roeland park (Kansas City, Olathe, Prairie Village: upkeep, travel, job)

[zizi]

We will be moving from downtown Milwaukee to the KC area. We're house-hunting, in the process of making our short list. Our main focus has been the Brookside area of KCMO, but we've happened upon an interesting mid-century modern home in the KCKS suburb of Roeland Park.

Can anyone tell me about this area/the neighborhoods? Is it mostly sprawl, chains stores, gas stations? Or, is there an in-town distric with privately owned shops, restaurants, whatnot?

Does the town give off more of a blue-state or red-state vibe?

Thanks. Just checking. : )

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by zizi

We will be moving from downtown Milwaukee to the KC area. We're house-hunting, in the process of making our short list. Our main focus has been the Brookside area of KCMO, but we've happened upon an interesting mid-century modern home in the KCKS suburb of Roeland Park.

Can anyone tell me about this area/the neighborhoods? Is it mostly sprawl, chains stores, gas stations? Or, is there an in-town distric with privately owned shops, restaurants, whatnot?

Does the town give off more of a blue-state or red-state vibe?

Thanks. Just checking. : )

Yes, Roeland Park is located in Johnson County Kansas. Most of the neighborhoods are much older than in other parts of the county with a lot of the homes built in the 1950s. It is an inner ring suburb and is located closer in proximity to Kansas City, Missouri. Their are some big box stores on Roe Blvd near I-35. The area is becoming more diverse with a growing Hispanic population. Politically, the area seems to be fairly middle of the road with the sprawling suburbs south of the area in Olathe/Gardner tend to be more conservative. Another thing to remember is that the KC metro is a typical Great Plains city and does not have as much in common with the Midwest. Also, the area is located at the northern extent of the bible belt as well so the rural areas tend to be quite conservative as well. Kansas City, MO is a little more liberal and their are downtown redevelopment projects going on right now in the "Power and Light District."

[zizi]

Originally Posted by Plains10

Yes, Roeland Park is located in Johnson County Kansas. Most of the neighborhoods are much older than in other parts of the county with a lot of the homes built in the 1950s. It is an inner ring suburb and is located closer in proximity to Kansas City, Missouri. Their are some big box stores on Roe Blvd near I-35. The area is becoming more diverse with a growing Hispanic population. Politically, the area seems to be fairly middle of the road with the sprawling suburbs south of the area in Olathe/Gardner tend to be more conservative. Another thing to remember is that the KC metro is a typical Great Plains city and does not have as much in common with the Midwest. Also, the area is located at the northern extent of the bible belt as well so the rural areas tend to be quite conservative as well. Kansas City, MO is a little more liberal and their are downtown redevelopment projects going on right now in the "Power and Light District."

Thanks so much for the info. If I could bother you for a little bit more of your time .. Neighborhood diversity is not a concern; we're empty-nesters with a slightly boheme bent. As a matter of fact, we live in a rehabbed building in the Third Ward (better known as the Third WEIRD to the folks who would never consider living here, which is their loss frankly).

What concerns me is safety (my husband travels a lot) and property values. Would you say this neighborhood is on the upswing as far as community improvements, same as it ever was, or on the downslide? Is there young blood moving in, or have most of the residents been there forever and a day?

Why the Hispanic influx - any particular reason? I ran the demos from 2002 and from what I could glean, Roeland Park looked whitey white white.

We're looking for single, detached housing this go-round. Not loft living. Miss the yard.

Thanks again in advance

: )

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by zizi

Thanks so much for the info. If I could bother you for a little bit more of your time .. Neighborhood diversity is not a concern; we're empty-nesters with a slightly boheme bent. As a matter of fact, we live in a rehabbed building in the Third Ward (better known as the Third WEIRD to the folks who would never consider living here, which is their loss frankly).

What concerns me is safety (my husband travels a lot) and property values. Would you say this neighborhood is on the upswing as far as community improvements, same as it ever was, or on the downslide? Is there young blood moving in, or have most of the residents been there forever and a day?

Why the Hispanic influx - any particular reason? I ran the demos from 2002 and from what I could glean, Roeland Park looked whitey white white.

We're looking for single, detached housing this go-round. Not loft living. Miss the yard.

Thanks again in advance

: )

I think that most of the neighborhoods in Roeland Park are safe, especially considering that a lot of the neighborhoods in portions of Kansas City, KS are unsafe. Property values are gradually increasing, but appreciation of home values are not as high as you would find in outer ring suburbs of Kansas City. Their is a good mixture of age ranges in the city and the median age is right around the state average. The hispanic influx has been increasing because Roeland Park is located fairly close to Wyandotte County that has much larger percentage Hispanic population than Johnson County. This is mainly because their are more job opportunities in Johnson County. The upkeep of the neighborhoods in Roeland Park is fairly good although their will always be the problem house or two in a neighborhood that will not keep up their property. If you are looking in that general area I would also check into Prairie Village which is the town directly south of Roeland Park. Prairie Village has a huge amount of tree lined streets with some nicely maintained older homes as well. This town also has more of a Midwest flavor compared with the outer ring suburbs like Olathe and Gardner. In terms of safety this is a big metro area so most people lock their doors anyway, and some people have security systems.
For more information about Roeland Park you can click here:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Roeland-Park-Kansas.html

[jazztrumpet5]

Plains has given a pretty good overview of the situation, but if you don't mind, I'll add the following:

It sounds like you'd be much more interested in Midtown KCMO or Brookside/Waldo. However, there are some pretty nice old homes in Roeland Park/Fairway in cool neighborhoods - depending on the neighbors. There can be some shabby stuff going on in certain areas - two blocks either way can make a bit of difference, so check it out before you move. However, if the house is in a good one, you aren't far from Midtown and the other more bohemian spots - besides, everyone in KC drives everywhere anyway.