NE JoCo neighborhood informatioin (Kansas City, Overland: houses, neighborhoods, school district)

[phirey]

Hi,

I'm new here, so please bear with me.

My family will be moving to KCK area later this spring/summer. My husband will be attending a graduate program at KUMC, so we have to live on the Kansas side so that after a year we will qualify for in-state tuition, so nobody tell me that I should be looking at KCMO, please. Not an option.

We have three girls, 8, 5 and almost 3, so schools are out #1 priority. We visited KCK last weekend and have narrowed our choices down to three houses. One is barely into OP on the edge of Leawood (near 100th and Mission), and goes to Brookeood Elem. Another is in the "golden triangle" area of Fairway and would go to Westwood View. A third is in Westwood, near 50th and Belinder and would also go to Westwood View.

My question is about the kid-friendliness of these neighborhoods.Here in the Atlanta area, the older neighborhoods like those around Westwood and/or Fairway tend to have more young couples without kids, or possibly just one toddler. After they have more kids or the kids get older, it is more common to move out to the suburbs. The neighborhood down in OP is very obviously kid-friendly. It was snowy when we were there but you can tell the kids are out biking etc., all summer. I know they have planned family activities/block parties pretty often. I'm not able to find the same information about the two houses closer to KUMC (Westwood and Fairway). Can anybody tell me if we'd be the only crazy family with three kids? Would mine be some of the only ones out playing? The yards are of course smaller, so I'm picturing the kids going back and forth with their neighborhood friends like I did when I was little. Is that how these neighborhoods are, too? Or if that's what I want should we pick the (less expensive!) OP house?

Thanks!

Peggy

[Samantha S]

Tough call!! I love that area of Fairway/Westwood!

You won't be the only family with kids, for sure. But you've seen that there is more of that further South. Schools will be fine either way. You do get cheaper square footage as you move South, but lose some of the old-time charm. I'd say trust your gut feeling and choose the neighborhood that feels the most like home!

Best of luck to you!! And Welcome!

[aragx6]

I know lots of families in Fairway and Westwood, though there would likely be more families with children in Leawood. I think you'd be fine either way, and as Sam said, I'd choose based on the house and community you like best.

It's funny that you said in Atlanta they move out to the suburbs after they have kids -- I consider Westwood and Fairway to be quite suburban!

[MoNative34]

That's my favorite part of the metro (and I'm a northlander). If I had the means, I would live there in a heartbeat.

[smellykat]

I would talk to the sellers of the homes in Fairway and Westwood. You have a very valid concern, and I'm sure the owners would be happy to answer any of your questions or address your concerns. Another source of information for you would be the school itself, Westwood. I would think that the staff would be very accommodating to you as a possible, prospective family to the school. Good luck to you and your family. The Fairway/Westwood area is beautiful and convenient to KU Med Center.

[kcmo]

Fairway is awesome if you can afford it. But this is a great area of KC. I think it acts more "suburban" though than a central city inner ring suburb of a larger city. I think parts of Brookside and Waldo are more like what your describing as far as young couples that typically move on after their kids get old enough for school, but even Brookside has a lot of school age children.

The schools are good in NE JoCo (as far as I know), unless there are some issues with the lower demographics of Roeland Park, Mission etc.

Lovely area though.

I have relatives at 97th and Mission and they had several kids, but they are now in college. I think this is a trend as that area is aging and more parents are becoming empty nesters. I wonder if it will come full circle. I'm sure it will.

I still think it's a better place to raise a family then at 179th and Nall. But that's me.

[northbound74]

My wife and I always liked Roeland Park really well. Couldn't bring ourselves to pay the hefty price tag for what you get though. Nice clean well-kept area with a fair amount of retail of it's own and is next to all the stores in Mission. Shawnee Mission schools are supposed to be really good.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by phirey

Hi,

I'm new here, so please bear with me.

My family will be moving to KCK area later this spring/summer. My husband will be attending a graduate program at KUMC, so we have to live on the Kansas side so that after a year we will qualify for in-state tuition, so nobody tell me that I should be looking at KCMO, please. Not an option.

We have three girls, 8, 5 and almost 3, so schools are out #1 priority. We visited KCK last weekend and have narrowed our choices down to three houses. One is barely into OP on the edge of Leawood (near 100th and Mission), and goes to Brookeood Elem. Another is in the "golden triangle" area of Fairway and would go to Westwood View. A third is in Westwood, near 50th and Belinder and would also go to Westwood View.

My question is about the kid-friendliness of these neighborhoods.Here in the Atlanta area, the older neighborhoods like those around Westwood and/or Fairway tend to have more young couples without kids, or possibly just one toddler. After they have more kids or the kids get older, it is more common to move out to the suburbs. The neighborhood down in OP is very obviously kid-friendly. It was snowy when we were there but you can tell the kids are out biking etc., all summer. I know they have planned family activities/block parties pretty often. I'm not able to find the same information about the two houses closer to KUMC (Westwood and Fairway). Can anybody tell me if we'd be the only crazy family with three kids? Would mine be some of the only ones out playing? The yards are of course smaller, so I'm picturing the kids going back and forth with their neighborhood friends like I did when I was little. Is that how these neighborhoods are, too? Or if that's what I want should we pick the (less expensive!) OP house?

Thanks!

Peggy

I would make sure to look at Prairie Village too, particular the southern half, centered around the Corinth shops (83rd and Mission Road), where the houses tend to be larger. Prairie Village is between Fairway and Leawood. These places have a more outward "community" vibe going on, are closer to the city, in the Shawnee Mission school district, and will have somewhat fewer kids. South of 435 is newer suburban, will have more kids, and is the Blue Valley school district, whether it be Leawood or Overland Park.

Also, "KCK" is used strictly to refer to the city of Kansas City, KS, which is in Wyandotte County. KUMC is in its southeast corner. Westwood, Fairway, Prairie Village and Leawood form the northeastern/eastern edge of Johnson County, which is never referred to as KCK.

[TinaMcG]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Tough call!! I love that area of Fairway/Westwood!

You won't be the only family with kids, for sure. But you've seen that there is more of that further South. Schools will be fine either way. You do get cheaper square footage as you move South, but lose some of the old-time charm. I'd say trust your gut feeling and choose the neighborhood that feels the most like home!

Best of luck to you!! And Welcome!

If I had to do it over again, I would have chosen Fairway. It's a lovely area.