Moving to KC from Wisconsin, white couple who adopted 4 great black boys (Kansas City: RV parks, low crime)

[sheryl_jim]

We will be moving to the KC area in the next six months from Wisconsin. We will be working at the GM fairfax plant but very use to a 30 minute drive one way. Looking for a culturally diverse place to live with good schools. Our price for a home $200,000-$280,000. We are not sure as to what shift times are at GM. Wondering what the commute would be like from Lee Summit area? We have heard great things about the school district and the mixed population of that area. We are also wishing to have a larger yard. We are used to 2 acres but the kids feeling safe and getting a good education is the top priority. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

[Versatile]

A long commute from Lee's Summit. I suggest you search in Western Wyandotte County or North KC.

[kcmo]

First off, welcome to the KC area. I can only imagine how difficult and scary it would be to be forced to move a family and children to a city you know nothing about.

The Fairfax plant is in downtown KCK. The vast majority of KCK is lower class and poverty. There are some newer parts out by the speedway you might want to check out. The schools are decent etc out that way.

The only problems with that area is you may not have much housing to choose from and it’s just not very built up yet. It has a very rural feel to it. You may like that though.

Other areas I would look into for a good suburban home with good schools is the Northland. Clay and Platte counties where you are served by the NKC, Park Hill, Platte, and Liberty School Districts. All of which are good districts.

Fairfax is actually closer or as close to much of Clay and Platte County as western Wyandotte County.

Johnson County home prices are off the charts, but you might look into Shawnee as it’s close and offers a wider range of prices than most JoCo suburbs do. There are some very nice areas of Shawnee along 435 and K-7.

Lee’s Summit would be a pretty long haul as I think you would find something just as nice in Platte County or Shawnee and not have to waste so much gas. But you will have to check out Lee’s Summit and see if that is a community you like enough to make the drive. It is more diverse than many suburbs, but you wouldn’t have a problem in any of the suburban schools in the KC area.

Honestly, if I were in your shoes, it wouldn’t even be a discussion. I would live in the I-29 corridor of Platte County, probably near 64th Street west of I-29 in Parkville / KC, North area. It would be a perfect fit for a suburban family, tons of shopping, fast growing, middle class to upscale and very close to Fairfax and other industrial areas like the Ford plant, the Harley plant, the American Airlines Plant etc if that job didn’t pan out.

[sheryl_jim]

Our major concern is for the kids well being and making this HUGE move to a right place that our racial diverse family feels welcomed by the community we live within. I thought that the commute would be rather long from Lee Summit. We just noticed that it has awsome school district and a good mix of non white population. We have been checking into the Liberty area and Northland. I am planning on substituting in the school district the boys go to school in while I go back to school and get a nursing degree. Any ideas as to a good place to start a nursing program?
FYI - our children will be in 6th grade, 4th grade (special needs), 3rd grade (special needs) and 1st grade.

Does anyone have a oppinion on what area north of KC that strives to keep their student teacher ratio low and has a good special education program? A district that our kids may not be the only black students would be nice as well!!!! My third grader is real low functioning but has been able to stay within the regular education classroom with assistance from an aide. I am really stressing out over finding the right school system for them and then looking for housing in that system will be our next step. We notice that we can get a much larger house for the dollar but will have to sacrafice with a smaller yard.

Any campgrounds in the area that my husband could camp in while looking for the right place to live?

[Versatile]

There is an rv park at Grain Valley that i think allows tents. Or go to Longview Lake which is west of Lee's Summit. That would be the one i would choose to be while looking at Lee's Summit. I don't know about those in the north area or the Ks side.

[sheryl_jim]

After researching for the last week and talking with people from Lee Summit we really think the commute will be too long to the plant. We are finding some great property with the size lot we are used to. Plattsburg??Lathrop?? I don't want to be too far away from civilization and really want neighbors the kids are able to play with and get to know. Let alone we (Mom and Dad) really need to network with new friends too. Thank you for any and all help.
We have a 38' camper and we were thinking that he could camp while house searching. Would need full-hook up but not necessarly a beautiful campground. He would be really just using it for sleeping! Well (lol) he better not be using if for much more recreational activites if you know what I mean....

