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The mentality of people like MrsMo are exactly what is wrong with KC.
Just mover further out and ignore what we already have and let it decay more.
All the while using poor excuses like saving Kemper and putting a roof on Arrowhead to back up your theory of what is wrong with KC.
What does that have to do with anything???
We still needed to do something with Downtown, which had become a total embarrassment and easily the worst big-city downtown in the country.
Now we have a chance to do the same with the SKC area and are met with more of the same.
It's not worth it, the area is already past saving etc.
So we all move out to Lee's Summit, Liberty and Olathe and leave behind a mess and then have the balls to blame others.
KC is a great city and the city has come back from the dead in just the last 5 years.
I mean the DEAD. KC was a joke in 1995 and even though the suburbs were growing, they were indirectly a joke too since nobody that had a choice or wanted something besides strip malls and subdivisions in life would have "chosen" the KC area as a place to live.
What we have done downtown was LONG overdue and not only should it have been done, it should be accelerated to continue the rebirth of the core because we are far from done.
The same thing can and should happen to South KC.
It's just too bad this city is full of people that don't have a clue.
I actually waited on pins and needles the day the Sprint Center was voted on. If it failed, I was going to be online that night applying for jobs in other cities. It was going to be my breaking point.
I was so sick of this city not wanting to do anything to improve itself and let it die. Our downtown was pathetic. It's still not great but has seen massive improvement in the last year since the Sprint Center opened.
I have to think that someone like MrsMo has never spent time in a city that had a vibrant and active downtown. if she did, I dont think she could say the things she is saying.
I'm still on edge in KC since I feel the city is 15 years behind most cities, but at least today it's livable and can beSame deal here.
I'm still on edge in KC since I feel the city is 15 years behind most cities, but at least today it's livable and really does offer what most other big cities do.
But right before that arena vote, my wife and I were about to move to Denver. She had a job offer and I was going to follow her.
I loved KC, but couldn’t stand it anymore. KC might have been tied with Detroit up till the late 90’s but then Detroit even had a more vibrant urban core than KC.
KC still has a long way to go before it can truly compete with Denver or Minneapolis. I’m not sure we ever will actually, they have passed us up and left us in their dust.
It’s going to take everything we got to keep from being passed up by Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, San Antonio, Austin, Orlando and many others.
We might stay a top 30 metro today only because there is now much more to metro KC than suburban Johnson County Kansas.
But in 1990, KC was on its way to becoming a AAA League city on its way down like Memphis or Buffalo. We were even on the verge of losing the 2 major league franchises we had even though at once time KC had all the major leagues in town. Nearly the entire downtown area was vacant buildings and lots. The northland was a scattering of low quality development, eastern Jackson county had nothing to offer, SKC was bottoming out.
Anyway, we stayed, it seemed like things were turning around. The city was investing in itself again. The sports teams were going to stay, we are getting a new arts center, the nelson was expanded, the liberty memorial was rebuilt.
Then we go right back to the old ways by electing Funkhouser as mayor.
Some things never change. KC is still a slowed paced place where most of its residents, even city residents, have a rural or suburban mentality and the city has some of the most racist and chip on their shoulder black population I have seen anywhere.
KC has a lot of problems that just don’t seem to go away.
But it has gotten so much better. I like it here. But till we get more people like myself and you living here, KC will continue to sprawl and decay worse than just about every large city in America.
It’s going to take everything we got to keep from being passed up by Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, San Antonio, Austin, Orlando and many others.
We might stay a top 30 metro today only because there is now much more to metro KC than suburban Johnson County Kansas.
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KC will definitely be overtaken by Charlotte, Nashville, Austin, and San Antonio with time. All of those cities have boomed much faster than Kansas City, and have economic growth rates that "have been" quite high. Many people also like the weather in those cities compared with Kansas City. Also, the COL in those four cities is not too high at all compared with other major cities. Even smaller metros like Des Moines and Omaha have had a much better economic performance and lower unemployment rates comparec to KC.
The core urban counties in the Kansas City metro have seen negative economic growth for years which has accelerated the brain drain in the younger population. Many people with College degrees leave Kansas City because the job market is not that great, and also don't want to live in sterile JOCO.
