It’s in Missouri. Yes, part of it is in Kansas (KCK) but the part everyone is talking about when they say Kansas City is KCMO. Nevertheless, you can live in the KC suburbs and most likely be in Kansas. 

Kansas City is home to a vibrant arts community that includes the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, and the Kansas City Art Institute. Nelson-Atkins is considered a “must-see” and Kansas City is considered one of those “microclimates” of art -- a unique, autonomous art scene including Crossroads Art District, ballet, opera, community theater, live music, and other performing arts.

There’s also a coffee scene and a craft brew scene (home of Boulevard Brewery -- KC is filled with boulevards that run through it), a deep history of jazz and BBQ (KC is very indignant about their BBQ) and boy, do they love public fountains (and their sports teams).

No real public transportation system. You need a car. 
There are a few walkable neighborhoods like Plaza, Westport, and Valentine. Also, the public schools in the city can leave a bit to be desired but the suburbs are much better. The school district in the wealthy golf course neighborhood of Leawood (Blue Valley District) stands out. 

You can live in an affordable house in the suburbs and get in and out of downtown in a breeze. And, you can get a lot of house for a little money. You can buy a modest house in a decent, very safe neighborhood for mid $100Ks and feast on the outstanding farmer’s markets but, the sophisticated action is downtown. The suburbs are no place to be if you want to go out. Only if you want to go home.


LookyLOO Review of Kansas City, MO

Kansas City is a really interesting place. It’s a city with world-class food, a great arts scene, and a vibrant downtown that pretty much goes dark at 5:00. While those great cultural amenities are much appreciated, the nightlife tends more toward hitting your local neighborhood spot at night and just kind of chilling. City-dwellers here are profoundly progressive and the suburbs more conservative so on balance you end up with a moderate political scene. Interestingly the area tends to vote for progressive policies but then also vote for candidates who stand against those same policies. Go figure. Good article on the [**culture here**](https://www.vogue.com/article/a-guide-to-kansas-city-missouri-its-history-its-culture-and-why-its-worth-a-closer-look). 

If you want to see all that's happening in KC check out the calendar of events: https://www.visitkc.com/visitors/events


Lifestyle

The big industries in Kansas City include manufacturing, professional services, healthcare, transportation, and a growing tech scene. Garmin, the navigation device company, continues expansion and hiring here. Burns & McDonnell, the engineering, architecture, construction, environmental, and consulting services company is in persistent growth mode, and always seems to be hiring and expanding. Kansas City has an unemployment rate of 3.6% so if you’re looking for a healthy economy in the Midwest Kansas City is a good choice. 




Worklife

[**Kansas City Public Schools**](kcpublicschools.org) (KCPS) receives a [**"C" rating on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/kansas-city-school-district-mo/). 

While there aren't a large number of highly rated schools in the district, [**Lincoln College Prep**](lcpa.kcpublicschools.org) is an outstanding exception. Coming in at an [**"A" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/lincoln-college-preparatory-academy-kansas-city-mo/?map) it is the #1 rated niche school in the area and is a public magnet, requiring high test score performance for admittance. 

Here is a pretty thorough walkthrough of options by a parent in KCMO district: 

"There are many more options in KCMO than there used to be, but none is perfect, so you will be faced with choices. The charter school system in KCMO is variable, but some are excellent. My kids go to Academie Lafayette, which is a French immersion school. 

Crossroads Academy is another excellent charter school that had a high school. Like Lafayette’s, Crossroads high school is small and new, so hard to say how “good” it is just yet. Both options have an IB program as well, as does Lincoln. Crossroads’s overall focus is STEAM and project based learning and one of the schools (k-8) has a Spanish focus as well. My oldest went there for over a year, and I loved it. Crossroads is in the middle of downtown, so if you work downtown it can be quite convenient, and I believe it is significantly easier to get in if you live or work north of 39th street? We don’t, but got in anyway. The downtown location means that outdoor spaces (playgrounds) are much smaller, but the cool part is that the proximity to the streetcar means that the kids take frequent field trips on the streetcar! They also collaborate with the Nelson art gallery for some of the kids learning directly at the museum. And the talent shows, etc are held at the historic Folly theater. 

