HistoryProf

I got a new job and am moving to Kansas City next month. I'll be working in Lenexa - the western edge of the burb in fact - so will be looking around there, with Olathe and Overland Park the obvious spots for an Apartment. It is off of w. 95th (Prairie Star Pkwy?) near I435 if that helps. I will be moving down initially alone as our house needs some work to get ready to sell, and it is our daughter's last year in her school so we decided to let her finish that out in the coming school year to ease the transition for her. I'm an academic who is in desperate need of time to get my own writing done, so we are treating it a bit like a sabbatical in that sense....i'll do my gig down there and get some writing done and save money to move next year into a house.

So, what that means is that I need a cheap but nice apartment in that area and would like to hear more about the overall Metro KC life. If anyone can recommend a complex or neighborhood in the vicinity of 95th/I-435 I would be most grateful. Otherwise, I am of course most interested in theaters - film festivals, art house fare, or at least access to it, etc. I'm encouraged to be on that end of the metro limits since it's a quick shot to Lawrence too - anything going on there in the world of cinema?

What about the World War I Museum? Parks/hiking/swimming? the latter is a big concern of my daughter's - we live in northern Michigan a mile from Lake Michigan and she LOVES to swim. I see the Shawnee Mission Park just north of Lenexa looks nice...any other good spots? what's the outlaying terrain like? Any hills around? How far for some good woodsy wilderness?

Outside of those small specifics, just fill me in on what it's like to live there! Anything you love about it? Hate? I'm pretty excited, as I've heard nothing but positive things, housing costs are incredibly affordable, and the cost of living seems to be lower than average as well.

Bacon

good BBQ (so I've heard) not sure if KC has bacon

TomOpus

I'll be moving to KC later this year so will be watching this thread for ideas.

I've been visiting KC for almost a year now... usually every month or so. I'll wait to see what others say before chiming in with the viewpoint of a non-resident.

atlantamoi

Other people are probably going to give you much better advice, but living on the south side of town was quite nice. My parents lived in Leawood, not too far from Overland Park, from '89 to '96. I used to go to Westport all the time for good bands, record shops and a funkier type setting. This was long enough ago that I hesitate to get very specific. I'll just say that I was impressed with Kansas City and the two areas you mentioned look like great areas to live with a family.

dan30oly

I spent a weekend in Kansas City a couple of years back and really liked it.

The World War 1 museum was great, and there was great BBQ.

One thing though, I'm from the northwest and wasn't used to the humidity in the summer out there. That kinda sucked, and I was told that it was far worse the day before.

Great place to visit, not sure if I'd want to live there though. I'd need to spend more time there, but definitely want to visit again.

Kicker_of_Elves

Go to Oklahoma Joe's and http://thebbqshack.com/ for good BBQ. I haven't been to the Shack yet but my buddy that lives down there says it's the best he's ever had.

Vibiana

Lifelong Kansas City area resident here.

Lenexa is one of the Johnson County suburbs. Johnson County = Think Orange County in California, very Republican. If you don't have kids and school districts to worry about, I would recommend living almost anyplace else than there just because there are neat areas that Johnson County people never seem to go because they're not lily white.

I work in Johnson County and live in Wyandotte County, which is considered the poor side of town. Housing is much cheaper here, but taxes are higher.

If you're going to work in Lenexa, I would suggest looking for housing in Edwardsville, it's on the west side of the metro area and has a small town feel. It would be an easy commute for you.

Vibiana

Vibiana

Not really. KCK is more industrial and is the poor side of town. KCMO is the bigger city with the art, music, and polish that KCK lacks.

I have lived in KCK for thirteen years. I lived in KCMO for just two years, in the early 90s. Their city council is a joke, their school district is lousy, and their mayor is a laughingstock. In other words, I don't miss it. I grew up in the Missouri suburb of Independence and have lived north of the river in those suburbs, but like where I am now, in the centrally located 'hood of KCK.

Quatermass

They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.


Also...
Everything's up to date in Kansas City.

HistoryProf

thanks for the tip....google says it's 15 minutes from Edwardsville to the archives....is there any kind of rush hour to contend with on 435S in the morning and North in the evening? seems on the edge of the metro area, so is it lighter than the city bound hwys?