[Versatile]

I would search in the area near the Nascar Track next to I-70 hwy for a campground. I think Plattsburg or Lathrop would be out of the area you desire. The area around the track is very rural and you might find wha you need in that area as well. Should be an easy commute from Fairfax. Always look as to how the traffic flows and try to be going the oppisite way of the traffic during rush hours.imo

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by sheryl_jim

After researching for the last week and talking with people from Lee Summit we really think the commute will be too long to the plant. We are finding some great property with the size lot we are used to. Plattsburg??Lathrop?? I don't want to be too far away from civilization and really want neighbors the kids are able to play with and get to know. Let alone we (Mom and Dad) really need to network with new friends too. Thank you for any and all help.
We have a 38' camper and we were thinking that he could camp while house searching. Would need full-hook up but not necessarly a beautiful campground. He would be really just using it for sleeping! Well (lol) he better not be using if for much more recreational activites if you know what I mean....

Clinton County is too far of a commute IMHO unless you want to drive many miles at $4 a gallon plus.

[Versatile]

You can stay at many Mo Conservation areas free for 14 days. I think you would need two persons to do this because i wouldnt drive off and leave a motorhome alone due to very few people being around. Just check for locations online with Mo Dept Of Conservation.

[Rocket Dog]

Sheryl_Jim,

Welcome to KC! I read your post with interest, and I must say I agree with most of what "kcmo" has advised. I have lived most of my (much too long) life (don't ask) in KC, both south of the river and in the northland. I am in the northland now and would never live south of the river again. The North Kansas City School District is terrific, as is the Park Hill School District. I believe there is a thread somewhere that argues which is best, but I'm not sure now where that is. They are both excellent nonetheless, as is Liberty.

For the best commute to Fairfax, I suggest the North Kansas City School District. It is quite racially diverse. I spent five years as a "YouthFriend" volunteer in the NKC District. YouthFriends go to the schools as many hours a week as they wish spending time with students chosen by the school counselor as students who would benefit from extra attention. A YouthFriend can be a lunch buddy, a tutor, or just someone to hang out with for an hour or so a week. I was a reading tutor, and saw five elementary kids--separately, not all at one time. I know first-hand that the NKC school district is excellent and is racially diverse, as is Clay County in general.

Look at the City of North Kansas City. Very small, has its own little government. Also has a very low crime rate. North Kansas City (not to be confused with Kansas City North) has more police officers per capita than any other community in the state of MO, and they also are the highest paid. This is partly because of the revenue the city receives from Harrah's Casino, which has greatly contributed not only to the "beautification" of NKC, but also to a new community center, a new library, and more recently, a new police station.

Either the North Kansas City or the Park Hill School Districts would be good districts for substitute teaching. As for nursing schools, I'm not sure. I don't know of any north of the river, but I do know that St. Luke's on the Country Club Plaza (south of the river) is known to have one of the best nursing schools in the Midwest, and would not be a drastically long commute from the Northland.

I don't know a thing about RV parks, so I Googled RV parks Clay County MO and found Clay County Parks and Recs website. Smithville Lake has one and there is a PDF list of fees. I imagine if you search more on Google for either Clay County or Platte County, you might find a few more. I know there is one in Weston, MO (Platte County, not too far) but I didn't check out the fees.

I don't have the answers to all your questions, I'm afraid, but I do have an idea how you can find out more about the student/teacher ratio and special ed programs in the NKC schools. Do a Google search for "YouthFriends North Kansas City MO" and phone them. Talk with the director. It's been a few years and I have CRS, so I don't recall her name (maybe Pam, or Pat? Not sure.) She is extremely helpful with this kind of information and would be more than happy to assist you in any way possible.

I'm sure there are more people on C-D who will be able to fill in some of the gaps and who also have their own opinions, as what I've written are simply my own, and I am by no means an expert on schools except what I've heard from living here and what I learned as a volunteer.

Best of luck to you!