Neighborhoods of KCK

[kalisti]

Originally Posted by KC_Sleuth

My wife and her family are immigrants. War refugees, actually. Her father fought alongside US troops in the civil war in Laos, and some years after the communists took over, he moved his family on sponsorship here and settled in KCK. The neighborhood she grew up in - and her family still lives in - is part SE Asian and part Hispanic. Becoming part of an immigrant family & community and adopting some of these customs has been an amazing, humbling experience for me. I speak a little bit of Lao - I am learning more (her older siblings don't speak as much English as she does). We married in "Buddhist-lite" ceremony. Every so often we go to temple. We go to her family's houses in KCK and eat their food (sticky rice and gao, laab are amazing dishes). Some of her cousins have married Hispanics in KCK, and I have gotten to know their families as well. It's made me a more accepting person, and a calmer person too. She grew up relatively poor in KCK (though it was paradise compared to her economic situation in Laos before she left at age 5). Yet, she went to Wyandotte High, was a great student, went to college on scholarship and became an accountant. KCK gets a bad rap, but there is some amazing stuff to be found there. We go there quite a bit and there are some great experiences to be had in these little pockets of the city.

There are definitely comprimises you have to make, too though. I strongly dislike gambling..., but it is one of the social lubricants in many of the SE Asian communities. At house parties and social gatherings, it is not uncommon to have three tables going. My wife doesn't partake, but we both check our hang-ups at the door and it's cool

I will also say our neighborhood here is largely Korean - we live relatively close to a large Korean church and frequent many of the Korean-owned shops on Metcalf and 103rd (Shout-out to Tous Les Jours & Cafe Vie). It's also pretty fun.

Thank you for this insight, it's very helpful.

Also, that area of Metcalf is one of the few areas of JoCo where I end up shopping and eating sometimes, I'll have to check those places out. We found Jen Jen's over there at 10 at night on a weeknight and our minds were blown!

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by kalisti

"I really have this longing hope for Strawberry Hill to be the next up-and-coming "cool" spot...yes, it would take some time and you would have to be patient...but right now you can buy a house there for a steal. I won't say I haven't considered it...but I just haven't taken the plunge."


Strawberry Hill won us over immediately, we would have moved there over Midtown when our lease ran out in Waldo, but we struggled to find anything for rent when we needed it. As someone looking to buy, that's favorable, though! As far as becoming a "cool" neighborhood, I could see that potential. We're fine with it staying the way it is, too. It seems stable and down to earth, and I do enjoy popping in for a pint at the little neighborhood dives down that way every once in awhile.

Strawberry Hill is cool. My husband's family is from there, and my husband taught middle school at the now-closed St. John Holy Family School. He loved the multi-ethnic character of teaching there, which was a combo of the older school Slovenian and Croatian influences and the rapidly growing influx of various hispanic at the time (he then transferred to a parish school in the Northeast in KCMO, so lots of experience with that neighborhood, which you mentioned, as well). We still get over to Strawberry Hill quite a bit, have family friends who run some of the neighborhood taverns and such. Good eats, great character.

[thriftylefty]

I grew up in the 66104 zip code and I get back quite often for family visits. I probably have well over a 100 relatives in the metro area. Most of the children of people in my generation, those born after about 70 bought home outs side 66104. There are some great buys in 66104 but I wouldn't necessarily think of all of them as investments. There are some good pockets of houses all over but they are a stones throw from a run down area. I used to like the area around where the old Donnelly college, Catholic school and hospital used to be. There are some places on the far west end of the county and north that I like also. I think 64109 would more of an investment with everything happening in western Wyandotte Co.

[thriftylefty]

Originally Posted by thriftylefty

I grew up in the 66104 zip code and I get back quite often for family visits. I probably have well over a 100 relatives in the metro area. Most of the children of people ( in my family) in my generation, those born after about '70 bought homes outside of 66104. There are some great buys in 66104 but I wouldn't necessarily think of all of them as investments. There are some good pockets of houses all over but they are a stones throw from a run down area. I used to like the area around where the old Donnelly college, Catholic school and hospital used to be. There are some places on the far west end of the county and north that I like also. I think 66109 would more of an investment with everything happening in western Wyandotte Co.

edited

[Red On The Noodle]

There are good areas in the 66106 zip code also, where OP could get her two bathrooms and three bedroom homes. Try the Turner area around 55th Street and there is also Black Swan Lake (half of the lake is 66106).

