Between Plaza and Troost area? (Kansas City, Nelson: apartments, sex offenders, violent crime)

[ashley2010]

I am moving to KC soon. Been there a few times but not super familiar with the area. My apartment is the Plaza Horizon Apartments on Harrison St off emanual cleaver. It is a block west of Troost. I know it it down the street from the Plaza area but I was wondering what this area would be called? A few people have asked me which area I am living in and I want to sound like I know what I am talking about lol.

Also, is anyone familiar with this area? Is it good? Is it sketchy? I was told that I should stay on the west side of Troost. What about my apartment? Does anyone know anything about it? If it is decent? What kind of people live there?

Thanks for the help!!!

[Jimmy Burma]

Hmm, well it just depends on how comfortable you are with being on the edge of the ghetto? It's kind of a borderline area and I speak from experience as I use to live right down the street a few blocks. It is a good central location as far as getting around in the city but for a young female it may feel a bit dicey at times. Troost isn't all as bad and scary in that part of town as people make it out to be but it's still no disneyland...mental patients from a nearby group home/center run amok as do legions of urban thugs. If you walk to the plaza from that building you may be harassed by loonies, average bums and maybe even twelve year old kids walking down Cleaver Blvd. I'd look west of the Plaza. As I said I use to live there and never had any problems that I couldn't handle but I wouldn't chance it as I'd bet you could afford to live in a more comfortable area, head a bit further west is my advice.

[Jimmy Burma]

Also, as for what this area is called your best bet is probably just "Midtown". You could say you live east of the Plaza or west of Troost or maybe even South Plaza well not really but closer to Southmoreland but really it's easiest to just call it Midtown as this covers all of the area's mentioned; technically anyhow.

[kcmo]

South Hyde Park or Rockhill are probably what you would call that area. You are close to KC's eastside, but I don't think it's as bad as as Jimmy B seems to make it out to be. You can walk 2 blocks and there will be millon dollar homes or you can walk 2 blocks and see something that is more "ghetto". But Troost in that corridor is really not bad. Lots of businesses, busy area. The gates on Cleaver and Paseo is one of the best BBQ places in the city and it's totally safe.

It really just depends on your tollerance of urban areas though.

[OneKC]

I think as Jimmy says, the worst thing you'll experience is interacting with "loonies". You likely won't experience violent crime.

[TabulaRasa]

I would call that area Rockhill, probably.

When we lived on the Plaza, we used to walk all over the general area and through that area often. It can be seedy in patches once you get that far east of the Plaza, but not so badly that I ever felt uncomfortable walking it. You're still awfully close to the Plaza, Kauffman Foundation, Nelson-Atkins, etc. It's far from the sketchiest part of town, or the sketchiest part of Troost, for that matter, but, yeah, you're gonna see some grit. All shiny and glittery a few blocks to the west, though!

[famusdarlin]

Agree with TabulaRasa and KCMO. Don't walk to Troost once it gets dark, but during the day you should be fine. I would call it Rockhill, but it could also be called South Hyde Park, I suppose.

I actually like the area and once you are off Emanual Cleaver there are some really expensive homes in the area. just north of Emanual Cleaver.

[Jimmy Burma]

Well, like I said before it is definitely a "central" location in Kansas City. It's pretty easy to get to a lot of places that you may (?) want to go like UMKC, Rockhurst, Art Institute, Nelson Atkins Museum, etc. Don't get me wrong I like this part of town and spent many years here and no not mostly in my car but walking to work and school every day; by choice that is...a neighborhood is very different and much more personal when your out walking in it every day. There are some very nice homes around this part of Cleaver and I love the Nelson and Art Institute area but I'd feel dishonest if I painted some rosy, "I'm a yuppie and only walk the hood when I go out to walk my dogs or jog", type picture. There is crime in this area and quite a bit. Check a KCMO Police Crime map and see what you think? Oh yeah, the Gates on Cleaver is clean and a great place to eat, absolutely love it when in town but it is not a "totally safe" area. For starters there is no such thing and secondly I recall more than a few shootings at the Gas Station right across from this Gates at Cleaver and The Paseo. Also, google sex offenders in KC and look at how many you come up with in this area?

Ashley, you'd probably be okay here but it's little things that add up like do you feel comfortable walking from your car to your building after dark, etc and some of these "urban" yuppies on this site paint a different picture of what it's really like because they're really not "city" people. Just grown up suburban kids who move to some allegedly ideal "urban" bubble, spend most of their time in their cars (still) and then preach about how safe it is, right? I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be comfortable with a female relative living there, without a male or female companion, roommate, etc. Take it for what it's worth.

[Jimmy Burma]

Typo

"wouldn't be comfortable with a female relative living there, without a male or female companion, roommate, etc. Take it for what it's worth."

What I meant to type was:

"I would be lying if I said I would be comfortable with a female relative or friend living there by themselves." I type too damn fast some times. Anyhow, good luck with whatever you decide and No KC is not all that bad or negative...there is plenty to enjoy from the food, to the arts, etc. KC can be a lot of fun and even educational though many of people I know from the Coast's are amazed at the statement. It is a fairly big city though and has it's share of crime and grime, actually a little bit more than a city of it's size should have so just be aware of your surroundings, esp at night and maybe carry some pepper spray and you'll be fine. Good luck again.

Jimmy B

[MrsMo]

Last time I drove through that area was a few months ago and it seems as if it was going through some "rehab". Some of the houses are being remodeled. DH doesn't work in that area anymore so it has been a few months since I've been there.