Impressions of Overland Park (Kansas City, Leawood: apartment, condos, to buy)

[sparksharp]

Originally Posted by TinaMcG

I hear about the snooty Overland Park attitude all the time, l but I have yet to encounter it. My impression of Overland Park is that it is pretty cookie cutter, kind-of-high-end suburban, and almost without exception, the people are welcoming, friendly, and very eager to help newcomers to the area. We live in unincorporated Olathe, in south JoCo, but I shop in OP and have friends there. We're kind of in the middle of nowhere, so we spend a lot of time in OP. Everyone is nice; I've even noticed that the drivers are more courteous than I'm used to.

From the first day we lived here, I felt like I belonged. I know more neighbors here than I did in my nine years at our last house in the Chicago area. So this is just an impression from a recent transplant. The people in NE Kansas are REALLY nice.

Wow! That's a really positive testimonial! Thank you for that...that's quite encouraging!

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by TinaMcG

I hear about the snooty Overland Park attitude all the time, l but I have yet to encounter it. My impression of Overland Park is that it is pretty cookie cutter, kind-of-high-end suburban, and almost without exception, the people are welcoming, friendly, and very eager to help newcomers to the area. We live in unincorporated Olathe, in south JoCo, but I shop in OP and have friends there. We're kind of in the middle of nowhere, so we spend a lot of time in OP. Everyone is nice; I've even noticed that the drivers are more courteous than I'm used to.

From the first day we lived here, I felt like I belonged. I know more neighbors here than I did in my nine years at our last house in the Chicago area. So this is just an impression from a recent transplant. The people in NE Kansas are REALLY nice.

I was amazed at my neighbors too after our recent move.

People went out of their way to introduce themselves and offer assistance. (We didn't need much since we moved from within JoCo and I already know the area well.)

But they showed up and introduced their kids to mine, they brought flowers, homemade bread, chocolate cake!

It made me wonder if I've been a terrible neighbor all these years!

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by Sonrise

Would anyone mid posting some pictures of OP? I've never seen any and am just curious as to what the city looks like, i.e sub divisions with big wooded lots, cookie cutter sub divisions with lots smaller then welcome mats, old downtown, new downtown, parks, schools office complexes, etc. Whatever you got. Thanks

Here you go. The photos mostly shows office parks etc. The housing in OP can be pretty cookie cutter, but the city has a lot of upscale custom neighborhoods as well.

Overland Park, Kansas (Midwestern S U B U R B I A) - SkyscraperPage Forum

[thriftylefty]

I was under contract years ago to speak in the schools in the Kansas City area, One thing that was significant about overland park schools that I ascertained during my presentation at each school was the the typical kid in elementary school there has not lived there very long. Now this was over ten years ago, but I'm assuming it is a trend that many people in OP are corporate transfers who may not have strong roots in the city, and will probably move on to the next corporate level. Although this may be a casual observation, at that time I thought it was illuminating about how people in OP got the Snotty label , they just don't know each other ,

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by thriftylefty

I was under contract years ago to speak in the schools in the Kansas City area, One thing that was significant about overland park schools that I ascertained during my presentation at each school was the the typical kid in elementary school there has not lived there very long. Now this was over ten years ago, but I'm assuming it is a trend that many people in OP are corporate transfers who may not have strong roots in the city, and will probably move on to the next corporate level. Although this may be a casual observation, at that time I thought it was illuminating about how people in OP got the Snotty label , they just don't know each other ,

Sprint has its headquarters in OP so that accounts for a lot of corporate comings and goings.

But at the school orientation for new kids, I was surprised at how few new kids there were coming in. So maybe it varies by area or has changed over time.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Sprint has its headquarters in OP so that accounts for a lot of corporate comings and goings.

But at the school orientation for new kids, I was surprised at how few new kids there were coming in. So maybe it varies by area or has changed over time.

I would think that OP is by far the "transient" suburb of choice and it's also the most recommended suburb to those relocating. Back in the early 00's, KC was bringing in people like crazy. The economy blows now and people are not moving to KC.

I think it's one reason the housing starts in JoCo have taken a harder hit during this depression than the MO suburbs because the MO suburbs tend to get more residents from people that have lived in the area for a several years, while places like OP depend on relocations more.

[sparksharp]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Here you go. The photos mostly shows office parks etc. The housing in OP can be pretty cookie cutter, but the city has a lot of upscale custom neighborhoods as well.

Overland Park, Kansas (Midwestern S U B U R B I A) - SkyscraperPage Forum

I wish there were more pics of the shopping districts in that thread.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by sparksharp

I wish there were more pics of the shopping districts in that thread.

What shopping "districts"? OP has strip malls and a few lifestyle centers (basically fancy strip malls). OP also has one older mall that is pretty worthless (Metclalf South) and Oak Park is just outside of OP in Lenexa which is a very large indoor mall.

Downtown OP is neat, but it only has a handful of stores.

The closest thing to a shopping district you will find in suburban metro KC is Zona Rosa, which is in Platte County .

[sparksharp]

So Overland Park and Johnson County in general offers more shopping options than Platte County?

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by sparksharp

So Overland Park and Johnson County in general offers more shopping options than Platte County?

Yes and no.

You have to remember that Platte County is part of the Northland which includes Clay County. The Northland has all the same stuff that JoCo has, the exception being that JoCo has a couple more of the high end stores like Nordstroms and Crate and Barrel.

I would say that southern Leawood and southern OP has most of the very upscale shopping in metro KC right now. But you don't have to live there to shop there. C&B for example draws from the entire metro. That place should be on the plaza anyway, not out in Leawood.


Nordstrom's was supposed open a second store in the Northland last year, but the economy put that on hold.

The Northland has everything any other suburb would have. There are multiple best buys, targets, kohl's, dillards, jc pennys etc throughout the northland.

For now though, you would have to drive to Leawood for few things like C&B or Norstroms. Outside of Leawood in the other suburbs of JoCo, the northland offers the same retail options. All the basic suburban chains.

Platte County is also close to Halls at Crown Center (upscale deprtment store like Nordstroms). The Country Club Plaza (which also has a Halls) is about the same distance from Platte and Johnson .