Numanoid

Yeah, I had heard that they don't let Polish people live in Kansas. Doesn't seem right.

Vibiana

If you're working in Lenexa you'll be getting off 435 on maybe 87th or 95th, right? The traffic shouldn't be too bad on that part of 435 between Edwardsville and south. Farther down, like Olathe and Overland Park, is pretty congested during rush hours.

Vibiana

Ha! Actually, KCK had a pretty big population of Eastern Europeans back in the day. Google "Strawberry Hill" neighborhood.

Minor Threat

Hey Brizz - you can find my contact info where you don't seem to be anymore. If you don't want to go there hit me up with a PM or I can blather away in this thread for all to see. I lived here all my life ( ) on both sides of town and spent a hella lot of time in Lawrence.

rw2516

Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Chiefs
2012 All-Star Game
Negro League Baseball Museum
19th and Vine District with Kansas City Jazz Musuem
Sprint Center-big shows like Springsteen,McCartney, etc.
Several other venues for concerts and shows
NASCAR track-one race per year
Harry S. Truman Library
Worlds of Fun amusement park
Oceans of Fun water park
Lots of old west history-starting point of Santa Fe,Oregon and California Trails. I worked in a building that had a bank robbed by Jesse James on the first floor.
Union Station-big historical train depot. Location of Kansas City Massacre, shootout between gansters and FBI. Now used for scientific exibitions, if they haven't closed down for lack of funds.

TomOpus

I would like to mention that on my last visit during Memorial Day, we went to see their local minor league team the T-Bones play. The park is located over by Legends. It's a fun day watching a baseball game. Tix are cheap and lots of different food to eat.

calhoun07

I've lived in the area (on the MO side) for about 13 years now. I moved here from the Twin Cities area in Minnesota after completing school because there was a job opportunity here and the cost of living was substantially lower than it was in the Twin Cities. While there are certainly things I miss about the Twin Cities, I find the Kansas City area to be a bit more like how my mom describes the Twin Cities area when she was growing up. The Twin Cities has become more and more developed and crowded over the past quarter century plus and a lot of the open areas have been bulldozed and developed over. At least Kansas City still has that left for it...there's plenty of open areas here and living in the suburbs of Kansas City and driving from one suburb to another is almost like driving through the country. I do like it for that and it's not so overwhelmingly huge. It's easy to get around and you can find just about anything you want to do in a ten mile radius from wherever you decide to live.

I don't live in the most affluent of areas but I don't live in the worst either.

Bluelitespecial

Lifelong Kansas City Resident here. I say just find a place to live in Lenexa. Traveling I-35 or 435 in the morning its best to avoid it. I saw you mentioned Shawnee Mission Park for Swimming, its lake is really meant for fishing. There are plenty of local public pools.

The weather is kind of a love/hate thing for me. Summers right now we are dealing with a lot of rain. But once it dries out and the heat comes in July/August, it will be 90s or higher and high humidity. By fall you will be begging for cooler temperatures. The only two months I hate living here are January and February, the winters here can be pretty depressing.

and Btw Baconfest is in the West Bottoms August 29th.

http://pressreleases.kcstar.com/?q=node/21947

Minor Threat

All you fuckers chiming in on how great this place is and all but one of you bitches missed the otter meat here a while back. I'm ashamed and repulsed - you make me sick.























































*ok - I'm over it now.....

HistoryProf

the only thing about getting a place in lenexa is that it was suggested to me that it's far more expensive there than adjacent communities. Any truth to that?

And yes, i'm pretty much right at 95th and 435 if that makes a difference...

smashthesymbols

I never knew there were so many Kansas City people on here.

I was all prepared to help until I saw that your questions are all Johnson County based. At that point my only advice is to not live in Johnson County.

Minor Threat

That's not necessarily true at all. A lot depends on what ammenities you are looking for and how close you need/want to be to your job location. There are at least a dozen properties to consider on 95th street from I-435 and I-69 that could work.

Minor Threat

School is an issue so KC, MO is easily out of the question, a no-brainer really.

smashthesymbols

I wouldn't recommend KCMO either especially since schools are important. I just really dislike Johnson County.