Johnson County, Kansas: The American Dream? (Overland Park, Kansas City: house, neighborhoods, construction)

[Scraper Enthusiast]

Is Johnson County, Kansas symbolic of the American dream? I recently visited the area, and I must say that I was impressed. The streets were clean, the neighborhoods were beautiful, the people were friendly. Frankly, I felt that the place had a nice and homey feel to it. I could say the same for the Kansas City metro area, as a whole, to an extent.

So tell me whether I was simply seeing the area through, perhaps, a "Grass is Greener on the Other Side" set of lenses.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Scraper Enthusiast

Is Johnson County, Kansas symbolic of the American dream? I recently visited the area, and I must say that I was impressed. The streets were clean, the neighborhoods were beautiful, the people were friendly. Frankly, I felt that the place had a nice and homey feel to it. I could say the same for the Kansas City metro area, as a whole, to an extent.

So tell me whether I was simply seeing the area through, perhaps, a "Grass is Greener on the Other Side" set of lenses.

Well, I will offer you my perspective as a former resident of Johnson County for over 20 years.

I will list the positives and negatives of the area.

Positives:
It has a relatively strong economy.
Lower housing costs compared with the national average.
The schools are generally well regarded.
It is close to the Plaza and not too far from Downtown.
The relative increase in diversity over time.
A LARGE range in housing stock and varying types of neighborhoods to choose from.

Negatives:
The extremely fast population growth. (Expect bigger city traffic issues, construction, and highway noise issues even in neighborhoods that are even 5-10 blocks removed from the I-435 beltway)
The extremes in the weather.
The relatively long drive to the International Airport.
The overly conservative politics, particularly in the newer suburban areas.
The EXTREME lack of forward thinking with regard to public transit until more recently.
The overall vanilla and plastic feel to many of the newer neighborhoods. (These areas tend to have more of a transient population as well)

[Ogopogo]

Yes, Johnson County, KS is considered one of the nicest, burgeoning suburban areas in the Midwest, and nation. Overland Park is to Kansas City like Highlands Ranch/Littleton is to Denver, or like Plano/Richardson is to Dallas, or like Bloomington/Eden Prairie is to Minneapolis. Yes, as you noticed, the streets out in Johnson County are wide, straight, and orderly, built on land that is seemingly starting to flatten-out some, and open up more, clearing of woods and trees. I think that is a nice contrast to the inner-city of Kansas City, which is a very leafy, hilly city, cut through with woodsy ravines, and streams, and rivers, where streets can't (and don't) necessarily keep to a grid.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Ogopogo

Yes, Johnson County, KS is considered one of the nicest, burgeoning suburban areas in the Midwest, and nation. Overland Park is to Kansas City like Highlands Ranch/Littleton is to Denver, or like Plano/Richardson is to Dallas, or like Bloomington/Eden Prairie is to Minneapolis. Yes, as you noticed, the streets out in Johnson County are wide, straight, and orderly, built on land that is seemingly starting to flatten-out some, and open up more, clearing of woods and trees. I think that is a nice contrast to the inner-city of Kansas City, which is a very leafy, hilly city, cut through with woodsy ravines, and streams, and rivers, where streets can't (and don't) necessarily keep to a grid.

Hmm... It is funny you mentioned the grid in JOCO.
It seems rather bland and predictable.
Also, the increasing street numbers as you get further removed from the city just encourages more sprawl IMHO.
Why? It seems like quite a few people liked to "brag" about moving to a new development at a higher numbered street particularly back in the 1990s.
Thankfully JOCO has a few parks that have a decent quantity of trees. Shawnee Mission Park was a gem before Lenexa allowed developers to build mcmansions right on top of the park. However, the walking trails and reservior are nice.
Olathe had little in the way of treecover in most areas of the city that have been developed in the past few decades. Most of the rural landowners have sold their land and moved elsewhere.

[Ogopogo]

^Well, I just mean that the grid is nice for driving and navigating. It is not like a "spaghetti bowl" of streets is attractive to everyone. That's all.

Not to change the subject, I see you're in New Hampshire now. I have a relative that moved up to New England. I've been up there before -- in autumn. It was beautiful, of course. I would love to see Vermont and Maine in the fall, too. I like those NE New England states...

[tkindred]

Originally Posted by Scraper Enthusiast

Is Johnson County, Kansas symbolic of the American dream? I recently visited the area, and I must say that I was impressed. The streets were clean, the neighborhoods were beautiful, the people were friendly. Frankly, I felt that the place had a nice and homey feel to it. I could say the same for the Kansas City metro area, as a whole, to an extent.