Okay, so, of course there are politics associated with the Charter vs public school debate. Which is uncomfortable as a super left-leaning progressive. That being said, there are a few decent schools in the KCMO district, Hale Cook Elementary for example and I have heard mixed reviews of the Montessori signature school Borderstar (general impression I’ve gotten is that it started out really well, but the training/funding necessary for effective teaching with the Montessori method has fallen off considerably. Lincoln is great for 6-12th, and I hear pretty good things about Paseo? We have several friends who send their kids to the Foreign Language Academy (another Signature public school) and they all seem to like it. The language instruction is not completely immersive like Lafayette, but starts with either Mandarin or Spanish in kindergarten. 

And then, of course, there are many high quality Catholic and private options in the metro."


Schools

Young people are flocking here due to the desirable cost of living and optimal job market and driving the arts and culinary scene in the city to new heights.


Gen Z On The Rise!

Why You Should Move Here Now?

Here's a local's pov on the city and the savings: 
*It’s just like Chicago, New York and LA except without the assholes, haha. We’re so laid back and hospitable in this section of the map. We believe that money should be spent on life experience and not rent(; The cost of living is quite enticing. We love our professional sports teams while embracing our college athletics at the same time. The arts district is so rich and diverse and the roots are obviously very deep-our art institutions and museums are world renowned. I love it here, it’s for living and thriving, not just visiting. It’s a wonderful place to call home.*


Affordable 

Reviews of Kansas City from Locals

**The Good, The Bad, The Ugly**

It’s in Missouri. Yes, part of it is in Kansas (KCK) but the part everyone is talking about when they say Kansas City is KCMO. Nevertheless, you can live in the KC suburbs and most likely be in Kansas. That’s where the more sought after suburban neighborhoods -- like Brookside  are located. 

Kansas City is home to a vibrant arts community that includes the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the Kansas City Art Institute. Nelson-Atkins is considered a “must-see” and Kansas City is considered one of those “microclimates” of art -- a unique, autonomous art scene including Crossroads Art District, ballet, opera, community theater, live music and other performing arts. 
There’s also a coffee scene and a craft brew scene (home of Boulevard Brewery -- KC is filled with boulevards that run through it), a deep history of jazz and barbeque (KC is very indignant about their BBQ) and boy, do they love public fountains (and their sports teams.)

**The Best Thing About Kansas City?**

You can live in an affordable house in the suburbs and get in and out of downtown in a breeze. And, you can get a lot of house for a little money. You can buy a modest house in a decent, very safe neighborhood for mid $100Ks and feast on the outstanding farmer’s markets but, the sophisticated action is downtown. The suburbs are no place to be if you want to go out. Only if you want to go home.

**The Worst Thing About Kansas City?**

No real public transportation system. You need a car. 
There are a few walkable neighborhoods like Plaza, Westport, Valentine.  Also, the public schools in the city can leave a bit to be desired but the suburbs are much better. The school district in the wealthy golf course neighborhood of Leawood (Blue Valley District) stands out. 

**How You Living?**

“Shirtwaist” style house is a thing — a residential architectural term that is unique to the Kansas City region. Shirtwaists are marked by a first level made from brick or stone with wood siding on subsequent levels, a steep roof and symmetrical layout, built between 1900 and 1920. 

Other than that, the houses are generally traditional, timber-framed cottages plus small American Tudors, Craftsman Bungalows, larger Colonial Revivals and American Georgian styles.



**Why You Should Move Here Now?**

Young people are flocking here due to the desirable cost of living and optimal job market and driving the arts and culinary scene in the city to new heights.


Many people probably know that Kansas City is a bi-state city and metropolitan area. Kansas City, Missouri is the one most people are talking about when they refer to the city as it holds 480k+ vs. the 100k+ of Kansas City, Kansas. The larger Metro Area is visualized as four quadrants: Southeast includes Kansas City, Missouri and Northwest includes Kansas City, Kansas. 

The Metro area is truly at the center of the midwestern universe with more freeway lane miles per capita than any other city in the United States. All these highways take you directly to Des Moines, Wichita, St. Louis and Topeka. It also sits at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Kansas River. The rolling hills of Kansas City and the Metro Area line the rivers and make the views across the rivers for many a homeowner. 


