Love OP, Shawnee, but job offer is in Lawrence.. please read details (Overland Park: best towns, apartments)

[patrickmich]

Overland Park and Shawnee is just the type of place I like. New, clean, abundant work and shopping. I just moved to the KC metro area, and have
been looking for work. (currently living in temp housing). I received a job offer today. But it would require me to work in Lawrence. How long does it take
to get to OP from Lawrence? Is there a good place to live in between the
two so I can have access to both places? Do you think Lawrence might
satisfy all of my needs and thus I won't have any desire to go to the KC metro? I am not a big city person, I just like all of the new shopping centers
in OP. I am not familar with Lawrence. I know it is a college town, the
Kansas River runs through it. I worry that it will be too small, too seedy
for my tastes. Please share you thoughts with me, thanks.

[shonner]

Lawrence is a terrific town - lots of cultural activities, plenty of places to shop, great places to eat, and a vibrant college town atmosphere (KU is located there). It has great night life, too. The downtown is wonderful, with a variety of quaint, trendy, and niche shops amid a tree lined street. It really is one of the best towns in Kansas. It is niether small nor seedy (well, of course, all towns have areas that are less than ideal, but overall ,it's great).

It would be an easy drive from Overland Park, Shawnee, or the general KC metro area - probably 30 - 45 minutes, depending on where you live. You might want to consider living in Lawrence, though. I'd recommend you spend a day checking it out - especially the downtown area (Massachusetts Street).
And don't forget to see the newer area in the western part of the city. Lots of great apartments. If you are looking for a quiet place in town to live, don't get too close to campus. It can get a bit noisy at night.
Good luck!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by patrickmich

Overland Park and Shawnee is just the type of place I like. New, clean, abundant work and shopping. I just moved to the KC metro area, and have
been looking for work. (currently living in temp housing). I received a job offer today. But it would require me to work in Lawrence. How long does it take
to get to OP from Lawrence? Is there a good place to live in between the
two so I can have access to both places? Do you think Lawrence might
satisfy all of my needs and thus I won't have any desire to go to the KC metro? I am not a big city person, I just like all of the new shopping centers
in OP. I am not familar with Lawrence. I know it is a college town, the
Kansas River runs through it. I worry that it will be too small, too seedy
for my tastes. Please share you thoughts with me, thanks.

It all depends about what you are looking for and what your housing budget is. Lawrence and the Johnson County suburbs are going to both have relatively higher housing prices compared with the state average. Many people commute to Lawrence and live in the surrounding towns because the housing costs are fairly high in Lawrence relative to the average median incomes. Areas near Lawrence that are growing in population would be Baldwin City and Eudora. Both towns are located in Douglas County and would be a short commute to all the conveniences of Lawrence. However, both Eudora and Baldwin City have under 10,000 people. A town that is located in between Lawrence and Overland Park would be De Soto. This is a town of about 6,000 that is right between the two cities with an average home price of around $250,000. If you prefer the bigger towns than Lawrence, Overland Park, Lenexa, or Shawnee should have everything you are looking for along with a commute time of around 35-40 minutes to the Lawrence area. However, I would personally not buy into the newer housing, especially Pulte. Their was a news story a little while ago revealing the poor quality construction and materials that are used in some of the cookie cutter houses. It is a buyers market right now and their are 4 bedroom homes in central and northern areas of Overland Park that are priced at between 200-225K. If you need any information about the area just ask!

[Jayhawk]

I agree with Shonner about Lawrence. I grew up in OP but attended KU for college (I guess my screen name gave that away!) After living in KC and other places, I moved back to KU for law school and was reminded of what a great place it is. It has grown a lot over the years. I return annually for Homecoming, and have seen the town grow to be a small city. There are great restaurants, cultural events at the Lied Center, KU sports and a great friendly atmosphere that you get with a smaller city. The best part is that you can get around town really quickly (especially in the summer!). It is still a college town, but there are lots of non-college places. I would recommend spending a day checking it out. I think you'll really like it!

[cchiang12]

both Lawrence and OP are great.
it would take you 30 - 35 mins to get to work (depends how fast you can get to the highway).
there are quite a few people that commute between the two cities (both students and worker).
be aware of speed traps on k-10.

[mjb62676]

Originally Posted by Plains10

It all depends about what you are looking for and what your housing budget is. Lawrence and the Johnson County suburbs are going to both have relatively higher housing prices compared with the state average. Many people commute to Lawrence and live in the surrounding towns because the housing costs are fairly high in Lawrence relative to the average median incomes. Areas near Lawrence that are growing in population would be Baldwin City and Eudora. Both towns are located in Douglas County and would be a short commute to all the conveniences of Lawrence. However, both Eudora and Baldwin City have under 10,000 people. A town that is located in between Lawrence and Overland Park would be De Soto. This is a town of about 6,000 that is right between the two cities with an average home price of around $250,000. If you prefer the bigger towns than Lawrence, Overland Park, Lenexa, or Shawnee should have everything you are looking for along with a commute time of around 35-40 minutes to the Lawrence area. However, I would personally not buy into the newer housing, especially Pulte. Their was a news story a little while ago revealing the poor quality construction and materials that are used in some of the cookie cutter houses. It is a buyers market right now and their are 4 bedroom homes in central and northern areas of Overland Park that are priced at between 200-225K. If you need any information about the area just ask!

This post NAILS it...

To me, this is a no brainer...you live in Lawrence. I lived in Baldwin City during college (went to Baker U), then lived in Lenexa for a year before moving to Lawrence for a few years...then got a new job and relocated to hell, otherwise known as St. Joseph, MO.