KC will definitely be overtaken by Charlotte, Nashville, Austin, and San Antonio with time. All of those cities have boomed much faster than Kansas City, and have economic growth rates that "have been" quite high. Many people also like the weather in those cities compared with Kansas City. Also, the COL in those four cities is not too high at all compared with other major cities. Even smaller metros like Des Moines and Omaha have had a much better economic performance and lower unemployment rates comparec to KC.
The core urban counties in the Kansas City metro have seen negative economic growth for years which has accelerated the brain drain in the younger population. Many people with College degrees leave Kansas City because the job market is not that great, and also don't want to live in sterile JOCO.
That makes things sound awfully bleak, but there's a lot of positives going on in KC. Considering it's a midwestern town, it's doing quite well.
As for the weather, Minneapolis has a climate that some would consider much harsher than KC's. In spite of that, it is always growing, and has one of the healthiest economies in the country.
I think things like the Sprint Center and Power & Light put the focus back on downtown. There's been a lot of residential growth down there, and this puts more retail in downtown, it would only be natural for business to consider relocating to the downtown area.... where people are starting to live.
When companies like Boeing were considering relocation, they wanted a city that had a vibrant downtown that had good housing options, good mass transit, and a good entertainment atmosphere.
Of course, Chicago offered all those things on a grand scale, but there's no reason why KC can't at least try to attract something like that. I think Kansas City is moving in the right direction.
It seems like people who have lived here a while don't see it in as positive of a light as some of us newcomers. One of the things that attracted me to the area was it's strong, steady, economy. No, it's not a boomtown, but it's far from being a Detroit.
I'm not a sunbelt or Rocky Mountain kind of guy, so compared to places that aren't in those areas, KC doesn't look too shabby.
That makes things sound awfully bleak, but there's a lot of positives going on in KC. Considering it's a midwestern town, it's doing quite well.
As for the weather, Minneapolis has a climate that some would consider much harsher than KC's. In spite of that, it is always growing, and has one of the healthiest economies in the country.
I think things like the Sprint Center and Power & Light put the focus back on downtown. There's been a lot of residential growth down there, and this puts more retail in downtown, it would only be natural for business to consider relocating to the downtown area.... where people are starting to live.
When companies like Boeing were considering relocation, they wanted a city that had a vibrant downtown that had good housing options, good mass transit, and a good entertainment atmosphere.
Of course, Chicago offered all those things on a grand scale, but there's no reason why KC can't at least try to attract something like that. I think Kansas City is moving in the right direction.
It seems like people who have lived here a while don't see it in as positive of a light as some of us newcomers. One of the things that attracted me to the area was it's strong, steady, economy. No, it's not a boomtown, but it's far from being a Detroit.
I'm not a sunbelt or Rocky Mountain kind of guy, so compared to places that aren't in those areas, KC doesn't look too shabby.
I am not denying that KC has made some good progress in the past few years with the transformation of Sprint Center Downtown. Yes, the economy is "steady" but if you examine the data the only counties in the KC metro that have seen decent job growth have been the suburban and exurban counties. Jackson County Missouri and Wyandotte County Kansas had fewer jobs in 2005 compared to 2000. The updated data that is non-official shows Wyandotte gaining a few more jobs, but Jackson still lagging behind.
I think that KC will start to become more progressive minded, but I think many people in the area are very resistant to change. I think it is a good thing that many are fiscally conservative, and don't want to see taxes go up. However, I think that the allocation of funds needs to be managed as efficiently as possible to tackle projects that are important to funneling economic growth in the correct directions. Light rail continues to be voted down (I assume it is because of the high costs), but other cities sure have seemed willing to invest in the infrastructure. Denver and St. Louis have invested in light rail. Sure, in the short-term they might be money losers, but in the long-term they might focus new levels of economic development along transit corridors if fuel prices become prohibitively expensive or we have another oil shock.
Another item that unfortunately can not be changed is the ever-present state line. Kansas City, MO would be a much stronger city IMHO if the MO state line were 30 miles further to the west. Think how much economic growth and brain power would have been tapped if all of the "white flight" to JOCO and stayed in MO and contributed to the KC, MO economy.
