It’s probably not surprising that a town known for BBQ and jazz has a lot to offer anyone looking for a great day out. If you’re into breweries, check out Boulevard Brewing Co. or KC Bier Co. If you’re a foodie, look no further than Joe’s, Jack Stack, or Arthur Bryant’s for great BBQ or try brunch at Succotash if you’re BBQ’d out (as if). For family fun, check out Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun for a great weekend adventure. The arts scene in KC is surprisingly amazing with places like Blue Room and Green Lady Lounge for live jazz and the Kansas City Symphony and Kansas City Ballet for even more entertainment! Bottom line, if you’re moving to KC for a good time, you made the right choice!

Here are some pros from a local:
*The cuisines that they have readily available are really good.*

*Midtown is legitimately hip, not just a bunch of trustifarians pretending to be poor like so many other urban cores.*

*Decent farmer's markets in the summer.*

*It's a very pretty city. Architecture and trees are great everywhere.*

*The people are happy you're there. KC people are extremely welcoming to outsiders, excited about it even. They love to share KC with newcomers.*



The Entertainment Scene

Best Part About Kansas City

Kansas City actually spans two states: Missouri and Kansas. We’re telling you because you will need to know this if you move. Not just for the logistical reasons of, you know, which state you’re going to live in, but also because locals do not joke around when it comes to the “KCMO vs. KCK” rivalry. Most sane residents agree that it’s a ridiculous argument to be making and they just want to get along with everyone, but there are a select few *cough* Chief’s fans *cough* that will want to start something over it. You have been warned!
*-You’ll need a car*
*-Crime*
*-Segregated*
*-MO two trash bag rule?*


 MO vs. KS

Worst Part About Kansas City

Kansas City is the biggest small city you’ll ever visit. The locals are nice, the food is great, and there are quiet neighborhoods with kids running around all weekend. With an average age of 35, it’s a great place for young professionals and young families to settle down without giving up and moving to the suburb suburbs. Commutes are short and the job market is hot in KC. The downside being that the winters can be brutal (wind chill is no joke) and some locals complain that the nightlife isn’t as big as other cities. 

If you're curious what happens in KC/KC check out the calendar of events: https://www.visitkansascityks.com/events/

Lifestyle of Kansas City

As one of the top cities for jobs, Kansas city has a number of great opportunities for recent graduates or transplants. The top industries are health care, manufacturing, transportation, and trade, with companies like Hallmark Cards, Burns & McDonnel, H&R Block, among others headquartered in Kansas City. Although the top employers are University of Kansas Hospital, the University of Kansas Medical Center, and General Motors, there is also a growing startup scene and Kansas City is known for being a great place to start a business.


Workstyle of Kansas City

Kansas City is a great in-between city for people who are either looking to downgrade from a huge city like Atlanta or Chicago or people who are looking to size up from smaller towns. The cost of living makes it a no-brainer if you’ve recently went remote with your job and are looking for something new!


It's Just Right

Why You Should Move Here Now?

For a college town feel with all the great activities and youthful feeling, check out these great neighborhoods that are full of amazing apartments, great restaurants, and a ton of bars.
- Brookside (MO)
- Waldo (MO)


College Students

Brookside (MO)

Young professionals will hit the jackpot in Kansas City. There’s a low cost of living and a ton to do. Check out these neighborhoods if you want to live in a cool, slightly-hipster part of town that has great restaurants, breweries, and fun things to do on the weekends:
- River Market (MO)
- Crown Center District (MO)
- Waldo (MO)
- Brookside (MO)


Young Professionals

River Market (MO)

There are a ton of places in KC to settle down and start a family if that’s your thing! There are plenty of quieter suburbs that have great schools but are still close to fun activities.
- Prairie Village (KS)
- Crown Center District (MO)
- Country Club Plaza (MO)
- Westport (MO)


Young Families

Prairie Village, Kansas City, Kansas

The best part about KC is that it’s small enough that you can be a “regular” somewhere, but still find new things to explore with the whole family. 
- Leawood (KS)
- Overland Park (KS)
- Prairie Village (KS)


Established Families

Leawood

If you find your nest recently empty, it might be time to consider Kansas City! There are a ton of entertainment options and places to live that keep you within walking distance to the fun. Start with River Market which has great apartment/condo options plus all the restaurants and bars you could want. 
- River Market (MO)
- Prairie Village (KS)
- Country Club Plaza (MO)


Empty Nesters

Country Club Plaza

Kansas City, KS

**What is it like to live in Kansas?**

I grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas, and went to K-State for 4 years. After that, I moved to Boulder for 5 years, and then to Southern California and I've been here ever since. From the time I was about 16 years old I felt like Kansas was the worst place I could have been born (no offense to Kansans who love it). I've always known I'm an urban person, and the rural nothingness of Kansas did not do it for me. It's nice to see in these answers that some people really love rural Kansas. I'm glad, and I can see how it would be good for some people. My cousins all grew up on the farm in Kansas and they absolutely feel at home there and would never move. They love the silence and the space. But my sister and I got out of the state right after college and never went back. I've been surprised at how many people I went to high school with also left the state. There's just not a lot of opportunity career-wise. Many people have mentioned that Kansas is boring. I agree. 

