expect decent entertainment, restaurants, and art museums for a metro of Kansas City's population size.

I think the Kansas City metro area is a good place to grow up, but I am leaving for BETTER job opportunities elsewhere to be closer to family.