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Old 04-20-2010, 10:35 AM
 
4 posts, read 9,485 times
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I will be moving to Kansas City and am trying trying to find the best schools in the area for my 3 sons. I would commute to live in a great school district however the north side (near the KS/MO border) would be closer to work. An established area with relatively steady house values would be ideal-is there a most desirable area? I was also curious to know if there are significantly higher/lower taxes in one state/area or the other. Any insight about the area is appreciated. Previously, I have only lived in the South (I'm an Orlando native living in Austin, TX...so basically I'm clueless as to where to begin).
Thanks in advance for your input!
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Old 04-20-2010, 12:18 PM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
448 posts, read 1,459,776 times
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Well, welcome to Kansas City. I think you will find that people in Kansas City are relatively friendly similar to people in the South. Just not the same level of hospitality.

If you are working up north you can find great schools in the area. Look at Park Hill and Liberty. If income tax is of particular interest and you are not already working in Kansas City you can avoid a 1% tax by living in a city that is not Kansas City. Liberty has great schools, some small town feel and most of the stores and resturants you would want to find close to home. Parkville is in Park Hill school district, excellent high schools, close to the airport and downtown. There is also Gladstone which is right in the middle of Kansas City North, I would not say that the city of Gladstone has it's own seperate identity, but you are right in the middle of everything and close to downtown. North Kansas City has a cute downtown, lots of industrial space and is going to be as close as you can get to downtown.

Good luck and if you have any additional specific questions I'm sure I can give you more detailed information.
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Old 04-20-2010, 02:13 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC area
11,108 posts, read 23,911,879 times
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You will find what you are looking for in Platte County. Start with Platte Woods and work your way out from there. Lots of great areas with great schools etc. I wouldn't worry too much about the etax at this point, just try to find a house and area you like then think about the etax or any other taxes. Trying to find a home in the Northland AND avoiding the etax will really limit your options since most of the Northland is in KC,MO, especially the newer and faster growing parts.

Sorry famusdarlin, just my opinion, hope you don't mind me saying that
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Old 04-20-2010, 06:26 PM
 
1,662 posts, read 4,506,655 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsward77 View Post
I will be moving to Kansas City and am trying trying to find the best schools in the area for my 3 sons. I would commute to live in a great school district however the north side (near the KS/MO border) would be closer to work. An established area with relatively steady house values would be ideal-is there a most desirable area? I was also curious to know if there are significantly higher/lower taxes in one state/area or the other. Any insight about the area is appreciated. Previously, I have only lived in the South (I'm an Orlando native living in Austin, TX...so basically I'm clueless as to where to begin).
Thanks in advance for your input!
My recommendation to anyone moving to the area who mentions "best schools" as a top priority is to check out the Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission districts of Johnson County on the KS side. These are the two best public school options in the area in my opinion (and not just because my kids go there .) Others are good, some are great even, but these are the two best IMO.

JoCo is also generally considered one of the, if not the "most desirable" areas in general. Now that doesn't mean it's "most desired" by everyone. Certainly not, and there are plenty of great places to live all over the metro. But JoCo has some of the highest property values and the metro in general has held them relatively well. This means you will pay more for a house in JoCo than you will for a comparable house in the Northland or the like. Personally, it is worth it for us, I wouldn't live anywhere else, even though it means a slightly longer commute.

If you need a good agent (not me!) to show you around you can PM me and I will give you contact info. Reece & Nichols Real Estate, Mortgage and Title Experts | Reece & Nichols Real Estate, Mortgage, Closing Title Experts is also a good place to start. You can search based on schools or school districts. You don't mention what price point for a house you would be looking for. For an average 4BR in Blue Valley district, you should plan on starting around $250k. Overland Park is a little less expensive than Leawood, both are very nice. Leawood is generally considered "nicer". Mission Hills is generally considered "nicest" and is in the SM district. But your basic 4BR will start closer to $700k and most of your neighbors will be living in "2 comma" homes.

Taxes in the end are pretty close on either side of the state line. Working in Mo and living in KS or vice versa is no big deal so I wouldn't let that be a factor in your decision making.

Best of luck to you! And Welcome!
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Old 04-20-2010, 09:00 PM
 
4 posts, read 9,485 times
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I'd like to thank each one of you for taking the time to answer my questions! It's great that there are so many people who love where they live. It speaks well of the area in general and makes me excited about the move.
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Old 04-21-2010, 12:05 PM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
448 posts, read 1,459,776 times
Reputation: 86
no problem KCMO. I just brought that up since taxes seemed to be on the OP mind, not usually soemthing I even address since it is so small. We pay Kansas City taxes and personally dont really miss the money.
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Old 04-21-2010, 06:18 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC area
11,108 posts, read 23,911,879 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by famusdarlin View Post
no problem KCMO. I just brought that up since taxes seemed to be on the OP mind, not usually soemthing I even address since it is so small. We pay Kansas City taxes and personally dont really miss the money.
Cool, don't want to offend anybody .
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Old 04-21-2010, 06:43 PM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
448 posts, read 1,459,776 times
Reputation: 86
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Originally Posted by kcmo View Post
Cool, don't want to offend anybody .
LOL
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Old 04-24-2010, 08:03 PM
 
2,153 posts, read 5,540,943 times
Reputation: 655
Quote:
Originally Posted by kcmo View Post
You will find what you are looking for in Platte County. Start with Platte Woods and work your way out from there. Lots of great areas with great schools etc. I wouldn't worry too much about the etax at this point, just try to find a house and area you like then think about the etax or any other taxes. Trying to find a home in the Northland AND avoiding the etax will really limit your options since most of the Northland is in KC,MO, especially the newer and faster growing parts.

Sorry famusdarlin, just my opinion, hope you don't mind me saying that
Look Park Hill School District. Doesn't matter if it is Riverside, KC MO or Platte Woods (I think that gets them all but there might be some smaller areas). Don't let anyone fool you. Northland is the place to be in Kansas City and the Park Hill school district is the best in the area. Riverside is about 3,000 people. Parkville is about 4,000. Platte Woods is about 500 I think. The rest is KC MO, so don't let that scare you. Most areas are the exact same with just a KC MO address.
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Old 05-15-2010, 03:52 PM
 
278 posts, read 623,105 times
Reputation: 173
My husband and I moved here from Illinois about 20 years ago. We live in Overland Park. I have loved it since day one. Kansas City's public school district, IN MY OPINION, is awful and sad. Twenty nine schools have closed. When we first moved here I wanted to live closer to the plaza but could not afford a private school for our kids. I'm glad we moved here, the public schools are fantastic!!!!!!! And I'm picky. We will soon be moving to Phoenix and I will miss Kansas City. It's a beautiful city with so much to do. Good luck to you and I believe you will enjoy it here.
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