Possibly moving from Chicago to Kansas City (Overland, Lamar: how much, neighborhood)

[TinaMcG]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

IMO, KC's public greenspace is one of the things I most highly recommend about it. The pictures posted are around some of the most popular and nice parks in the metro, right on the Plaza.

The lack of pizza IS a downfall of KC, I will admit (though Waldo Pizza's tasty). But there are a few really decent Italian joints to be found if you crave that end of things. My boyfriend is a NY-born and bred Italian with the goombah name to prove it, Sicilian on one side and Campagnese on the other, and he swears that eating at Accurso's is like being home.

Really? Wow, maybe I should open a joint! I make a mean pizza -- thin crust, pan, thick crust, you name it. I even make my own Italian sausage, since I haven't found a really good one in KC yet. My dad was born and raised on the near West Side of Chicago (W. Huron street, Eman) in the 1920s and 30s -- Capone's old neighborhood. My family has pizza sauce for blood, LOL!

[kcmo]

Don’t get me wrong, I think there is some great pizza in KC. Minskys is awesome! I was just saying that we lack a bit in the deep dish department outside the national chains. I love pizza, be it Chicago, NYC or St Louis style. Minskys is sort of unique to KC, but it’s great pizza.

I think KC excels in Mexican, BBQ and Steak but there are fantastic restaurants in KC serving every type of food imaginable.

[northbound74]

I've been to St. Louis hundreds of times, and I've never heard of St. Louis style pizza. I'd love for someone to explain to me what that is.
I really didn't have a grasp on what Chicago style was until I moved to KC. The Dish in Liberty I think is really close. DEEP, gooey dish pizza with the sauce on top... now I've got to go there this weekend...

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by northbound74

I've been to St. Louis hundreds of times, and I've never heard of St. Louis style pizza. I'd love for someone to explain to me what that is.
I really didn't have a grasp on what Chicago style was until I moved to KC. The Dish in Liberty I think is really close. DEEP, gooey dish pizza with the sauce on top... now I've got to go there this weekend...

Yea, I heard that place in Liberty is very good, where in Liberty is it at (not that I can’t google it and find out myself).

When I thin of StL pizza, I think of basically the opposite of Deep Dish, you know, like Imos’. Very thin crust pizza.

[skrazzle]

Originally Posted by Chicago-Eman

Young professional currently living in Chicago, Illinois (Lincoln Park-specifically). I have a great job opportunity that would require relocation to Kansas City. My question is should I make the move for the job?

A little background:
I love living in Chicago (the urban life) with everything to do: nightlife, restaurants, street fests, music fests and venues, bars, sports and sports teams, the beach/Lake Michigan in the summer, everything walkable or by public transportation, family nearby and strong friend base...as you can tell I love living here and am hesitant to move but it is a great opportunity.

So, can I find similar living lifestyle in Kansas City? I have read many mixed reviews and am concerned about up-rooting my life here and starting again in a smaller city. Any advice??

Yes and no.

KC is not Chicago.... but IMO Chicago is one of the best cities in the world. I love KC... but it's obviously not the world city that Chicago is.

That said KC has a great night life (Westport, Power and Light District, etc.) There is TONS of property available downtown. You can get A LOT for your money in KC. There are great urban neighborhoods if you don't want to live downtown.... around the Plaza, Westport/Midtown, Hyde Park, etc... lots of great houses, and this is the best market to buy.

We have a ton of street festivals... Irish fest, German Fest, etc..(the Fringe festival is very fun KC Fringe Festival July 19-26, 2009)

Our public transportation is good if you are in the urban core... but hopefully soon it will be better. The city is pushing for light rail... but thats a ways off.

If you like to go out drinking KC has some of if not the most relaxed alcohol laws in the US... (which should be expected from the city that refused to enforce prohibition laws in 20s)

So... it's not Chicago, but it's still a great city and you could probably find a lot that you want... another plus side is your money will go pretty far here usually, so traveling is a lot easier.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by skrazzle

Yes and no.

KC is not Chicago.... but IMO Chicago is one of the best cities in the world. I love KC... but it's obviously not the world city that Chicago is.

That said KC has a great night life (Westport, Power and Light District, etc.) There is TONS of property available downtown. You can get A LOT for your money in KC. There are great urban neighborhoods if you don't want to live downtown.... around the Plaza, Westport/Midtown, Hyde Park, etc... lots of great houses, and this is the best market to buy.

We have a ton of street festivals... Irish fest, German Fest, etc..(the Fringe festival is very fun KC Fringe Festival July 19-26, 2009)

Our public transportation is good if you are in the urban core... but hopefully soon it will be better. The city is pushing for light rail... but thats a ways off.

If you like to go out drinking KC has some of if not the most relaxed alcohol laws in the US... (which should be expected from the city that refused to enforce prohibition laws in 20s)

So... it's not Chicago, but it's still a great city and you could probably find a lot that you want... another plus side is your money will go pretty far here usually, so traveling is a lot easier.

Fantastic post. But that last thing is probably the best thing about KC.

I think KC is really the best city in the country to live in if you want to see the rest of the country or world for that matter. Because it’s cheaper to live in KC, you have more money to spend on travel. KC’s central location makes the entire country easy to get to. So much of the country is within a day’s drive and you can get to either coast in a 2-3 day trip. KCI is dominated by lower cost airlines, yet the airport still serves nearly every major city non-stop. I have seen the entire country. I have flown to nearly every city and I have driven nearly every interstate in the nation. I don’t think that’s possible in the expensive coastal cities or Chicago or even in the bigger, more isolated inland cities like Denver and Dallas on my (and my wife’s salary).

