Sprint Nextell (Kansas City, Rea: apartments, employment, taxes)

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by sparksharp

As someone who just moved into the area, I find that an interesting statement! We're currently staying in a apartment until we find a house and we went to a laundromat in Overland Park and it was filled with Hispanics! As a matter of fact, we were one of about three token whites patronizing the place.

Also, on Sunday we ate at the Red Lobster in Overland Park and it seemed to me that it was pretty much a 50/50 mix between blacks and whites. The demographics I read about Johnson County said that about 98% of the residents of Johnson County were white...frankly my personal observations see something much, much different!

I am not sure where you got your info?
Here is the latest demographic info for JOCO
Johnson County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

[sparksharp]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I am not sure where you got your info?
Here is the latest demographic info for JOCO
Johnson County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Thanks! I think I got my info off of Wikipedia. Still 89% white wasn't depicted in that Red Lobster we ate at...nor was that percentage depicted in the laundromat we did our laundry at either. I thought that was rather interesting.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by sparksharp

Thanks! I think I got my info off of Wikipedia. Still 89% white wasn't depicted in that Red Lobster we ate at...nor was that percentage depicted in the laundromat we did our laundry at either. I thought that was rather interesting.

If you are talking about the Red Lobster at 95th and Metcalf, I have definitely noticed that too. I have commented here about noticing on Sundays at Red Lobster the parking lot is full of cars with Missouri plates (whether the people driving the cars are white or black, I don't know!) and kcmo said that people in south Kansas City would likely go to that Red Lobster since it is closerto them than the one in Independence, I think it was. That makes sense. The residents living around Red Lobster are definitely not 50/50 white/black. Much more white population there.

And in different areas of Johnson County, more notably the more northern parts, there is a large Hispanic population.

The further south you go, the more percentage of white people you will see.

[OneKC]

So Sprint owns 89% of Red Lobster now? I am confused.

[kcmo]

Northern JoCo is a primary retail area for very large portions of KCMO and KCK.

I lived in Waldo for quite some time. We were in JoCo all the time to go to Walmart, Target, the movies, the chain restaurants etc. As I mentioned before, most of the people that live in western KCMO have to go to JoCo for suburban type dining and shopping. It makes little sense for somebody living in Brookside, Waldo, Red Bridge etc to drive to Lee’s Summit, Independence or Barry Road for casual shopping and dining. I would say that most of the people that come from MO are white though. If you go to Leawood Town Center or Oak Park Mall, at least 30% of the cars will be from MO. But they will be mostly white people. Red Lobster only has a few locations in metro KC. So that will be more of a draw further into KCMO. I would guess that even people that live areas around Bannister Mall, Grandview etc are more likely to go to the OP location than the Indep location. You are talking about a population nearby on the MO side that equals or exceeds that of JoCo north of 435. With all the office parks out there and the shopping, that's why JoCo seems to always have half MO plates.

There is not a lot of Hispanics in western KCMO. The Hispanic population that you see in those parts of JoCo are mostly coming from KCK. Eastern and Southern KCK residents shoot down 635 and 18th Street Expressway and patronize places along Metcalf, Johnson Drive, Roe Ave etc. That’s why the Roeland Park Price Chopper caters to Hispanics.

It seems to bug you luz, that so many MO cars are in JoCo all the time. Well, at least they are there spending money (when they are not car jacking you) I suppose. But like I said, it has everything to do with the convenience factor and it’s mostly residents of KCMO south of the river. (there are a lot of wealthy KCMO residents south of the river believe it or not. I don’t think too many people drive from Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Liberty etc to shop in JoCo.

