I've been out of work for two months here in Houston and got a call from a headhunter that knows me well and says he has a sweet deal in Kansas City for me if I'm interested.

How are the schools? We have a kindergartner that we send to private school here in Houston but would love to get rid of that expense if we can find some excellent public schools. Houses look to be equal, if not a little cheaper. How is traffic, the airport, etc? Are the people friendly? Crime good, bad, same? Does the city feel safe?

Any info is appreciated. TIA

My wife and I moved to the KC area last Summer from Los Angeles so that we could be closer to family as we start our family. My daughter was just born last Sept. We live in Kansas, as the KS schools are top-notch (even the public). The Blue Vally school district in Overland Park is the best, and the Olathe school district is good, too. My wife's family lives in Missouri, but we live over the border for the schools (though taxes are a little higher to pay for the better schools).

Coming from LA, the traffic here is NOTHING. I image Houston traffic is worse than here.

The airport is on the North-west side of town, but is really easy to get in and out of. It is a big Southwest stop.

I have found the people to be friendly. There are areas to avoid, but that is true of any big town.

Feel free to ask more questions. I will try to check this later for your responses. KC also has a Former Students club that I'm going to meet for the first time for Muster.

I grew up in Overland Park. I haven't been back in quite a few years; but yes, the Blue Valley school district is the best. I went to Olathe schools and had plenty of friends out of the Shawnee Mission district. If I were you I'd find myself in the Blue Valley district. BVNW was the premier HS at the time.

I didn't really appreciate the area until I left. There is MUCH LESS traffic than Houston for sure. Also, I miss the bar scene and the casinos. If you are looking for aggie sports, you can pretty much expect that every year or two there will be a big xii championship of some sort up there; and MCI is a southwest hub so you can get down to TX fairly inexpensively.

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"Guns don't kill people, I kill people."

I've lived all over the KC area...from Parkville up north to Mid-town/Plaza/Westport area to the southern KS suburbs and west to Lawrence.

Parkville was close to work downtown, but we didn't have kids...don't know about schools. Westport was fun, but not a family area. The suburbs do have good schools, but I hated the congestion and the commute to work downtown.

I liked Lawrence best of all. Schools were very good and it's easy access to KC (twenty minutes) without having to live in KC.

I'll echo what was said above. I also grew up in Overland Park and went through the Blue Valley School District. It's a top notch district as are Shawnee Mission & Olathe as mentioned above.

At the time we were there we noticed a large percentage of corporate transplants, so it was a bit of a melting pot from across the country.

KC isn't so large that it has a traffic problem, but it's large enough to have your typical cultural events (theater, concerts, museums, zoo, etc).

Thanks guys. A couple interviews here in Houston over the last two weeks didn't go so well so it looks like I'm gonna have to get serious about the Kansas City deal.

I saw some houses in the 66208 zip code that I liked that are in the Shawnee Mission school district so I was wondering about that. I liked some of the houses just over the Missouri side of State Line Rd. as well. I guess it's the Hyde Park and Romanelli areas. Does the KC Mo school district that feeds those areas suck?

I think the Kansas side has better public schools. Of the few friends I have from KC, a couple from the KS side went to public schools, while those from MO went to private.

overland park is awesome. i have some relatives that live in lenexa, and it's nice at well. pretty much that whole southwest side of town is nice.

and if you don't mind a drive, lawrence kicks ass. having lived in houston, dfw, austin, and san antonio....i'd say KC traffic is better than all but san antonio.

Duffer - My wife and I have lived in KC since 1996. We love it! It's a great place to raise a family. I'm from Ft. Worth and she's from New Orleans. We love that KC is a big small town. We live on the Kansas side of the state line inside the I-435 loop in Leawood (66206), which is a great area. Nice houses, good sized lots, and plenty of trees. Outside the I-435 loop will remind you of any generic surburban area in DFW or Houston. Blue Valley and Olathe schools are good, but we live in the Shawnee Mission district and I highly recommend it. We have the Chiefs and Royals, stock and Indy car racing, minor league baseball and hockey, and Big 12 Sports. Plus, you can find excellent BBQ, chicken fried steak, and TexMex. Good luck in your job search. Let me know if I can be of assistance.

"I liked some of the houses just over the Missouri side of State Line Rd. as well. I guess it's the Hyde Park and Romanelli areas. Does the KC Mo school district that feeds those areas suck?" Stay out of Hyde Park, too close to the hood. I think Romanelli is okay. Brookside and Waldo are better. Just know that if you buy in that area, you'll be sending your kids to private schools because the KCMO school district sucks. Also, those are the areas where most of the people of pallor that voted for Obama live. If you live on the Missouri side, look at Lee's Summit and Blue Springs on the east side or north of the Missouri River in Clay or Platte County (Kansas City south of the river is in Jackson County). Also, avoid Wyandotte County on the Kansas Side.


"I saw a werewolf drinking a Pina Colada at Trader Vic's; his hair was perfect."



[This message has been edited by KC Aggie (edited 4/22/2009 3:40p).]

Thanks for the responses. We send our daughter to private school right now, but for the pure economics of it...a house with good public schools is worth $100-150k more than a house that requires private school in my opinion. There's plenty of houses in our price range in the area you're talking about and we've noticed that most of the Shawnee Mission schools are rated as good as Blue Valley. The office of the people I'm talking to is in Merriam, and I hate a long commute so that looks likes the area we need to be from that perspective as well.

Thanks again and wish me luck. My first phone interview with these guys is scheduled on the 29th.

Duffer - If the job's in Merriam, you could live in Shawnee, which is just west of there. There are very nice areas in Shawnee, both inside and outside I-435. Plus the topography is mostly rolling hills. I work with a guy that lives out there, and he's in the DeSoto school district, which is a good one as well. What line of business are you in? Good luck!

"I saw a werewolf drinking a Pina Colada at Trader Vic's; his hair was perfect."

Construction...it looks like there are plenty of good options for us. Now I just need to get the job.

Looks like they 'passed' on me so no KC in my immediate future. Thanks for the help anyway....later.

I'll be there this summer for school.

Sorry to hear that duffer. Good luck.