[KC_Sleuth]

Originally Posted by Red On The Noodle

There are good areas in the 66106 zip code also, where OP could get her two bathrooms and three bedroom homes. Try the Turner area around 55th Street and there is also Black Swan Lake (half of the lake is 66106).

My sister in-law lives right near Turner and yes there are some nice houses and neighborhoods

But it sounds kinda like the OP is looking for more of a older holmes, urban feel and walkability. I don't know if I would consider the areas around Turner to be that.

[TabulaRasa]

Yeah, it sounds specifically like a vintage urban fixer-upper to revitalize is what's being sought.

[kalisti]

Yeah, you guys are right, our preference is for older homes to fix up to our liking. We wouldn't rule out a small, well maintained newer home in the right area, though. I do think Turner is getting a bit too far to the west for it to be convenient, commute-wise.

Thank you all for the replies! They have been helpful.

[cattalk1]

I lived in Olathe and Leavenworth in 2013/2014.

In Olathe, I was east of I-35 all the time and living alone/female. There were still problems with this area as I got into bad rental situation with run-down apartment complex with dangerous stairs. Got hurt so bad, had to move as 3rd floor was not possible for 4 months following this....If you are overweight or see kind of iffy-maintenance, look to make sure the stair steps have a block bolted to the stair-risers on either side of each step.

Leavenworth is too dodgy any longer with gang stalking groups of kids threatening the adults so badly, some of the military run away scared. If you didn't answer the threats or just say 'I came here to work', you will be left alone. Angry answer will get you tortured in older parts of KC, Independence, Banister and Leavenworth....Went over for her for cheaper apartment and ended up 4 doors down from drug house and haunted by some weird ones who don't leave it until you accept a local man, which is fine however my man is in jail and I'm waiting. This can pretty much run you from this area...Can say yours is in jail for drug dealing, should be done soon and will give you a break from stalking/harassment for a while if you want to stay in Leavenworth.

After living there, I would choose Spring Hill, Gardner, DeSoto (parts flood), Lansing, Paola, Bonner Springs or Parkville MO. This is outside the Dicey areas and good property investments that just appreciate.

You are so right, the job market is stellar. Would use meetup.com to do business networking and social...Is such a great 'scene' for everything and really tech start-up ville compared to other parts of Kansas that are really backward, cliquey and doing poorly financially as is one group against another....

[kalisti]

Originally Posted by cattalk1

I lived in Olathe and Leavenworth in 2013/2014.

In Olathe, I was east of I-35 all the time and living alone/female. There were still problems with this area as I got into bad rental situation with run-down apartment complex with dangerous stairs. Got hurt so bad, had to move as 3rd floor was not possible for 4 months following this....If you are overweight or see kind of iffy-maintenance, look to make sure the stair steps have a block bolted to the stair-risers on either side of each step.

Leavenworth is too dodgy any longer with gang stalking groups of kids threatening the adults so badly, some of the military run away scared. If you didn't answer the threats or just say 'I came here to work', you will be left alone. Angry answer will get you tortured in older parts of KC, Independence, Banister and Leavenworth....Went over for her for cheaper apartment and ended up 4 doors down from drug house and haunted by some weird ones who don't leave it until you accept a local man, which is fine however my man is in jail and I'm waiting. This can pretty much run you from this area...Can say yours is in jail for drug dealing, should be done soon and will give you a break from stalking/harassment for a while if you want to stay in Leavenworth.

After living there, I would choose Spring Hill, Gardner, DeSoto (parts flood), Lansing, Paola, Bonner Springs or Parkville MO. This is outside the Dicey areas and good property investments that just appreciate.

You are so right, the job market is stellar. Would use meetup.com to do business networking and social...Is such a great 'scene' for everything and really tech start-up ville compared to other parts of Kansas that are really backward, cliquey and doing poorly financially as is one group against another....

I appreciate your input. I am not a transplant though, have lived on both sides of the state line and currently live in urban KCMO I just haven't spent too much time in KCK and wanted input about the neighborhoods there.