Looking For Insight About Independence (Kansas City, St. Louis: apartment complexes, high crime, roughest)

[Trailhiker]

I am planning on moving and transferring with my job next Spring. I live in North Dakota, but went to school in SW Missouri. I have a strong desire to retun to the state. One city I am considering is Independence.

Normally, I would not want to live in a large metropolis, like St. Louis or KC. I cannot drive b/c of an eye condition, and rely mostly on walking, public transit, biking, and cabs. I have always avoided big cities because I don't want to spend hours on buses or in traffic just to run errands or get to a job.

Independence, despite being close to KC, seems to be a city in itself that would have basically everything one would need on a daily bases like stores, restaurants, and services. Even though the KC transit is in charge of buses there, it looks like there are routes just for getting around Independence, plus connections to KC. Being close to KC for sports, events, and the airport would be nice, but I would want to be able to stay in Independence for the most part otherwise.

Independence seems like it really has it's own identity and history, rather just being another suburb. That also appeals to me.

Does the city sound like a good fit for what I am looking for?

Just how bad is the crime? I am sure there are some bad areas? Where should I avoid? I would be working near Indenpendence Center Mall. Is that area safe? It looks like there are some apartments in the area. Is that accurate?

Is it realistic to get a simple one bedroom apartment for under $550 a month. I know buying a housing is cheap, but not really an option for me.

Do some of the major streets have sidewalks?

Any insight would be helpful and appreciated. I would definitely visit before making a decision.

Thanks in advance!

[Crosstimbers Okie]

Just how bad is the crime? I am sure there are some bad areas? Where should I avoid? I would be working near Indenpendence Center Mall. Is that area safe? It looks like there are some apartments in the area. Is that accurate?

There are bad areas mixed in with the good areas, but generally you will want to stay away from the west side of Independence--it's bad. Independence Center is only one notch down from the Bannister Mall area as far as crime goes. There is a significant amount of crime there, but it is very heavily policed.

But, the area is changing for the better. There are nice apartments, plenty of overpriced houses, a new hospital and a lot of new development, eating and shopping. But, there is still a significant thug problem in the area. Perhaps that will change if Missouri & Kansas will build a few more prisons so that they don't have to release so many of the undeserving on Parole, or devert them from prison on Probation. Right now the nice areas seem to be "bait" for those looking for something to pillage. Hopefully things will change because the area does have good potential.

I lived near there for six years and just recently moved to "The Northland," which is that part of Kansas City north of the Missouri River. I'll take The Northland. There is much less crime, much less drugs, fewer rude people, more honest businesses, better roads and slightly better drivers.

You may also want to Consider Lee's Summit & Blue Springs. They are close by and better areas than Independence. All of these towns have rich and distinctive histories of their own. They are all old cities that have grown together and none are really dominated by Kansas City the way a lot of large cities dominate their suburbs. In fact, I believe that Independence, Blue Springs and Lee's Summit are all older than Kansas City.

Crime. Back in 2005 Kansas City and St. Louis were among the top five cities in the US with the greatest amount of crime. In 2003 the General Assembly finally took the side of honest citizens and created a system by which honest citizens can legally arm and defend themselves against violent criminal attack. Now Kansas City is a much safer place for those who choose to avail themselves of the option. It's something to consider.

Also, there are some fine trails in the area. Blue Springs Lake & Lake Jacomo are nearby. They have trails and good fishing. Then, near Independence Center is the southern trailhead of the Little Blue Trace. The Trace is a trail along the Little Blue River that goes north from there for about seven miles I think. So, you can do a 14 mile hike or bike up and back. Just be sure and take your pistol, or at least some peprerspray. There's usually an unleashed dog or two on the trail acting like they want to bite someone, a juvenile or two smoking weed or methamphetamine. Then there was a woman's murdered body found in late spring of 2007 after she had gone missing for about 1 1/2 years. But the scenery is beautiful and wildlife abounds.

[kcmo]

Crosstimbers Okie,

Come on man, you are way off base here.

I shop and dine in the Independence Center area almost daily and never, ever have any problems what so ever.

The area is racially diverse yes, but thugs? Not really.

They had some problems last year with urban youth coming out to the area and hanging out and causing some trouble.

It seems to me that they have addressed that issue mostly by not allowing large groups to run the mall and be loud etc.

The mall is busy as ever and there seems to be little problems.

OK, having said that.

Trailhiker

Independence is kind of like a small KCMO. The city has nearly 120,000 residents, so it's not small. But the city has a lot of very different areas.

Independence does have a ghetto or a very run down area. I don't think its crime ridden and overrun by thugs like KCMO's east side, but it does have some of the lowest demographics in the metro and a lot of commercial blight. This is basically northwestern and parts of northern Independence.

