People from the coasts in KC Metro (Lee's Summit, Overland: how much, houses)

[robertpolyglot]

I went to grad school in the Midwest and returned home, to Calif, after wrapping up. That's where my family was.

I have a friend who will we moving to Overland Park, KS from Nevada. I know it's greater KC metro. He got a good job offer and may take it.

Is that general area flat or hilly? How do people from the West Coast and Northeast adjust to the KC metro area? Just wondering.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

I went to grad school in the Midwest and returned home, to Calif, after wrapping up. That's where my family was.

I have a friend who will we moving to Overland Park, KS from Nevada. I know it's greater KC metro. He got a good job offer and may take it.

Is that general area flat or hilly? How do people from the West Coast and Northeast adjust to the KC metro area? Just wondering.

People from the "coasts" tend to like KC, MO because it has much more of an urban flavor, walkable neighborhoods, many local restaurants/shops and the great Plaza area. Many of the jobs in the KC metro area are located in Overland Park in Johnson County Kansas. However, that does not mean you have to live in JOCO considering you can easily get to most areas of the metro in under 40 minutes.

[northbound74]

Some like KC, because it's a whole lot cheaper and they like the culture. Some don't care for it, and never quite adjust.
Overland Park and much of Johnson County is one of the flatter parts in the area. The Missouri side tends to be hillier, with the exception of Cass County and parts further south along 71 hwy and 50 hwy east of Lee's Summit. Don't expect big hills, but there are some fairly steep ones. There's even some nice natural scenery in some parts.

[GraniteStater]

JOCO has a few hilly areas near the Kansas River, especially around Shawnee Mission Park. The park has a nice reservoir and walking trails.

[kcmo]

Well, first off most people from the coasts don't think of KC as a large metropolitan area.

They think "Kansas" which means flat, cows, tornadoes, farms, rural. We are lucky if people think KC is even as large and sophisticated as Indianapolis or Columbus.

I show KC to people for the first time all the time and most people don't realize how large the city is and how much it has to offer.

There are well over 2 million people in the metro and the city offers as many sporting events, arts, live theater, museums, concerts, shows, festivals etc than some cities that have 4 million people or more.

As far as topography goes. You can live in just about any kind of environment you want in KC, except ocean front and mountain.

The city is very green and not very flat. There are parts that flatten out a bit like southern Johnson County or Cass County, but you don't have to live there. It's not like Denver or Phoenix or Indianapolis. Those are flat towns.

The city is built around rivers, especially the Missouri side.

The best advise I can give is if you have to move to a part of KC that fits you or you won't like it. It think this is true with any town. If you are young or simply don't care for suburban living, move to urban KCMO. There you will find any sort of urban living you desire from rowhouses to high rise towers. If you want to live on a lake or have a suburban home with a view of the city or a river then move to the MO suburbs. If you are a totally suburban person and really enjoy upscale shopping, but don't care that most of the "city" nowhere near you, then southern Johnson County is for you. If you want an area with lots of walking trails instead of shopping, then look into western Johnson County or Platte County, if you want a more rural lifestyle than you should look into the area around the speedway or far out suburbs like Oak Grove, Gardner, Platte City and Kearney.

I have never met somebody that didn't like KC so long as they have had the right person show them the town and help them find the area of town that will fit them.