Moving to Kansas City – Where Should You Live?

Hello friends! If you’re planning on making a move to the Kansas City area, there are numerous different spots that you can choose from. It can be overwhelming to look at what each neighborhood has to offer, but that’s where I come in! I can help you narrow down the best communities for you and your family based on the type of lifestyle you prefer.

There are two important questions you need to answer before you start researching specific neighborhoods in Kansas City. Once you answer these two questions, it’ll help us target the right community for you.

Question #1:

Which of these options best fits your lifestyle?

• CITY LIFE
• SUBURBIA
• SMALL TOWN FEEL

Question #2:

Which state would you prefer to live in?

• KANSAS
• MISSOURI

We’ll start by answering question #1 first, which will help lead us to the right answer to question #2.

For a more in-depth review of this topic, check out my full YouTube video here!

CITY LIFE

If you prefer the city life, then you will likely be happier on the Missouri side because that’s where Downtown Kansas City, MO is located. When you make the trip to Downtown, you immediately get that big city feel. Downtown has the Kansas City skyline, the Power & Light District, T-Mobile Arena, and lots of options for nightlife and entertainment. There really aren’t too many other communities in the metro area that offer anything like this. Also, Kansas City, MO has a population of over 400,000; more than double the population of any other metro area community.

Let’s compare Kansas City, MO with Kansas City, KS, one of the largest cities on the Kansas side of the metro area. Kansas City, KS has a population of only 150,000, and offers many great things like the Legends Shopping Center, Kansas Speedway, and Sporting KC, but it doesn’t provide that same “big city wow factor” that you’ll get from Kansas City, MO. So, if you want to fully experience the hustle and bustle of city life, my recommendation is to stay on the Missouri side.

SUBURBIA

Looking for the suburbs? Look no further! The Kansas City metro area is filled with suburbia and you will get a heavy dose of it on the Kansas side. This isn’t to say there aren’t some great suburbs in Missouri, because there are! Some of my favorites include Blue Springs, Liberty, and Lee’s Summit. However, the suburbia vibe is overflowing on the Kansas side of the state line.

Some of the most popular Kansas suburbs include Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Leawood, and Lenexa. Throughout many parts of these communities, you’ll find subdivisions with homes that look almost exactly uniquely alike. The streets are in well-organized grids, most of them running perfectly north/south or east/west. You’ll also find an abundance of chain stores and restaurants in these communities. So, if you want suburbia, I’d say Kansas offers more, but there are still great options on the Missouri side.

 SMALL TOWN FEEL

One great thing about living in the Kansas City metro area is you can be in a rural area or a farm but still only be about 30 minutes from Downtown KC. Even if you live deep inside the city or in the suburbs, that small-town vibe is still present. This is true whether you’re on the Kansas or Missouri side of the metro area.

There are several small communities that surround Kansas City that I’d be glad to discuss with you. If you’re looking to buy land or just want to be outside the city, there are endless options, too many to name here. There are even some small communities with under 1,000 people, all within a half-hour of Downtown! So, if you’re wanting to know which side of the state line is best for that small-town feel; this one is really a toss-up! There are great options in both Kansas and Missouri.

I hope this helps you on your journey to find the perfect home in Kansas City, but if you have any questions for me, please don’t hesitate to ask! I’d love to help you and your family get settled in the Kansas City metro area. You can reach me, Rach the Realtor, at 816.673.9723 or email me at Rachel.kilmer@reecenichols.com.

I look forward to chatting with you soon!

Ready to make the move? Contact Rach to set up a time to chat about the next steps!