Kansas City A Good Place to Live? (St. Paul: apartment, rent)

[kevin09]

Hi,
I like to learn about the cost of living, weather, and job market in Kansas City from the actual folks living there. What are nice areas of city to live in?
What does apartment rent usually cost? Is the city pretty safe? How is the city's atmosphere comparing to the cities like Chicago and Minneapolis? How is the overall weather? I am a recent college graduate (Industrial Engineer) from Iowa looking for a job in Kansas City. Is this a good place to be for Industrial Engineers? Any info. and tips will be helpful making a decision. Thanks!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by kevin09

Hi,
How is the city's atmosphere comparing to the cities like Chicago and Minneapolis? How is the overall weather? I am a recent college graduate (Industrial Engineer) from Iowa looking for a job in Kansas City. Is this a good place to be for Industrial Engineers? Any info. and tips will be helpful making a decision. Thanks!

1) Kansas City is not on the same level as a Chicago or Minneapolis. It just does not compare.
2) All medium to larger metros will likely have a solid job market for engineers in my opinion. Engineering is a great career field to be in overall.
3) The cost of living is lower in KC, but it is not a top tier city like Chicago or Minneapolis.
4) The climate is also nothing like the Upper Midwest in the least. The winters are very mild and the summers are quite hot. Expect any and all types of weather.
5) The people in KC tend to be friendly and more family oriented than career oriented in my opinion.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by kevin09

Hi,
I like to learn about the cost of living, weather, and job market in Kansas City from the actual folks living there. What are nice areas of city to live in?
What does apartment rent usually cost? Is the city pretty safe? How is the city's atmosphere comparing to the cities like Chicago and Minneapolis? How is the overall weather? I am a recent college graduate (Industrial Engineer) from Iowa looking for a job in Kansas City. Is this a good place to be for Industrial Engineers? Any info. and tips will be helpful making a decision. Thanks!

Cost of living - quite reasonable. I moved here immediately after having lived in both Chicago (not suburbia, city proper), and also very rural Illinois. It's somewhere between the two in terms of COL. I work in a traditionally low-paying field, education, and I do fine.

Weather - honestly not much different than you've experienced in Iowa. You'll notice less snow if you're from northern Iowa (it's less than northern IL), but not enough less to really matter in the long run. More ice. The summers can be muggy, but not appreciably moreso than where you're at, since it's likely around the same latitude as where I'm from. I would not say you'd find the weather to be shockingly different from Iowa to Missouri.

I don't have any connection to your field, so I can't speak to the job market...market's fine in my line of work, but it's quite diff. than yours. From my limited knowledge of engineering, I'm guessing you'd be as okay here as anywhere.

Nice areas of the city and apartment rents are really gonna vary based on your taste, what you're looking for. There's a pretty wide range. You can find something for really any budget, though.

I'll buck the previous poster on the Minneapolis comparison. I feel KC is every bit the city Mpls is. Each is it's own city, and there's not a ton to compare, but I would def. not rank KC is suffering in comparison to Mpls. Chicago's Chicago...KC will never be Chicago, but noplace really is. KC's a MUCH better bargain than Chicago, though, speaking from personal experience.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

I'll buck the previous poster on the Minneapolis comparison. I feel KC is every bit the city Mpls is. Each is it's own city, and there's not a ton to compare, but I would def. not rank KC is suffering in comparison to Mpls. Chicago's Chicago...KC will never be Chicago, but noplace really is. KC's a MUCH better bargain than Chicago, though, speaking from personal experience.

I don't want to get the thread off-topic, but I would like you to list some concrete reasons why you think KC is at the same level as Minneapolis?

I think that MPLS is a much more vibrant and faster growing metro with no state border dividing the metro in half causing massive cooperation problems over long periods of time. Also, MPLS has traditionally and continues to have some of the highest median income levels of anywhere in the country. The biking trails and walking trails are extensive throughout the city. The lakes are also spectacular. The cost of living in MPLS is definitely higher, but the salaries tend to be very good- especially in my career field. I almost moved there due to a job opportunity, but something more interesting came up elsewhere.

[kcmo]

GraniteStater, it’s obvious, you don’t like KC all that well, and honestly I don’t think you even know that much about the town, especially the urban core and the MO side in general. Why not move on and post about the cities and states you do like?

Like TabulaRasa said, KC absolutely does compare to Minneapolis as far as what a large city offers in terms of culture, attractions, urbanity, suburbs etc.

Now I like Minneapolis and there are things about the Twin Cities that make me very jealous, such as that fact that the entire metro area seems to get along quite well and everybody has a lot of pride in the entire region. The lack of regional pride and the state line issues is the single most detrimental thing in metro KC and it’s what really holds KC back and keeps it from being all it could be.

