Liberty, The Northland (Kansas City, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs: city hall, eviction, home)

[famusdarlin]

This morning I visited Liberty as I do 1-2 times a week to see my family. And as I entered town I fell back in love with the city/town/ suburb I spent 10 years of my childhood in.

I came to town on 152 from 169 and couldn't beleive the view that I must have seen thousands of times. The vibrant fall colors made the rolling hlls look picturesqe. I drove past all the new stores on 152 on the Kansas City and Liberty side. I'm always so shocked by all the new stores and then drove further into town past junior high, the square, and up to the college. It's something to be so close to all the amenities in Kansas City and yet in a secluded town that in some places seems untouched since the early 1900's.

It's funny to hear so many people on this board talk about how blue collar liberty and the rest of the Northland is. I never thought of it that way growing up. But perhaps it is blue collar, but I can't name many places in the city that have the same small town feel and yet all the amenities you could need and not have to drive further than 5 minutes from your home for anything you need on a regular basis.

It is actually pretty neat that not everyone loves what Liberty has to offer because it can maintain is small size and unique culture. Being home to alot of local educators means not only people with children are willing to invest in education, but also many retirees.

Just thought I would share my perspective on my favorite suburb in Kansas City since I missed the post that was started last year.

[sparksharp]

During the Civil War, sympathies for the Confederacy were prevalent in Liberty. In the 1860 Presidential Election, no votes in Clay County went to Abraham Lincoln.[citation needed]

A few days after the firing on Fort Sumter a Confederate mob seized the Liberty Arsenal disrupting Missouri's plans to remain with the Union but neutral. The seizure, which was the first skirmish in the state during the war, eventually led to the eviction of Missouri's elected governor and has sometimes been called "Missouri's Fort Sumter"[citation needed]

Southern sentiment remained in the city long after the Civil War—city hall reportedly refused to fly the United States Flag until the start of World War I.

Liberty, Missouri - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's enough to turn me off from Liberty! I'm already thinking "REDNECK ALERT"!!!

[kcmo]

What's wierd about liberty is everybody thinks it's way out there.

It's one of the closer in suburbs. Places like Blue Springs, Lee's Summit, Lenexa, Raymore, Olathe, Overland Park etc are much further from downtown than Liberty. Even the Tiffany Springs area is probably twice as far from Downtown as Liberty is.

When the new 29/35 bridge opens, the commute from Liberty to Downtown will never take more than 10-15 minutes.

That is simply crazy.

[OneKC]

I've lived in Kansas City for over 20 years, on both sides of the state line, and I think I've been to the northland maybe 5-6 times. Weird isn't it?

Anyway, seems to be an up and coming area with great schools and nice neighborhoods. I wonder if KC gets some sort of rail running through there, that area would explode.

[Okey Dokie]

Sparksharp - I think most of the people responsible for the incidents you cite have moved on......

[famusdarlin]

Originally Posted by sparksharp

Liberty, Missouri - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's enough to turn me off from Liberty! I'm already thinking "REDNECK ALERT"!!!

You know what is funny about that. I have recently been doing my family geneology. I've many times mentioned that my family is from Liberty, well that history goes back to prior to 1870, emancipation. And I've found many of my relatives in the slave records and many owned by ancestors of my friends growing up. I must say that it takes forgiveness to not rub their noses in it, but it also takes understanding and moving past the past. Now, I'm not saying I'm cool with it, but I know it was a decision made by someone in the past and though they benefit from it today I choose not to hold it against them.

Decisions on where a person lives are completely up to each person, but if you live any place south of the mason dixon line you are living where slaves were owned, sold, and treated sub-humanly. So, I suppose if you are looking for somewhere without a history of prejudice you will probably need to live on the Kansas side of the metro.

My parents and grandparents and other distant relatives are long time residents of Liberty and they are the first to acknowledge things were tough at one time, but I can't name anywhere in the US where race relations have always been idea. Heck, I can't name many places today where all people are treated fairly.

But having said all that I respect your opinion and love it when people make decisons based on their values. That is really awesome.

[sparksharp]

Originally Posted by Okey Dokie

Sparksharp - I think most of the people responsible for the incidents you cite have moved on......

I'm sure of that as well...however, sometimes these attitudes are passed down through the generations. As a newcomer to the area having spent the last 20 years of my life living in a small Tennessee town, I've seen these attitudes up close and personal. Perhaps things are different in Liberty...but in the small town that I'm coming from...they are in many ways still fighting the Civil War and it's not real pretty or welcoming for that matter.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by sparksharp

I'm sure of that as well....

Don't be so sure.

For what it's worth, IIRC, Liberty schools were among the last in the metro area to recognize Martin Luther King Day as a holiday, and only did so a handful of years ago after pressured.

Some attitudes do die hard ...

I often say the "cultures" can be very different on the KS and MO sides. Not that KS is free of prejudice or racism, certainly not. But echos of attitudes that predate the civil war can still be felt in the border tensions. Even if people don't realize that's what they are feeling or reacting to ...

Many people deny this adamantly and claim they don't even know the history, so there is no way it could effect them. But I disagree.

Just my 2 cents ...

[sparksharp]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Don't be so sure.

For what it's worth, IIRC, Liberty schools were among the last in the metro area to recognize Martin Luther King Day as a holiday, and only did so a handful of years ago after pressured.

Some attitudes do die hard ...

I often say the "cultures" can be very different on the KS and MO sides. Not that KS is free of prejudice or racism, certainly not. But echos of attitudes that predate the civil war can still be felt in the border tensions. Even if people don't realize that's what they are feeling or reacting to ...

Many people deny this adamantly and claim they don't even know the history, so there is no way it could effect them. But I disagree.

Just my 2 cents ...

I hear ya! The Martin Luther King thing is clue number two for me that Liberty is not the place for me.

Since I am interested in Platte County though, hopefully things aren't so "die hard" there. Hopefully...

Any insight on Platte County attitudes Samantha? I would think that being part of the Metro area (not a small town), that attitudes would be a bit more open...am I wrong?

[famusdarlin]

I know that story regarding MLK day first hand after all it was my parents and other family members who first pressured the district and my parents who took me out of school every day on the holiday until the district recognized the holiday. They worked with many other individuals to create a MLK council that does a celebration of the holiday every year in Liberty.

They are both also on the board of the Clay County African-American Legacy Consotium, an organization that is dedicated to preserving the African-American history of Liberty. The organization has managed to buy what was the first black school in Clay County and is in Liberty. Today the school is used to tutor students from the district of all races who struggle in school.

They also work with a group of other individuals focused on slimming the education gap of minorities, this group takes the 40 students in the program on college tours, offers tutoring, and provides various cultural experiences for the students, for example yesterday the children in this progam went to see Alvin Ailey.

Yes, Liberty has it's issues and I know them first hand, trust, but like I said there is overt and covert racism, but racism is alive everywhere, blue collar, white collar, redneck or whatever. It's crazy. Maybe it's better in Canada. I've been thinking about making that move to Toronto!