Possible Move to KCMO (St. Joseph, Houston: rent, HOA, buying a house)

[Sarah12345]

Just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to post here and answer our questions!

I appreciate all of the specific restaurant suggestions too. We'll have to check them all out when we come to visit

We can't wait to explore all of the different neighborhoods you've all brought up. When I say that we're looking for something walkable, we'd be happy if there was just one neighborhood bar, and a couple of restaurants within walking distance. And then we'd be fine also driving to other neighborhoods when we want to try other things. I know KC isn't a car free city, and we'd expect to drive to get groceries and such. It would just be nice to have that option to walk to a few places when we want to on the weekend.

Thanks again everyone!!

[TabulaRasa]

There are definitely places that fit that level of walkability, both urban and suburban. I've had that everywhere I've lived in the metro, so far.

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by Sarah12345

1) We'd like to live in a neighborhood with local shops and restaurants within walking distance. We'd prefer a house over a condo. We love old homes, and do not need a large house, or a large yard. I've read good things about Brookside. Our price range will start at $150K and could go up to $250K. Not sure if $250k is enough to get us into Brookside. Are there other similar or up and coming fun walkable neighborhoods at the cheaper price point?

2) Is there a Whole Foods in KCMO? It looks like maybe one closed, but they are also building a new one? Having trouble finding info on this. I have food allergies and having a place like Whole Foods within a 15 minute drive is pretty important. Looks like there is one in Overland Park, which might work and not be too far.

3) Speaking of Overland Park, KS, what's it like there? Is it a cute walkable suburb? We lived in Oak Park, IL, if anyone is familiar, and loved it. It is a suburb of Chicago, but very small and cute with lots of local shops and restaurants.

Brookside is definitely what you're looking for, but if you can't find what you want on your budget, don't be afraid to look southward to Waldo. It isn't as dense but there are some walkable areas and that is one of the hotter areas for young families besides Brookside.

4) What's the real estate market like in KC and the surrounding areas? There is such an influx of people moving to Austin, that homes are being overvalued, they sell within a matter of days, with multiple offers, and over asking. Has anyone noticed any trends like this in KC?

Kansas City and JoCo in particular have seen fairly robust growth in the past few decades but not like Texas. I wouldn't be surprised if KC actually grows more quickly in the next 10-20 years than it has in the past 10-20 years, however. But no, you aren't seeing explosive growth like in Austin.

5) I've read that traffic is pretty good in KC. Still true? I assume that of course there will be some traffic during rush hour, but hopefully it doesn't take 30 minutes to drive 2 miles like it does in Austin.

Pretty good overall but it's not perfect. Some areas see moderate traffic but it will likely be a breath of fresh air coming from Austin.

6) How much sunshine does KC get during the winter compared to Chicago? We really like the change of seasons, but the months and months during the winter in Chicago with no sunshine were tough.

I'm from Northwest Indiana originally, and as you know there, in the winter it's usually dark, cloudy and snowy. On the rare occasion that it is sunny, it is also usually bitterly cold, like 20 degrees or below. If it does warm up in the winter, it usually comes with rain.

Not so in KC. KC gets a LOT of sunshine in the winter compared to Chicago. There are several days in each winter month where it is quite mild AND sunny. To me, mild is 50 degrees or above for a high. I can't tell you how much of a difference that makes. Now this year has been warmer due to El Nino, but this is my third winter here and it's been the same each year. You'll get some days with highs at least in the 60s throughout the winter. This February we've had like 5 days in the 70s. You won't go more than a few days without a sunny day, unlike in Chicago where sometimes it can be weeks on end.

It definitely snows here so you get all four seasons, but KC averages like 11 inches a year compared to Chicago's 36. And it does get cold here - it will get into the single digits and sometimes below zero. But it rarely is very cold for more than a couple days.

Summers, on the other hand, can suck. I would say that summers here are quite a bit more awful than the winters. It's probably going to be better than Austin, but it will get quite hot and humid in the summer, to the point where you won't really want to go outside unless it's to go in the pool. However, for me it's only really uncomfortable in July and early August.

Spring and Fall are very long seasons here which is nice. Mild weather begins in earnest as early as late February and normally lasts well into December. Spring can bring violent weather however, similar to Texas.