So tell me whether I was simply seeing the area through, perhaps, a "Grass is Greener on the Other Side" set of lenses.

Hmm, depends on which color you are, what religion (if any), political lean, if you have a family, like to drive a lot to get anywhere, etc.

I lived in Lenexa, Mission, Overland Park and Praire Village after growing up in Kansas City, Kansas (where the people are more down to Earth). To me the BEST place to live in Kansas City is Praire Village. Praire Village is very nice. Lots of big old trees, walkable, quiet and safe. Oh, and Westwood Hills. My exgirlfriends father lives there. But it is tiny. The rest of Johnson County is boring and predictable. Way too spread out and unwalkable.

Oh, I think some of the people in Johnson County might think it is the center of the world too. I remember when I had this old Toyota in college and people would snicker, laugh and make comments at me at the stop lights.

Oh, I was also stopped by the police when I was walking home at night for no reason. They said I fit the description of a robber. Hmmm, you mean Black? When I was younger and had Wyandotte County tags (what Johnson County people consider as lower tier) I would always get stopped by the police while driving to work or to classes in JoCo (Johnson County). Seems stupid to me now that I have been gone for so long.

[Old Surrender]

Originally Posted by Scraper Enthusiast

Is Johnson County, Kansas symbolic of the American dream?

Dear God I hope not. I plan on returning to the KC area and JoCo ain't on my places to live.

But, ya know, for what it's worth, I can see people digging it. If it makes you happy, by all means ...

[stephstar]

I originally came to Johnson County in my 9th grade from Niles, Mi. I DON'T LIKE IT HERE! Its boring.......only shopping......eating. I went to Blue Valley North, which had a bunch of rich snobby kids who actually couldn't afford expensive brand names. Had to move to Blue Valley Northwest....a lot better. Know that I am 20 I am going to JCCC(really good community college). But I am already planning on moving to the East Coast. Camping sucks and the lake sucks here in Overland Park. Everyone who has money or can afford to go to Lake of the Ozarks or has a house there. The area inside called the JOCO bubble is really nice(all the kids called it the Johnson County Bubble b/c we don't mingle with Olathe or Shawnee). I do admit that it has nice housing and good shopping.

[moparhawk]

um stephstar its easy to see you weren't born in joco. you could not be more wrong. bv north is new money and shawnee/olathe are simply older but there is an excellent mix in both shawnee/olathe. you can live your entire live in this area and choose from over 10 citys ea one offering something different. Boring? well i guess if you call leaving your home and counting on a 99.999999% chance of coming home in the same shape as you left.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by tkindred

Hmm, depends on which color you are, what religion (if any), political lean, if you have a family, like to drive a lot to get anywhere, etc.

I lived in Lenexa, Mission, Overland Park and Praire Village after growing up in Kansas City, Kansas (where the people are more down to Earth). To me the BEST place to live in Kansas City is Praire Village. Praire Village is very nice. Lots of big old trees, walkable, quiet and safe. Oh, and Westwood Hills. My exgirlfriends father lives there. But it is tiny. The rest of Johnson County is boring and predictable. Way too spread out and unwalkable.

Oh, I think some of the people in Johnson County might think it is the center of the world too. I remember when I had this old Toyota in college and people would snicker, laugh and make comments at me at the stop lights.

Oh, I was also stopped by the police when I was walking home at night for no reason. They said I fit the description of a robber. Hmmm, you mean Black? When I was younger and had Wyandotte County tags (what Johnson County people consider as lower tier) I would always get stopped by the police while driving to work or to classes in JoCo (Johnson County). Seems stupid to me now that I have been gone for so long.

I was born and raised in Overland Park and promply left the state after graduating from high school in the late 80s. I'm white, as was every other person in my neighborhood, and there were definitely racist undertones in JoCo back then. People considered anyone with "WY" on their license plate to either be white trash or poor and black, either way, someone to look down upon. I remember a neighbor calling the police because a "car with MO plates and black people in it" was driving around the neighborhood.

I'm glad I've moved away and experienced other cultures and people. It seems odd to me that some of my peers from high school who stayed in JoCo still seem to have that mentality, although usually shrouded in sarchastic political correctness. I was raised to believe that JoCo and Shawnee Mission schools were superior to the rest of the metro area, which is pretty pathetic. Overall, JoCo just isn't for me - too cookie cutter, not urban, and way too conservative for me. I like living in the city and interracting with all sorts of people, which is what I have now.