Just don’t overdo it. I know people that live in Johnson County McMansions that can’t afford to go to a Royals game because they have $3000 mortgage payments and $800 car payments. Why you would do that in KC, I don’t know. Unless you make 300K I guess.

I personally prefer to live slightly more modestly and live life outside my home, not that I don’t have what I consider a very nice home, it’s just not 3500 sq ft.

[skrazzle]

Originally Posted by Chicago-Eman

KCMO- thanks for the information. It sure would be nice if KC still had the street cars from the 50's. My concern with KC is the suburban sprawl, where people work in the city and disappear at night back out to the suburbs, similar to St. Louis. I had a project in St. Louis and was surprised that the city was barren during the week after 5:30!? I know the weekends are different, but I want a city where professionals actually live, work and play. And if KC is like that, I could definitely make it home. And yes I am seriously considering the offer.

Tina- great to hear about your experience. Sounds like you miss all the same things I would miss and not sure that I really want to give it up. The opportunity I have is actually really lucrative, but would require me to be there for a good period of time. If it was a two year gig with the option to return to Chicago I would jump at it, however, it would be for significantly longer as I would build my new territory.

North- I understand what you are saying. The project I had in St. Louis allowed me to interact with some locals when I went to a gym at night and the common question was "Where did you go to high school?" When told that I wasn't from the area, it took a little longer for them to warm up to me. But that could be anywhere. Thanks for your input.

KC sounds like it would be a good fit for me, I really have to weigh the friends and family aspect though. I know we live in an age where getting a hold and maintaining relationships is easier, but you cannot substitute actual face to face get togethers (i.e., hanging out with friends and family). This is going to be a tough decision for me!

Downtown KC is not dead at all =) Lots of people live there, in fact it has increased in size in the last 8 years by nearly 7k people. It keeps getting more popular.

You can read up on some of the redevelopment here:

CBD-Downtown, Kansas City - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Chicago-Eman]

All- thank you for the continued posts. I am learning stuff everyday.

Tina- Leaving the friend base was a concern (even though they continue to move to the burbs with their new families), but I know that I will meet new people and it's good to hear that you have settled in nicely!! It is great to hear about your personal experience and that you are flourishing.

Skrazzle- great post and it makes it sound like KC could be the sister city of Chicago albeit a less expensive one. It sounds like there is a lot of similarities between the two in terms of events anf things to do. And me being as frugal as I am, it sounds like I would do really well there.

KCMO- I do like the extra buck in my pocket, especially to be used for travelling! Sounds like we have similar interests. And I do like the fact that KC is centrally located, the same reason I like Chicago--I can fly to either coast or internationally very easily.

Well, tomorrow is when we iron (or don't--you never know in this economy) out the details and I get the official offer so I will keep all of you updated. If the offer is what I am expecting it to be, I will be your neighbor and to honest kind of excited!!! I was nervous about a possible move, but thanks to you all I am kind of looking forward to a change.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Chicago-Eman

All- thank you for the continued posts. I am learning stuff everyday.

Tina- Leaving the friend base was a concern (even though they continue to move to the burbs with their new families), but I know that I will meet new people and it's good to hear that you have settled in nicely!! It is great to hear about your personal experience and that you are flourishing.

Skrazzle- great post and it makes it sound like KC could be the sister city of Chicago albeit a less expensive one. It sounds like there is a lot of similarities between the two in terms of events anf things to do. And me being as frugal as I am, it sounds like I would do really well there.

KCMO- I do like the extra buck in my pocket, especially to be used for travelling! Sounds like we have similar interests. And I do like the fact that KC is centrally located, the same reason I like Chicago--I can fly to either coast or internationally very easily.

Well, tomorrow is when we iron (or don't--you never know in this economy) out the details and I get the official offer so I will keep all of you updated. If the offer is what I am expecting it to be, I will be your neighbor and to honest kind of excited!!! I was nervous about a possible move, but thanks to you all I am kind of looking forward to a change.

One item that is entirely different is the weather and climate differences between Kansas City and Chicago. They really have nothing at all in common in that regard. Kansas City gets very little snow anymore during the winter, and is typically much much hotter during the summer for longer periods of time. Also, KC has a monsoon season that runs from about early May through late June. Expect to see a fairly large quantity of rainfall during this time period. I lived in the KC area for over 20 years and it was not uncommon at all to get 20-25 inches of precipitation during that time of the year. Also, KC suburbs tend to be quite a bit newer overall compared with many in Chicago because KC is a younger city relatively speeking. (St. Louis, the old river city, is substantially older and more Midwestern IMO).
KC really is at the dividing zone geographically between the Midwest and the Great Plains. However, it has much more of a Great Plains flavor compared to Chicago. St. Louis has more in common with Chicago compared to KC in my honest opinion. I also think that enormous differences exist between the lower Midwest and the upper Midwest but that is an entirely different thread topic. Basically, I-80 is a good dividing line that seperates the lower and upper parts of the Midwest.

[TinaMcG]

Winters are milder in KC than Chicago, but believe me, we had some pretty serious monsoons in Chicago as well. Springtime was always wet. The wettest spring in my life was last year in KC, but I so work with K-State Extension, and almost everyone there agrees that last spring in KC was way wetter than usual.

As for comparing suburbs -- Overland park = Naperville. Olathe...maybe Palatine. Leawood is a lot like Inverness or older and richer areas of Park Ridge. I haven't figured out which KC suburb reminds me of Schaumburg. Hopefully, I won't.