Toronto Boy moving to Lexena. (Overland Park, Kansas City: apartments, leasing, crime)

[mattnorris27]

Hello,

Im a 26 year old male from Toronto ON, Canada.

My work is setting up an office in Lexena and It looks like I might be moving there.

Can anyone tell me some more information on Lexena? Just general info would be awesome.

Thank you so much.

Matt

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by mattnorris27

Hello,

Im a 26 year old male from Toronto ON, Canada.

My work is setting up an office in Lexena and It looks like I might be moving there.

Can anyone tell me some more information on Lexena? Just general info would be awesome.

Thank you so much.

Matt

Yes, Lenexa is a typical US suburb with all the ammenities that you would expect. Johnson County Kansas is a large suburban county in the Kansas City metro area with around 520,000 people. Lenexa is under 50,000 with the largest city being Overland Park at around 170,000. Johnson County Kansas is a fairly job rich area of the Kansas City metro area and many people commute to work there and live on the Missouri side of the metro area. Housing prices tend to be more affordable in Jackson or Cass counties compared with Johnson County. If you are looking at older more established neighborhoods in Johnson County I would stay inside the I-435 loop and look at the suburbs of Prairie Village, Fairway, and Westwood. Those are nice established suburbs that are not too far from Lenexa, but are also closeer to the Plaza and Downtown.

[gwander]

Matt,

The town is called Lenexa. It is one of the more western suburbs in the greater Kansas City metro area. Lenexa is just one of many smallish cities that are part of Johnson County, on the Kansas side of the metro area.

Lenexa is not separated in any way... one block you are in Overland Park (another suburban city) and the next block you are in Lenexa. Most of Lenexa is filled with pleasant but look-a-like suburban homes.

You probably don't have school age kids yet, but the schools are excellent (Shawnee Mission Schools)

Our Kansas winters will be much shorter than what you are used to in Toronto. And our summers much more hot and humid.

Let us know if you have specific questions we can help you with. My parents lived in Guelph for several years , so I will do my best to compare and answer your questions.

[mattnorris27]

Wow that so great. Thank you so much for all the information. I live actually about 45 min away from guelph. thats pretty cool.

Anyways can you tell me more about the winters?

Some days here I can hardly breathe because its so cold. It actually hurts to breathe, lol.

is that the case in Lexena?

Also is Lexena a safe area?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by mattnorris27

Wow that so great. Thank you so much for all the information. I live actually about 45 min away from guelph. thats pretty cool.

Anyways can you tell me more about the winters?

Some days here I can hardly breathe because its so cold. It actually hurts to breathe, lol.

is that the case in Lexena?

Also is Lexena a safe area?

Here is some info regarding a few of your points.
Here is a good rule of thumb. Winters in general are much shorter the further south you go from 40N latitude as long as the elevation is fairly low. Average highs in the winter in east Kansas range from the 30s and 40s for highs. Sometimes milder periods will bring temps into the 50s and 60s in the middle of winter, and also some periods of subzero cold. The main item to be aware of is the STRONG winds. It may not be that cold, but winds can be severe compared with the eastern US and Canada.

Lenexa is a safe suburban area with relatively high median housing prices compared with many areas of the KC metro area. All of the cities in Johnson County are pretty much connected with the exception of some of the outlying towns like Spring Hill, De Soto, Gardner, and Edgerton.

[RadioSilence]

I used to live close to Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park in Lenexa. If you move, be sure to enjoy the Great Lenexa Barbecue Battle and the Spinach Festival!

There are some negatives. My car was stolen in Lenexa and dumped in the old Northeast section of Kansas City, MO; criminals will commute to where the wealth is located. Someone also robbed the bank, located across the street from the police station, in the middle of the day. That was more amusing than scary. There are some shady elements directly to the north in Shawnee (low-rent apartments around 75th & Quivira), but crime really hasn't been a problem.

You will be close to every major American franchise. But you will also face a 20 to 30-minute drive to downtown Kansas City, MO, or the Country Club Plaza (also in KCMO) if you choose to go there.

Working in Lenexa doesn't mean living in Lenexa. You can live in Overland Park, Shawnee, or even Olathe without a major commute. But you will need a car, because public transportation is sorely lacking.

You will enjoy nearly every kind of weather. January and February are the coldest months, but by cold, we mean 25-30 degrees (F) for a high temperature. April, May and June are the wettest months, and peak season for severe thunderstorms. July and August are typically dry and hot, though this summer has been cooler than normal. 100 degrees (F) is not unusual in late July or early August. The leaves typically change color and fall in October.

[gwander]

Matt,
We do have occasional subzero winter days, but not too many. ( and some years we don't get that cold at all.) We get a lot less snow and ice than Toronto. Winter here lasts approx. 3 months. If we have a really frigid cold snap (sub zero), it only lasts for a few days and then more normal winter temps (30's) return.

[gwander]

Lenexa (and all of Johnson County) is generally considered "safe". My family has lived in Johnson County for 20 years and nothing bad has ever happened to us. That being said, you should always use common sense, because there are good and bad people no matter where you go. My brother in law lived in Lenexa for years and never had any issues.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by mattnorris27

Wow that so great. Thank you so much for all the information. I live actually about 45 min away from guelph. thats pretty cool.

Anyways can you tell me more about the winters?

Some days here I can hardly breathe because its so cold. It actually hurts to breathe, lol.

Kansas winters will have moments that will remind you of Ontario, but not generally for long periods of time. You will be surprised by the rapid climate changes. One day it'll be frozen solid and windy. The next it might be 45 F (roughly 7 C) and the ground will squish big time. Not much snow most places most times, and when it does snow it tends to drift up because of the frequent winds. Kansans borrowed the term 'people of the South Wind' from the Indians for a very good reason.

One thing you may not experience much of in Lenexa but will experience at some point in Kansas is muuuuuud. 'Mud' is a substance that easily washes off with water; you may have experienced it. 'Muuuuuud' is what we have back home in Kansas, which does not easily rinse off. The best way to remove it from your footwear is to take your shoes off at the door, wait until it dries and whack them against a rock. Perfect bootprints. Kansas muuuuud is cumulative on your shoes or boots and can eventually work like ankle weights. For proper effect, pronounce it with a zesty, vaguely distasteful drawing-out of the vowel, just as I have typed it.

Culturally, you will find Kansans generally friendly albeit sometimes reserved, more similar to the Canadian norm than either coast. You will however find them more religious and politically conservative than you are likely used to, though in the KCK metro area a bit less so (typical difference in the US and probably Canada too of urban vs. rural).

I believe there are an above average number of elderly people in Kansas, and a certain amount of old school courtesy in that regard is always appreciated. I remember helping my grandfather repair a cattle chute, and one of the leasing cowboys stopping by to help (about old enough to be my father). He called my grandfather Mr. Johnson, never mind that they were both over sixty, just as I called the cowboy Mr. Henry. None of this was considered odd or stilted; it was the correct rural etiquette, in which jovial camaraderie prevailed.

[jeffmsilver]

Or you could live in Kansas City and commute. Where in Toronto are you moving from? Unless you're from up near the Bridle Path, Lenexa and the other suggested suburbs are going to be a rude awakening.

If you don't need high-performing public schools, live in the city and commute.