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Old 07-05-2012, 11:06 PM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
37 posts, read 58,871 times
Reputation: 62

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My parents are both retired and live in Connecticut. They love Connecticut, but are tired of the high taxes and high cost of living. The politics in CT can get a little annoying as well. Ironically, even though I was born and raised in CT, I am a Kansas City Royals fan due to Bo Jackson. On a recent trip to the Kansas City area, I got a good feeling that my parents may really like it out there. My parents are pretty simple. They don't want to do Arizona or Florida because they don't want 10 months of brutal heat. My dad especially likes to have four seasons.

I was thinking that Overland Park or Olathe would be a great choice. I don't know too much about the Missouri side as I stayed in Overland Park. I am definitely more familiar with the Kansas side. I do like Kansas very much. I will explore the Missouri side on my next trip.

Basically they are looking for somewhere that is nice to retire to and has lower cost of living. Low crime and quiet neighborhoods are important. They would like to have a decent sized yard, but not be 100 miles from civilization either.

Any suggestions/recommendations on nice towns or suburbs for retirees?
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Old 07-06-2012, 06:43 AM
 
Location: Overland Park, Kansas
82 posts, read 173,319 times
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For starters, they might take a look at closer-in Johnson County suburbs like Fairway, Prairie Village, Mission, Merriam, the eastern part of Shawnee, the northern part of Leawood, the northern part of Overland Park. The houses will be mostly 1930's to 1960's vintage. Generous-sized, flat back yards are common. Driving around is easy - they wouldn't need to get on a highway for their errands.

I see no advantage to Olathe. It is farther away from the attractions of central Kansas City (the art museum, for example). Traffic on Olathe's arterial roads is worse than it is in the other places I mentioned.
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Old 07-06-2012, 08:33 AM
 
13,721 posts, read 19,125,165 times
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What is their price range for a house? I think Overland Park is an excellent choice, but there is a wide spread in the price depending on where you go. Pretty much anywhere in Johnson County is going to be quiet and low crime, but I agree that Olathe would be the least favorable - farther away from things and more congested.

I live in an older house in Prairie Village. For retirement, though, I would recommend a newer house so they don't have upgrades/repairs to worry about in the years to come. There are newer houses in Prairie Village, but of course they are more expensive. South Overland Park and Leawood and western Lenexa/Shawnee/Desoto is where you are going to find newer houses for the most part.

You say your parents are pretty simple. What do you mean by that? For my parents, it meant that they would prefer an old house to a new one, less expensive, less fancy. If that's the case, I would look in Prairie Village in the older part. If they do like nicer/newer (and like I said, I would recommend newer just so they don't have as many problems with upkeep and repairs), I really love the area from 123rd to 135th on both the east and west side of Nall, between Roe and Metcalf. Or south of 135th from Mission to Quivira.

Western Shawnee and Lenexa and Desoto are nice too, but further out. But you are more likely to be able to get a larger lot of land to the west. Also, as another poster mentioned, some of the homes in old Overland Park have large (acre or so) yards.

Do they like to shop? Golf? Just stay home?

www.reeceandnichols.com is a great website to check out. You can do a map search to zero in on a specific area and check out what is for sale in specific areas.
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Old 07-06-2012, 08:45 AM
 
Location: Old Hyde Park, Kansas City,MO
1,145 posts, read 2,445,712 times
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I believe it was Forbes or something but they ranked Kansas City as one of the best cities for Retired People.

If a yard weren't an issue, i would look into a Condo on the Country Club Plaza, there are lots of retirees around the 51st and Wornall area. It's very quiet and safe.
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Old 07-06-2012, 09:45 AM
 
1,830 posts, read 3,776,489 times
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KC seems to make a lot of top 10 retirement lists but then again many cities make those lists depending on factors.

Sounds like they specifically want a yard in suburbia and JoCo (Overland Park area) has a lot in common with CT burbs (though JoCo feels more SW in appearance). Prarie Village does feel a bit like some 50s/60s suburb towns in CT, with larger yards. But they may not realize they can live in the city for peanuts compared to E Coast. Can get into a Plaza hirise relatively cheap and have the conveniences of elevator living, doorman, condo building amenities, lots of restaurants, cab service in units for $200K - or can get into more luxury buildings for much less than E Coast. A retired couple who lives in my building (many came from the burbs) said they regret not doing Plaza area as soon as they became empty nesters. They said living near the Plaza is like living in a village and elevator living is a major lifestyle upgrade for them. Just something to consider for a different retirement lifestyle.

