Sure, sure it’s wonderful and important that Overland Park often rates #1 for cities for families in the entire U.S. of A. Great schools, great homes, great parks, etc. etc. etc. and sure that should be top of your list of considerations. 

But throw on top of that the fact that it’s also a music and creative hub with beautiful artwork spread throughout the city and you’ve really got a place to get excited about. Artists and musicians often take to the streets to perform, and create art, and a solid mix of museums and festivals provide locals a more organized way to experience the art scene of the area as well. The BBQ scene is also an artform, rivaling (besting?) the south in terms of quality. 

**Here's a transplant on what it's like to live in Overland Park:** 
*I'm 44 and transplanted to the KC metro from New York City back in 1997. I can relate to your situation here, though I am not from the south. First thing you're going to notice is how relaxed this area is compared to Houston. Traffic exists but it's not insane all the time. You'll feel like you're on vacation all the time up here.*
*Next thing you'll notice is that while there are good restaurants, they're not every six feet like in a larger city. When I first moved here, I found good places to eat (love the BBQ) but you can't walk 10 feet and run into two good pizza joints. If you try, you'll find the diamonds in the rough but mostly there is a lot of mediocre food. I DISAGREE about the Asian and Mexican food. There are good Mexican restaurants around here, just not in the quantity you're used to. Third, things are cheaper. It's just a lower cost of living around here.*

For more reviews of Orlando from locals check out: [**The Buzz**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/overland-park?page=buzz)


Yes, You Are In Kansas

The Best Thing About Overland Park?

More of a dense Kansas City suburb than a major city itself, Overland Park suffers from the main criticism that comes with many midwest suburbs: a lack of diversity. Somewhat related to that, it can be hard to find a community in Overland Park if you don’t already know families in the area, and people from coastal cities in particular often cite it as difficult to feel at home here. Overland Park is a great place to be a part of, but for some that's mainly for those who already feel they’re a part of it.

**Here's a local with a pov on diversity (and walkability) in the area and Overland Park:**
*If you’re looking for walk ability, Brookside, but it really isn’t diverse at all. Overland Park / Leawood is “walkable” in a sense that they have nice sidewalks and neighborhoods that back up to shopping centers. Don’t let people tell you it isn’t diverse, there is a huge Indian and Chinese population in OP. The Northland is booming, lots of growth, you might look into Parkville. Lee’s summit is nice, walkable etc.*

Overland Bubble

The Worst Thing About Overland Park

Those knocks on the Overland Park community will likely swing your experience one way or the other. It’s a tight knit/midwestern-friendly community where locals support each other and their thriving local businesses. It provides an oasis from the traffic, crowds and long lines of big cities like KC, but also a severance from the nightlife and variety of social amenities of those cities as well. Its variety of upscale restaurants, storefronts, and outdoor recreation opportunities may give it a leg up on most suburbs, but still may be underwhelming for young professionals coming from bigger cities.

If you want to see what's happening here check out the calendar of events: https://www.visitoverlandpark.com/events/


Lifestyle of Overland Park 

Outside of working for those wide variety of local businesses, many Overland Park residents commute into Kansas City. Only a twenty minute drive to downtown KC from most parts of the area, residents tend to take advantage of the bigger city’s rich employment opportunities in the healthcare, tech, manufacturing, and transportation industries. It's also easy to imagine plenty of full-time WFH'ers moving to cities like Overland Park so their families get the best possible opportunities and the local economy is less important. 


Workstyle of Overland Park

For an impressive and highly regarded suburb, with amazing public schools and a 20 minute drive to a major city, the cost of living in Overland Park will pleasantly surprise you. If you’re an established family looking for a place to move in the Kansas City area, Overland Park should be at the top of your list.


The Schools

Why Move Here Now?

As a “suburb” of Kansas City, Overland Park is not thought of as a hotspot for youngsters, singles or couples. Most end up in the big city and eschew the suburban experience. That said, Overland Park has a downtown “scene”, at least by suburban standards, and that means apartment and condo options for living and a pretty vibrant restaurant, bar and arts scene. If you want to avoid the madness of downtown KC but have some energy then downtown Overland Park is where you look. 
- Downtown


Young Professionals/DINKs/SINKs

Downtown

Overland Park, KS is frequently rated the #1 City for Families in the U.S. https://livability.com/best-places/10-best-cities-for-families/.  That sets a high bar that the many neighborhoods meet. Good schools and affordable housing are a big part of this ranking but just as important is the city’s commitment to a healthy lifestyle for the kiddos. The Overland Park Soccer Park Complex is the centerpiece of this investment, with 12 lit fields and a cooling system that keeps things cool during the hot midwestern summers. Combine this with 83 parks and open spaces, lakes and six city-run outdoor pools and you can count on your little bean having plenty to do. 

