moving from SF to KC

[shindig]

Originally Posted by kcmo

DC doesn't get as hot as KC. KC is consistently warmer all summer and KC typically has more very hot days of over 90 or 100.

Weather patterns change and have changed. KC hasn't been over 100 degrees since September 2013. It rarely gets that hot here, it's more the humidity that can be stifling, but it's no where near as bad as the south. Also we haven't had much snow in the last 4 years, maybe 3-4 inches for an entire season. It's more or less the bizarre weather we have that is aggravating. One day it can be 65 degrees and sunny and the next day you are pulling your winter coat back out. Unpredictable weather is a norm...lol.

[zach_33]

$66k in bay area vs $75 in Olathe. That's a no-brainer to me... like winning the lottery in terms of how much better you'd be able to treat yourself materially. I know a lot of people would disagree with me on that, because they place a heavy premium on being able to hob-nob with the super-gentry in places like SF or NYC. But if you dislike the scene, as long as you perform well in your job, you can pick up and move after 2-3 years to a different (most likely larger) major metropolitan area and get a bump up to $85/$90k or more. Capitalism favors mobile workers.

In terms of where to set up shop in the KC area... I tend to agree with the urbanites to some degree. Crossroads or River Market is teeming with people in your demo, and would probably be a heck of a lot of fun. But there is a valid case for renting in an apartment complex closer to Garmin, where you may be (?) almost as likely to find friends in your situation. You would just be socializing in more sterile, chain oriented, strip mall hang outs than if you lived in the city.

[Swandaddy]

If it's a good career move for you I'd strongly consider it, especially if it fits into your larger career plan. **What's interesting is that the salary is higher in KC than in the Bay Area. That's not always the case as many payscales are adjusted according to the respective region's cost of living.**

IDK KC very well (great BBQ!!!, the Chief's football stadium and Royal's baseball stadium each are super fun), but in general (aka why Chicago costs so much less than the coasts) for the coasts (esp the west coast) you pay a premium for better weather. Hence why California is so expensive. However, the flipside to that is that as you're more centrally located (and have more disposable income), it's easier to take weekend trips to warmer/cooler/better weather. AKA in July drive 6-8 hours to the north to go to Minnesota and in January drive 6-8 hours to the south to go to Texas. With much less traffic making for a fun drive. Keep in mind you're also landlocked but I think like Lake of the Ozarks is like 3 hours away if that's enough if you need a water fix.

I'm starting to think about these similar decisions myself as I have a little over a year left in my Master's program and I'll have to decide whether or not to stay in Chicago after I finish, and believe me that's not an easy decision!

[kcmo]

Live somewhere in this photo (downtown is in the distance).

[elkotronics]

Live somewhere in this photo (downtown is in the distance).

Nice shot of KC - brings back mostly good memories of living in Grandview. The freeway system in KC is the best I've ever experienced. Traffic rarely gets stopped up and 60-65mph is the norm. If I was still working in the Midwest I wouldn't hesitate to locate in the KC Metro again. We're in the desert SW now so things are much different for landscape, but the BBQ and city life in KC was good.

A couple things troubling about KC are the crime and the rambling thugs downtown. If those were eradicated it would make for a much better experience in KC, total elimination is not gonna happen, but some king headway into partial elimination would be fantastic.

[westender]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Live somewhere in this photo (downtown is in the distance).

I would agree if the picture panned southward another 20 blocks to encompass Brookside and Prairie Village.

Living in the distant suburbs (maybe even anywhere past 75th Street or west of Metcalf) tends to result in a lot of drive time for every activity. The closer to the central parts of the city, the more options you would have that are within walking or biking distance.

[parmans97]

One big thing people routinely neglect is the difference the lack of traffic here can make on your daily life. In SF or any other coastal city, you have to really consider the impact of your commute. Not so much in KC, especially if you're commuting to Garmin. I have friends in my neighborhood north of the river who work at Garmin in Olathe, and it's a VERY easy 30 minutes for them. There are really only a couple areas that traffic gets bad, and bad traffic here is still nothing compared to other cities.

[MOforthewin]

DC is still fairly close to the Atlantic Ocean so it doesn't get as hot as it does in the plains in the summer, and not quite as cold. Overall average highs not much warmer in the winter in DC, but they don't get down below zero that much. Temp is more constant and less extreme which evens it all out.

It does seem DC can get a crap load of snow though. In Missouri in KC and stl you don't get blizzards or snowstorms hardly ever that dump a foot of snow unless it's really far north in MO. It seems the mid atlantic lately gets a lot of those storms that dump 1-2 FEET.

Summer is a bit more tolerable. DC weather is similar to St. Louis, nearly identical. While the average has for DC are about the same as St. Louis almost, it seems St. Louis gets more days in the winter where the temps get into the 70s and 60s for highs compared to DC. However, DC seems to have a bit less super cold days where highs only get into the teens but doesn't get those extreme highs in the winter like STL can get.

I can never imagine living on the west coast especially SF. Missouri has some of the best gun rights in the nation.