Best towns in Johnson County (family friendly, schools, neighborhoods etc) (Kansas City: real estate, how much)

[elibry]

Planning a trip out to JOCO for my initial visit. We will be relocating the KC area. This trip I will focus on JOCO. I would like some input on which towns I should concentrate. We are an active family with 2 school aged kids. Thanks for your input.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by elibry

Planning a trip out to JOCO for my initial visit. We will be relocating the KC area. This trip I will focus on JOCO. I would like some input on which towns I should concentrate. We are an active family with 2 school aged kids. Thanks for your input.

I much prefer the eastern and northeast part of JOCO that are a bit older and more established. Granted, you won't find any "historic" houses as the vast majority were built after 1900. Basically, most of the nicest parts of JOCO are closest to the Missouri state line. If you can afford the higher $$$ go for Leawood. Leawood city limits stretch both north of 435 and south of it. I also like parts of old Overland Park, Prairie Village, Westwood, and Fairway. The further southwest you go in JOCO the lower $ the real estate costs, but you often get what you pay for. School districts are very large. Shawnee Mission (inside the 435 loop). Blue Valley- south of 435 loop. Olathe is the other large district. If you like nice heavily wooded neighborhoods with a more Midwest feel go for NE JOCO. If you like a McMansion on the Plains with few trees go for Olathe.

[elibry]

We are looking for woodlands/trees. I was quite concerned when I took a look on google earth...culdesac after culdesac. I will def look into NE JOCO. thanks for the input.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by elibry

We are looking for woodlands/trees. I was quite concerned when I took a look on google earth...culdesac after culdesac. I will def look into NE JOCO. thanks for the input.

Check out the 66215 zip code, there is a lot of green space in through there and older neighborhoods. Trail system ties into Shawnee Mission Park out to the west of 435.

If you want even more space there are areas that are much less developed west of the 435 corridor in Shawnee and Lenexa.

You haven't given us much to go on in terms of your wants vs. must haves etc.

Best of luck with your move.

[MOKAN]

I also really like northeastern and eastern JoCo, which are the oldest, most established, and most stable neighborhoods. These are the "seed" neighborhoods from which JoCo sprung. Most were developed by JC Nichols, who developed the Country Club Plaza, Brookside, Ward Parkway, etc. on the Missouri side, as well as Mission Hills, KS, the single most wealthy, exclusive, and prestigious area in KC. The northeast and eastern JoCo neighborhoods seamlessly blend with those on the Missouri side and State Line Road through much of the area is merely a narrow, two-lane neighborhood street. Originally and I guess it's still true today the Plaza served very much as a "downtown" to these areas, or an uptown to KC and its wealthy neighborhoods like many cities have.

The downside to northeastern JoCo is that the majority of the houses are from the 1940s and 1950s and are tiny. Think an average of 3 bedroom/1 bathish, 1000 sq ft. But of course they are expensive for their size as price per sq ft is expensive in this coveted area. Another downside is that the houses being from the 1940s and 1950s means many are downright ugly, as opposed to the fantastic tudor, colonial, craftsman, etc. architecture from the 1920s and 1930s on the otherside of the street in Missouri. However, there are also houses like those in Missouri, but they are few, and mostly in Fairway and Mission Hills, which are both very expensive, although the former is much more approachable.

All that said, the southern end of Prairie Village and Leawood north of 435, which might be better called eastern JoCo, offer huge upscale ranch and other houses from I believe the 1960s and 1970s, that are going to be priced higher than average per sq ft, but much more approachable and still an established area with mature tree-lined streets and neighborhood retail within possible walking distance (95th Street). Northern Leawood also has Mission Farms, a development with upscale restaurants.

The coolest things about Fairway and Prairie Village, besides living mere blocks from the old mansions of Mission Hills and despite the small houses, is that all of the neighborhoods are wrapped around nostalgic (but not quite semi-urban like Brookside) neighborhood retail nodes with grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants etc. The PV shops even has a small Macy's.

BTW, Overland Park has neighborhoods adjacent to all of the above and will tend to have cheaper housing cost.

Prairie Village Shops (north): The Village Shopping Center, Prairie Village, KS | Home

Corinth Shops (southern PV): Corinth Square Shopping Center, Prairie Village, KS | Home

Mission Farms: Mission Farms: Home

The Fairway shops don't seem to have a website, but they're similar to the above and on Shawnee Mission Parkway.

This whole area leans wealthy to the extent that a great deal of the kids are in private school despite the area being served by Shawnee Mission East High School, one of the best in the KC area and its student demographics are very similar to what you'd find in private schools. The area also leans urban-oriented and the residents are very involved in KCMO which is a bit peculiar because of the state line, but that's how KC rolls, I guess. Might not be what you're looking for, but it's a nice area.

As for other areas Blue Valley (Leawood and OP south of 435) is uber suburbia with a strong corporate and wealthy presence. Olathe has a bit of that but is much more humble and mixed economically and actually has a strong blue-collar employment base. The rest of the Shawnee Mission school district (inside 435) outside SM East is mostly modest with cheaper, older housing. Western Shawnee is hilly and forested, and actually in the Desoto school district, which is a small town west of Shawnee, which while suburban will offer more of a small town vibe. Then there are other areas in far southwest JoCo that offer small town living but are growing rapidly and have good schools: Gardener, Edgerton, Spring Hill, etc.

[elibry]

We want some land (.5-1.0 acre). We would like a newer home, however if there was a Tudor style that was updated we would consider. School districts are important. We would like to live in a town that has a nice sense of community. Also, we need some green space, not development after development.

[luzianne]

I did most of my growing up in the 66217 zip code, with a view of Tomahawk Country Club/Shawnee Mission Park. It was more open space back then, but there are still homes with acreage. And the 0.5 to 1 acre you are looking for, you might be able to find in places like Prairie Village as well, depending on how much you are planning to spend. There is also acreage out south in the Stilwell area. Someone mentioned the houses in Prairie Village being older, and a lot of them were built in the mid to late 1950s, but there are also newer homes and some even brand new, where houses have been torn down and rebuilt. Do you have a price range? Town and Country Estates in Prairie Village might be worth considering, or Somerset Acres.

I have lived in the Kansas City area nearly all of my 53 years. I have lived in Clay, Platte, Carroll and Jackson County on the Missouri side (although Carroll county isn't exactly the Kansas City area), and Wyandotte, Douglas, Miami and Johnson County on the Kansas side (Miami and Douglas counties not considered KC area). I like Johnson County the best of all the places I have lived. I like the feel of it. It has changed a lot the last 20 - 30 years, but exactly the same as it used to be, but I still prefer it to anywhere else.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by elibry

We want some land (.5-1.0 acre). We would like a newer home, however if there was a Tudor style that was updated we would consider. School districts are important. We would like to live in a town that has a nice sense of community. Also, we need some green space, not development after development.

You didn't specificially mention a price point, but I would suggest old Leawood (north of 435) would fit what you are looking for. Probably not as many tudors, but mostly .5 to 1.0 acre lot sizes. I like the Lee Boulevard area between 83 and 103rd streets.

[elibry]

not really certain about price point yet....probably 450-550 range.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by elibry

not really certain about price point yet....probably 450-550 range.

Leawood would be an excellent choice in that range.