7) Like I mentioned earlier, I have food allergies. It can make eating out challenging, but over time I've found several places in Austin that are very accommodating. Has anyone noticed restaurants in KC that have gluten free menus, or seem allergy friendly? Preferably local restaurants. Any specific recommendations for when we come to visit?

Waldo Pizza has a GF menu. FuD, Cafe Gratitude, and Eden Alley are all vegetarian or vegan restaurants that have a number of GF items.

[Bluefox]

Oh and also, Overland Park has a quaint downtown, but it is much more similar to a place like Naperville than it is to Oak Park. There's really nothing like Oak Park in the KC metro. Oak Park is quite a unique suburb. You should check out Lawrence, KS when you visit though. It's a bit too far to commute to Shawnee but it has a really vibrant downtown teeming with a full spectrum of restaurants, antique shops, hippy/new age shops, microbreweries, specialty and import stores, high end clothing boutiques, and all sorts of nightlife venues. It's a fun place to visit and probably the best downtown I've been to for a city of its size.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

B

It definitely snows here so you get all four seasons, but KC averages like 11 inches a year compared to Chicago's 36. And it does get cold here - it will get into the single digits and sometimes below zero. But it rarely is very cold for more than a couple days.

.

It is crazy how much the average annual snowfall has decreased in KC over time (it was around 20 inches for the entire season for quite a number of years). Average winter temperatures have really increased as well, KC does not have winter weather that is anything in common with 98% of any Midwest location, I say that from having lived in different parts of the region, including southern Wisconsin. KCI is the official weather observation station, and used to have January averages of 34F for the high and 16F for the low using 1961-1990 averages... Newer averages using the 1971-2000 period were revised upward as well as the 1981-2010 period. No surprises there. Yes, Summer heat combined with humidity is just as awful as a number of places in the Southeast or South, with somewhat less in the way of length depending on overall weather patterns. I remember that September 2000 had high temperatures of over 105F in KC. That isn't even very common in Austin for that month.

[nycrite]

I'll add that KC summers are easier than Austin's, but it's fairly close. The nice thing about KC's summer is the duration. The worst of it spans July through August. September usually transitions to cooler and dryer conditions. Sometimes, September can be awful too.

Austin's summer seem to last so long. I recall May through September to be hot most days. Even October was toasty at times. The winters were nice though.

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by nycrite

I'll add that KC summers are easier than Austin's, but it's fairly close. The nice thing about KC's summer is the duration. The worst of it spans July through August. September usually transitions to cooler and dryer conditions. Sometimes, September can be awful too.

Austin's summer seem to last so long. I recall May through September to be hot most days. Even October was toasty at times. The winters were nice though.

Yeah, that's the thing - in KC, Late March-May and Sept-Nov normally has really pleasant weather. That's a huge chunk of the year to have mild weather. I didn't turn my AC on until June I think last year, however there were some days even into October where I had it on. But mostly after August the weather is pleasant overall.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

Yeah, that's the thing - in KC, Late March-May and Sept-Nov normally has really pleasant weather. That's a huge chunk of the year to have mild weather. I didn't turn my AC on until June I think last year, however there were some days even into October where I had it on. But mostly after August the weather is pleasant overall.

My relatives indicate that it seems like leaves take longer and longer to fall off trees in the more urbanized parts of KC. Due to the urban heat island, some of the trees don't completely lose leaves until later in November. Some of the rural outlying areas with earlier frost/freeze dates lose leaves much earlier.

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

My relatives indicate that it seems like leaves take longer and longer to fall off trees in the more urbanized parts of KC. Due to the urban heat island, some of the trees don't completely lose leaves until later in November. Some of the rural outlying areas with earlier frost/freeze dates lose leaves much earlier.

Yeah, last year it was actually almost December before leaves completely fell off most trees in the many of the urban neighborhoods. It was sort of weird. Even in prior years it seemed like they fell off the trees earlier.

[TabulaRasa]

June was nearly chilly in KC last summer...it rained a ton and was cool. I was in my third trimester of pregnancy last summer, and it really didn't get very hot till mid-july. It could have been a way worse summer to conclude a pregnancy.