Young Professional Looking for Apartment Advice (Overland, Union: wood floors, apartments, rental homes)

[TX_Guy]

Hi All,

I am a young professional (20's) looking for apartment/living advice in KC. I might be transferring jobs from our Dallas, TX office to our Overland Park, KC office and have been researching places to live. I have never even been to Kansas/Missouri, so I really have no idea where to start.

I don't want to live too far away from work (OP), but I definitely want to live somewhere with a younger crowd where I can easily meet people. I prefer to be in walking distance of bars/restaurants or other places to hang out. I do have a dog, so I need somewhere that's pet friendly, and would like to stay under $1200 a month for a 1BD/1BA (I'm not familiar with KC apartment prices so not too sure what that will actually get me).

Besides being in a "trendy" or younger professional neighborhood, I'd like something that's relatively nice (wood floors and stainless appliances), and within walking distance to a park or jogging trails. Aside from that I am pretty flexible.

What districts should I be looking in? Price range? Any additional tips or advise is appreciated. Thanks!

[xenokc]

Overland Park has a lot of young professionals but not with pedestrian scale neighborhoods - you have to drive to do anything. You'll need to weigh city living in KCMO with staying near work.

Downtown is a straight shot and reverse commute to OP so may be the easiest access, but downtown doesn't have as much daily energy as Midtown - except for when events are going on. River Market and Union Hill have a lot of young professionals otherwise. Midtown/Westport/Plaza area has more day to day energy with more active parks (Mill Creek and Loose Park), so may be more what you are looking for, but not as easy commute to OP as downtown.

If you want Google's upcoming cheap Gigibit fiber internet, you'll also want to be in KCMO as the county in OP (JoCo) is not getting it. Lenexa (next to OP) does have Surewest fiber but is not cheap. Google should be available in KCMO by June or July.

Here's a guide of the city core...
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1238514/pics/bus/maxmwk.gif

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

I would highly recommend living in KCMO, rather than OP. The commute shouldn't be too bad and KC has much more to offer for what you're looking for.

Cost of living is quite low here, so $1200 for a 1 bed apt will get you pretty far - you shouldn't be priced out of any particular neighborhood.

I would recommend looking anywhere in the urban core of the city, which I would say goes from the Plaza on the South (48th St.) up to the River Market (North boundary of the Missouri River) to State Line Rd. on the West and Troost Ave on the East.

If parks and jogging trails are a top priority, you would probably want to stay in the Plaza/Westport/Midtown areas.

I think there are two ideal matches for your specifications:
around the 39th St West area - neighborhoods like Roanoke or Volker would give you good walkability to the restaurants/coffee shops/etc of 39th st. and you'd be near Roanoke Park

East Plaza or Southmoreland would have great park options with Mill Creek, Loose, and Southmoreland Parks, as well as the Nelson grounds. You would also have good walkability to the Plaza and all it has to offer.

You could also look into Union Hill - with walkability to Martini Corner and Penn Valley Park.

[MrIndependent]

To the original poster -

As a young professional, you may work out of Overland Park, but you probably would enjoy living elsewhere better. For your purposes, look into some neighborhoods/districts in the urban parts of KCMO.

The River Market district and then the Quality Hill district are popular for good apartments and lofts. They are essentially in the Downtown area, but don't have the exact same vibe levels (relaxed is the word).

The Plaza is another good option for you.

[TX_Guy]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I don't mind driving little ways to work (hopefully no more than 20-30mins) to be able to live in a more preferable area. Now that I've put a little more thought into it and looked at some prices, will $1200 a month get me a nice 2BD apartment in the trendy downtown KC areas referenced above (will be nice to have a spare bedroom/office)? Can anyone give me recommendations on specific buildings or developments to look at?

Thanks again!

[TX_Guy]

Can anyone give me opinions/advise about these buildings:

KC Loft Central
909 Walnut
Professional Building Lofts
Courthouse Lofts
The Manhattan
Library Lofts

Out of that list I think I like The Manhattan the best, what does everyone think?

[TabulaRasa]

Looks like you're looking to downtown, but from what you've posted, I'd strongly urge you to check out the Plaza as well.

The commute wouldn't be terrible, either...the first three years we lived in KC, my SO and I lived on the Plaza, and he was working in Olathe, even further out than OP.

I strongly recommend, as a young professional, that you look into living in KC proper, vs. Overland Park. You will thank those of us who suggest that.

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

The places that you're looking at appear to all be in the downtown central business district. I would agree with TabulaRasa and recommend expanding the area you're looking in to include the Plaza and Westport as well.

The Downtown loop is more of a 9 to 5 business district than a residential area. It has really grown in terms of residential development over the past decade, but it still does not have a huge population and is lagging behind in amenities for residents. It may not be the best place for someone with a dog who wants to be near parks.

I don't mean to dissuade you from looking at downtown living - I know plenty of people who live there and love it. If you want high rise condo-style living, it's a great place to be. I just don't want you to be under the impression that since it is in the center of downtown, it will be the most bustling, happening place, when it can be a bit dead outside of 9 to 5 or special events.

Are you able to come to KC to scout out apartments, or are you having to rent sight unseen? If you can come, it would be good to check out a variety of the urban locations to get a feel for the different vibes of the various areas and see which is the best fit for you.

[TX_Guy]

Thanks TabulaRasa & WiseOwl,

To be honest, I'm not near familiar enough with the KC area to even know which neighborhoods/districts are which. The buildings I listed above are just buildings that I liked that I found through a general apartment search website.

I'm sure I will come up and look before I have to move, but it will probably just be for a weekend and I will at least have to narrow down which neighborhoods/complexes I want to look at.

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

Here's a map of some central KC neighborhoods that may be of assistance to you:

Google Maps KC Neighborhoods

I would recommend trying to find apartments to check out in a variety of areas: Plaza, Westport, Volker, River Market, CBD, etc so you can see the different neighborhoods and get a feel of which is the best match for you.

You may want to search Craigslist in addition to apartment search websites.

Another option you may want to consider (unless you are set on an apartment): you may be able to find small bungalow rental homes in the West Plaza/ Volker area in your budget. That way, you can have a small yard for your dog and all the other perks of house living (porch, yard for bbqs, privacy, etc).