Kansas: My impressions (Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee: section 8, apartment complexes, crime)

[kellismelli]

I can't believe you came to KC and had BBQ and didn't go to Arthur Bryant's. For shame. : ]

I was born and raised in JOCO. Now in SoCal (DH in military)and when he gets out this summer we are moving to St. Paul. I could never move back to JOCO, many people are so stuck up and set in their ways. Plus, now that I'm a CA 'hippie' I can't stand the backwards thinking there. It's really too bad because I'm going to miss living by my mom. I'd consider living there again if they had ANY public transportation. The JO? Why bother with it if it's going to be completely useless? More like The JOKE.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by AnywhereElse

Impressions of Kansas? Not exactly. Johnson County really doesn't represent the entire state of Kansas - completely the opposite.

But if all of Kansas were like Fort Scott, some of us wouldn't be living here...most of Kansas is not like Johnson County, but then again most of Kansas is not like Fort Scott, either, and that's a good thing.

[KevK]

Originally Posted by nicname

Kansas is awesome, but how is JOCO neat in comparison to KC?

unless of course you mean lilly white, and uber suburban.

I agree. JOCO is where you want to LIVE in KC- NOT where you want to dine, shop or find entertainment. The Plaza and Westport are for that!

[KevK]

Originally Posted by kellismelli

I can't believe you came to KC and had BBQ and didn't go to Arthur Bryant's. For shame. : ]

I was born and raised in JOCO. Now in SoCal (DH in military)and when he gets out this summer we are moving to St. Paul. I could never move back to JOCO, many people are so stuck up and set in their ways. Plus, now that I'm a CA 'hippie' I can't stand the backwards thinking there. It's really too bad because I'm going to miss living by my mom. I'd consider living there again if they had ANY public transportation. The JO? Why bother with it if it's going to be completely useless? More like The JOKE.

Okie Joes is pretty good too.

[WX_Watcher]

Arthur Bryant's? The last two times I visited my brother in Kansas City, he insisted that we eat at Arthur Bryant's. Fatty pork served on white Wonder Bread? And the flies? I don't think so. It might be a Kansas City icon... but, ugh! There are plenty of great BBQ restaurants in Kansas City. That isn't one of them!

I grew up in Johnson County (Mission) after having moved there with my family when I was 10 years old. [We called it Johnson County back then. I hadn't heard it called "JOCO" until I found this forum.] It was a GREAT place to grow up. After I graduated from KU I went into the Navy. I spent 24 years living in great places like Pensacola FL, Corpus Christi TX (Texas BBQ... very fine BBQ also), San Jose CA (5 years, but never became a hippy), Patuxent River MD, Newport RI, Norfolk VA, Kingsville TX, and Ewa Beach HI. All great places and I enjoyed each one of them for their respective qualities and attributes. But, none of them ever made me think that I had ever missed anything in my childhood by living in Kansas. I certainly never thought of myself or any of my friends as "stuck up", "backwards thinking", or "stuck in our ways".

BTW... EverywhereElse's not so subtle slam on Johnson County is curious. My only experience with Fort Scott is a spring Monday during which our Shawnee Mission North Track Team traveled to Fort Scott to participate in the Fort Scott track meet which had been postponed from the weekend due to weather. Several of the Southeast Kansas schools that were there complained that they would not compete if SMN was allowed to participate. Seven hours round trip in a yellow school bus only to be told that us kids from Johnson County were not welcome in Fort Scott. And now, I guess those anti-NE KS feelings still exist.

One more BTW... my Vermont GF and I are seriously considering moving back to Johnson County. Bring it on, Jack's Stack!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by WX_Watcher

One more BTW... my Vermont GF and I are seriously considering moving back to Johnson County. Bring it on, Jack's Stack!

I would also suggest trying NH! It is one of the best states in the eastern US along with one of the lowest unemployment rates. We have no income or sales tax. Also, the natural ammenities are incredible here. I can be at the ocean in an hour or in the mountains in a half an hour. I would NEVER move back to the Plains again and I only visit family there a few times a year. I have a great deal of respect for those that live on the land as my relatives are ranchers. However, I always felt out of my element in KS. It is not a good place at all for single people.

