Is Kansas City, MO for me? (St. Louis, Washington: crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[UP 270]

I'm a 44 yo single black male with no kids. I work from home for the federal government and am trying to find my forever home. I've lived in and eliminated Sacramento, CA; Washington, DC; Dallas, Texas; Minneapolis, MN, and Phoenix, AZ. I'm currently in Minneapolis but am not as happy as I want to be in the place I decide to buy a house. I think I like extreme cold over extreme heat and that's why I left Texas.

I'm currently considering Chicago, IL and Kansas City, MO. Thought about Las Vegas but it's too hot; Los Angeles is too expensive; Boise, Idaho lacks diversity and the culture I want--I think; too much crime in St. Louis; Detroit is too far east. I like the central placement of Kansas; I can go in any direction on the motorcycle and explore.

I'm looking for an abundance of beautiful females in the 35-44 age range; casinos to play no limit poker, decent roads to ride my motorcycle, nice houses in the $350,000 price range(3br/2bath), live theaters, orchestras, museums, culture, not too hot and not too humid, and an all around nice quality of life.

Thanks in advance.

[Exxtol]

Judging by the cities you’ve been to probably not. At least that’s what I’ve gathered in my short bout of research. I asked a similar ish question not too long ago. The general consensus I get is Kansas City sounds great if you’re a white professional, but as a black professional you’ll most likely feel out of place. I get that from the fact that most native black professionals leave KC for other cities.

Also, while segregation is a real issue in all American cities, it sounds like it’s a bigger issue than other comparably sized cities. Would love for anyone to correct me, but that’s the sense I get. I’m planning to check it out in the summer, but not too encouraged by what I’ve gathered so far.

Edit: I lived in Atlanta, which is segregated too, but the difference is it’s not rare to run into a black lawyer/doctor/professional. In KC it seems like it is. DWB seems to be an issue outside of the immediate metro too. I’ll know more when I visit though.

[VietInKC]

I'm looking for an abundance of beautiful females in the 35-44 age range; casinos to play no limit poker, decent roads to ride my motorcycle, nice houses in the $350,000 price range(3br/2bath), live theaters, orchestras, museums, culture, not too hot and not too humid, and an all around nice quality of life.

Dating: Kansas City often is called bad for dating, even makes some lists as one of the worst. I'm sure you can find a decent amount of attractive females in that age range if you actively try, but Kansas City isn't especially good for dating it seems.

Casinos: Good amount of casinos in the KC metro area: Ballys, Harrahs, Ameristar, Argosy. I don't gamble so not sure about no limit poker but I bet they offer that?

Roads: They are better quality on the Kansas side and tend to be more wide. That's where I would ride a motorcycle. There's a famous youtuber called Walterrific who makes motorcycle vlogs and lives in Johnson County. You can watch them to see if the area is to your liking.

Houses: If you are going with Johnson County which tends to be pretty expensive, I still think you'll find something within your budget. Housing across the whole metro area is generally affordable even in the nicer suburbs excluding Parkville, Leawood, and other smaller communities. Considering all the cities you've ruled out is more expensive, you will find something.

Weather: KC has all the extremes. It is not consistent day to day. It can get very hot expectedly during the summer.

Entertainment: Based on all the things you listed, KC is pretty "average" I would say. I don't think it is as good as the cities you ruled out.

QoL: Of course this varies depending on the criteria you listed. If you like a slow-paced lifestyle that is largely suburban, it's a good choice I suppose.

[KC_Retiree]

Originally Posted by VietInKC

Dating: Kansas City often is called bad for dating, even makes some lists as one of the worst. I'm sure you can find a decent amount of attractive females in that age range if you actively try, but Kansas City isn't especially good for dating it seems.

Casinos: Good amount of casinos in the KC metro area: Ballys, Harrahs, Ameristar, Argosy. I don't gamble so not sure about no limit poker but I bet they offer that?

Roads: They are better quality on the Kansas side and tend to be more wide. That's where I would ride a motorcycle. There's a famous youtuber called Walterrific who makes motorcycle vlogs and lives in Johnson County. You can watch them to see if the area is to your liking.

