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Old 07-21-2009, 03:30 AM
 
Location: Lee's Summit
12 posts, read 25,559 times
Reputation: 11

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris2000 View Post
I lived in Kansas city, KS for a couple years. It's a nice place, but in my opinion it's a little bit blah. We couldn't find much to do without driving up to the MO side.
We just did a year in Austin, TX. Now that we are back we decided to live up in North Kansas City, MO.
I'd like to hear about what you think of Kansas City compared to Austin. I'm moving to KC (Lee's Summit) after about 8 years of living in Austin and am interested in your perspective
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Old 07-21-2009, 09:58 AM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
5,765 posts, read 10,952,702 times
Reputation: 2830
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris2000 View Post
Sorry about that.
I meant the Kansas City North area. It's gorgeous up here and I can be in downtown in no time at all. It's just great!

No need to apologize, I just wanted to clarify for the sake of the original poster.

It is gorgeous up here and you can get just about anywhere in the metro no time at all because all the highways are easy to access.

I use to work right by Crown Center and could get to work in about 10 minutes if traffic was light.
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Old 07-21-2009, 11:10 AM
 
65 posts, read 219,178 times
Reputation: 42
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrkush View Post
I'd like to hear about what you think of Kansas City compared to Austin. I'm moving to KC (Lee's Summit) after about 8 years of living in Austin and am interested in your perspective
Austin PRO'S: Aesthetically pleasing downtown, easy winter, decent home prices, welcoming people, live music.

Austin CON'S: Year round allergies, hot/long summer, high property/ISD taxes, major traffic issues, music is mostly cover bands, home prices anywhere within 20 minutes of downtown are outrageous, not much to do downtown (other then drink), public transportation system, desert landscape, scorpions, snakes, and other critters, no zoo, no major league sports teams.

Kansas City PRO'S: City zoo, major league sports, wide array of museums, beautiful scenery, wooded landscape, four seasons, mild winter, friendly people, decent home prices, lower property taxes, a downtown that suites anyone ie...jazz district-the plaza-power and light etc...

Kansas City CON'S: There is a winter (yet it is mild), has areas in poverty and in desperate need of revitalization, location of airport, public transportation system.

I could go into much more detail, but it would take a long time.
What do you think of the move so far?
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Old 07-21-2009, 11:30 AM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
5,765 posts, read 10,952,702 times
Reputation: 2830
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris2000 View Post
Austin PRO'S: Aesthetically pleasing downtown, easy winter, decent home prices, welcoming people, live music.

Austin CON'S: Year round allergies, hot/long summer, high property/ISD taxes, major traffic issues, music is mostly cover bands, home prices anywhere within 20 minutes of downtown are outrageous, not much to do downtown (other then drink), public transportation system, desert landscape, scorpions, snakes, and other critters, no zoo, no major league sports teams.

Kansas City PRO'S: City zoo, major league sports, wide array of museums, beautiful scenery, wooded landscape, four seasons, mild winter, friendly people, decent home prices, lower property taxes, a downtown that suites anyone ie...jazz district-the plaza-power and light etc...

Kansas City CON'S: There is a winter (yet it is mild), has areas in poverty and in desperate need of revitalization, location of airport, public transportation system.

I could go into much more detail, but it would take a long time.
What do you think of the move so far?

Good post. My wife and I eventually would like to move somewhere south that has better weather. Austin is one of the places that we have considered. It is good to see a breakdown like that one.
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Old 07-21-2009, 04:10 PM
 
Location: Lee's Summit
12 posts, read 25,559 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris2000 View Post
Austin PRO'S: Aesthetically pleasing downtown, easy winter, decent home prices, welcoming people, live music.

Austin CON'S: Year round allergies, hot/long summer, high property/ISD taxes, major traffic issues, music is mostly cover bands, home prices anywhere within 20 minutes of downtown are outrageous, not much to do downtown (other then drink), public transportation system, desert landscape, scorpions, snakes, and other critters, no zoo, no major league sports teams.

Kansas City PRO'S: City zoo, major league sports, wide array of museums, beautiful scenery, wooded landscape, four seasons, mild winter, friendly people, decent home prices, lower property taxes, a downtown that suites anyone ie...jazz district-the plaza-power and light etc...

Kansas City CON'S: There is a winter (yet it is mild), has areas in poverty and in desperate need of revitalization, location of airport, public transportation system.

I could go into much more detail, but it would take a long time.
What do you think of the move so far?
I'm 9 days away from my move, so I can't say. However from visiting the KC area, I'll say that KC is much cleaner, seems to have friendly people overall, most everybody speaks English (and less ghetto), and an overall bigger sense of pride. This is referring to mostly the Lee's Summit / Blue Springs area. Everything I've seen and read seems to be just what we're looking for. Some people have said people in Lee's Summit are "snooty," but I haven't seen it. Others have also said the police are overly aggressive, but I prefer overly aggressive police over an overly aggressive criminal population.

Austin for the past few years has seen too much illegal immigration, uncontrolled/unplanned growth, and heavily segregated areas of the city. Crime is about what you would expect from any large city (an overabundance of car breakins however - even in expensive areas), but traffic is bad. I forget where it was published, but Austin has 2 highway exists intersections along I35 that are in the top25 worst in the nation. You can live cheaply in some areas, but they are very "ghetto" areas unless you move far down south or far up north. There is just too much growth. They're added 3 new highrises in downtown over the past 2 years, and all 3 are giant condos. The UT campus area has been exploding with high rise apartments. Lots of people here feel like they have a sense of entitlement. The schools are also hit and miss in Austin. There is also a large sense of fakeness here in Austin. The whole "keep austin weird" movement is now just a commercial slogan, and the green energy aspect of the city is nominal. You will see Priuses everywhere though (I drive one!) I liked Austin the first 5 years I was here, but the last 3 have been slowly going downhill in terms of quality of life. Other people I've talked too feel the same.

