Help me find an awesome neighborhood. (Kansas City, Crestwood: violent crime, buy, living in)

[brewcrew1000]

People still don't believe me or think i'm in denial but i have had more friends and co-workers affected by crime out in suburban areas then urban areas and I have equal share of both in both areas. My old boss once had his car stolen out of his driveway out in grain valley then a week later his wallet and keys were stolen in his suv at a gas station in grain valley. Similar story of another co-worker, had purse stolen from driveway out in grain valley. I think her family was so afraid of the situation,they packed up and moved further out to someplace called Napoleon Missouri, and all this stuff happened before the economy tanked.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by brewcrew1000

Wouldn't you want to expose your kids to all walks of life and maybe explain to your kid why the person is begging for money on the street or why this person has a pierced cheek with tattoos, why would you want to hide it from your kids, they are going to find out sooner or later. They are going to turn 19, get out of the house and be clueless about reality because they would have lived this sheltered life.

Yes. But not on a daily/regular basis such as on trips to the neighborhood grocery store. What your proposing is quite a stretch from reality. There's a difference between living amongst the midtown environment on a daily basis and beneficial exposure.

Originally Posted by aragx6

Could you possibly be more sexist? I can take care of myself, thankyouverymuch.

There's only two true bars on 39th St West unless you also count Missie B's (which isn't in the true heart of the district). You can also throw in Fric & Frac but there are always a ton of kids there. Actually have you been to 39th Street West? I would definitely NOT call it a "going out" neighborhood. It's always almost exclusively neighborhood types out on the weekend.

Additionally, A) SunFresh is not in Volker/on 39th St West and B) I have literally zero concerns about shopping there unless it's say 3 in the morning and you're walking home alone. That goes for everywhere honestly. What's wrong with the people there? They're a little trashy but I've never felt in danger and they have an off-duty cop there all of the time.

I'm sorry. Some men are still concerned and want to protect their loved ones. We can't all manipulate our natural instincts to fit some sort of liberal ideal. Women are smaller, weaker, and more prone to being raped. It's reality.

It doesn't matter how many bars are on W 39th. The fact is the general area is a place for adults to go out. There may be a neighborhood element I'm not seeing as I don't live there, but to suggest W 39th isn't a destination or that its existence is supported merely by the neighborhood around it would be absurd. It's not a neighborhood-oriented commercial district with walkability to daily needs. Brookside is - 39th/Volker isn't.

Um, Sunfresh is literally across the street from Volker. It's the grocery store that serves the area. It's where you would find yourself going on a regular basis or run to to pick up bread and milk - because of proximity. Also, it's the only grocery store within walking distance.

Originally Posted by xenokc

Yeah, Sunfresh is my primary store and I often bike to it. I have no idea what the concern is... because there are people from every race and demographic? Westport center in general has late night issues at times, but so do many city entertainment districts. Don't go after 11PM, not a problem.

The FUD people promote on this site is pretty amazing.

Good reason not to live in an area like that or have your neighborhood grocery store in an "entertainment district" like that, especially if you have a family. There are gun shots or shootings, sometimes in the grocery store parking lot, just about every weekend in the summer. Those falling bullets have to go somewhere.

-

I live in the city and am in the midtown/Westport/Plaza/Brookside corridor everyday. I know what goes on. I pay attention. I see it. Some people need to take of their rose-colored glasses and see things for what they really are. I love the city, the idea of urban development and what could be, etc., and would love to see the core filled with many practical, actual walkable neighborhood nodes. But the reality is our city is incredibly plagued by social ills. We can't just fix that. The only way around it is to drown it out which would mean a massive influx of middle-class. I just don't see how that could happen at this point though, but there are many small steps in that direction.

But as it is, suggesting somebody move to some areas of the city should be prefaced by making sure that person knows they would be a bit of an urban pioneer by doing so rather than being intellectually dishonest, not thinking about their concerns or point of view, and acting like an antsy real estate agent or used car salesman trying to push them in and hoping it'll benefit the city and help us achieve our urban goals.

Gay sex in public is a problem in midtown in general. Kids see a lot more than adults do sometimes. Let's say a few kids in Volker decide to go on a bicycle adventure and find their way to Roanoke Park, where they unintentionally run into some guys having sex in the woods? Is that the kind of diversity and exposure you want to risk subjecting your kids to? Do you want to keep them on a short leash instead? How about just choosing to live in a better area to avoid all of the above risks?

