What Do You Hate About Kansas City (St. Louis, Independence: mobile home, living)

[ykamom]

Wow. I haven't come on this board in months because I was weary of the same old crud. I thought I would have a look today, and what did I find. Surprise surprise.
Same old crud.

Isn't it a bit tiring to snipe at one another constantly? Sure is off putting to read it.

[LittleJazzyP]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

It's funny that you quote me, because prior to Kansas City, I actually lived in Chicago, in the far north neighborhood of Rogers Park, which was at that time, and continues to be, one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago and in the country. In Chicago, I had neighbors (like, actual neighbors who I knew in my building and surrounding ones and interacted with, not just people in the neighborhood) of all races, from places as diverse as Nigeria, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad, Korea, Russia, Belize, Armenia, Canada, and Germany. I lived sandwiched in between a Lutheran church, a synagogue, a Spanish language-only Catholic cathedral, and an Assyrian (early church that performs services in Aramaic) church. I could buy elotes, kosher foods, jerk chicken, sushi, and soul food all within feet of my apartment.

QUITE a bit different than "go east of Troost for the black people, west of Troost for the white people, unless you're looking for Hispanics of any race, and then go to the southwest side.

I just happened to wander to this thread because I was checking out my old home state. I lived in Kansas City briefly, right after college, and had been there many, many times before as a visitor.

That dividing line is quite real. I lived across from the Nelson art museum, and it is striking how swiftly you can travel from the Plaza, one of the city's greatest shopping and tourism meccas, to an area that is feared by almost all whites.

Oddly enough, I have also lived in Chicago, in Rogers Park! I swear I am not making this up, although it is so coincidental I would not blame anyone for thinking I had, and yes, it is quite a diverse neighborhood. I liked it very much for that reason.

I miss Chicago sometimes.

But it, too, is segregated, at least as much as Kansas City. Not in areas like Rogers Park, but there are areas south of the Loop where you can travel for miles (or what seems to be miles) without ever seeing a white face. It may not be as clear-cut a line as Troost seems to be, but segregation is definitely there.

It is much easier, actually, for me to recall things I loved about Kansas City, like its beautiful parks. I don't think many people who have not lived there realize that KC has some truly world-class urban design, in terms of its parks and boulevards.

[TabulaRasa]

I actually like living in Kansas City more than living in Chicago, despite the sad state of things previously mentioned ...because I work in a traditionally lower-paying field (education), it's nice to live somewhere where my money goes much further, without having to sacrifice easy access to cultural amenities. I loved living in Chicago, but I can DO more in Kansas City.

I also really like that KC is, in my opinion, intensely underrated in some regards. Leaves me with room to breathe.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

I actually like living in Kansas City more than living in Chicago, despite the sad state of things previously mentioned ...because I work in a traditionally lower-paying field (education), it's nice to live somewhere where my money goes much further, without having to sacrifice easy access to cultural amenities. I loved living in Chicago, but I can DO more in Kansas City.

I also really like that KC is, in my opinion, intensely underrated in some regards. Leaves me with room to breathe.

Cost of living is important. My parents are retired and I am trying to recommend areas they would like without the higher costs of even more desirable locales. Looks like some areas of western North Carolina appear to be very good.

[LittleJazzyP]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

I actually like living in Kansas City more than living in Chicago, despite the sad state of things previously mentioned ...because I work in a traditionally lower-paying field (education), it's nice to live somewhere where my money goes much further, without having to sacrifice easy access to cultural amenities. I loved living in Chicago, but I can DO more in Kansas City.

I also really like that KC is, in my opinion, intensely underrated in some regards. Leaves me with room to breathe.

I liked both. It's very hard for me to compare the two, in terms of which I preferred, because my experiences were so different. In KC, I had a car, and in Chicago, I used public transit. It made it affordable for me, but I also missed the freedom of movement that one's own car provides, and missed out on a lot of what the city has to offer as a result. But I got a lot more familiar with things in my immediate area than I have anywhere else I've lived. One of my main forms of entertainment was to walk on the beach at Lake Michigan, which was only about three blocks from the apartment. I went there nearly every day, even in the winter, and never failed to be delighted by its vastness.