If they want quaint small town closer to city, Parkville MO has more small rivertown feel than a suburb in JoCo and is just up the river from downtown and much closer to airport.
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Old 07-06-2012, 10:20 AM
 
Location: Tippecanoe County, Indiana
26,374 posts, read 46,217,550 times
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Prairie Village or old Leawood would be the most comparable "suburban" offerings in JOCO that are more closely alligned in terms of demographics to wealthier areas of CT with somewhat lower real estate taxes.
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Old 07-06-2012, 10:33 AM
 
13,721 posts, read 19,125,165 times
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Overland Park is consistently in the list of Money magazine's Best Places To Live.

Last edited by luzianne; 07-06-2012 at 10:45 AM..
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Old 07-06-2012, 10:45 AM
 
13,721 posts, read 19,125,165 times
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Not trying to start a state line war (again), but stats show that Johnson County (Kansas) has much lower crime than Jackson County (Missouri). That is precisely why I live in Johnson County. Some of you call it a "sleepy bedroom community" - well, call it what you want, but I like it! And so do lots of others. The OP specifically listed low crime as a requirement. Yeah, the Plaza is "safe" - but Johnson County is much safer. I have lived and worked around the Plaza. When I had kids, I moved to Johnson County because the schools are better and it is safer. If I were moving my parents, I'd move them to Johnson County because it is safer.

The OP should visit and look at both sides of the state line and look at crime stats and then make a decision. But my opinion is Johnson County is the best place to be if you are wanting low crime. Some of the suburbs in Missouri that are further out have low crime too, but they are further away from things and more isolated than Johnson County. Just my opinion.
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Old 07-06-2012, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Tippecanoe County, Indiana
26,374 posts, read 46,217,550 times
Reputation: 19454
Quote:
Originally Posted by luzianne View Post

The OP should visit and look at both sides of the state line and look at crime stats and then make a decision. But my opinion is Johnson County is the best place to be if you are wanting low crime. Some of the suburbs in Missouri that are further out have low crime too, but they are further away from things and more isolated than Johnson County. Just my opinion.
That is why the OP should mostly stick with established areas of JOCO inside the 435 loop. The newer areas are more isolated from the cultural amenities of KC, MO and they would be spending quite a bit more time in the car due to the lower overall density. Also, the newer developments in south and southwest JOCO bear no resemblance to Connecticut. Trees are a VERY important component to quality of life and south JOCO just doesn't have adequate tree cover.

Last edited by GraniteStater; 07-06-2012 at 11:43 AM..
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Old 07-06-2012, 11:33 AM
 
13,721 posts, read 19,125,165 times
Reputation: 16970
Quote:
Originally Posted by GraniteStater View Post
That is why the OP should mostly stick with established areas of JOCO inside the 435 loop. The newer areas are more isolated from the cultural amenities of KC, MO and they would be spending quite a bit more time in the car due to the lower overall density. Also, the newer developments in south and southwest JOCO bare no resemblance to Connecticut. Trees are a VERY important component to quality of life and south JOCO just doesn't have adequate tree cover.
He didn't say he wanted an area that bears a resemblance to Connecticut. And southern Johnson County is really not that far from Kansas City, Missouri. Compared to other cities, it doesn't take long in the car to get ANYWHERE in the Kansas City metro, even from southern Johnson County. Some don't like high density areas; I certainly don't.

That being said, I live in Prairie Village and it just takes me minutes to get to KC Missouri. But I can go months on end without ever venturing to the Missouri side. If there is something there I want to do, I go. And it's nice to have the things available. But unless there is something going on that I want to see/do, I have everything I need where I live. This summer I went to the Plaza to have dinner at Houston's (because there isn't one in Joco anymore; if there were, I'd have gone to that one), and I've gone to Starlight to see a concert. Next Tuesday I'm going to the All-Star game at Kauffman Stadium. Other than that, I've stayed in Kansas and haven't felt like I've missed anything. Went to a Nascar race and a Sporting KC game in Kansas.

I see Johnson County as part of the Kansas City metro. I prefer to live in Johnson County, but I consider it part of Kansas City. But those who live in Kansas City, Missouri, don't seem to consider Johnson County (or Wyandotte County for that matter) part of Kansas City. I grew up living next to an architect who lived in Johnson County but was involved in and taught me everything Kansas City on both sides of the state line. We are ALL Kansas Citians. Some of us just happen to prefer to live in a suburb on the Kansas side.
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