Relocating to KCMO from Denver (Kansas City, Lee's Summit: house, buying, new construction)

[mformichelle]

My husband and I are relocating to the KCMO area with our four year old son this summer. We'll be selling our Denver home and buying in Missouri.
Our son will be in kindergarten this coming school year, so good schools are very important to us. We're hoping to buy in the 275 - 300K range.
I'll be working remote from home, and my husband will be looking for part-time work in retail, so proximity to an office isn't an issue.
We're very set on living in the Missouri side with a current focus on Lee's Summit or Blue Springs. Are there other areas we should be considering? Our priorities are good schools, lots of local activities for kids and families, close to walking and biking trails.
My personal preference is a home that is very walkable to stores, restaurants, etc., but it seems like that's pretty impossible to find in our budget and a good school district. If anyone knows of any areas I'm overlooking - would appreciate any advice!

[VietInKC]

Any suburb in KC isn't walkable in my book within reasonable distance to anything really. I would focus on Lee's Summit and maybe add Parkville to your list of areas to look into.

[mformichelle]

Thanks - I'll take a look at Parkville. From my time visiting KCMO, it definitely seems like walkability isn't a priority in those suburban areas - so I assumed it was a long shot. Had to check with the local experts though!

[chicago2kc]

Curious why being on the Missouri side is important to you. Not that it's a bad decision. The areas you mentioned will have good schools. It's just unusual for people from out of town to automatically prefer one side over the other if they're living in the suburbs either way.

[Okey Dokie]

Originally Posted by chicago2kc

Curious why being on the Missouri side is important to you. Not that it's a bad decision. The areas you mentioned will have good schools. It's just unusual for people from out of town to automatically prefer one side over the other if they're living in the suburbs either way.

My guess is her housing price range. Much more bang for the buck in Missouri vs. Johnson County.

OP: I would also look north of the river in Clay and Platte Counties and Liberty, Park Hill and North Kansas City school districts.

[mformichelle]

Exactly right - we can get more house for our money on the Missouri side, and taxes are lower (although not as much as we'd prefer).

Great advice, I'll take a look farther north to see what we can find. Thanks!

[kcmo]

Lol, you will soon find out that walkability is not a priority in any suburb of KC. There are hardly any pedestrians in the central city let alone the burbs. This is not a slam, it’s just KC. The only true walkable suburb in KC is Brookside and because that’s not in a suburban district, that’s not an option.

That said, I would look at Liberty. You might be able to find something you like near downtown Liberty, although the homes will be older there. Same with Downtown Lee’s Summit. There is not a lot of new construction in KC in walkable suburban areas.

Northgate is like a small version of Stapleton. It’s in an inner suburban area though, so schools may not be as good as the schools further north in the NKC district. Although I personally wouldn't think twice about raising kids in that area. This area is very close to downtown NKC.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/No...!4d-94.5729781

If you can’t find something walkable to retail etc, go for being walkable to recreation with lots of parks, water and trees nearby. For that I would choose northern Lee’s Summit
https://www.google.com/maps/place/No...!4d-94.5729781

Good luck!

[thriftylefty]

Brookside or the west Plaza have a good urban vibe. My 25-30ish kids live or lived in downtown, Chicago, Denver, and KCMO. The KCMO kids live in Brookside and the Plaza. Google maps the area around the Blue Bird Bistro in the west plaza 1700 Summit St, Kansas City, MO 64108 if you want to take a look. Its seems pretty typical to me of the City. The Charter school system is good, lots of foreign language for elementary school kids.

[TabulaRasa]

Lee's Summit is walkable, if you live adjacent to the downtown area (I did, for a number of years).

[mformichelle]

That's incredibly helpful - thank you everyone. I'm going to take a closer look at Downtown Lee's Summit and Liberty. I hadn't thought to consider Liberty before, but it looks like it has potential!