Now that I live in a place where I can go to concerts, the beach, the mountains, cultural events, places with crowds (!)…There's just a whole big world out there, and when you live in rural Kansas it feels very very far away. I've traveled to many countries in my life, and it was funny because I felt like I had a lot in common with some people from far-flung countries who felt like they were far away from the center of things. I felt that way growing up in the center of the United States, ironically. I kind of hesitated to post this, because when I used to criticize Kansas it would really hurt my mom's feelings. Kansas gets beat up on all the time. I've had so many people say insulting things to me about how it must have sucked to grow up in Kansas. Even though I kind of agree, it's still insulting. But then again, I don't really have a good rebuttal. The one thing I can say that Kansas has over other places is that the people are unpretentious. So ironically, the thing Kansans excel in is being unpretentious. The longer I've been away, the more foreign the culture seems to me. When I've gone back, some of the things that have struck me is the genuineness and modesty of people. In California everyone is about flashing their cash and tooting their own horn. In Kansas, people don't think that way. For instance, my hometown banker in Hutchinson did an amazing job of helping me out with my business during coronavirus. I was so grateful that I offered to post a review online. He said “oh you don't need to do that, you know we really care about you and your family.” So sweet. I just would not hear that from a banker in California. Now I've lived away from Kansas longer than I lived there, and the thing that never ceases to surprise me is that I am still a Kansan. I thought that once I moved away I would become a Coloradoan, or a Californian, but I'm really not. I think where you grow up really shapes you, and that never gets erased or replaced.

**What is it like to live in Kansas?**

Boring. Born in Kansas City, Kansas. Lived in Overland Park for a solid 8 years and spent 8th grade-Sophmore year in College. Went to Blue Valley West High School. Left in 2011 to Florida and never looked back.

Too many suburbs. Almost no night life unless you’re in Lawrence or downtown KC. If you’re a hunter and fisher who likes the very predictable and monotonous lifestyle with zero ambitions, Kansas is it for you.

I am a proud Kansan but I’d absolutely, positively never move back. Rather live on a ranch in texas full of rattlesnakes or swamp in Florida full of gators than move to Kansas.

**What is it like to live in Kansas?
**
It is peaceful and easy-going.

It’s smelling the freshly mown grass or hay, and enjoying a light spring breeze (before it turns into a blustering wind…).

It’s knowing I can get from one extreme side of town to the other in less than 30 minutes on a bad day during rush hour traffic.

It’s knowing that I can get to a fun vacationing spot in any direction within about a five to six hour drive. Or I can just make it a weekend getaway because it’s still that close amd yet so different.

It knowing that if I am walking down the street downtown, people will smile and say hi.

It’s having neighbors that randomly bring food gifts over for no reason, and that you do the same for them. Or about having a neighborhood barbecue.

It’s being able to easily find a field to shoot fireworks on the Fourth of July. Or even about having a dozen sites putting on a show and being able to see most if not all of them from your back porch.

It’s about the Riverfest in late May or early June.

It’s about having any denomination of religion to attend, but knowing that none are unfriendly with the other.

It’s about knowing the farmers who attend and put up booths at the Farmer’s Markets.

It’s about clear skies, fresh air, minimal traffic, constant change and friendly people



**What's all this talk about "Don't live on the Kansas side?"
I'm moving to KC in about 6 months or so. Why do I keep hearing to stay clear of living on the KS side? I've been browsing around online and such, but I can't find any legitimate reasons.**

I guess it depends on what sort of living experience you're after. If you want to live somewhere hip, there are quite a few neighborhoods in KC MO that would be to your liking. Places close to night life, great restaurants, events like First Friday, etc.. If you want to live in the middle of all that, then give downtown / midtown a look (or even Waldo or Brookside). The urban core of our city is really on the rise and has been for a while. There's a lot to be proud of there and there are some very nice places to live.

If you want to live in a suburb that's not particularly cultural but has some insulation from the hustle and bustle of the city, or if you're looking for a place to raise a family, then Johnson County is perfectly fine. For that matter, if you live in Johnson County you can also do what I do and just drive into KCMO for the fun stuff and then head back to the suburbs when you're done for the day. There's no wrong answer here. It just depends on what you personally are after. Yeah, a lot of people in this subreddit have it in for Johnson County. And believe me, I understand. I grew up in Grandview, MO just across town so I totally get the anti-Johnson County bias. It's oddly territorial, and if you didn't grow up here you really wouldn't understand. I make no defense of this, only explanation.

As for me, I moved to Johnson County in 1999 and bought a house in Olathe. I am happy here. I'm single with no kids, but for a long list of reasons that include my own naivete at the time, I decided on JoCo. I am one of the apparently rare people that live in JoCo that are willing to drive to KCMO for food / entertainment / night life. I can get from my front door to the corner of Westport Road & Pennsylvania Ave. in 20 minutes, so frankly I don't really mind. I have no regrets about living where I live. I paid my house off about two years ago and would rather continue living here "for free" than try and start over somewhere else.

Kansas City, KS, Kansas

KCMO or KCK?

Looklyloo Score: 74

About Kansas City, KS

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