Houses: If you are going with Johnson County which tends to be pretty expensive, I still think you'll find something within your budget. Housing across the whole metro area is generally affordable even in the nicer suburbs excluding Parkville, Leawood, and other smaller communities. Considering all the cities you've ruled out is more expensive, you will find something.

Weather: KC has all the extremes. It is not consistent day to day. It can get very hot expectedly during the summer.

Entertainment: Based on all the things you listed, KC is pretty "average" I would say. I don't think it is as good as the cities you ruled out.

QoL: Of course this varies depending on the criteria you listed. If you like a slow-paced lifestyle that is largely suburban, it's a good choice I suppose.

This is a pretty good synopsis but my opinion differs on a few things.

Roads: Once you are out of the metro in the hinterlands, Missouri is probably the more interesting countryside, especially to north and east. Midwesterners tend to overuse their phones while driving so if on a motorcycle, exercise caution in the city or the burbs.

Houses: Here is one thing that is good about KC. $350,000 can buy you a nice house. Not so much in trendy urban/inboard neighborhoods but certainly is the burbs. Even Johnson County if you pick the right neighborhoods.

Weather: While KC has extremes, the winters tend to be relatively mild compared to what they were 50 years ago. I didn't have to break out the snow shovel this winter and we had one sub-zero and short lived very cold spell. We do not tend to have multiple days in a row with highs under freezing. Springs can be hit or miss with temps going from 40's to 80's and some violent Tstorms in May and June. Summers are hot and humid but not as hot as Dallas or as humid as Houston. And the hottest summer weather is relatively short lived. Falls are wonderful.

Entertainment: Here is where I really disagree with Viet. For it's size, KC has a great entertainment scene. I have lived in a lot of places and the entertainment scene is as good as some much larger cities. Good Museums, great concert venues, a steady course of Broadway musicals and big musical acts coming through, great classical music opportunities both in KC and Lawrence, fantastic restaurant scene etc.... KC has professional football, baseball, soccer (women's and men's) and a host of other sporting events (Big XII basketball tournament). And the nice thing is that the traffic to these events is never bad. While living in Houston, I rarely took advantage of the culture because the traffic was always so much of a hassle. There's not a huge amount of outdoor entertainment like mountain and beaches in the immediate vicinity but the city is crisscrossed by good trails for cycling and the Ozarks aren't all that far away if you want some quasi-wilderness.

Also, you can choose whether you want to live an urban or suburban lifestyle. The urban opportunities exist in KC. The urban core is pretty large and lively if you do want that kind of lifestyle. We live in the burbs but we go downtown quite often for a variety of things (restaurants, music, city market, festivals, events, etc...)

[grampaTom]

I have spent a lot of time there and it is a really neat city.
Pro sports -- check
Many restaurants and varied cuisines -- check
Green spaces and fountains -- check
Great location? -- I'd say check
It definitely gets cold there but summers aren't too bad. I've been a lot more uncomfortable there at a football game as compared to a baseball game.

[kyle19125]

OP, Atlanta is your best option.

[CCS414]

I think KC will suit you nicely. I really liked it when I lived there. It has a suprising amount of culture and a large theatre and arts scene. Mild winters relative to Minneapolis and mild summers relative to Phoenix and Las Vegas. Affordable housing. The only thing on your list that I think it lacks is a good dating scene. When I lived there it seemed like everyone was already married and had met their spouse and had kids in their late teens to early twenty's. Not many singles of either gender.

[Weaubleau]

"Mild winters relative to Minneapolis and mild summers relative to Phoenix and Las Vegas."

LOL, Mild winters compared to the metro area that has the second or third worst winter in the US and Mild summers compared the the two metros that have the hottest summers. Or in other words, we have winters almost as bad as Minnesota and summers almost as bad as the desert southwest.

[sub]

The coldest of the cold snaps are usually pretty short.
Nothing like Minneapolis.
The summers are hot, but not as relentless and long as Dallas.
We currently live in eastern Wisconsin which is still pretty tame compared to Minnesota, yet our winters are more legit than KC’s.
Make no mistake though, Kansas City weather is all over the place.
Otherwise, not a bad town. Probably the biggest downside for the OP is that it’s not known for its dating scene.