[kanhawk]

Originally Posted by WX_Watcher

Arthur Bryant's? The last two times I visited my brother in Kansas City, he insisted that we eat at Arthur Bryant's. Fatty pork served on white Wonder Bread? And the flies? I don't think so. It might be a Kansas City icon... but, ugh! There are plenty of great BBQ restaurants in Kansas City. That isn't one of them!

C,mon, don't diss Arthur Bryant's. Those flies add to the flavor, along with the dirty floors and the generally shabby neighborhood that surrounds it. Seriously, I like Arthur Bryant's but I think Gates BBQ is even better, where the black girls always say "Hi, may I help you" the moment you walk in the door.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

Why everything has to be about race? I don't care if people that live in JOCO are green, yellow or blue, as long as the place is nice, clean and low crime, that is the kind of quality of life I look for. What I was trying to say is that I saw a lot of parts of KCMO that are obviously lacking in infra structure, terrible roads and lots of urban decay. As soon as I crossed over to KS, everything looked cleaner, newer and more convenient. The race of the people who live in JOCO was the LAST thing that crossed my mind to be honest with you

I grew up in Overaland Park and it used to by about 99% white, but since I left there in 1986 (and go back to visit family regularly) I've noticed much more racial diversity there.

But anywho, I don't know what's so special about JOCO. It's just blah, typical suburbs you'll find in any city in the country, filled with chain stores, strip malls, etc. Not a bad place to grow up, but I would never live there again. Personally I prefer northeastern JOCO (older homes, more interesting architecture), the Plaza, Midtown, and downtown KCMO. But I'm an urban person and don't care much for suburbs anywhere.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by kellismelli

I can't believe you came to KC and had BBQ and didn't go to Arthur Bryant's. For shame. : ]

I was born and raised in JOCO. Now in SoCal (DH in military)and when he gets out this summer we are moving to St. Paul. I could never move back to JOCO, many people are so stuck up and set in their ways. Plus, now that I'm a CA 'hippie' I can't stand the backwards thinking there. It's really too bad because I'm going to miss living by my mom. I'd consider living there again if they had ANY public transportation. The JO? Why bother with it if it's going to be completely useless? More like The JOKE.

I feel the same way! Many of the people I grew up with in JOCO moved away like I did, as we always longed for something different and more exciting. The friends who stayed are all conservative and I'm always amazed at how much they've stayed the same, some never leaving the neighborhood they grew up in, even after starting their own families. Whenever I'm there (every couple years for a few days) I feel like I went back in time to the '80s.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by WX_Watcher

Arthur Bryant's? The last two times I visited my brother in Kansas City, he insisted that we eat at Arthur Bryant's. Fatty pork served on white Wonder Bread? And the flies? I don't think so. It might be a Kansas City icon... but, ugh! There are plenty of great BBQ restaurants in Kansas City. That isn't one of them!

I grew up in Johnson County (Mission) after having moved there with my family when I was 10 years old. [We called it Johnson County back then. I hadn't heard it called "JOCO" until I found this forum.] It was a GREAT place to grow up. After I graduated from KU I went into the Navy. I spent 24 years living in great places like Pensacola FL, Corpus Christi TX (Texas BBQ... very fine BBQ also), San Jose CA (5 years, but never became a hippy), Patuxent River MD, Newport RI, Norfolk VA, Kingsville TX, and Ewa Beach HI. All great places and I enjoyed each one of them for their respective qualities and attributes. But, none of them ever made me think that I had ever missed anything in my childhood by living in Kansas. I certainly never thought of myself or any of my friends as "stuck up", "backwards thinking", or "stuck in our ways".

BTW... EverywhereElse's not so subtle slam on Johnson County is curious. My only experience with Fort Scott is a spring Monday during which our Shawnee Mission North Track Team traveled to Fort Scott to participate in the Fort Scott track meet which had been postponed from the weekend due to weather. Several of the Southeast Kansas schools that were there complained that they would not compete if SMN was allowed to participate. Seven hours round trip in a yellow school bus only to be told that us kids from Johnson County were not welcome in Fort Scott. And now, I guess those anti-NE KS feelings still exist.

One more BTW... my Vermont GF and I are seriously considering moving back to Johnson County. Bring it on, Jack's Stack!

That's funny. I went to SM West and I remember that the SM school district (and JOCO) had a reputation throughout the state for being rich snobs, and no one else liked our district.