Overland Park v/s Olathe (California, Leawood: house, established neighborhood, buying)

[mrkncooper]

Hi, it's me again. So far nothing new on the re-location front. I have included Olathe in the Cities that my wife and I are lookig to move as soon as this summer. I am wondering what is the difference between the two cities and which city is better to live in? I know that Overland Park was #8 on the most liveable cities in the US, and Olathe was #11. I guess a part of our decision will come depending on what school district hires my wife. So in short which city is better to live in Olathe or Overland Park, or does it not really matter which city we live in?

[Samantha S]

This is just me, but I would choose Overland Park every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

That said, there are a few small areas of Olathe that are okay (in my snobbish Johnson County Princess opinion) but for the most part, I don't care for Olathe as much as for your other options (OP, Shawnee, etc.)

The Olathe school district, is quite good (with a few individual school exceptions from what I understand) but I would put Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission at the top of the list of public schools for a couple hundred mile radius of the metro. (with Olathe not far behind though)

I'm sure I will get blasted for this post. And I am in no way saying that Olathe is a horrible place to live. It isn't, it's fine in most aspects. I'm saying that I like Overland Park and other parts of JoCo better.

Best of luck to you!!

PS: You might get more responses if you post in the KC section of the forum.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by mrkncooper

Hi, it's me again. So far nothing new on the re-location front. I have included Olathe in the Cities that my wife and I are lookig to move as soon as this summer. I am wondering what is the difference between the two cities and which city is better to live in? I know that Overland Park was #8 on the most liveable cities in the US, and Olathe was #11. I guess a part of our decision will come depending on what school district hires my wife. So in short which city is better to live in Olathe or Overland Park, or does it not really matter which city we live in?

You won't go that far wrong in either event. I do feel that traffic congestion in Olathe and South OP can be worse than other areas around there.

So, my advice is to find a place with a nice short commute.

I-35 can get quite slow in rush hour. If you DO decide to have the interstate in your commute, consider living NORTH of where you commute to so that you will be heading against the main flow of traffic each way as the worst traffic on I-35 is north in the morning and south in the evening.

[sparksharp]

The house we wound up buying is in Overland Park, but is in the Olathe school district for some reason. It didn't really matter to me since our kids are grown and gone, but I guess we're pretty close to the line or something to be in an Olathe school district having an Overland Park address.

I've heard really good things about the Blue Valley school district since I've been here though. Also, it seems that everyone speaks very highly of the Shawnee Mission school district as well. I've never really heard anyone rave about the Olathe school district the way they do about SM and BV though. Take that info for whatever it's worth.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by sparksharp

The house we wound up buying is in Overland Park, but is in the Olathe school district for some reason. It didn't really matter to me since our kids are grown and gone, but I guess we're pretty close to the line or something to be in an Olathe school district having an Overland Park address.

I've heard really good things about the Blue Valley school district since I've been here though. Also, it seems that everyone speaks very highly of the Shawnee Mission school district as well. I've never really heard anyone rave about the Olathe school district the way they do about SM and BV though. Take that info for whatever it's worth.

Olathe got engulfed by the suburbs so it's former reputation of being a more blue-collar town is probably something more a memory of the locals.

The national spelling bee champ attends one of the Olathe public junior highs.

My kids are in the Shawnee Mission district, I have no complaints. Honestly, you really can't go that wrong around here in terms of public schools.

[pioneer88]

Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley are great schools. In my experiences with all of them it is a safe bet that Olathe schools are definately on par with these districts. Olathe East which is the school your kids would have gone to if they weren't grown is probably identical to any Blue valley High School. The only High school in Olathe that isn't quite similar to Blue Valley is North, which is much more diverse both economically and in ethnicity. On this it is more similar to northern Shawnee Mission district schools such as North and West. Of course when it comes down to education you aren't giong to see a drop no matter what school you're in.

[GraniteStater]

Overland Park is far superior to Olathe. Most areas of Overland Park are planned very well, with the lack of any large parks being the big negative for a city of its size. Olathe is not as well planned and has poor aesthetics in many areas. (Think Phoenix on the Plains). The northern part of Overland Park and areas closer to the Leawood line have a completely different flavor compared to just about anything in south Overland Park or much of Olathe. I like many of the established neighborhoods in those areas, the more traditional Midwest style architecture, and the big shade trees. Often, the newly developed areas select poor quality ornamental trees that do not grow very tall. Good quality large trees increase property values and improve the character of an area. Just look at Prairie Village. The housing stock was quite "cookie cutter" for its time, but remains a very desirable place to live. It has earned a "tree city USA" designation.

[sparksharp]

Originally Posted by pioneer88

Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley are great schools. In my experiences with all of them it is a safe bet that Olathe schools are definately on par with these districts. Olathe East which is the school your kids would have gone to if they weren't grown is probably identical to any Blue valley High School. The only High school in Olathe that isn't quite similar to Blue Valley is North, which is much more diverse both economically and in ethnicity. On this it is more similar to northern Shawnee Mission district schools such as North and West. Of course when it comes down to education you aren't giong to see a drop no matter what school you're in.

The schools that were listed on the MLS sheet were Bentwood for elementry, California Trail for middle school and Olathe East for high school. As stated previously, I know nothing about these schools...but since I've been here the only two school districts I hear anyone really rave about is Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission.

I'm glad to hear that they (Olathe) are not awful schools though.

[smellykat]

I would not state that Overland Park is far superior to Olathe. Olathe and south Overland Park blend into one another now with the tremendous growth push of OP. I prefer Overland Park to Olathe only because I am a native having grown up in Prairie Village. At that time, many, many years ago, Overland Park had a more upscale reputation than Olathe. Olathe was a small town off of 35, somewhat isolated and surrounded by farm land. In the grand scheme of JOCO life, it probably is more prestigious to have an Overland Park address, but far superior to Olathe, no, that's pushing it. Overland Park itself is so large and so diverse in neighborhoods and population one could easily debate the merits of north/south/east and west Overland Park. If the school district has good ratings, as stated in a previous post, I am sure you will be fine should you choose to reside there. As with any relocation, it comes down to individual preference as far as neighborhoods, housing stock, shopping and distance. Johnson County library system which serves both Overland Park and Olathe is one of the best in the country for population served. Best of luck!

[Kara Baxter]

imo, I think OP and Olathe are about the same. There's not much difference.