Officially moving to Gladstone, MO from Minnesota, have a few questions. (Kansas City: apartment, lease)

[Radical_Car]

I got a job offer in Kansas City, MO and visited last month in March, fell in love with the Gladstone and Liberty area and found an apartment in Gladstone, not far at all from the Walmart, Hyvee and QuiKTrip there. I'm a single guy, no kids or anything so no need to worry about schools. I also drove there to the place where i'll be working to make sure the commute is doable. Anything I should know about the area? It seemed pretty nice and i've mainly read good things about it, just want to make sure with some reassurance with those that live there and/or are quite familiar with the area. I also loooooooove the proximity to Worlds of Fun amusement park and plan on possibly getting season tickets there as well! We got an amusement park here in Minnesota called Valley Fair that's owned by the same company that owns Worlds of Fun so I am ecstatic for that!

Where's the best DMV to sign up for a license and register my vehicle when I move there? Does Missouri instantly issue your drivers licenses on the spot or do you need to wait for it to come in the mail like Minnesota? I seem like I got a good understanding of the Missouri property tax that you need to pay every year for your vehicle, also i'm well aware of the Kansas City 1% city income tax too.

Is Google Fiber the best for internet? Who else provides internet in the area? Comcast/Xfinity or Spectrum or something? I plan on opening a bank account with a local credit union when I arrive there too. Pretty sure I've settled on Community America Credit Union but is there any other local credit unions that I should consider too?

Thank you for all the help!

[Floorist]

Have not been to "Happy Rock" for a few years but it was nice last time I was there.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by Floorist

Have not been to "Happy Rock" for a few years but it was nice last time I was there.

Happy Rock Park? My buddy and I stopped there when we were visiting last month. I enjoyed it very much!

[Okey Dokie]

I am intimately familiar with that area, used to live just north of there at Barry and N. Indiana. It’s a nice suburban area. No worries.

As far as DMV stuff, the first thing you’ll need to do is go to the Clay County Courthouse in Liberty and get a waiver that you do not owe any personal Property taxes. Take your apartment lease. With the waiver in hand, then you can go to either the Liberty license office or the one at about 60th and Antioch (just south of Ace Hardware on the east side). You’ll get a temporary paper DL, the real one will come in the mail in about a week.

Look on the MO Department of Revenue website for everything you’ll need to bring. If your car is not old enough to need an actual inspection, you still need to get the VIN and mileage inspected. Car dealers, tire stores, most any place that repairs cars can do it. Price is set by the state so it doesn’t matter where you go.

Save that personal property tax waiver. You’ll need it next year, because you won’t have to pay personal property taxes until December, 2023, based on what you own on January 1, 2023.

Internet - we’ve always had AT&T. I had a personal boycott of Google because they made such a mess of our yards when they were installing it. Regular cable used to be Spectrum - think it’s Comcast now. If you’re moving into an apartment they may have an “exclusive provider.”

Community America - good choice. Lots of branches all over KC area in case you move later on.

And finally Happy Rock = Glad Stone.

Welcome to North of the River. The best kept secret of the KC area. I’ve lived in Clay County for 33 years and have seen LOTS of changes.

[Radical_Car]

Oh wow, thank you sooooooo much! I didn't know about the property tax waiver. And thanks for letting me know precisely where to go as well, that helps a lot! We also don't have any vehicle testing or emissions testing in Minnesota so that completely slipped my mind too! I'll look into internet when my move gets closer. I'm moving down at the end of May, so a little less then 2 months out!

[Floorist]

Originally Posted by Radical_Car

Happy Rock Park? My buddy and I stopped there when we were visiting last month. I enjoyed it very much!

Happy Rock is what the locals call Gladstone.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by Okey Dokie

I am intimately familiar with that area, used to live just north of there at Barry and N. Indiana. It’s a nice suburban area. No worries.

As far as DMV stuff, the first thing you’ll need to do is go to the Clay County Courthouse in Liberty and get a waiver that you do not owe any personal Property taxes. Take your apartment lease. With the waiver in hand, then you can go to either the Liberty license office or the one at about 60th and Antioch (just south of Ace Hardware on the east side). You’ll get a temporary paper DL, the real one will come in the mail in about a week.

Look on the MO Department of Revenue website for everything you’ll need to bring. If your car is not old enough to need an actual inspection, you still need to get the VIN and mileage inspected. Car dealers, tire stores, most any place that repairs cars can do it. Price is set by the state so it doesn’t matter where you go.

Save that personal property tax waiver. You’ll need it next year, because you won’t have to pay personal property taxes until December, 2023, based on what you own on January 1, 2023.

Internet - we’ve always had AT&T. I had a personal boycott of Google because they made such a mess of our yards when they were installing it. Regular cable used to be Spectrum - think it’s Comcast now. If you’re moving into an apartment they may have an “exclusive provider.”

Community America - good choice. Lots of branches all over KC area in case you move later on.

And finally Happy Rock = Glad Stone.

Welcome to North of the River. The best kept secret of the KC area. I’ve lived in Clay County for 33 years and have seen LOTS of changes.

I just wanna say thank you so much! You made it so much easier for me, I would of never known to go to the Clay County courthouse and get a property tax waiver for my vehicle if it wasn't for you!

[Okey Dokie]

Originally Posted by Radical_Car

I just wanna say thank you so much! You made it so much easier for me, I would of never known to go to the Clay County courthouse and get a property tax waiver for my vehicle if it wasn't for you!

Glad to help. I like to consider myself an unofficial expert on all matters pertaining to licensing vehicles in Missouri.

Here’s two more of my favorite pieces of advice: if you ever need to conduct state business in the month of May, be aware May 8th is Harry Truman’s Birthday and a state holiday. I wasted a half-day of vacation once not realizing this.

If you want to purchase a car towards the end of the calendar year, don’t! Wait until January 2. Personal property taxes are calculated on what you own on January 1 and due the following December. If you buy that brand new (whatever) on December 28, 2022, you’ll be paying property taxes on it in December, 2023. Wait until January, 2023 to buy, you won’t be paying taxes on it until December, 2024.

[RjRobb2]

I grew up in Gladstone and still live within 3 miles of there. It is your typical suburb. It has a mix of old and new development. It is mostly white, Christian, hetero, middle class. It has NKC Schools which are great. There isnt a lot for entertainment but a quick shot down 169 highway gets you downtown. It is very quiet. Crime has gone up in recent years, especially break-ins and car theft.

Missouri DMV sucks. Check the website for everything you need. The DMV locations are private companies. Some allow appointments via an app.

Google Fiber is the best internet pretty much anywhere. There is also Spectrum and AT&T. Evergy does power and they suck. Spire does gas and they suck. KC has some of the best water in the country. Gladstone does a good job with keeping the place clean and good trash pickup.

Community America is good as is Mazuma. CACU has more branches.

Kate's Kitchen is the best breakfast and lunch spot. Senior Tequila's and Margarita's has good Mexican. I dont go out to eat a lot so others will probably have better recommendations.

Mid-Continent is the library system up here. But, there is also KC Public Library south of the river and Johnson County Library system in Kansas. They even have a maker studio with a recording studio, 3d printers, lazer cutters and more at one location.

Gladstone cops are *******s and the judge is an ******* too. If they are bored, they will pull you over for 3 over.