Moving to Kansas City in a month (Overland, North Kansas City: real estate, apartment)

[Lawstcause]

I am taking a new job in Kansas City and will be working around the Plaza area (around 47th and Belleville). It will be me, my wife and two dogs. Any ideas of where to live, moving from the west coast. I wll be making in the range of $60,000 plus whatever my wife can get if she can find a job. Would like to either rent or buy a house in a good neighborhood.

Any help would be appreciated. Also can someone recommend a site to get to know KC better?

Thanks,

Donald

[kcmo]

Hey Donald,

I think if you offer some more details, you can get more specific help.

I know you don't have kids, but are good public schools something you need anytime soon?
Do you want suburban or urban?
If urban, what type? Highrise? apartment? row house? historic? new construction?
If suburban, what type, close in? outer?
Have you thought about which side of state line you prefer?
How long of a commute?
Do you want to be near transit?
Do you want walkable? Eclectic? Close to parks or dog parks?

[Lawstcause]

Public Schools - Probably
Suburban,
close in
either side of state line
commute - 45 min max
Near transit would be great
Walkable, parks and dog parks

[MOKAN]

Are you looking to buy a house? What is your price range?

I think Brookside or Waldo would be great if you can do without public schools, and which one of those neighborhoods is best for you depends both on your budget and personal preference. Brookside is more upscale, more expensive, and more family oriented. Waldo is nice but not necessarily upscale, is less expensive, and younger. Both Brookside and Waldo are older, street-car suburban areas within the Kansas City city limits.

If you want great public schools, more typical suburban (ranch houses), and to be close in, I would recommend northeast Johnson County and anything within the Shawnee Mission East High School area. Prairie Village has two areas that are walkable - the north side around the Prairie Village shops (71st and Mission Rd) and the south side around Corinth Square (83rd and Mission Rd). The northern half of Prairie Village tends to have smaller homes, but is older and more charming in my opinion. The southern half has some larger houses and is more modern. Fairway - which is just off the Plaza and between there and Prairie Village - is expensive, but it has a walkable area around the Fairway Shops (Shawnee Mission PKWY and Belinder). Westwood is nice and somewhat walkable. These areas overall have a bit more upscale vibe, even despite some smaller housing stock.

Northern Overland Park, Mission, and Roeland Park in northeast are good options too. They have a variety of housing, but much of it tends to be smaller ranch-style houses. Mission has a main street of sorts along Johnson Dr. Roeland Park and northern Overland Park are somewhat walkable, but rather suburban in nature. These cities, I think, are in the Shawnee Mission North High School feeder area. Shawnee Mission East is the better high school, so I would assume its feeder schools are better, but I don't doubt Shawnee Mission North's feeder schools are good schools too. These areas are a bit more humble, but are still nice and desirable.

I may have jumped the gun here and if you want a more suburban/newer area than those I've described, I guess I or somebody else will have to fill you in on that.

[MOKAN]

The website below is great for searching locally and has a search-by-map feature:

Reece & Nichols is Kansas City's Real Estate Expert

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

I think MOKAN's recommendations are good. Brookside or Waldo would be the way to go if walkability and transit are important. Prairie Village/NE JoCo if you want more public school options or newer construction (relative to Brookside).

As far as other sites to get to know KC better -if you're looking for other discussion forums, you could check out kcrag.com and reddit.com/r/kansascity.

Or, check out this thread for a good overview of KC and it's attractions:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/kansa...ad-if-you.html

[pacificwhim]

Because of the schools, I think Prairie Village would be my first recommendation. It's a very nice inner ring suburb, nice housing stock but not overly expensive, a prospering retail center, and some well-maintained parks. It's right across the state line, so you'd be close to amenities like the Plaza, the museums, and UMKC.

[SPonteKC]

North Kansas City, Westwood, Prairie Village, Waldo/Brookside

[PVPete]

Originally Posted by pacificwhim

Because of the schools, I think Prairie Village would be my first recommendation. It's a very nice inner ring suburb, nice housing stock but not overly expensive, a prospering retail center, and some well-maintained parks. It's right across the state line, so you'd be close to amenities like the Plaza, the museums, and UMKC.

I, of course, endorse this! PV is terrific.

To get to know KC better:

kansascity.com
pitch.com
kcrag.com