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I am considering a house in Raytown. The landlord has been sooo nice and helpful too. Going to look at it this weekend. I'd like to know more about the town though, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I compared it to Independence on the Area Vibe website and it scored better in terms of education and crime. I see that it is a little more diverse in Raytown with the high schools being about half black. I am white, as are my kids, but not bothered by that. I grew up in a mixed race household.
Is there anything actually IN Raytown? LOL Like what is there to do? Any negative or positive experiences to share? Thanks!
You can hang out at Walmart, Fun House Pizza, maybe go to the General's Inn or Funky Town, if it's still there. The KC Zoo and Swope Park are right next door to Raytown.
But seriously, you might share what section of Raytown you're looking at to get more specific information. I think there are two high schools and maybe one and its feeder schools are better than the others? As far as neighborhood, personally I like the northern part of Raytown, the older part north of 63rd St. That area is closer to the Independence Center mall, retail and restaurant area of Independence.
You can hang out at Walmart, Fun House Pizza, maybe go to the General's Inn or Funky Town, if it's still there. The KC Zoo and Swope Park are right next door to Raytown.
But seriously, you might share what section of Raytown you're looking at to get more specific information. I think there are two high schools and maybe one and its feeder schools are better than the others? As far as neighborhood, personally I like the northern part of Raytown, the older part north of 63rd St. That area is closer to the Independence Center mall, retail and restaurant area of Independence.
Hey thanks. Walmart...lol It looks like the main big roads nearby are 87th and James Reed Rd. I tried to figure out what high school district it is in and I think Raytown South.
You can hang out at Walmart, Fun House Pizza, maybe go to the General's Inn or Funky Town, if it's still there. The KC Zoo and Swope Park are right next door to Raytown.
But seriously, you might share what section of Raytown you're looking at to get more specific information. I think there are two high schools and maybe one and its feeder schools are better than the others? As far as neighborhood, personally I like the northern part of Raytown, the older part north of 63rd St. That area is closer to the Independence Center mall, retail and restaurant area of Independence.
The name General's Inn rang a bell for me from way back.. Where is (or was) it located? I checked google maps and couldn't find anything.
I am considering a house in Raytown. The landlord has been sooo nice and helpful too. Going to look at it this weekend. I'd like to know more about the town though, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I compared it to Independence on the Area Vibe website and it scored better in terms of education and crime. I see that it is a little more diverse in Raytown with the high schools being about half black. I am white, as are my kids, but not bothered by that. I grew up in a mixed race household.
Is there anything actually IN Raytown? LOL Like what is there to do? Any negative or positive experiences to share? Thanks!
I still have family VERY close to that area. You may not even be in the city limits of Raytown there, it would be close to the border. I wouldn't call the area bad or ghetto, but it has definitely seen better days, especially the retail and commercial areas (87th and Blue Ridge used to be a vibrant retail area).
So aesthetically the area looks a bit run down, but if you can look past that, I don't think you will have any major crime issues or anything abnormal for an aging suburban area.
Personally, I think the Raytown schools are still okay. They have become quite diverse, but the district is still a good district so long as you raise your kids to stay out of trouble or avoid troubled kids. I think you will have this in any school system be it urban or affluent suburban though. Raytown is somewhere between urban and outer suburbia. Completely doable if you don't put all blame on the state or school district for taking care of your kids.
Having said that Raytown South's boundaries go pretty far into KCMO's east side (way outside the city limits of Raytown) and serving many lower income areas and apartment complexes in KCMO. Nothing to be alarmed about IMO, but something to be aware of.
Raytown High serves more of the northern parts of Raytown itself and the nicer areas of KCMO east of the city limits of Raytown, so a bit less riff raff.
Raytown itself is just a blue collar suburb surrounded by some pretty rough areas to the south. The areas of KCMO between Raytown and Grandview (Ruskin etc) are actually rather high crime for suburban areas. Personally, just avoid that area like most in Raytown do and you will be fine.
Most people in Raytown visit Lee's Summit and Independence on a very regular basis. Summit Woods and Summit Fair are only a few minutes from Raytown and the Independence Center area is not too far away either. So no, there is not much to do in Raytown itself, but it's a geographically small area and nearby suburbs are close enough. Raytown is also VERY close to the ballparks and well as the Plaza. I'm in Raytown quite often and the 350 corridor seem to be getting a fair share of redevelopment. I mean, the city has a Chipotle, what more do you need??? . The new wamart is huge and the old walmart is a pretty cool indoor go-kart track which is fun, but expensive. Raytown has large little league baseball complex that I hear is getting a total makeover.
Raytown gets a bad rap for the most part. It's not suburban paradise by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not run down or ghetto either. It's an affordable, modest, blue collar inner ring suburb with good diversity, well kept housing and decent enough schools. But with any place, you will find houses, apartments or areas that are not as good as others.
I still have family VERY close to that area. You may not even be in the city limits of Raytown there, it would be close to the border. I wouldn't call the area bad or ghetto, but it has definitely seen better days, especially the retail and commercial areas (87th and Blue Ridge used to be a vibrant retail area).
So aesthetically the area looks a bit run down, but if you can look past that, I don't think you will have any major crime issues or anything abnormal for an aging suburban area.
Personally, I think the Raytown schools are still okay. They have become quite diverse, but the district is still a good district so long as you raise your kids to stay out of trouble or avoid troubled kids. I think you will have this in any school system be it urban or affluent suburban though. Raytown is somewhere between urban and outer suburbia. Completely doable if you don't put all blame on the state or school district for taking care of your kids.
