Relocating from MA to Kansas City (Lee's Summit, Blue Springs: apartments, crime, new house)

[happymomzin]

Hi all - We are potentially relocating from MA (metro west, between Boston and Worcester) and have been looking at where to settle. Hubby will be working in KCMO, and want a short commute but a safe family friendly place with good schools. The 64151 and 64152 zips in MO (Lake Waukomis and Parkville) look nice, but we have heard good things about Leawood, KS (joco) as well. Can anyone offer advice? Thanks!

[kcmo]

Those zips in Platte County are very nice.

I lived in 64151 for a few years and my brother recently purchased a home there.

Where will he work? That area is very close to most of urban KCMO as well as the "Northland" (suburban north of the river). Park Hill Schools are top rated and some of the best in metro KC and Missouri. You would be very close to historic Parkville with thier quaint downtown ice cream and antique shops, but also have all the modern shopping of Zona Rosa, Tiffany Springs, Tullieries and Briarcliff nearby.

Traffic into the city from that side of town is some of the least congested in terms of commuting. You can be downtown in 15 minutes in the peak of rush hour. You are only 6-10 miles from the heart of the city where most similar suburbs are 20-30 miles out.

KCI Airport is only 10 minutes away if you fly often. The topography of southern Platte County is some of the nicest in the metro. English Landing Park along the MO river is excellent for biking, etc. The area is pretty upscale, but at the same time, the more modest housing is very well kept and the area is filled with nice neighborhoods in most price brackets. The apartments in that area are quiet and don't seem to have any crime issues. There is express bus park and ride service into the city.

Check out Riss Lake for an ultra upscale lake community, the Bluffs for upscale homes literally built into the bluffs of the MO river, Lake Waukomis or Weatherby Lake for a more traditional lake communities, The National Community (Tom Watson's residential golf community) among others. You will also find many very nice homes (large ranch homes) in the Platte Woods area, as well as more modest housing mixed in.

Overall it's a great suburban area with really good schools. (keep in mind that much of this area will be in the city of Kansas City, MO but will still be suburban in nature with suburban school districts like Park Hill). If you want a little open space, you can go west toward 435 where you will find larger lots (still big homes though) built into the rolling terrain of un-incorporated Platte County.

[OneKC]

KCMO's advice is solid.

I'll also give a shout out for JoCo. Leawood is very nice with some good schools, although it can be a bit pricey. The further north you go from Leawood, the more affordable it will be. JoCo, as most KC suburbs are, tend to be very family-friendly. I'd wager we're one of the most family-friendly major metros in America.

Really, if family-friendliness and good schools are your two main criteria, you can choose lots of different places in the metro - Liberty, Parkville, Johnson County, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs. Any other criteria important to you? Are you looking for new house? Old house? Large lot? Walkable neighborhoods? Country space? Nice parks? Close to amenities? Sense of community?

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by OneKC

KCMO's advice is solid.

I'll also give a shout out for JoCo. Leawood is very nice with some good schools, although it can be a bit pricey. The further north you go from Leawood, the more affordable it will be. JoCo, as most KC suburbs are, tend to be very family-friendly. I'd wager we're one of the most family-friendly major metros in America.

That is nonsense. JOCO and KC are not any more family friendly compared to many other places in the country. I didn't know we were doing natalistic comparisons. We have already discussed the fact that many people in KC get married at a younger age compared to the national average as well. That means a less vibrant singles scene.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by happymomzin

Hi all - We are potentially relocating from MA (metro west, between Boston and Worcester) and have been looking at where to settle. Hubby will be working in KCMO, and want a short commute but a safe family friendly place with good schools. The 64151 and 64152 zips in MO (Lake Waukomis and Parkville) look nice, but we have heard good things about Leawood, KS (joco) as well. Can anyone offer advice? Thanks!

If you are coming from MA I would definitely rank Lake Waukomis and Riss Lake as high priority areas to check out. These upscale areas are just west of I-29, but close to Downtown as well as the airport. If you are looking at Leawood your best bet is inside the I-435 loop as that area has more of a New England feel compared to the Sunbelt feel south of the loop. Anything north of 103rd is going to be more established with much larger trees and sprawling ranches in Leawood. Some will need some updating, but prices might look appealing coming from MA with the large lot sizes.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by happymomzin

Hi all - We are potentially relocating from MA (metro west, between Boston and Worcester) and have been looking at where to settle. Hubby will be working in KCMO, and want a short commute but a safe family friendly place with good schools. The 64151 and 64152 zips in MO (Lake Waukomis and Parkville) look nice, but we have heard good things about Leawood, KS (joco) as well. Can anyone offer advice? Thanks!

Plug your ears, kcmo.

Leawood is one of the nicest areas of the metro. Also one of the priciest, so you have to decide for yourself if it's worth it to you. Personally, I find it to be worth it especially when it comes to public schools.

We moved last year from another district within JoCo which was a very good district. But had I known the huge improvement we would see, we would have made the switch years ago. It is definitely worth your time to check out Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley schools.

[northbound74]

For the most part, the suburban schools around here are pretty much the same. For traffic reasons alone, I'd choose the northland over JoCo.

[MrsMo]

Definitely the northern part of Kansas City, excellent schools. The zip codes you are looking at is where I would move if we were thinking of moving now.

[RjRobb2]

Originally Posted by northbound74

For the most part, the suburban schools around here are pretty much the same. For traffic reasons alone, I'd choose the northland over JoCo.

You hit the nail on the head. People keep talking about certain 'burb schools are better than others. When it comes down to it, they are all great schools. We do not really have any bad suburban schools.

For example, Samantha is always singing praises of the JoCo schools but they are not any better than the schools on the Missouri side. In fact, I have a couple of friends who have experience teaching at JoCo schools and schools in the northland and they said they would choose the schools in the northland as both a parent with kids and as a teacher anytime.

But, you are right on with the traffic issue. I work in JoCo but live in the Northland. Traffic is a million times worse in JoCo. A certain times of the day, it takes forever to get anywhere in JoCo. I take my lunch at 11 because if it didnt, I would never get back within my allotted time. I dont have those issues up north. Unless there is a wreck, there is not really traffic anywhere except major intersections.

[northbound74]

I also work in Johnson County, unfortunately. Nice enough place, but I couldn't live there long term. That's partially due to the traffic.