[brewcrew1000]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

Gay sex in public is a problem in midtown in general. Kids see a lot more than adults do sometimes. Let's say a few kids in Volker decide to go on a bicycle adventure and find their way to Roanoke Park, where they unintentionally run into some guys having sex in the woods? Is that the kind of diversity and exposure you want to risk subjecting your kids to? Do you want to keep them on a short leash instead? How about just choosing to live in a better area to avoid all of the above risks?

I live in Midtown and I go to Roanoake Park and play softball at Penn Valley, i have never seen Gay Sex or even gay men together in these parks and i frequent them a lot. There is quite an effort to clear all the brush and honeysuckle at both Roanoake and Penn Valley and they are doing a great job with any rif raf that might have occured in the past because in the present i am not seeing any of this gay sex you are talking about, when i go to Roanoke Park, i see college kids and hispanics playing sports, i see moms playing on the swings and see families walking around, i'm not seeing the gay sex though, please tell me where to look since you must know where it's occuring?
Roanoke Park - Kansas City, MO

[MOKAN]

I've heard there are recent efforts to tackle the problems in Roanoke Park and make it more attractive. Great progress. It may very well be better now, but the type of activity I was referring to won't be happening when the park is busy with normal use. But I bet Roanoke Park remains listed on the internet as a "gay cruisy" spot. Nearby Penn Valley Park continues to have sex problems despite an effort to improve it when the "loop" was partially removed and the skateboard park was removed. Perhaps Roanoke will fair better being that its visible from so many residences.

[xenokc]

Westport has shooting most weekends? Have stats on that? I live in Westport zipcode. You're overstating several things that cheapens the quality of your posts. Yeah, Midtown isn't for all families but there are many many families in Midtown area, including higher income in some Volker/Roanoke hoods. Hyde Park has many families too but I would say you'd need to be much more hardened to live there than W Midtown/Volker/Roanoke. W side of Midtown is pretty typical of what most would expect when living in the city vs suburbs. But yes, there are many many suburbs 'safer' than most any city core hood, in most any city. That's to be expected for anyone considering living in the city core anywhere.

Your criteria is simply your criteria but I do agree that anyone should be informed what 'actually' goes on. You're overstating things quite a bit with some FUD.

A friend of mine who lives in Hyde Park with a high school kid (grew up in N and S HP) would roll her eyes at the FUD you have posted. She'd laugh with amazement at someone who fears Brookside. It's all relative and people have different tolerance levels.

Edit: Not suggesting OP that you go W Midtown but after one look and a visit to the local stores, Costco, etc in the area, you'll get a very quick idea if Midtown is for you or not. But I wouldn't immediately say 'stay away' because we don't know your tolerance/acceptance levels. Hyde Park might even be right for you, which has amazing homes but requires a more hardened tolerance level than W Midtown. W Midtown requires more 'commotion' tolerance than Brookside (though parts of Brookside is closer to E Side). Brookside requires more tolerance than Overland Park. Overland Park requires more tolerance than small town America. It's all relative.

Would you fear living in Dupont Circle/Adams Morgan area in DC?? 6 assaults with weapon in 3 days in that area. Doesn't happen nearly at that rate in Bside or W Midtown - sounds more like KC's E Side, the lowest income area of city.
http://dc.everyblock.com/locations/n...le/?only=crime
http://dc.everyblock.com/locations/n...an/?only=crime

Wonderful Georgetown has its issues...
http://dc.everyblock.com/locations/n...wn/?only=crime

[brewcrew1000]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

Nearby Penn Valley Park continues to have sex problems despite an effort to improve it when the "loop" was partially removed and the skateboard park was removed.

Where is it happening, i am at penn valley in the spring, fall and summers every tuesday until midnight and i have never seen 2 men together at the same time. The skateboard park still exists and was recently upgraded with equipment donated by a pro skater

[brewcrew1000]

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[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by xenokc

Westport has shooting most weekends? Have stats on that?

I don't have stats, but I know you're a statistical fanatic. By the way, I said most weekends during summer. And there aren't records for every shot fired.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by brewcrew1000

Where is it happening, i am at penn valley in the spring, fall and summers every tuesday until midnight and i have never seen 2 men together at the same time. The skateboard park still exists and was recently upgraded with equipment donated by a pro skater

I meant to say installed* in regard to the skatepark. The guys cruising for sex hang out by the skatepark where they always have despite the full loop being removed, as well as the drive that winds from there down to the lake area. Look for men sitting alone in cars parallel parked.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

I don't have stats, but I know you're a statistical fanatic. By the way, I said most weekends during summer. And there aren't records for every shot fired.

That's nonsense and everyone who lives here knows that. You can sit in your little chair and make up things if you want to, but for those of us who know better you make yourself look very ignorant.