What I find interesting is that you almost never see JO cars in MO outside the tourist attractions and stadiums. I doubt most people in JoCo could find Indep Center or Summit Fair or even Zona Rosa on a map. But again, it’s the convenience factor because they do go to all the big box centers in Martin City and to Ward Parkway. Leawood residents did not want any of that walmart or target stuff in their city, so it went to KCMO. Funny thing is many Leawood Residents shop there now. I hope people in JoCo make it out to the new arena in Indy. I think it will open a lot of eyes as people drive down 470 pass all the upscale housing and nice shopping centers to get there and when they arrive at the arena, they will find an area without thugs and nobody will ask them to buy any meth. I hope the arena gives Independence (and all of EJax) a better image in JoCo.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by kcmo

It seems to bug you luz, that so many MO cars are in JoCo all the time. Well, at least they are there spending money (when they are not car jacking you) I suppose. But like I said, it has everything to do with the convenience factor and it’s mostly residents of KCMO south of the river. (there are a lot of wealthy KCMO residents south of the river believe it or not. I don’t think too many people drive from Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Liberty etc to shop in JoCo.

What I find interesting is that you almost never see JO cars in MO outside the tourist attractions and stadiums. I doubt most people in JoCo could find Indep Center or Summit Fair or even Zona Rosa on a map. But again, it’s the convenience factor because they do go to all the big box centers in Martin City and to Ward Parkway. Leawood residents did not want any of that walmart or target stuff in their city, so it went to KCMO. Funny thing is many Leawood Residents shop there now. I hope people in JoCo make it out to the new arena in Indy. I think it will open a lot of eyes as people drive down 470 pass all the upscale housing and nice shopping centers to get there and when they arrive at the arena, they will find an area without thugs and nobody will ask them to buy any meth. I hope the arena gives Independence (and all of EJax) a better image in JoCo.

It does bother me sometimes, kcmo, because there are SO MANY of them, and I remember when traffic was not congested AT ALL in Johnson County. I know that's not all the fault of KCMO residents driving in Missouri, but I swear sometimes almost every car I see has Missouri tags. I used to love how easy it was to drive down Nall because the lights had sensors and would turn as you approached and you never had to stop. PLUS, there weren't nearly as many lights as there are now. I know a lot of that is because of Sprint and Town Center Plaza too, but geez. I used to always take Nall to avoid the traffic on Metcalf, and now Nall is busy too. When I'm in traffic and see Missouri cars everywhere I do wish they'd stay home!

I don't shop in Missouri because there is no need to. There's a Target at 63rd and Metcalf and another one at 119th. There's a Walmart at about 77th and Frontage Road and another one at 115th and Metcalf. I have a grocery store just a couple of minutes away by car, Town Center has any clothes or anything like that I need, Best Buy at 115th for electronics, Costco at 123rd-ish. I used to go to Saint Luke's on the Plaza but now we have Saint Luke's South, so I don't even have to go to Missouri to go to the doctor. I do go to the Plaza when I want Houston's because there isn't one in Johnson County anymore.

I do know where Zona Rosa is and I do know where Independence Center is. Went to Zona Rosa once to meet people who were buying concert tickets from us. Went to Independence Center when my daughter played in softball tournaments over there and we'd have a break between games.

So no, I don't go driving around Missouri getting in people's way.

We were going to make jalapeno poppers on Labor Day and I went to every store around me looking for jalapenos and couldn't find any. My husband told me to try Price Chopper on Roe, so we went there and found jalapenos galore!

[northbound74]

I am totally looking forward to some hockey in Independence.

Yeah, Indy gets a bum rap for reasons I'll never understand. It has some cruddy parts, but none of those can hold a candle to east KC.
What Independence is, is a typical small-town type of place that has a "wrong side of the tracks" section. So what.
It's very odd how so many people around here come from small towns, yet have a tendency to forget how they really are, and insult the characteristics of them by using Independence as a whipping post. No small town I've ever lived in or seen is anything like what is romanticized in the movies. They all have some bad parts.
Independence just doesn't live up to the "price the poor folks out" suburban standards. I hope it stays that way to a large extent.
It would be fantastic to see the northwest part revitalized, though.

As for Johnson County, it's far more diverse in places than some might think. Particularly around the general area of 75th & I-35.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by northbound74

I am totally looking forward to some hockey in Independence.

