Are We A Right Fit?? (Kansas City, North Kansas City: apartments, for rent, condos)

[feelnpurdy]

Ok.. I have been on this site about 3 months getting feed back (or lack there of). We are moving out of Illinois(Peoria) as fast as we can! At first I was leaning to move to TN, because I have a friend there and she thinks it's nice . Well I really wanted to stay closer to Illinois. Anyway, here is my back ground and what I am looking for......

I am a widowed single African American female with 4 kids, ages 19,16,14 and 4. I currently live in a high crime area of one of the "better" neiborhoods(it's been 18 homicides so far)!

I pay $700.00 a month for rent for a 4 bedroom, I pay $350.00 for lights and gas, $50.00 for water and about $150.00 for home phone service, cable and internet. I am looking to pay the same when I move there, but would like a area with way less crime. I work as a telephone rep ($10hr), and a Server(which I love!!) at $4.50 an hour plus tips. I only work the waitress job part time and make more money than working my 40hr a week! But waiting tables have no benifits, ect so hince the 9-5. I also go to school part time and would like to continue my education.

I love going out to eat with my Family and we like doing "family" things. I also like a larger city but one that is not close-minded. I also need a place that has awsome public trans, we have a car but I try to catch a bus more offen than not. Well I think that kind of sums it up, I think?....Should I give more info??

So can I have ANY feedback, negitive or positive?? And what do you love about where you live now...oh and another reason I am leaning to Missouri???

YOU FOLKS ROOOCCKKK!!!!!

[northbound74]

Kansas City's public transportation isn't too great unless you live in midtown-downtown, where there's a bus line called the MAX, which is supposed to be more streamlined and efficient than the other bus lines.
You won't have any problem staying in a similar cost-of-living range...it maybe slightly cheaper here. North Kansas City is a great little suburb that's diverse with a wonderful park and supurb community center with indoor pools, rock climbing walls, etc. Lots of new apartments and condos, too.
There's lots of good colleges and school districts here. Just avoid the Kansas City school district....NOT to be confused with the North Kansas City school district, which is totally separate...and much, much better.
If you avoid east KC, MO and KC, Kansas, the rest is pretty safe. Very few homicides outside of those areas. None of the suburbs have had more than 5 or 6 homicides in any given year...and those 5-6 were in a town with over 100k people, with probably half being some sort of domestic issue or something bizarre, not gang activity.
A lot of people who live in this area do so because it is such a family-oriented town. Tons of things to do for families. Great sports programs for kids, museums, parks, Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun...the list could go on...
It's a typical mid-western town. Friendly for the most part.

[feelnpurdy]

Originally Posted by northbound74

Kansas City's public transportation isn't too great unless you live in midtown-downtown, where there's a bus line called the MAX, which is supposed to be more streamlined and efficient than the other bus lines.
You won't have any problem staying in a similar cost-of-living range...it maybe slightly cheaper here. North Kansas City is a great little suburb that's diverse with a wonderful park and supurb community center with indoor pools, rock climbing walls, etc. Lots of new apartments and condos, too.
There's lots of good colleges and school districts here. Just avoid the Kansas City school district....NOT to be confused with the North Kansas City school district, which is totally separate...and much, much better.
If you avoid east KC, MO and KC, Kansas, the rest is pretty safe. Very few homicides outside of those areas. None of the suburbs have had more than 5 or 6 homicides in any given year...and those 5-6 were in a town with over 100k people, with probably half being some sort of domestic issue or something bizarre, not gang activity.
A lot of people who live in this area do so because it is such a family-oriented town. Tons of things to do for families. Great sports programs for kids, museums, parks, Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun...the list could go on...
It's a typical mid-western town. Friendly for the most part.

That is so good to hear!! Just what I thought!

[Cairo_East]

If you are concerned about neighborhood crime, a great new resource is:

Kansas City Crime Map

It shows where crime has occurred in the city. It usually is updated once a month. Data after October 1st isn't available yet. Although crime can occur anywhere, you can at least see some patterns developing in certain parts of the city.

[45mphk9s]

Originally Posted by Cairo_East

If you are concerned about neighborhood crime, a great new resource is:

Kansas City Crime Map

It shows where crime has occurred in the city. It usually is updated once a month. Data after October 1st isn't available yet. Although crime can occur anywhere, you can at least see some patterns developing in certain parts of the city.

Thanks for that website.

[violet70]

There would be options for you in midtown, I think. Public transportation isn't great but more and more people are using it. The best line runs right down Main St (the Max). Most of midtown is fairly safe. You may have heard otherwise but I lived there for 4 years (also have kids) and loved it. The key is to get the kids in the charter schools there, the best high school (I've heard) is University Academy. For your 4 year old, there are a couple of good options, both language immersion schools, Academie Lafayette (French) and the Foreign Langugage Academy (Spanish). Both schools have lots of parent support. There is diversity in midtown too and lots of restaurants to look for a job in! Good luck!

[ptdrummajor]

I agree about getting your children into a charter school. I teach at University Academy, and I agree, it is a wonderful school. They hold very high standards for their staff (which I sometimes resent when it keeps me up until late at night!), and there are many *wonderful* teachers there. While I was getting my master's degree, I also did a practicum at Lee A Tolbert Community Academy (another charter school) and I felt that it was a pretty good school as well. However, I do have to agree with you that University Academy is probably one of the best (even if I am a little biased).

[KevK]

You need a car like you need a liver in KC. The KC Metro sucks. It will take you 2 hours to get anywhere in town on it. Don't even think about living in KC without a car.