The Area

River Market is one of the hottest neighborhoods for young professionals. Plenty of apartments, condos and lofts mix nicely with the amazing food, bars and boutique downtown shopping. The free Streetcar service is available to take you to the other downtown neighborhoods and if you work down here you can expect a short walk. Also nice is the direct access to the river for a paddle on a warm day. Union Hill is another great option if you like downtown living. Just south of the amazing Crown Center, which is a shopping, dining and entertainment emporium, sits a slightly more quiet locale but one surrounded by jumping spots. Tons of shops, restaurants, bars and immediate proximity to Liberty Park for those inclined to get out for a run or ride. 
- River Market
- Union Hill
- Volker
- West Plaza


Young Professionals

River Market

A lot of the neighborhoods favored by Young Professionals are great choices for DINKS/SINKS as well. Volker is one of these magic areas. Filled with cool bungalow and shirtwaist-style homes, and close proximity to great eats and bars, it's just far enough away from downtown to bring some peace but borders more jumping spots so if you’re in the mood you’re just a short walk away. West Plaza is another cool option. Just south of Volker and close to plenty of nightlife, it has new townhomes, American Foursquare homes and perfect little bungalows ripe for renovation.
- Volker
- West Plaza
- West Waldo


DINKS/SINKS

Volker

Kansas City has several neighborhoods popular with the LGBTQ+ community. Brookside is popular with younger, single professionals looking for plenty of cool coffee shops, art galleries and festivals, restaurants, bars and overall nightlife. Historic Northeast is another popular choice for those looking for beautiful Victorians to restore or just enjoy and is a short walk to plenty of shops, restaurants and bar options. 
- Brookside
- Historic Northeast
- Old Briarcliff

LGBTQ+

Historic Northeast

Brookside is a nice choice for young families. Just a 15 minute drive to downtown if you’re hankering for some action but quiet and safe for raising those kiddos away from the downtown scene. It also has fun local restaurants for taking the kids out for BBQ or on date night. Waldo is another great choice. Small but with great parks for kids and grownups of all ages it also has the best private schools in the city. It’s also filled with boutique shopping, some nightlife, a number of the grooviest coffee shops and plenty of room for Fido to run around. 
- Brookside


Families

Brookside

Kansas City

**What's it like to live in Kansas City, MO?**

It’s just like Chicago, New York and LA except without the assholes, haha. We’re so laid back and hospitable in this section of the map. We believe that money should be spent on life experience and not rent(; The cost of living is quite enticing. We love our professional sports teams while embracing our college athletics at the same time. The arts district is so rich and diverse and the roots are obviously very deep-our art institutions and museums are world renowned. I love it here, it’s for living and thriving, not just visiting. It’s a wonderful place to call home.



**What's it like to live in Kansas City, MO?**

It's the great crossroads of America. That means a guy from Maine, Texas, Alabama, New York, Colorado or California would fit in about equally. It's got tons of green spaces. The murder rate is maybe 1/2 as bad as in St Louis or Kansas City, Kansas (Quindaro sux).

The cost of living is low. People are friendly enough but stay out of your beeswax. The thing to remember is it IS a city. If you go to where the transgendered crack whores sell booty for dope money, expect to see some weird, violent behavior. If you stick to safe neighborhoods, you should be fine.

I live in East Independence, and it's very quiet and peaceful here. My house is a cabin in a wooded hollow similar to something you'd see in the Ozarks three hours south of here.

**What’s the best and worst things about Kansas City?**

I feel like I'm qualified to answer this now that I've lived in multiple places that aren't in the KC area.

Pros:

Cost of living

Traffic is a joke, even during bad days compared to similarly sized cities.

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.

Relatively diverse. I live in Denver and it's pretty much all white all the time. It gets old and people are often out of touch because of this.

**What’s the best and worst things about Kansas City?**

I've been in the city since September after moving from CA. I love this city. Edit: I've lived in Denver and its surrounding metro area, and in CA's big 6 (San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento).

Pros:

Cost of living.

Pretty good restaurants.

No traffic compared to a big city.

Water quality is high.

Architecturally interesting in some places.

Housing market is buyer friendly (for now).

Gas prices are lol.

Google Fiber is great but it also drives down prices for everyone else. 400mbps w/ Spectrum for 30$ last I checked.

"Hi, may I help you!?"

Chiefs fandom is pervasive and inclusive, if that's your thing.

Kansas City, Missouri

Attractive & Approachable

Looklyloo Score: 85

Reviews

What's it like to live in Kansas City?