Urban or suburban for large progressive family?

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by rwiksell

It's funny, NE JoCo straddles both ends of the spectrum. Merriam and Northern OP are pretty working class, like you suggest, but Mission Hills is one of the ritziest neighborhoods in the Midwest.

Hence my deliberate caveat of "depending on where you are." I live in none of those, fwiw.

[James Bond 007]

Originally Posted by barretts08

I'm most interested in making friends with like minded people. I have a friend from California who lived a few years in KC and is now moving back, he said he had a hard time making friends because people only wanted to talk sports whereas he was interested in more intellectual topics.

You're going to find like-minded people, and un-like-minded people wherever you go. You can move to Wyoming and still find neighbors who will agree with your "progressive" views. And anyway, talking to people who aren't like-minded can be just as intellectually stimulating, if not moreso, than talking with someone who agrees with you. Personally I find it a shame that so many people want to live in their own little bubble and not interact with anyone different.

[rwiksell]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Hence my deliberate caveat of "depending on where you are." I live in none of those, fwiw.

Certainly. I wasn't debating you, just making an observation about the area.

[zach_33]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

You're going to find like-minded people, and un-like-minded people wherever you go. .

That is not what the OP asked. Sometimes it requires a little help from people who are on-the-ground to get an idea of the different personalities of the neighborhoods they are considering. That's what this board is for. Brookside and Briarcliff are going to be very different on a scale of progressiveness. People are people, I know, but let's be straight with the OP.

[pacificwhim]

No one's mentioned Waldo yet, but it might be ideal for your price range. It's the neighborhood adjacent to and directly south of Brookside, and you can find wonderful homes in Waldo in your $350 range. My wife and I bought a terrific house here two years ago for around that price and we love it. There is a newly reopened public K-2 school, Hale Cook, several private choices, and a few charters, all nearby, as well as a charming commercial core that's 90% local bars, restaurants and shops.

[TabulaRasa]

Loved Waldo when I lived there.

[nycrite]

Originally Posted by pacificwhim

No one's mentioned Waldo yet, but it might be ideal for your price range. It's the neighborhood adjacent to and directly south of Brookside, and you can find wonderful homes in Waldo in your $350 range. My wife and I bought a terrific house here two years ago for around that price and we love it. There is a newly reopened public K-2 school, Hale Cook, several private choices, and a few charters, all nearby, as well as a charming commercial core that's 90% local bars, restaurants and shops.

Agree with this assessment, and I would add that you should target Waldo between 75th (south boundary) and Gregory (north boundary). That would put you closer to the K-2 school, restaurants and shops.

[westender]

Originally Posted by zach_33

To me it is mostly a matter of finances. If you honestly have no qualms about home schooling, then the financial considerations of needing good public schools kind of go out the window - that tilts the decision *heavily* in favor of urban living. Brookside is a great option. I love that Coleman Highlands area that was mentioned also. Anything in the area around Roanoke Park is kind of a dream location for this city in my opinion (north of 39th, east of State Line, south of 35th, west of Southwest Trafficway)- I rarely see homes for sale in that area and they are usually either really dumpy or really expensive.

Another vote for the Coleman Highlands or Roanoke neighborhoods if you are going to home school. I think the part west of Southwest Trafficway is more private and more charming than the "Valentine" district east of the Trafficway.

Socializing in the Northland, as mentioned upthread, may tend to revolve around the public schools, and if your kids are going to be home schooled, those school cliques may be somewhat isolating. Further south in Brookside, family life often revolves around parishes/ churches. Hyde Park may be a bit dodgy with young kids, although I know several families who are making it work there.

And the Trafficway is a fast commute to NKC -- from SWT (Summit) and Valentine, it's maybe 10 minutes to the Broadway Bridge to NKC and perhaps 15 minutes to the Paseo Bridge to NKC.