Kansas City, KS, Kansas

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.

Pros and Cons Of Living In Kansas City 2023 | Moving To Kansas City