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Single, early 30's female moving to KCMO and I do not want to be in or near the hood. Sorry but I wanna feel safe enough to walk my dog and go for a jog. Now now now before you start smelling racism, I am black...okay. I've never been to Kansas and my job is transferring me out there. I'm both excited and terrified. I'm moving from Atlanta and I know which areas to stay out of but with KCMO I don't know what's good and what's not. I read that some of Kansas City's areas made the most dangerous areas to live in list. I was like oh my God!!!!
How are race relations? Okay wait wait before you jump to conclusions...I just wanna know because I'm a black chic who gets along with everyone but most of all I love hard and soft rock and I get a little flack from people down here in the south about that. So what if I like Heart better than Kool and The Gang...I mean does music have a color? My best friend is white and yep I get a lot of flack from both whites and blacks for that.....yep the south still has some ways to go.....
My income will be about $50,000 so is that enough to sustain a decent living in a decent area in Kansas City. Is it better to live in the city or out of the city? Keep in mind I have no idea how to drive in snow. Also I do not want to be where there are too many confederate flag waving rednecks either.
Is it true that carrying a gun in KCMO is almost neccessery? Where did I read that? I forgot but of course it freaked me out!!!
Are these area codes pretty good ones.....64106, 64108, 64109, 64154?
Thanks folks I really do and I mean I really do appreciate it!!
I really doubt you will see any racial problems... it sounds to me like the places you would most enjoy are between River Market and the Plaza (so River Market, Downtown, Crossroads, Midtown, Westport, Hyde Park, Plaza, etc...)
Do you want to own or rent? $50k is fine, it will go a long way in KC if you don't have kid. I've lived in both Quality Hill apartments and in the crossroads. Carrying a gun is totally unnecessary unless you just wanna be hardcore =P
Throughout the areas I listed above you will find some of the most open minded people, so as a black rocker chic you'll fit in just fine =)
There are of course bad areas of KC, but honestly they are easily avoidable, and myself... I've gone to them and never had problems. Most of the time if your smart, and don't mess with other people they don't mess with you. Most violence is between people who know each other..... all of the areas listed are very safe IMO.
My income will be about $50,000 so is that enough to sustain a decent living in a decent area in Kansas City.
For a single person, yes.
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Is it better to live in the city or out of the city?
That depends on what you like. KC offers some very nice urban-esque living options. It's not "urban" like NY or Chicago, but then, no one can expect it to be and thank goodness!
There are also some very nice suburbs if you like that type of living. Many have townhomes or condos if you like the environment, but not the house/yard upkeep.
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Keep in mind I have no idea how to drive in snow.
KC winters are not too bad. This past winter was an exception. You will get used to what little ice and snow affect driving conditions.
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Also I do not want to be where there are too many confederate flag waving rednecks either.
I wouldn't worry about that
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Is it true that carrying a gun in KCMO is almost neccessery? Where did I read that? I forgot but of course it freaked me out!!!
With a few small pockets of exception, that's pretty ridiculous.
Single, early 30's female moving to KCMO and I do not want to be in or near the hood. Sorry but I wanna feel safe enough to walk my dog and go for a jog. Now now now before you start smelling racism, I am black...okay. I've never been to Kansas and my job is transferring me out there. I'm both excited and terrified. I'm moving from Atlanta and I know which areas to stay out of but with KCMO I don't know what's good and what's not. I read that some of Kansas City's areas made the most dangerous areas to live in list. I was like oh my God!!!!
How are race relations? Okay wait wait before you jump to conclusions...I just wanna know because I'm a black chic who gets along with everyone but most of all I love hard and soft rock and I get a little flack from people down here in the south about that. So what if I like Heart better than Kool and The Gang...I mean does music have a color? My best friend is white and yep I get a lot of flack from both whites and blacks for that.....yep the south still has some ways to go.....
My income will be about $50,000 so is that enough to sustain a decent living in a decent area in Kansas City. Is it better to live in the city or out of the city? Keep in mind I have no idea how to drive in snow. Also I do not want to be where there are too many confederate flag waving rednecks either.
Is it true that carrying a gun in KCMO is almost neccessery? Where did I read that? I forgot but of course it freaked me out!!!
Are these area codes pretty good ones.....64106, 64108, 64109, 64154?
Thanks folks I really do and I mean I really do appreciate it!!
Looks like Samatha and Skrizzle gave good advice in this thread.
from your kansas thread:
Quote:
Originally Posted by kcmo
I don't know where you are getting your info, I can guess, but I won't.
You seem to have this image of the missouri side being crime ridden ghetto and the kansas side as being "better".
You will find out that what you read or what people might be telling you can be way off base.
You will find many great areas in both MO and KS. The MO side will offer more urban choices while both the MO and KS sides have a plethora of suburban choices.
Parts of KCK and the eastside of KCMO are bad, but most of the metro is fine, including Downtown and other urban parts of the city like the Plaza etc.
If I were single, I would live in the city and enjoy life a little. But if you want suburbia, it's there too.
What part of Atlanta did you live in and what did you like about Atlanta? What part of Atlanta would you have liked to live in?
That will help get you to the part of KC you might like.
64106, 64108, 64109, 64154?
64106 Not good, some of the worst areas of KC. There are a few pockets of good areas, still very gritty and urban, but ok. For the most part, I would avoid.
64108 Fine area. Includes Crossroads, Crown Center, Union Hill etc. Chances are, you will be fine here. Lots of condos and lofts and rowhouses. Very few, if any single family homes.
64109 Flaky. Some decent areas in north Hyde Park, along Armour, Gillham etc, but some bad areas east of there. Just be carefull in this area.
