Brookside and Waldo? (Parkway: real estate, condos, crime rate)

[Fleurdelis]

My spousal unit and I are thinking about relocating back to KCMO, where we lived many years ago (early 1980s). We're now in our mid-50s and semi-retired with no kids in school.

We always liked the Brookside/Waldo area when we lived there before. We liked it partly because of the location -- close to the Plaza and other interesting stuff, like the art museum. Questions:

Is the area still nice?
What is the crime rate like?
Cost of housing?

Any thoughts from Kanas City folks would be much appreciated!

[Keikis]

Brookside is great but has been discovered by young professionals, so the prices have really shot up in the last few years. The upside is that many of the older homes have been renovated and are quite nice.

[midwest456]

Took the words out of my mouth...Brookside is still nice, just no longer so much of an overlooked gem and so has priced up. KCMO still has very reasonable housing prices compared to most markets in these inflated days, though.

[Lolls]

We bought in Brookside and love it. In terms of real estate, it's a great investment. Beyond that, it really is a great neighborhood that is very much a real neighborhood. When spring hits the kids will fill the parks and everyone will use the bike/walking path to exercise or just walk up to stores. While there are many new families like us (we have babies and toddlers), there are also many, many families who have lived here for the past 10-25 years. Brookside can be bustling or serene, and you really can choose which way to have it.

We considered Waldo and could have been happy there as well. I think Waldo still has a little of the undiscovered feel to it. (They still use the "Where is Waldo?" line on events) There are some really lovely areas and they have a great community feeling too.

Another area to consider is sandwiched in between Brookside and the Plaza - technically the South Plaza, over by Visitation. Great little houses there, but they are tucked in closer together. There are some pricey condos that went up, and I suspect between the condos and Visitation's parking needs, the houses will eventually be bought out, so if you are planning on staying for a long, long time, I'd pass on that. (Total speculation on my part)

[Fleurdelis]

Thanks very much to everyone who replied to my question about Brookside & Waldo!

Sincerely,
Fleurdelis

[Mito The Cat]

I'm only 35 and have moved around through many cities, however I recently moved here to get away from the bums, crime, and hooligans in mid town KC after finding work in the Waldo area. I love it! Crime is high everywhere in the city in times as such, but I live in this neighborhood and I can leave my doors and car unlocked at home and feel comfortable with no worries. Housing prices are bouncing all over right now. The people are generally cheery and very helpfull. I also enjoy the wide variety of people and culture in the area. The only complaint I have with living in the area is the lack of driving skills/respect that we all deal with every day, and the overall non-mantainence of the city itself. (roads, plumbing, and such) However that just leads to my complaints about the city council, the way they spend our money then spend thier time bickerring amongst themselves getting notheng done. Which is why community is important, might take extra..extra long to get things done, but this area is effective and seems to pull together to make life comfortable for everyone the best they can.
I reccommend the area, I find the community very pleasing.
Good luck! And if I'm not to late in response, Have a very happy new year!
(i'm new to this particular chat board)
Jess

[RjRobb2]

Every friend I have had that has lived in the Waldo area has had either their house or car broken into several times. Now I dont know the area really well but based on their experiences, i wouldnt live there,

[kcmo]

Brookside/Waldo is a great area. My last home was in Waldo and we sold it for quite a nice profit.

Waldo can be a bit flaky, there are areas of waldo that are more run down and then there area areas that are pretty nice.

But for the most part, Waldo is a nice close in area for younger people to buy a starter home. I'm not sure I would recommend the area to somebody that can afford a little nicer area though.

There is a lot of crime in waldo. I lived there for 6 years and never had a problem, but you always hear about the businesses along Wornall being robbed etc. I think it's a fine area, but I'm from the city and have little tougher skin than a lot of people. If you want a clean area that never has any problems oddball people etc, then Waldo is probably not the place for you. But if you are ok with a more urban area and some of the grit that comes with that, then it's a great area. The biggest problem with Waldo is the housing is pretty modest, but there are some very nice areas, mostly close to Ward Parkway.

If you can, I would try Brookside or South Plaza, but the housing prices in those areas can go off the charts. It's still an awesome area though, better than ever.