Pinehurst Estates is a good example of the excellent neighborhoods here. The beautiful custom homes, most built as showcases for local builders, sit along tree-lined streets and spacious manicured lawns. It has 12 acres of common ground, two city parks and a lake many of the homes surround. 
- Pinehurst Estates / Pinehurst
- Beverly Estates
- Oak Park
- Nall Hills
- Wycliff,
- Regency Park


Families

Pinehurst

If you can handle the weather of the Kansas City area then Overland Park is a great option for retiring. It is extremely safe, has great infrastructure and interesting downtown events to experience. It’s only 20 minutes from a major city but without the big downtown chaos. Sorrento at Deer Creek is a great option for anyone looking for an exclusively 55+ community with all the amenities you could want. Most retirees here though simply opt for the relatively inexpensive neighborhoods, at least compared to bigger city or coastal options, that offer great outdoor spaces, and a family friendly experience if you’re not interested in a senior exclusive environment. Downtown is also a good option for those who want to live amidst the restaurants and arts options the city has to offer. 
- Sorrento at Deer Creek
- Downtown
- Oak Park


Retirees

Sorrento at Deer Creek

Overland Park

**What advice would you give to someone who is moving to Overland Park, KS?**

I moved two years ago from Europe, so here goes my list:

get a car for each adult member in the family (well, this may sound obvious, but it was not to me). Unless you are lucky, there will be almost nothing in walking distance.
if you are looking for house, don’t waste time looking for small house; 90%+ of the small ones are old and not very nice (exceptions exist)
don’t bother with big backyard - you will stay inside in the summer anyway (either due to the killer combination of heat and humidity or because of our newest friends, oak mites)
you can gain a lot of weight if you follow Midwest triple B diet (beer, burgers, barbecue); make sure you will find some good exercise
I would probably stay south of 100th street (might be my personal opinion, but I think it is safer there)
buy smoker and learn how to do the best bbq in the world
get Royals t-shirt and go see a game with friends
Farmer’s market is awesome place
If you are moving from outside US without anything, Ikea in OP is your friend


**What advice would you give to someone who is moving to Overland Park, KS?**

I was raised in the OP and it was a wonderful place to grow up. The weather is not that bad - not San Diego but you definitely get four seasons!

Overland Park is a very pleasant place to live and raise kids. There is a LOT more commercial development than when I grew up there (in the 70s and 80s), and the road construction seems interminable. Those are downsides, I’d say. And if you are moving from a city or more cosmopolitan area, you might feel like the Midwest is not very interesting or diverse. That’s why I’d say living in OP is best balanced by also spending time on the Plaza, Brookside, the K (Kauffman Stadium, home of the KC Royals baseball champs) or Arrowhead (home of the Chiefs football team), Crown Center, the Power & Light District, the many parks and lakes - even Lawrence, KS (about 30 miles west), home of the University of Kansas. There are lots of great neighborhoods and activities beyond just OP, in the greater KC area.

Midwestern people are good people; I’m proud to be from there and I think you would probably like most of the folks you meet. Plus… the BBQ!

**What advice would you give to someone who is moving to Overland Park, KS?**

First of all I would say, *Welcome* and next I want you to understand and be patient with the midwestern weather, you can have extremes in summer of 100 degrees and suffocating humidity or -5 below in winter where the road crews don’t quite have either the budget or the knowhow to prepare the roadways for snow like they do in the upper midwestern states where people go about their lives in 3 feet of snow 9 months of the year with 3 months of “bad sledding”. And oh the Kansas ice storms, I have lived through these magnificent disasters watching transformers blow up in green flashes all over the city, living without any sort of power in a completely susburban habitat for a week and a half and practicing survival bbq skills as well as DIY hygienics.

Drive an SUV with 4WD. You won’t use that more than a month out of the year but it will make or break you getting to work on the ramps that love to become black ice in winter. I’m writing this after a snowfall here in KC, can you tell.

Schools are great in almost any neighborhood.

Real estate has become expensive after the housing crisis, so be prepared for an average home to cost $200000 plus. The upside is steady appreciation on any house you just at about 5% a year. The rule is…3 bedroom ranch, two baths, double car garage, on a quiet street….you just can’t lose on a house like that.

Soooo many apartments are being built! Nice new ones with pricey rents, a lot of them are happening in the graveyards of old shopping centers in the style of the dorm you lived in at college, with shops and eateries on the bottom floor and apartments on top.

If you have a house, get ready to mow your lawn and the yards, even the smallest houses have huge lawns. The term “get off my lawn” must have been coined by watching Kansas curmudgeons watering their precious fescue. (A type of green grass BTW).

l love this city. There’s always something to do. People are very friendly with a few “I want to talk to the manager” snots but never to the extent of some bigger cities.

Enjoy

Moving to Overland Park, KS from Houston, TX

I'm 44 and transplanted to the KC metro from New York City back in 1997. I can relate to your situation here, though I am not from the south.

First thing you're going to notice is how relaxed this area is compared to Houston. Traffic exists but it's not insane all the time. You'll feel like you're on vacation all the time up here.

Next thing you'll notice is that while there are good restaurants, they're not every six feet like in a larger city. When I first moved here, I found good places to eat (love the BBQ) but you can't walk 10 feet and run into two good pizza joints. If you try, you'll find the diamonds in the rough but mostly there is a lot of mediocre food. I DISAGREE about the Asian and Mexican food. There are good Mexican restaurants around here, just not in the quantity you're used to.

Third, things are cheaper. It's just a lower cost of living around here.

Fourth, as Eskaminagaga pointed out the flights are tricky. (s)he is right in that KC is a second or third tier city airport-wise. So, while you're find flights of course, it'll be typically more expensive and you'll wind up transiting through other regions. I travel to Asia several times a year and always have to get up to Chicago, down to Houston etc before I head over the Pacific.

Good luck, you're going to like it here!

Overland Park, Kansas