Having said that Raytown South's boundaries go pretty far into KCMO's east side (way outside the city limits of Raytown) and serving many lower income areas and apartment complexes in KCMO. Nothing to be alarmed about IMO, but something to be aware of.
Raytown High serves more of the northern parts of Raytown itself and the nicer areas of KCMO east of the city limits of Raytown, so a bit less riff raff.
Raytown itself is just a blue collar suburb surrounded by some pretty rough areas to the south. The areas of KCMO between Raytown and Grandview (Ruskin etc) are actually rather high crime for suburban areas. Personally, just avoid that area like most in Raytown do and you will be fine.
Most people in Raytown visit Lee's Summit and Independence on a very regular basis. Summit Woods and Summit Fair are only a few minutes from Raytown and the Independence Center area is not too far away either. So no, there is not much to do in Raytown itself, but it's a geographically small area and nearby suburbs are close enough. Raytown is also VERY close to the ballparks and well as the Plaza. I'm in Raytown quite often and the 350 corridor seem to be getting a fair share of redevelopment. I mean, the city has a Chipotle, what more do you need??? . The new wamart is huge and the old walmart is a pretty cool indoor go-kart track which is fun, but expensive. Raytown has large little league baseball complex that I hear is getting a total makeover.
Raytown gets a bad rap for the most part. It's not suburban paradise by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not run down or ghetto either. It's an affordable, modest, blue collar inner ring suburb with good diversity, well kept housing and decent enough schools. But with any place, you will find houses, apartments or areas that are not as good as others.
Thank you, this is helpful! I actually just spoke with a friend who moved to Independence a few months ago and he says since he has been there he has seen two police chases in front of his house and a S.W.A.T. van parked out there. I had originally been considering Independence but that wasn't sounding so great.
It's good to know I would be so close to the KC area that is considered bad. Hopefully my teenager would not get involved with all that. I guess I will see how thing go with the house.
It looks like there is a nice swimming pool/aquatic center in Raytown from the pics and a good YMCA. So hopefully between that and being able to go to other areas of KC for fun I would be able to keep the kids occupied.
Hi Littlemonkeys! I live in Raytown. Originally from Overland Park, I bought a house here last year. We like it very much. We have excellent neighbors. Many of them are good about keeping up with lawn and home maintenance and all are quiet and respectful. Our house is near 350 Hwy and Sterling. A certain unique sense of community exists here. A new local restaurant opened up recently and it created quite a buzz on the local Raytown news sites and Facebook. Diversity is more prevalent in Raytown. My neighborhood is mostly white with some individuals of color, but others are more diverse. Raytown looks more like America than Lee's Summit, Blue Springs and Eastern Independence do. Regrettably, I think some associate the diversity with a level of undesirability, and those are the people who choose not to live here.
What to do in Raytown? There is bowling, go-karts and park space. Something we really like is the proximity to entertainment desitinations in the city, such as Westport, Downtown and the Plaza. Going to Lee's Summit is an option, too. We actually considered buying in Lee's Summit but were able to get a much nicer home for our money in a nice neighborhood by purchasing in Raytown instead.
We will be voting soon on whether or not to have a city charter, so it's an interesting time to be here. People are probably more engaged in the future of the city and its governance than you would see ordinarily.
Hi Littlemonkeys! I live in Raytown. Originally from Overland Park, I bought a house here last year. We like it very much. We have excellent neighbors. Many of them are good about keeping up with lawn and home maintenance and all are quiet and respectful. Our house is near 350 Hwy and Sterling. A certain unique sense of community exists here. A new local restaurant opened up recently and it created quite a buzz on the local Raytown news sites and Facebook. Diversity is more prevalent in Raytown. My neighborhood is mostly white with some individuals of color, but others are more diverse. Raytown looks more like America than Lee's Summit, Blue Springs and Eastern Independence do. Regrettably, I think some associate the diversity with a level of undesirability, and those are the people who choose not to live here.
What to do in Raytown? There is bowling, go-karts and park space. Something we really like is the proximity to entertainment desitinations in the city, such as Westport, Downtown and the Plaza. Going to Lee's Summit is an option, too. We actually considered buying in Lee's Summit but were able to get a much nicer home for our money in a nice neighborhood by purchasing in Raytown instead.
We will be voting soon on whether or not to have a city charter, so it's an interesting time to be here. People are probably more engaged in the future of the city and its governance than you would see ordinarily.
Good luck on your home search!
Thank you! That all sounds great. I actually just put down the deposit on a rental home in Raytown the other day so I am excited to be moving soon! The area we would be living in looks fine and I was told it is a mixed neighborhood with mostly older people but a few families. I actually think the diversity is a good thing, as long as it's not high crime. Where we live in Springfield it is really white and people are racist and that bothers me. We are white but I grew up in a mixed race home.
The area the house is in- it is south of 79th street and west of Raytown road. There weren't many people outside when we went to visit, so it is hard to say but it didn't seem like a bad area. Anyone know about that part of town in particular?
So far I am liking all the things I am learning. Someone said there is a good library there and we use the library a lot. Also the YMCA got good ratings and we are members here so would probably be there too.
Hi, you might do a search on the Raytown YMCA, I think it might be closing. Also, I grew up in Raytown in the 1970's, then it was a desirable suburb to move to now less so. Raytown is diverse, more so than just about any other metro suburb. It's close proximity to so much makes it a great place to base oneself.
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. The new wamart is huge and the old walmart is a pretty cool indoor go-kart track which is fun, but expensive. Raytown has large little league baseball complex that I hear is getting a total makeover.
