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Old 04-21-2009, 09:28 PM
 
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I will be moving to KC in June to start work at Children's Mercy. I am looking for a place to rent within about a 20 minute drive. I prefer to stay within $1,000/month. I had been looking at Union Hill, Plaza, Westport and do not like lofts. Any suggestions? I may sound crazy, but I am looking for a "nicer" place since I am leaving all I know behind and need a "nice haven" to come home to after work. Thanks!
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Old 04-21-2009, 09:30 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stripes View Post
I will be moving to KC in June to start work at Children's Mercy. I am looking for a place to rent within about a 20 minute drive. I prefer to stay within $1,000/month. I had been looking at Union Hill, Plaza, Westport and do not like lofts. Any suggestions? I may sound crazy, but I am looking for a "nicer" place since I am leaving all I know behind and need a "nice haven" to come home to after work. Thanks!
Have you tried Liberty?
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Old 04-21-2009, 09:37 PM
 
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I haven't been looking up there, I wanted if possible to stay closer to work. I am a bit tired of my usual 30-60 min commute now. I actually haven't physically been in KC to look yet, wont' be there until May and since I don't know the area, I am nervous about safety and such.
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Old 04-21-2009, 09:47 PM
 
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Originally Posted by Stripes View Post
I haven't been looking up there, I wanted if possible to stay closer to work. I am a bit tired of my usual 30-60 min commute now. I actually haven't physically been in KC to look yet, wont' be there until May and since I don't know the area, I am nervous about safety and such.
Well, Children's Mercy is a fabulous facility, but it isn't exactly surrounded by the best housing options KC has to offer other than those you've already looked at.

I don't think Liberty or North Kansas City would be too much of a commute, maybe 20 minutes or so.
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Old 04-21-2009, 10:57 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC area
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What do you want? An apartment? Do you want urban? Semi urban? Close in Suburban?

There are tons of options out there. Midtown around KU Med on the Missouri side and west Plaza areas both offer a lot of smaller single family homes in good areas. Midtown, Plaza, West Plaza, Crossroads and Downtown all have tons of rental options in all kinds of housing types. In this economy, you can probably find a nice condo to rent.

As Samantha says, the commute from the Northland to Children's Mercy is not bad, even from Liberty. Liberty is actually the closest outerbelt suburb to downtown and is only about 15-20 minutes from Downtown, even during rush hour. For some reason people think Liberty is far, when it's less than half as far as other suburbs like Blue Springs, Shawnee, Olathe, Lee's Summit, Belton, Tiffany Springs etc.

But I would look into North Kansas City, just north of Downtown. It's a great areas with lots of walkable neighborhoods and a very charming and vibrant downtown area. There are lots of older apartments and homes that might work and there is also a new area called Northgate. I think it's mostly condo/owner occupied, but you might be able to find a rental in there.

I had a friend that lived in a very nice apartment complex off of Parvin Road west of I-29 nestled in the woods just north of NKC and that would also be a 10 minute drive for you.
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Old 04-22-2009, 04:21 PM
 
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Thanks for your help Samantha S and kcmo. I'll take a look at Liberty, by map it just looks super far away. I guess maps can be deceiving I am looking for a semi-urban/urban feel. I am looking to rent an apt/condo. Does anyone have an opinion on Cityplace at Westport or The Founders? Just two places that on paper look nice...
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Old 04-22-2009, 04:39 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC area
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Here is a good map of metro KC showing all the different cities. You can see that Liberty in the upper right is closer to Downtown than many other area suburbs and NKC is practically downtown.

http://photos.imageevent.com/kcphotos/misc/kcmap3_800.jpg (broken link)

Here is a link to a larger map if you want more detail:

http://photos.imageevent.com/kcphotos/misc/kcmap3_1200.jpg (broken link)
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Old 04-27-2009, 07:42 PM
 
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The Plaza should be a great option at $1000/month.
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Old 04-28-2009, 12:36 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
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Default Used to live in KC, live in Chicago now

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stripes View Post
I will be moving to KC in June to start work at Children's Mercy. I am looking for a place to rent within about a 20 minute drive. I prefer to stay within $1,000/month. I had been looking at Union Hill, Plaza, Westport and do not like lofts. Any suggestions? I may sound crazy, but I am looking for a "nicer" place since I am leaving all I know behind and need a "nice haven" to come home to after work. Thanks!
If you are definitely looking for a more urban, Chicago-Like atmosphere, you need to live in Kansas City, MO. Period. Living in any of the suburbs in the KC area, whether on the Missouri side or the Kansas Side, is like living in Schaumburg or Downers Grove or any of the other millions of suburbs in Chicago. They are great places to raise families, but definitely not an urban city feel.

If your budget can afford it, I would highly recommend the Country Club Plaza area. It is home to lots of shopping, dining, and nightlife options that are actually walkable, and there are a lot of other young professionals and younger families that live there. It is definitely not a "suburban, two minivans and five kids and a dog" kind of area. You would have a close commute to work, cause traffic in KC city proper cannot compare to Chicago or Milwaukee traffic.

The Plaza is like living in the Gold Coast, and Westport is like living in Wicker Park/Bucktown. Plaza is known for being a hotspot of nightlife and shopping, and living there is not cheap because it is a desirable place within the city. Westport is a little bit more gritty, but still pretty gentrified.

I highly recommend visiting all potential areas before you move there...I listened to my (former) manager in KC, and she swayed me into moving to Johnson County, and I was miserable in suburbia, so listen to your heart!
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Old 05-05-2009, 06:32 PM
 
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Thanks for all the advice. I will be in KC this weekend to take a look at a bunch of places ranging from the plaza, westport and north KC. I was also hoping to start looking for furniture and mattress sets and what not. Where are some good places to look? I don't have a ton of money and won't get my first paycheck until July, so I am limited on budget, but would still like some nice furniture that will last me a few years at least. Thanks!
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