[Vegas Joe]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

How did you go from downtown to Rockhust/UMKC area and avoid the Plaza? It's about the least seedy part of the city. Even if you went via 71, there are MUUUUUUUCH scarier parts of the city.

I don't know how we went. We went in a cab to a presentation there. It was not on a highway but through what looked like a residential busy street. I remember seeing a KFC and a Burger King with many shady looking people out and about.

[Vegas Joe]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

If you went down Troost Ave to get to Rockhurst (Troost is Rockhurst's western boundary) , that street has long been the divide between white and black, rich and poor. As a division, it is quite striking. It almost looks as though an official segregation boundary. Same house one block west of Troost you'll have a $153,000 house, one block east it's $53,000.

Troost is a bit seedy but it is also improving a bit. Urban pioneers buying into eastern portions of more desirable areas like Brookside, Hyde Park, and a few other spots along the Troost corridor, sometimes east of it, are responsible for the improvement.

Other than that, to be honest, midtown KCMO is perhaps even seedier than Troost. Midtown is the area between downtown and the Westport and Plaza areas along Main and Broadway, from about 31st to about Westport Rd. Public alcoholism, crack sales and smoking, homeless folks, and public gay sex are all problems that plague midtown. Much of the trouble comes from section 8 and low-income housing in the area. The area is rampant with sex offenders and HIV as well. Fortunately or unfortunately, most folks don't know how bad midtown really is. You have to live there, have your feet on the sidewalks all times of day and night, and not be totally oblivious.

Although, there is improvement in Midtown. Much of the housing has been returned to single-family use and is even inhabited by upper-middle class and families, many runned-down apartment buildings have been remodeled and returned to market rate, the streetscape along Main is being revamped, and there are CID guys doing security and cleaning up litter.

Even downtown KC, while very much improved, has a lot of weird/troubled/bad people lurking around, guys smoking crack in the alleys even in the middle of the business day, and public drinking. Some of these people come in by bus, some from the nearby homeless shelter, some live in cheap/low-income apartments around downtown such as those on the west side of downtown that are perhaps the largest concentration of sex offenders for 250 miles.

That said, I'm a 25-year-old male (not even big in stature) and while I think I can navigate (and have) these areas fairly safely, when it comes to the thought of putting a woman in this situation, I won't do it, so I wouldn't live in these areas because of this, even though I very much like downtown.

All that said, these are some of the things I hate about Kansas City. Acknowledging reality hits your pretty hard.

Brookside, Plaza, or no go. For me.

Now that you mention that name, I think that was the way we went. He went down 12th street from the hotel to a street and made a right turn which, after a rather long ride, we ended up at the college. And I think that was the street now that you jogged my memory.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by Vegas Joe

Now that you mention that name, I think that was the way we went. He went down 12th street from the hotel to a street and made a right turn which, after a rather long ride, we ended up at the college. And I think that was the street now that you jogged my memory.

Yup, the KFC, BK and shady characters were at 47th and Troost, which is exactly a mile east of the center of the Country Club Plaza. It's not a good first view of KC, but a realistic one unfortunately.

[brewcrew1000]

Originally Posted by Vegas Joe

I don't know how we went. We went in a cab to a presentation there. It was not on a highway but through what looked like a residential busy street. I remember seeing a KFC and a Burger King with many shady looking people out and about.

Just because you see a bunch of Black people walking around doesn't always mean the area is shady. It seems like whenever someone sees a large group of black people walking around we must automatically assume it's shady and these people are up to no good.

Would this area be shady to you if you saw absolutely nobody walking around and everyone was just in a car conducting their own business, what if the area was all white and you saw the same businesses, would it still be shady?

[aragx6]

I think the old "Don't go west of Western" in Chicago is just as prevalent as don't go east of Troost in KC or north of Delmar in St. Louis.

All old northern cities have those lines, and s. davis' point about residential segregation not necessarily meaning work, shopping or play segregation is a valid one.