Yeah, Indy gets a bum rap for reasons I'll never understand. It has some cruddy parts, but none of those can hold a candle to east KC.
What Independence is, is a typical small-town type of place that has a "wrong side of the tracks" section. So what.
It's very odd how so many people around here come from small towns, yet have a tendency to forget how they really are, and insult the characteristics of them by using Independence as a whipping post. No small town I've ever lived in or seen is anything like what is romanticized in the movies. They all have some bad parts.
Independence just doesn't live up to the "price the poor folks out" suburban standards. I hope it stays that way to a large extent.
It would be fantastic to see the northwest part revitalized, though.

As for Johnson County, it's far more diverse in places than some might think. Particularly around the general area of 75th & I-35.

I don’t get it either. KCK and the Tbones are just the bomb, while people think putting a hockey arena in Independence (which is surrounded by far more upscale housing than the speedway) is crazy.

That arena is going to draw a lot of people from JoCo. I don't care what people say. Hockey, concerts etc. That arena will be busy. While people are out there or on the way, they might stop at Summit Woods, Summit Fair, Independence Center, Independence Commons, Bass Pro Shops etc and see that the east side of the metro is a pretty nice area, regardless of what KCTV 5 happens to put on its newscasts.

[kcmo70]

I’ve been reading through this post and have had to look past the KS vs MO bickering and mud slinging but good God LUZ, you wish us Missourians would stay in MO? I wish my company would have built in MO so I would not have to put up with the inept KS drivers. The JOCO drivers who have not learned what the little stick is for on the left side of the steering wheel. I would also much rather pay taxes for the state I live in than KS state taxes. I know growth is hard to accept but JOCO encouraged it in the middle 70’s. I too remember when Nall and 119th streets were gravel roads. I’m through with this website!

[sparksharp]

If you are talking about the Red Lobster at 95th and Metcalf, I have definitely noticed that too.

I think that was the one we ate at. It was on a corner and was a brick building.

The laundromat we stopped at was a duds and suds...it had a pool table, big screened tv, snack bar and so forth. It sounded decent in the yellow pages ad, but the reality was that it was probably pretty cool in the '80's, but nowadays it could really stand a refurbishing. Also, as stated previously we were one of about three token whites patronizing the place. The rest were hispanic.

Of course...I really don't know if a laundromat is the best place to get a true feeling for a given area either. LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!

Northern JoCo is a primary retail area for very large portions of KCMO and KCK.

I lived in Waldo for quite some time. We were in JoCo all the time to go to Walmart, Target, the movies, the chain restaurants etc. As I mentioned before, most of the people that live in western KCMO have to go to JoCo for suburban type dining and shopping. It makes little sense for somebody living in Brookside, Waldo, Red Bridge etc to drive to Lee’s Summit, Independence or Barry Road for casual shopping and dining. I would say that most of the people that come from MO are white though. If you go to Leawood Town Center or Oak Park Mall, at least 30% of the cars will be from MO. But they will be mostly white people. Red Lobster only has a few locations in metro KC. So that will be more of a draw further into KCMO. I would guess that even people that live areas around Bannister Mall, Grandview etc are more likely to go to the OP location than the Indep location. You are talking about a population nearby on the MO side that equals or exceeds that of JoCo north of 435. With all the office parks out there and the shopping, that's why JoCo seems to always have half MO plates.

There is not a lot of Hispanics in western KCMO. The Hispanic population that you see in those parts of JoCo are mostly coming from KCK. Eastern and Southern KCK residents shoot down 635 and 18th Street Expressway and patronize places along Metcalf, Johnson Drive, Roe Ave etc. That’s why the Roeland Park Price Chopper caters to Hispanics.

Very informative! Thank you for the info!

As for Johnson County, it's far more diverse in places than some might think. Particularly around the general area of 75th & I-35.

That's been my experience so far...at least in some of the business's we've patronized!

However, I do have to say that the Home Depot we stopped at in Overland Park was pretty white!