Then there is the core of Independence which is probably what I would recommend to you since you are looking for more of a community rather than a suburb.

The central part of Independence and the Square area is a very historic area with some neat older homes, lots of big trees and amazing churches. I'm not sure about apartments though.

The southeast part of Independence (where the mall is) is very suburban. That is where you will find most of the nicer apartment complexes, most of the newer retail and nearly all of the upscale housing in the city.

I would probably stick with this area if you want to do an apartment.

But try the square area first. There is a transit hub there that will get you around Independence and to and from KCMO and it's very walkable and slower paced.

I would stay away from Blue Springs and Lee's Summit. There is zero transit and even taxi cabs are nowhere to be found.

There is nothing wrong with Independence. The city has a lot of very nice areas, most of which are far cheaper to live in than a similar area of another suburb.

[Crosstimbers Okie]

The area is racially diverse yes, but thugs? Not really.

That's why there are at least four Independence PD patrol cars in the parking lot at any given minute. They hang out there because it's a safe place for them to relax and eat doughnuts, right?

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by Crosstimbers Okie

That's why there are at least four Independence PD patrol cars in the parking lot at any given minute. They hang out there because it's a safe place for them to relax and eat doughnuts, right?

....but to say it's a step away from being Bannister is absurd.
Independence Center isn't all that different from Oak Park, in my opinion. Actually, I'd say it's nicer from a shopping perspective.

Independence is an alright town. I live there and feel plenty safe. I do most of my shopping there, and yes, it is pretty self-sufficient. You can get anything you need there.
The square is great, and there's lots more history in Independence than any other suburb, I'd say. Nothing comes close in that department, other than KC, MO itself.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by Crosstimbers Okie

That's why there are at least four Independence PD patrol cars in the parking lot at any given minute. They hang out there because it's a safe place for them to relax and eat doughnuts, right?

Indep only has one police station for a city of that size. It makes sense for them to place a small annex in the mall to serve not only the mall, but the entire SE side of the city which includes most of city's busiest shopping centers, theaters etc.

A lot of major malls have police substations in them.

It's people like you that did more damage to Bannister Mall than the crime wave that hit the mall.

[Crosstimbers Okie]

Right. The victims are the problem, not the thugs.

[northbound74]

Victims are not the problem. People running scared at the first sign of danger is the problem. We all know people who hear of one or two things happening at a place like the mall, and they will never, ever go back for any reason. Problem is, there's too many people like that.
Instead of taking a stand against thugs, people would rather drive another 30-45 minutes so they can feel safe.

Next thing you know, that part of town is dead. All because of one or two isolated incidents.
That's the kind of childishness that causes sprawl.
Once an area is perceived to be problematic, it becomes blighted and dangerous even if it wasn't before. If all the law abiding citizens leave a section of town, of course all you have left is criminals.
Why would anyone let that happen to their city?
I'm sick of the attitude that says, "there goes the neighborhood, let's move another 20 miles out". It is a foreign concept to me.
Why on earth do we do that????

[Trailhiker]

Thanks to those who have replied so far.

It sounds like Independence has its problems, but isn't really that bad overall compared to any other city.

I have lived in several cities that have police stations at the mall, and they were not in high crime areas.

I do agree with northbound74 about how people become scared of an entire area after an isolated incident and then just avoid the area all together, leaving behind those that can't afford to keep moving 20 miles away.

So many of our mid size cities' Downtowns have been virtually abandoned because of this. That is one thing I love about Europe. The City Centerrs are still vibrant and often the focus of the cities.

Blue Spring's and Lee's Summit are nice I'm sure, but I think they may be too suburban and not as self sufficient as I would like. Plus, I think they are more expensive and my work does not even have a location in Blue Springs.

[Crosstimbers Okie]

No doubt that the information in these links will be discredited by the KC booster club. But in an effort to answer a very specific question posed by the original poster, here they are.

Trailhiker, keep in mind that the west side of Independence, and the east side of that portion of Kansas City that's located in Jackson County and is south of the Missouri River, is in competition with south central Kansas City for the title of "Kansas City Metropolitan Area Posterior End."

New crime stats show America's most dangerous cities (but where's KC?) | Midwest Voices

City Crime Rankings by Population Group

Safest and Most Dangerous U.S. Cities, 2007 — Infoplease.com

The rankings are not all consistent. But one theing they all agree on, Kansas City & St. Louis are among the most dangerous cities in the US.

Independence has positive aspects. I believe I listed several earlier. But there is no getting around the fact that it is the roughest suburb of one of the most dangerous cities in the US.