64154 Fine area, suburban.
Oh and Quality Hill is very nice. The towers can be a bit flaky I hear, but the general Quality Hill neighborhood is really nice, quiet and within walking distance of most of downtown.
Cherry Hill is sort of on fringe of the nice parts of greater downtown. I would say it's probably safe, but you will also probably be a bit closer to some of the not so great areas of KC than you might want.
I beleive everyone gave really great advice. I am also in my early 30's, and if I were single with no kids I would live in the area b/n River Market and Plaza. I don't suggest Hyde Park if you want to stay away from somewhat shady areas. Hyde Park can be okay with very nice homes ect, but the neighborhood has not completely transistioned yet. In KC you should be able to find a nice loft apartment on your salary.
In regard to racism. Kansas City can be very segregated, but I think alot of the segregation is based on economic status. I don't think that you find people will find a A-A rocker chick to be that strange. It seems to me, also being A-A, that there are all kinds of people in all circles in KC. You will surely find your own circle of rockers. O, and when you make it to town go to Angels Rock Bar in Power & Light. I have a few friends from high school who hang out there and love the place. ANGELS ROCK BAR :: Kansas City, MO
I wanna say thanks to everyone. You have no idea how much I've been slaving over this. I wasn't really aware that people lived on the Kansas side but commuted to the Missouri side until I accidently uncovered it during all of this research. Then from what I could tell, people seemed to enjoy the Kansas side better , then I was like OMG!!! Better get to the Kansas side. The more I mull over this, the more I feel downtown may not be for me....I dunno...nothing can beat living in the city of decatur. It's got the urban feel without the crime and lacks the big city intimidation I hate. If anybody wants to move to GA...The City of Decatur Rocks hard!! Stay out of south decatur though.
famus:
Angels Rock Bar.....you ever recall a band called the Heartbreakers? Does the name Mikey sound familiar? If not no biggie, just curious.
KCMO.....I answered your question on the other side. Tell me what you think. I feel weird saying the other side. Hope I don't do that when I move there. I get the feeling that's a big NO-NO!
I wasn't really aware that people lived on the Kansas side but commuted to the Missouri side until I accidently uncovered it during all of this research. Then from what I could tell, people seemed to enjoy the Kansas side better , then I was like OMG!!! Better get to the Kansas side.
I live in the city of Decatur...not too big and not too small...not sure what to call it...high end urban? Lots of young middle classed singles and couples alike, pretty liberal, mostly white and Asian. A few blacks here and there. No racial problems. Me...I'm moderately conservative, church going, big cities scare me, and inner cities horrify me. Not sure what is comparable to the city of Decatur. It's like a nice urban area without all the crime but EXTEREMELY expensive to live in. Townhomes cost about $340 grand. You'd consider yourself lucky to find an apartment for at a price below $850.00. I love it here and will miss it. Got a good night life but I'm a slower paced gal so I don't get into the night life as much. The streets are not intimidating to drive on...can't say that with downtown Atlanta with all the one way streets, lanes that abrutly end, sketchy neighborhoods and so forth.
In that case, you would probably really like the Country Club Plaza area. It sounds like you might not be a good fit for downtown/midtown.
If you want something like Decatur which has both urban and suburban characteristics, younger people around, walkable, yet safe and some entertainment options, then the plaza district and surrounding areas should be a good fit. It’s more urban than Decatur though, more built up and dense, but probably the closest thing to Decatur you will find in KC. I would say the Plaza is somewhere between Buckhead and Decator.
I would look into the west plaza and south plaza areas.
If you want something more suburban, yet still having entertainment options, I would look at the area around Zona Rosa in the Northland. Zona Rosa is popular, has a comedy club (KC Improv), a fork and screen theater and many shops and restaurants. It’s a very suburban area though so you will have to live in an apartment complex in the area. Zona Rosa does have some lofts in the development.
There are also a few small developments in JoCo like Park Place and Mission Farms you might check into, but they are not near as large as Zona Rosa.
But I would really try to go with the Plaza first, then Zona Rosa. Those are both close to Downtown yet have entertainment options so you are not out in the bored to death out in some of the more family oriented areas.
Also, keep in mind that there is a huge difference between KC and Atlanta. Atlanta is now in a different league than KC. Even Downtown KC will seem quiet, slow paced, safe, laid back and very small compared to downtown or even Midtown Atlanta. So don’t totally overlook downtown.
Also, traffic in KC is non existent compared to Atlanta, city streets are not crowded, parking is rarely an issue etc. KC is just a much smaller city.
But it’s still a large metro of 2 million people that offers a lot, just with less of the hassles that Atlanta has and far less pan handlers.
I beleive everyone gave really great advice. I am also in my early 30's, and if I were single with no kids I would live in the area b/n River Market and Plaza. I don't suggest Hyde Park if you want to stay away from somewhat shady areas. Hyde Park can be okay with very nice homes ect, but the neighborhood has not completely transistioned yet. In KC you should be able to find a nice loft apartment on your salary.
In regard to racism. Kansas City can be very segregated, but I think alot of the segregation is based on economic status. I don't think that you find people will find a A-A rocker chick to be that strange. It seems to me, also being A-A, that there are all kinds of people in all circles in KC. You will surely find your own circle of rockers. O, and when you make it to town go to Angels Rock Bar in Power & Light. I have a few friends from high school who hang out there and love the place. ANGELS ROCK BAR :: Kansas City, MO
Fantastic post, famusdarlin knows her stuff .
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My best friend is white and yep I get a lot of flack from both whites and blacks for that.....yep the south still has some ways to go.....
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