Last edited by mrkush; 07-21-2009 at 04:17 PM.. Reason: more information
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Old 07-21-2009, 04:19 PM
 
Location: Lee's Summit
12 posts, read 25,559 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by RjRobb2 View Post
Good post. My wife and I eventually would like to move somewhere south that has better weather. Austin is one of the places that we have considered. It is good to see a breakdown like that one.
About 20 miles north of Austin there is a city called Cedar Park. It's far enough away that it does not have Austin's problems (or as severe), except for the traffic. That may be an option for you.
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Old 07-22-2009, 03:13 PM
 
Location: Lees Summit Missouri
16 posts, read 67,481 times
Reputation: 17
Hi..I've lived in Kansas City for 32 years and lived in Laurel, De as a child. I can tell you anything you might wish to know about KC. I'm a realtor in the Lee's Summit area and would be happy to point you in the right direction. KCKS is not it for schools. Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Liberty, Raymore all have some really great school systems. Even Belton has a higher rating than anything you will find in Wyandotte County which is where Kansas City, KS is. You can look at my profile for a number if you would like to call. Thanks
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Old 07-22-2009, 03:20 PM
 
Location: Prairie Village, KS
476 posts, read 1,306,789 times
Reputation: 124
If you are set on sending your kids to private school, then you should consider living in KCMO. Brookside is a wonderful family friendly neighborhood, that many consider well-to-do, but can actually be quite affordable if you look hard enough. It is close to the city, right next to the Plaza, the area's best outdoor shopping area, and has its own walkable community full of shops and restaurants.

If you're looking for more of a suburban feel, I'd recommend areas like Lee's Summit, MO or Olathe, KS. Both are very new communities that are not terribly expensive, but both have a very suburban sprawl, cul-de-sac feel to them.

I really like Blue Springs, MO and Mission, KS for more of a blue collar community. You can get way more bang for your buck in a house, and still enjoy terrific schools and neighborhoods. Mission in particular is trying to be a more walkable, pedestrian-oriented community. Merriam and Shawee are similar in this regard.

As for things to do, I assume you mean family oriented things to do - there are several:

Royals games - they're awful but its major league baseball and the stadium is gorgeous with lots of fun things to do for the kiddies like a jungle gym, putt-putt course, kids' ballfield, hitting cage, carousel, video games, etc.
Crown Center - lots of fun stuff for kids including the hands-on arts and crafts at Kaledoscope, ice skating in the winter, and running through the fountains in the summer. They also have free Friday outdoor movies in the summer. Located just south of downtown.
College Basketball Experience - fun hands-on "museum" of College Basketball. Lots of interactive exhibits and chances for kids to shoot hoops. Located downtown next to the Sprint Center
Union Station/Science City - it gets a bit mocked by some, but its still a decent time for the kids. Lots of interactive exhibits involving science. Located at Union Station. Union Station also has many interesting revolving exhibits - right now there is one on the Chronicles of Narnia. They also have a planetarium and a permanent train exhibit.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - for the baseball fan, it is a museum chronicling the Negro Leagues, the league formed when blacks were banned from baseball in which Kansas City had a dominant team. Located at 18th and Vine.
Country Club Plaza - fun to just walk around and people watch. Catch a bite to eat and window shop at Pottery Barn for Kids or the toy store Zoom. Hang out at Mill Park and take pictures by the iconic JC Nichols fountain.
Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun - longtime amusement park and water park featuring nationally renowned roller coasters
Kansas City Zoo - another institution that has been given a public beating, but I recently visited and found it to be a decent zoo, although not as good as other midwestern zoos in Wichita, Omaha or St. Louis. Located in Swope Park.
Kansas City Library - Plaza Branch - a terrific library that features readings for kids. Located on the south end of the Plaza.
Loose Park - the nicest public park in town in my opinion. Stroll through the gorgeous, recently renovated Rose Garden, enjoy the spray park, or feed the ducks in the pond. Located just south of the Plaza.
T-Bones games - its minor league ball, and thus much, much cheaper, but still a good time. Games played at Community American Ballpark in Kansas City,KS right by the Legends at Village West.
Legends at Village West - an outdoor shopping area, although much cheaper than the Plaza. Shop at an outlet mall or visit the T-Rex Dinosaur Cafe. Located at I-70 and I-435 in Kansas City, KS.
Schlitterbarn Water Park - just opened! Large water park located out by the Legends.
Deanna Rose Animal Petting Zoo - terrific petting zoo located in Overland Park - the best part is the cost - NOTHING
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Old 07-22-2009, 06:46 PM
 
3,326 posts, read 8,816,825 times
Reputation: 2034
^^ There's also Missouri Town 1855, the Money Museum, and Independence is getting a minor-league hockey team this fall.... the Missouri Mavericks, I think is the name. They'll be playing in that new building over by Bass Pro and Independence Center.
The list could go on and on. One of the good things about KC, is the amount of stuff to do, especially for kids.
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Old 07-25-2009, 10:18 PM
 
822 posts, read 2,034,439 times
Reputation: 401
If you work in Kansas, live in Kansas and save yourself 1% of gross income by not paying the KC earnings tax.

You can see or do anything the metro area has to offer. It's all within a 30 minute drive.
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