Now, after a period of time, we have JOCO with a huge number of jobs + people commuting to them from MO. I am not saying this is a bad thing at all, but the state line really does divide KC up into sections.
If KC wants to emulate a major metro area that would be wise to follow in the footprints of MPLS. The Minneapolis/St. Paul metro does not have the big brain drain problem compared to other metros, and it attracts people from a huge rural area all over the Upper Midwest. Sure, housing costs might be higher there, but total earning potential + job growth + networking potential is excellent there.
In terms of climate, I always thought KC was in "no man's land." It is too far south to really enjoy winter sports because temps are never really low enough for extended periods of time. Also, the summers with the high sun angle were pretty brutual for me. 50F is warm to me so I tend to gravitate more to the northern tier cities as well....
In conclusion, I lived in the KC metro area for over 20 years, and still feel that it is a fairly well-rounded city right in the middle of the country. I feel that is a good place for families, but not very good at all for singles + outdoor enthusiasts, etc...
I am not denying that KC has made some good progress in the past few years with the transformation of Sprint Center Downtown. Yes, the economy is "steady" but if you examine the data the only counties in the KC metro that have seen decent job growth have been the suburban and exurban counties. Jackson County Missouri and Wyandotte County Kansas had fewer jobs in 2005 compared to 2000. The updated data that is non-official shows Wyandotte gaining a few more jobs, but Jackson still lagging behind.
I think that KC will start to become more progressive minded, but I think many people in the area are very resistant to change. I think it is a good thing that many are fiscally conservative, and don't want to see taxes go up. However, I think that the allocation of funds needs to be managed as efficiently as possible to tackle projects that are important to funneling economic growth in the correct directions. Light rail continues to be voted down (I assume it is because of the high costs), but other cities sure have seemed willing to invest in the infrastructure. Denver and St. Louis have invested in light rail. Sure, in the short-term they might be money losers, but in the long-term they might focus new levels of economic development along transit corridors if fuel prices become prohibitively expensive or we have another oil shock.
Another item that unfortunately can not be changed is the ever-present state line. Kansas City, MO would be a much stronger city IMHO if the MO state line were 30 miles further to the west. Think how much economic growth and brain power would have been tapped if all of the "white flight" to JOCO and stayed in MO and contributed to the KC, MO economy.
Now, after a period of time, we have JOCO with a huge number of jobs + people commuting to them from MO. I am not saying this is a bad thing at all, but the state line really does divide KC up into sections.
If KC wants to emulate a major metro area that would be wise to follow in the footprints of MPLS. The Minneapolis/St. Paul metro does not have the big brain drain problem compared to other metros, and it attracts people from a huge rural area all over the Upper Midwest. Sure, housing costs might be higher there, but total earning potential + job growth + networking potential is excellent there.
In terms of climate, I always thought KC was in "no man's land." It is too far south to really enjoy winter sports because temps are never really low enough for extended periods of time. Also, the summers with the high sun angle were pretty brutual for me. 50F is warm to me so I tend to gravitate more to the northern tier cities as well....
In conclusion, I lived in the KC metro area for over 20 years, and still feel that it is a fairly well-rounded city right in the middle of the country. I feel that is a good place for families, but not very good at all for singles + outdoor enthusiasts, etc...
FYI, I am originally from Pittsburgh PA, and I do know what a "real" downtown area is like!!!
Then how could you possibly be against the Sprint Center?
You do realize that unless you have rented a car or a hotel room within the KC city limits that you havent paid a cent for the Sprint Center and likely wont. It is being paid for by our tourist who rent cars and hotel rooms.
You also wont be paying a dime for the Bannister Mall redevelopment. It is 85% private money and the rest is tax credit financing that will be paid back once the development starting earning tax revenue. Basically, the city is making an investment towards the project. An investment that they will earn back big time.
There is no reason anyone should be against the Sprint Center or Bannister Maill redevelopment. If either caused a huge tax increase for citizens then i could understand an argument. But since there isnt then there is no reason. If you dont like either, then dont go there. But, there are tens of thousands of people that will be going to both for years to come.
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