Young Professional moving to Kansas City (Washington, Belle: apartment complexes, rental, condo)

[UTinKC]

Hello all, I am in the process of moving to Kansas City from the southwest. My job will be primarily based out of Lenexa, but I will also spend at least one day a week in downtown KC.

I'm 24 and am looking at places to live that are good for that type of crowd. I don't have a family to worry about and am looking to rent (one bedroom would be more than enough space). I am also trying to split the difference between Lenexa and Downtown, so what are some good places I can check out that have a good young professional population? Thanks!

[kcmo]

I would try the Plaza area. It's about 4-5 miles south of Downtown and the drive (would be reverse commute) to Lenexa via Shawnee Mission Parkway and I-35 would be less than 15-20 minutes. Plaza area includes West Plaza, South Plaza, Hyde Park, Westport, Roanoke, UMKC and several others.

[Samantha S]

Lenexa and close by has quite a few apartment complexes that are reasonable and will have many your age. You will be close to work, and also within 20 min of downtown and whatever other activities you enjoy.

Unless you just really want a more urban lifestyle, then I would look more toward the plaza area. It's very nice, but can also be more expensive.

[TabulaRasa]

When we first moved here, I was working downtown, and my SO was working in Olathe (a neighbor to Lenexa)...we split the difference and lived in the Plaza...great experience, very nice, and although much of it is super upscale, there are bargains to be had, especially in the vintage buildings that haven't gone condo.

[cp1969]

I would try Quality Hill. You can walk to your one day a week downtown job and stagger home from bars every night. Might save you some DUIs. Lenexa is about a 15-20 minute easy commute because most of the traffic is going the other way.

With regard to cheap Plaza apartments, two of my daughters have lived in them in the past. One was entertaining guests one evening and, in her words, a "zoo quality" roach strolled in under the front door, checked things, and left the same way he came in.

Parking sucks down there. Both of them had their cars bashed into and no note left. Save yourself a lot of aggravation and drive a beater if you're going to live in an econo apartment on or near the Plaza.

edit: It would probably be smarter to live in Lenexa. KC has an earnings tax in which you will lose 1% of gross if you live in KCMO. So nix the Quality Hill suggestion.

[TabulaRasa]

Parking sucked where we were on the Plaza (lived in the "Poets") mainly because Roanoke at that point gets the traffic diverted off the Shawnee Mission/Ward Parkway corridor during morning rush, and Belleview, the next street over, gets it after business hours...so both those streets, which bordered the building, had major parking restrictions daily. Add in the lane closures due to the then-being-worked-on West Edge project, and parking sucked more than it does in general in KC...which ended up being a main reason we moved from there to a rented house with offstreet parking in Waldo while we were house shopping. We never had either of our cars bashed, but both of us did have our cars broken into while parked on the street in the Plaza...and, at the time, we drove beaters, with nothing in them to steal. Really, who breaks into my 14-year old Geo Metro to steal pocket change, and empty messenger bag, and an umbrella, when it's parked next to my neighbor's BMW?

[cp1969]

Umbrellas are hard to come by these days and easy to move. Why, they probably bring upwards of a dime on the street.

Is the "Poets" that group of buildings named after people, like Robert Louis Stevenson? That's the building one daughter lived in. It wasn't the roach incubator like the one the other daughter lived in, east of Jefferson and north of 47th. I can't remember the name of it.

A coworker who lived on the east side of Roanoke had his rust-bomb S-10 pickup broken into to steal a $10 stereo, which if lying on the sidewalk, neither he nor I would have bent over to pick it up. He also said he could hear the rats (yes, rats!) scurrying around at night.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by cp1969

A coworker who lived on the east side of Roanoke had his rust-bomb S-10 pickup broken into to steal a $10 stereo, which if lying on the sidewalk, neither he nor I would have bent over to pick it up. He also said he could hear the rats (yes, rats!) scurrying around at night.

I believe the word you all are looking for is "Vibrant"!!

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by cp1969

Is the "Poets" that group of buildings named after people, like Robert Louis Stevenson? That's the building one daughter lived in. It wasn't the roach incubator like the one the other daughter lived in, east of Jefferson and north of 47th. I can't remember the name of it.

The Poets are mostly named after various literary figures, several of whom aren't actually poets, at least not primarily. We lived in Washington Irving, which is at the SW corner of Roanoke and 48th Street, across from the arbor at the Bloch Cancer Survivor's park, and across from the West Edge. The only downer about it was the parking...the building itself was great...construction about the same age as the Plaza itself, lots of terra cotta work, open balconies, hardwood, sunporches, plaster crown molding, original art deco fixtures, etc. Eventually, space would have become an issue, as that particular building is all studios and 1 BRs. But it was fine as a rental for a young couple who wanted to live a block or two from restaurants, coffee shops, bars, shopping, and a movie theatre. I know the area you're talking about with the roach motel, but I'm not sure what the apts. are called. The Poets are mainly around the 48th and Roanoke intersection, about a block off Ward Parkway. It's a decent area.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

I believe the word you all are looking for is "Vibrant"!!

Yes, the Plaza...widely renowned in the bi-state area for its sh*thole tendencies.