Johnson County people (Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee: crime, new home, neighborhood)

[GraniteStater]

One of the big differences I see between Overland Park and Olathe is housing. Some of the newer areas of Olathe might be upscale, but overall the the quality of the housing construction is generally quite poor. In Overland Park you find more neigborhoods that have architectural variety as well as custom builds. Both cities have a good dealing of tract housing, but if you research the neighborhoods you might find some gems in this market.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by luzianne

I like Overland Park better. And I especially like southern Overland Park, the newer areas.

Southern Overland Park might as well be a pseudo southern California (especially house architecture). Some people like it and some don't. Generally, the newer tract neighborhoods are indistinguishable from ones you find in generica USA.

[NurseTammy74]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I was simply asking why you would move to the Kansas suburbs when you have already stated you pretty much hate KC because it's "boring", yet the most boring part of KC is the Kansas side even though there are some nice suburbs over there.

I also find it odd that a person that lives in KC wouldn’t just drive down and figure out the difference between OP and Olathe. It’s pretty obvious, OP is better, but it’s also generally more expensive than Olathe. not that you care about my opinion.

Sorry about whatever family issues you have.

I can go there and see both towns at anytime, indeed. I just wanted some opinions and views on both towns, not be attacked by you. You're right, I don't care about your rude opinions, I've had better and more respectful conversations with a 4 yr old.

[NurseTammy74]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Southern Overland Park might as well be a pseudo southern California (especially house architecture). Some people like it and some don't. Generally, the newer tract neighborhoods are indistinguishable from ones you find in generica USA.

I have noticed that home prices are pretty expensive in both towns. I read that homes in Olathe were on average $324k and homes in OP were $319k. Kinda high, but I guess you get what you pay for. If I could, I would go to NC, but my mother in law is handicapped, so she may need to live with us in the near future, once we buy a home. My husband promised her that he would not move away and leave her here. I can understand his need for wanting to stay. His father has poor health too and in this family the care for the parents have been left up to my husband. His sisters get off scott-free. But anyway, thanks for the info.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by NurseTammy74

I have noticed that home prices are pretty expensive in both towns. I read that homes in Olathe were on average $324k and homes in OP were $319k. Kinda high, but I guess you get what you pay for. If I could, I would go to NC, but my mother in law is handicapped, so she may need to live with us in the near future, once we buy a home. My husband promised her that he would not move away and leave her here. I can understand his need for wanting to stay. His father has poor health too and in this family the care for the parents have been left up to my husband. His sisters get off scott-free. But anyway, thanks for the info.

Where did you get those price figures? They sound high to me. The neighborhood in Overland Park that I lived in was mature and very well established. The planning of the subdivision was impeccable and it had a wide range of architectural styles represented on every block. The trees that they selected 40-45 years ago were good varieties of shade trees. I would strongly suggest areas of Overland Park inside the I-435 loop. You have a huge selection of house types to choose from that are a little older. However, the prices are generally much more reasonable and fit most budgets. Also, that area has easy access to highways, is centrally located in JOCO, as well as easier access to KC, MO. Also, this area of Overland Park is more diverse and not quite as conservative.

[kcmo]

March 2009

Average list price in Olathe 287,000
Olathe average and median listing prices - Trulia.com

Average list price in Overland Park 350,000
Overland Park average and median listing prices - Trulia.com

Other than Cedar Creek, Olathe is not very comparable to OP.

OP is one of the nicest and most upscale large suburbs in the country. Olathe is pretty much an average suburb.

[todd00]

i lived in johnson county some yrs ago too, both in olathe and down the way near the shawnee mission area. i never liked johnson county much. lots of strip malls and concrete, cookie cutter houses. i guess it would depend on the area in each town. id probably prefer op, but ive seen some pretty ugly sections of it too. and olathe keeps pushing farther south.

you dont always get what you pay for either, even in expensive homes they are often done cutting corners, and even custom homes look very much alike in the high end burbs. i guess i prefer the older home to newer ones. id surely not lay out 300k to live in joco. also do some research on crime rates and look at the sexual perv registry if considering an area seriously. best wishes.

i agree the missouri side has more personality. really johnson county could be any suburb usa. i liked the areas up around parkville much better than jo co.

[NurseTammy74]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Where did you get those price figures? They sound high to me. The neighborhood in Overland Park that I lived in was mature and very well established. The planning of the subdivision was impeccable and it had a wide range of architectural styles represented on every block. The trees that they selected 40-45 years ago were good varieties of shade trees. I would strongly suggest areas of Overland Park inside the I-435 loop. You have a huge selection of house types to choose from that are a little older. However, the prices are generally much more reasonable and fit most budgets. Also, that area has easy access to highways, is centrally located in JOCO, as well as easier access to KC, MO. Also, this area of Overland Park is more diverse and not quite as conservative.

From this website, I don't know how they compare to other sites. Here is the link for the comparison. Olathe, KS Community Demographics Summary - CLRSearch.com

[NurseTammy74]

Originally Posted by todd00

i lived in johnson county some yrs ago too, both in olathe and down the way near the shawnee mission area. i never liked johnson county much. lots of strip malls and concrete, cookie cutter houses. i guess it would depend on the area in each town. id probably prefer op, but ive seen some pretty ugly sections of it too. and olathe keeps pushing farther south.

you dont always get what you pay for either, even in expensive homes they are often done cutting corners, and even custom homes look very much alike in the high end burbs. i guess i prefer the older home to newer ones. id surely not lay out 300k to live in joco. also do some research on crime rates and look at the sexual perv registry if considering an area seriously. best wishes.

i agree the missouri side has more personality. really johnson county could be any suburb usa. i liked the areas up around parkville much better than jo co.

Parkville is nice too, I will agree to that. Even when I first moved here years ago, Liberty was nice. It still is but the growth is so tremendous that you have gridlock traffic to and from work because the streets aren't up to snuff. So with that being said, I wouldn't want to live in Liberty for that reason. Parkville would be a better choice on the MO side.

[skrazzle]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Not to me. I guess it depends what you are looking for and what you consider fun. I occasionally enjoy going to a Royals game, a Chiefs game or dinner on the Plaza. But if I were banned from Missouri I'd be just fine staying in Kansas and it wouldn't be a big deal; there's plenty to do here and I like it here.

What's to do there that you wouldn't find on the MO side exactly?