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Possibly moving to KC...need information from you gals!
DH is interviewing for a job in KC next week. Strong possibility for this happening so I figured I should start doing my homework. We would be moving from metro Detroit to KC. I want some information or rec's on possible places to live and info on cost o living.
Right now we live in a more affluent area with mostly white collar, highly educated working professionals. We bought our house in the area with the top schools and excellent community facilities (pool, community center, etc....). We pay a lot in taxes to have the schools and such, but it was important to us as we have a 4 year old and wanted great schools as education is a priority for us. We like being near fun things to do and DH would be working in Olathe if the job pans out. I guess I would like it if we could find a place that the commute wasn't horrible for him (right now he's spoiled...10 min drive to work!). I would not be working - I will quit my job when we move and stay home - I have a business I have been starting that I would pursue instead of my current full time job. I would like to be near a nice health club facility (I have some serious health issues so working out helps me avoid them) and near some good organic grocery stores (again with my health issues I have a very restricted diet). I also need good medical care so it looks like U of K would be where I would go (based on what I have read so far).
As far as houses - I am not sure what things cost. From what I have seen the cost of living looks less in KC than Detroit (which is good for us!). We currently live in a 2600 SF 15 year old home. We have 4BR/3.5 BA with finished basement and additional 5th BR. We don't need something that big. We probably will downsize a bit depending on price. We do want to be in a very community oriented neighborhood where neighbors are friendly as we are leaving our family to move there an will need to build a new life without family. Our neighborhood now is not very social at all...everyone keeps to themselves which has been disappointing for us living here. We won't miss that at all if we move!
Can anyone recommend possible school districts that are top ranked? Can anyone recommend cities/neighborhoods we should consider based on what we are looking for? As far as house - I don't know what price range to suggest...we want to downsize in price since I will quit my job. We don't want another 400K house for sure. What does 200K get you in KC? We have some flexibility on price range but I don't see us needing a huge house as we will no longer be hosting huge family holidays since we will not be near family anymore. I guess a 3BR + office or 4 BR will be what we need since I will need a home office.
Any information would be helpful and appreciated. I just completed treatment for breast cancer so all of this is overwhelming. I have not even gone back to work yet from chemo.....life is interesting......gotta just keep pushing on though.
Thanks ladies!
Re: Possibly moving to KC...need information from you gals!
The top ranked school district in the Johnson County school district are the Blue Valley schools. From what I understand, they have very strict guidelines in attending the schools based on location of where you live - if you are in Olathe chances are you'll be in the area of either the Shawnee schools or the Olathe schools - both are decent but have a really high student to teacher ratio and are very overpopulated. The private Catholic schools in the area are really well-ranked if that is something you're willing to consider as an option.
You are correct in that Kansas is less expensive than places like Detroit, but don't let the Leawood/Lenexa/Roeland Park area trick you - houses around those parts go for a hefty price. Kansas City is pretty spread apart, so a 10 minute commute may not be realistic for the area. I lived in south Olathe at one point and it took me about 25 minutes to get to my job in north Olathe simply because of the way roads are set up around here.
I hope you find what you're looking for and this information is useful; take care!
A10 Siggy Challenge: Our Next Vacation Destination: Paris!
Hi from another metro Detroit native! I grew up in Sterling Heights & my family is still back in Warren & Shelby Twp.
Like the pp, I've heard that the Blue Valley schools are excellent. Their webpage has some maps to download to see the boundaries. That would be more of the Overland Park area, which has a lot of nice neighborhoods and at least 2 Whole Foods markets. There's also a weekly or bi-weekly farmer's market in OP and many others in the area that might help you to find organic food. We live on the Missouri side so I'm not much help with specific KS neighborhoods, but this post (from another Detroit transplant!) might give you a little more info.
I'm not sure if it would be helpful, but there is a center called Turning Point that offers supportive services for people with chronic or serious illnesses & their families. They always seem to have some neat things on their calendar, educational/coping, artsy, or more active classes like yoga & zumba. One of the wonderful nurses I work with occasionally leads a class there. And you're right; the University of Kansas Medical Center (called KU Med) is well-regarded for its cancer programs. (But you don't want to live right by it; when you go outside of the hospital and adjacent restaurant area it gets a little sketchy.)
Good luck to your husband on the interview & on your move if it works out!
Just curious to see if your DH got the job in KC. Lots of houses for sale in our subdivision!