We LOVED Lawrence...but toward the end I was commuting from Lawrence to Shawnee and driving K-10 every day wore on me heavily.

Again...to me it's a no brainer...and if it's too big, I also loved Baldwin and to a lesser extent Eudora.
JoCo just isn't for me...

One note, I'm a huge KSU fan, and got along just fine living in Larrytown! Man, I love that place.

[malarkey]

Another vote for Lawrence. Great town, definitely one of the very best in KS. When you visit go have lunch at Wheatfields. Personally, I live there over OP anyday.

[jiston2000]

Right before we bought our house, my husband was relocated to Lawrence (nice) so we were in the same situation. We just felt that Lawrence would be too far away, plsu it is kind of isolated, and we didn't want to buy a house there and since a home is such a long term investment, what happens if he got a different job and then we are stuck in Lawrence, miles away from Johnson County and KC.

We were looking at all kinds of places in Johnson County, did lots of test-runs, and we really just decided that the only locations that would be within driving distance are Western Lenexa and Western Shawnee, so we found a house in Western Lenexa and love it there. My husband has since taken another position in another part of town, but because we are so close to the highway, he could get to Lawrence in 20-30 min, not bad. Are you looking to buy anytime soon? I actually was on this site hoping to network with people who may be house-hunting, as we are selling our house ($240-25s range).

We have done a TON of work to this house--when we bought it it was big but dated, so we have since remodeled every room and it looks great now, like a model home, and of course now we are getting xferred out of state (isn't that Murphy's Law?) Let me know if you may be interested or know of anyone else who may be interested.

[krisiw5]

I live in Lawrence and am ready to leave. My husband commutes to OP everyday and has grown tired of the drive. Lawrence is a great town for some people, but just not us.
I have some advice, but first let me say that I'm just trying to be honest and not mean. So here goes: If you don't mind college students EVERYWHERE, who sometimes act pretty obnoxious, it's a great place to live. This place is seriously crawling with college students. We are actually in our mid 20s and they STILL annoy us, but we've always been "old" people in a way. The town itself is charming and has plenty to offer. We love the choice of local restaurants. You won't find many unique restaurants in JoCo - mainly just chains.
I'm just tired of running into drunk college people so much. It doesn't happen every single day, but WAY more often than in any other place I've ever lived. Maybe I'm uptight, but loud/drunk people really annoy me! Not saying that all college students are obnoxious party animals, but the ones that are just really stick out.
But I'd live here any day over OP because at least there is character and charm here. SO MUCH of Johnson County is boring to the eyes with all of the beige cookie cutter construction everywhere. At the Lawrence Wal-Mart last week there were a group of 4 or 5 college guys laughing loudly at the condoms and making crude jokes. I'm so tired of this kind of immaturity. But then on the way home I was happy to at least see buildings and houses that didn't all look so much the same like I would have in JoCo. Thought I'd put in a different viewpoint on Lawrence. Hope my blunt opinions weren't too much and didn't seem rude. Just wanted to be as honest as possible. Hope I've been able to help some!

[jazztrumpet5]

Originally Posted by krisiw5

I live in Lawrence and am ready to leave. My husband commutes to OP everyday and has grown tired of the drive. Lawrence is a great town for some people, but just not us.
I have some advice, but first let me say that I'm just trying to be honest and not mean. So here goes: If you don't mind college students EVERYWHERE, who sometimes act pretty obnoxious, it's a great place to live. This place is seriously crawling with college students. We are actually in our mid 20s and they STILL annoy us, but we've always been "old" people in a way. The town itself is charming and has plenty to offer. We love the choice of local restaurants. You won't find many unique restaurants in JoCo - mainly just chains.
I'm just tired of running into drunk college people so much. It doesn't happen every single day, but WAY more often than in any other place I've ever lived. Maybe I'm uptight, but loud/drunk people really annoy me! Not saying that all college students are obnoxious party animals, but the ones that are just really stick out.
But I'd live here any day over OP because at least there is character and charm here. SO MUCH of Johnson County is boring to the eyes with all of the beige cookie cutter construction everywhere. At the Lawrence Wal-Mart last week there were a group of 4 or 5 college guys laughing loudly at the condoms and making crude jokes. I'm so tired of this kind of immaturity. But then on the way home I was happy to at least see buildings and houses that didn't all look so much the same like I would have in JoCo. Thought I'd put in a different viewpoint on Lawrence. Hope my blunt opinions weren't too much and didn't seem rude. Just wanted to be as honest as possible. Hope I've been able to help some!

I don't think this poster is making rude comments, but there are plenty of older neighborhoods in JoCo that have old homes in established areas. You'll find just as much charm in a 55 year old traditional in Prairie Village as you will in a house in Lawrence.

That being said, I'd suggest you live in Lawrence. It's a great town with a lot of forward-thinking folks, and if you aren't into too much highbrow stuff like opera, jazz, and non-contemporary art, you'll find what you need in Lawrence. Besides, even if you like that stuff, it's only an hour or less to downtown KC or midtown to hit those spots.

Yes, the drunken KU kid is ubiquitous in Lawrence, so you've gotta be aware of that going in, but if you can stand that, along with an interesting mix of frat-boy prep and bohemian birkenstock wearer, you'll weather the "worst" (in some opinions) of Lawrence. There's plenty of suburbia, too. I'm sure, if you're into it, you'll be able to eat at Applebees and shop at Old Navy while you're there. It definitely has something for all walks.