Best overall place to buy a home for $40K - 60K all things considered.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I was going to ignore this reply (the OP will find out soon enough they are wasting their type looking for 100k homes in Blue Valley ).

But on a serious note, and this is a serious question that I honestly don't know the answer too. What is the deal with creation vs evolution in Kansas schools? It was a real wake up call for me to see how many people across the country know about this issue and how people assume that Kansas schools teach religion rather than science.

So what’s the deal? So do they teach creation or not? Do they teach both? Is all this just total hogwash from all the David Letterman and Jay Leno monologs for something that never even materialized?

You have to know and I would like to know.

The price point went up to $140k, and believe it or not, you can send your kids to a BV school and live in a house for that price. It's certainly the low end of the market, but if it were me, that's what I would do. Personally, I prefer to live in a more modest house in a higher priced neighborhood than to live in the most expensive house in a lower priced neighborhood, but that's just a personal preference wrt real estate.

You can absolutely get more square footage for your money in some of the other areas. But I honestly believe that SM and BV offer the best in public school education, so IMO they are worth looking into.

Anyway, regarding the religion stuff. It's 99% hogwash that has been WAY overhyped, to the point that the actual reality can barely be remembered anymore.

Several years ago, there was something that went out saying that creationism was being added to the curriculum in KS schools. Now I have friends who teach in KS public schools all over the state and all of them said it was much ado about nothing, it didn't change anything about how they were teaching and I think the issue was dropped altogether after a short period of time. (this is all from memory, so someone else may have better information, I will check with some friends and post corrections if need be.)

What it did more than anything was make KS the butt of endless jokes, which is unfortunate, because no Midwestern state needs any help when it comes to looking like "Bible thumping hicks," am I right?

The fact is that in many of the more rural districts (and not just in KS) there is still a lot of religious influence in the public schools. More so than there should be, IMO simply because there is so little religious diversity out on the plains. But the state curriculum is the same across the board and creationism is NOT taught as science.

One of the things I love about the SM and BV districts and one of the reasons we chose the area we did when we moved, is that there is more religious diversity here. Christians are still the majority, but there is also a significant Jewish population as well as several other faiths, agnostics and non-believers, that it tends to keep some checks and balances going.

All things in moderation ....

[Ashfork]

Thanks to all who have replied. The information has diffidently shortened the learning curve for our transition.

It looks like for the price points we are at the “Finalists” would most likely be: Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley, North Kansas City SD, Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit. I will have to see what area has the best bang for the $$ now. I don’t mind if we find a modest fixer upper because we have done this before.

The two things I was hoping this community could comment on would be: Which area of the list above, unless I have left out an area that should defiantly be considered, would most likely be the area that appreciates the fastest or the most in 5 years? Second, which area above would offer the overall best overall sports programs both at the high school and in the community? (Bobby Sox Softball, Little League Baseball)

Thanks’ again for all of your opinions.

[Samantha S]

This is probably a pretty accurate recap:

Kansas evolution hearings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It also notes toward the end that KS isn't the only state to have gone through this ridiculous "debate" but it was KS who caught the brunt of the criticism nationwide.

Again, it's unfortunate, but par for the course. With the Wizard of Oz legacy to boot, KS is a fun and easy target.

To be honest, it really doesn't bother me. Ignorant people are everywhere and I can't waste energy getting worked up over what ignorant people think or don't think about where I live. <shrug>

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by Ashfork

Thanks to all who have replied. The information has diffidently shortened the learning curve for our transition.

It looks like for the price points we are at the “Finalists” would most likely be: Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley, North Kansas City SD, Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit. I will have to see what area has the best bang for the $$ now. I don’t mind if we find a modest fixer upper because we have done this before.

The two things I was hoping this community could comment on would be: Which area of the list above, unless I have left out an area that should defiantly be considered, would most likely be the area that appreciates the fastest or the most in 5 years? Second, which area above would offer the overall best overall sports programs both at the high school and in the community? (Bobby Sox Softball, Little League Baseball)

Thanks’ again for all of your opinions.

For real estate appreciation and sports programs, my vote is still SM and BV (but I am biased toward these areas anyway, so take that FWIW.) In SM district, you will most certainly find a house in your price range, but I would lean toward SM East as a first choice and look for a house in Overland Park (as Prairie Village tends to be pricier.)

Again, best of luck! I have a real estate agent that I love, if you don't already have one you can send me a direct message and I will give you his contact info. Also check out Reece & Nichols Real Estate, Mortgage and Title Experts | Reece & Nichols Real Estate, Mortgage, Closing Title Experts to get an idea of what's for sale across the metro.

[kcmo]

Thanks for the info Samantha, I was hoping it was just a bunch of BS. But the damage appears to be done.

Ashfork, here is a comprehensive thread on Blue Springs. Should be more helpful...

//www.city-data.com/forum/kansa...l#post13289784