When half the metro freeloads and leaches off the other half, the metro will never quite reach its potential.

But to say the city does not compare to Minneapolis is just wrong. KC compares quite well actually and to compare KC to Chicago is really a bit silly. Although the suburbs in Chicago are similar (just much more of the same), Chicago’s urban core is in a different league than KC and just about every other city between the coasts.

On to the OP topic.

COL in KC is actually a bit high for a Midwestern Metro. It’s higher than most metros in Texas, it’s slightly higher than St Louis etc. But it’s still very good for a large city and if stay away from the overpriced areas, you will be fine.

KC is a HUGE engineering town. Per capita, it’s the engineering capital of the world. Many very large engineering firms are based in or have a large presence in the metro. Black and Veatch, HNTB, TranSystems, Burns and McDonnell just to name a few. So people tend to find lots of opportunities in metro KC in this field.

[RjRobb2]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

1) Kansas City is not on the same level as a Chicago or Minneapolis. It just does not compare.
2) All medium to larger metros will likely have a solid job market for engineers in my opinion. Engineering is a great career field to be in overall.
3) The cost of living is lower in KC, but it is not a top tier city like Chicago or Minneapolis.
4) The climate is also nothing like the Upper Midwest in the least. The winters are very mild and the summers are quite hot. Expect any and all types of weather.
5) The people in KC tend to be friendly and more family oriented than career oriented in my opinion.

Since when was Minneapolis a top tier city? It is in the same class as Kansas City. They are a mid-level city in the midwest.

Neither Minneapolis or Kansas City is in the same class as Chicago for obvious reasons.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I don't want to get the thread off-topic, but I would like you to list some concrete reasons why you think KC is at the same level as Minneapolis?

It's just an opinion, relax. I've lived in both, and that's my assessment. Kansas City is the best place I've ever lived where the ratio of quality urban amenities to cost of living is so very good. Kansas City is horribly underrated (but I really kind of like that about it). It does have its overpriced areas to live, like anywhere else, but unlike some other large metros, there are plenty of very liveable, pleasant areas that AREN'T overpriced. Lots of options. The state border issue is a bummer, for sure, but for the most part, I just ignore the KS side, anyway, there's nothing there I personally need or seek out (yes, I am aware that the situation affects me even if I never set foot in Johnson or Wyandotte Counties, just making the point, though, that my life in KC is very Missouri-centric).

Minneapolis is fine (St. Paul's actually more my preference of the TC, more picturesque and lots more charm), but it always felt like an overgrown small town to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it certainly never felt particularly city-ish to me (and when I was there, I was coming from 18 years of farm living, so you'd think it would have made some sort of impressions "urban"). Also, Minneapolis' weather sucks. I tolerated it for four years of college, but it straight-up sucks. Again, just an opinion. For my money, I'll take Kansas City's public greenspace and parks, fountains and sculptures, which dwarf Minneapolis' (and, no, I don't particularly care about lakes one way or another), any day. I also like a little grit...and in all but a few areas, the Twin Cities really have the feel of sanitized versions of an American urban landscape, squeaky-clean and Minnesota-nice (and residents of Minnesota know exactly what that means). My only real complaint about KC as a city is its poor public trans; IMO, it's the main thing that holds it back from being competitive with similarly-sized metros.

Okay, commence with going back on topic.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by RjRobb2

Since when was Minneapolis a top tier city? It is in the same class as Kansas City. They are a mid-level city in the midwest.

Neither Minneapolis or Kansas City is in the same class as Chicago for obvious reasons.

To the OP- You can't really go wrong with KC in terms of finding in engineering job. I completely agree with the other posters on that point.

Minneapolis is at least a notch or two above KC just based on long-term job growth as well as median household income growth. The suburban MPLS counties have some of the highest income levels of any place in the country- far higher than JOCO or Platte County MO.
I agree- both cities offer a huge amount of cultual offerings, entertainment, arts, restaurants, and sports ammenities.
I like the fact that MPLS has many lakes and real winters. I also like the close proximity to the northwoods.
The big advantage I see for younger people who have the choice between KC and MPLS is the fact that KC does have a lower COL and a lower overall tax burden. MN is becoming more of a high tax state with a very generous social services system.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by kcmo

GraniteStater, it’s obvious, you don’t like KC all that well, and honestly I don’t think you even know that much about the town, especially the urban core and the MO side in general.
.

I lived in KC, MO and JOCO for over 20 years. I am familiar with all areas of the metro. I am not a super urban person by nature, however.
I still think KC is a good place (I still have many family members there), but it didn't offer me the type of salary in my career field that I thought was appropriate compared to other places.

[RjRobb2]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I like the fact that MPLS has many lakes and real winters.

You like lakes but you prefer cold weather and real winters? uhh....