So what is KC, KS like? (Overland Park, Olathe: house, elementary school, taxes)

[txgirl0919]

Hi everyone! We are thinking about moving to KC. We have lived in TX and Oklahoma. We are big-time country people. Love outdoorsy stuff...4 wheelin, fishing, horseback riding. Is there things to do for people like us in Kansas? How would you compare it to OK and TX? Thanks!

[KevK]

If you are going to move up there, move to Johnson County- not Wyandotte.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by KevK

If you are going to move up there, move to Johnson County- not Wyandotte.

Western portions of Wyandotte County are becoming more upscale with more affordable housing prices compared with many sections of JOCO. The area along and west of the Speedway is seeing much more growth.

[txgirl0919]

well, we will be moving to the country of a county that has decent prices. I don't think we could afford to live in Johnson county and I don't really know if I want to after reading somethings about it!

We are definelty simple people who live the simple life. That is why I am wondering if KC is the place for us.

Also, is it windy in KC? We used to be in a place with 50+ mph wind and it is the reason we moved.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by txgirl0919

well, we will be moving to the country of a county that has decent prices. I don't think we could afford to live in Johnson county and I don't really know if I want to after reading somethings about it!

We are definelty simple people who live the simple life. That is why I am wondering if KC is the place for us.

Also, is it windy in KC? We used to be in a place with 50+ mph wind and it is the reason we moved.

Yes, western Wyandotte County and rural areas of Leavenworth might be worth looking into. Areas like Tonganoxie, Basehor, and tend to be less crowded, and have more of a rural flavor. These areas are far more affordable than most areas of JOCO. Winds are not a big factor, but can be strong at times during the colder months.

[melkreeves]

I agree, Leavenworth county would probably have more of what you are looking for. Very little open land left in Johnson or Wyandotte. Also, have you thought of Miami county? (south of Johnson county) It's very rural, I think still less than 30,000 people in the entire county, and lots of wide open spaces. But be prepared, the prices and taxes are not much lower in Northern Miami county than they are in JoCo, and the southern parts of Miami county has problems with bad schools and some meth problems. Of the five Miami county communities (Louisburg, Spring Hill/Bucyrus, Hillsdale, Paola and Osawatomie) Louisburg and Spring Hill are the most expensive. We live outside of Hillsdale and there is a lot of land here. Very few people (probably no more than 150 or so) live in town, most everybody is outside of town on land. There is an elementary school in Hillsdale (one class per grade) and after that they go to school in Paola. Paola is a nice town and the largest in the county and prices are reasonable. It seems to me to be the middle of the road as far as Miami County goes. If you like the country living but not being far from major amenities, I'd recommend Miami County. Lots of 4-wheeling, horses and fishing here... including two lakes. People are generally friendly but sometimes a little slow to warm up to outsiders (those who weren't born and raised there). I would avoid Osawatomie at all costs. The prices are cheaper but the schools are horrible and most of the town has a kind of white trash feel (don't get me wrong, I know some great people from Osawatomie, thats just the GENERAL feeling of the place, in my opinion).
Also, check out the smaller towns in JoCo, like Edgerton. Not much there, but very close to Gardner and Olathe.

[kcmo]

WyCo is still half rural, even the area by the speedway is very rural in nature.

Western WyCo is rural, but growing and it's much nicer than JoCo. They have trees and hills! Plus JoCo people hate WyCo and Missouri and everything else that is not in JoCo. They think they are better than everybody else. Why would you want to become like that. Live in a beige house deep in suburbia? You can also get to Downtown KCMO, KCI etc much quicker from WyCo than JoCo.

[DandF]

what is neosho county like?

[quintafemm]

I just moved in June from Fort Worth TX to Overland Park, KS. There is definitely a more urban feel here. Not so much of that cowboy feel around here. It might be different a little further out but everyone around here is totally citified. They like their parks though. Esp Shawnee Mission Park. Very nice, huge, lots to do. There are a lot more people running, jogging and biking here. I think the difference in climate allows for this because if people ran around in TX like they run around here - they would keel over with heat stroke.

[kcmo]

Well, the area you are in is not “KCK”, it’s Johnson County. It’s much more of a suburb of KCMO than KCK.

KCK is basically a blue collar suburb of KCMO. It’s older, has a downtown (although quite a sad one) and has some urban characteristics, but for the most part, the city functions as a suburb of KCMO. At one time (1920’s), KCK was more of a second city, like a Fort Worth, but not anymore.

Independence, MO is very similar to KCK as it too is also older, has a downtown and much of it is also built pre-suburban. But it’s a suburb today.

So when people say KCK, they are speaking of the city of KCK, not the entire KS side.

But your point is well taken. Johnson County is more like the northern suburbs of Dallas. Very white collar, pretty built up, dense, lots of traffic, malls, office parks etc. It’s also a higher demographic, mostly white county.

KCK is more like the northern parts of Fort Worth and its suburbs. Not dense at all, almost no traffic, a very rural feel, even the older parts of the city have a rural or small town built environment, blue collar, industrial and very spread out. In general, lower demographics, and more diverse racially.

KCK is also only about 150,000 people spread out over about the same area in Johnson County that has 550,000 people.