After 20 years, looks like I'm moving back to KC
 

As the title says, got a job offer today and it looks like I'll be moving the family to KC at the end of April. While we've enjoyed our time in Louisville, we are really looking forward to living somewhere where the kids can see their extended family and the free daycare from grandma will allow my wife to go back to work which will really help finances. Living in Chiefs country will be great considering that for the last 20 years I've lived in a baseball city (St. Louis) and a city with no professional sports (Louisville). Hopefully I'll get a chance to see Molitoth's band!

So where do we live? We'll probably rent a house for a year or two until we find a place we want to buy. My oldest kid turns 4 in July, so we have 2 years before he starts kindergarten. I grew up north of the river and my folks still live there, so it would be convenient from a babysitting perspective, but I'll be working in Overland Park. Ideally, we'd like to live somewhere that isn't too terribly far from downtown, but far enough away to have a yard and not worry about the kids playing in the neighborhood. Based on my memories, I feel like Parkville would be perfect, but I'm not seeing a lot of rental properties on Trulia or the like.

I frankly know nothing about Johnson County. It's always had this vague Stepford quality to me and seemed like franchise hell. I do recognize there are tax implications to living in Missouri and working in Kansas, but I'm not sure if that is enough of an issue to really care. There are a lot of reasonably priced, nice looking rental options out there and that is a bit of a draw at this point.

So I'm opening it up to the great minds at ChiefsPlanet. Where should we be looking?

Bates City

My condolences :)

Small world. I spent my High School Years and College days in Louisville. Went to Southern High School and University of Louisville. Moved to Olathe KS (Johnson County) back in 1987 after I retired from the Army.

Honestly, couldn't wait to get the hell out of Louisville.

Anyway, OP or Olathe will give you a fine area to raise children in. Indeed, if you live in KS and work in MO - you will pay taxes in both states. So, I honestly can not recommend Johnson County highly enough. We raised both our kids there (they were in elementary school when we moved in) and both went on to KU and Dartmouth.

Hopefully, you will enjoy life in KS or MO. Trust me when I say this - there is more to do in either place than there ever was in Louisville. Welcome!!!

i hear quindaro blvd is nice this time of year? :D

I think Olathe is too far out. I'll be working in Corporate Woods technically, and that is as far out as we are willing to go. It would be a fine commute from Olathe, but it is too far from downtown and nearly 40 minutes from my folks. That's a pretty big ask for my parents if I'm going to be asking them to come out and help with the kids a few times a week.

As far as Louisville goes, we've really liked it here. Admittedly, we'd probably feel different if we were kid free when we moved here. Having the ability to walk around downtown with the kids late at night and not feel like I have to look over my shoulder has been a nice change of pace. My only complaint is the utter lack of ethnic foods. It's a foodie city, but it's too small to have vibrant ethnic food scenes. I'm not really sure KC is much better in that regards, but it has to be better than here.

Where'd you live in KC, prior?

Waldo or Brookside if your budget is a bit higher.

Decent rent, nice quiet neighborhoods, between downtown and Overland Park.

You might want to look at Piper. I know it's in WYCO, but it's upscale, much cheaper than JOCO, has excellent schools, and is right off 435. I used to work at Sprint HQ and on a normal day, it was 20 min. to campus. You can be in Parkville in 10, downtown in about 20.

The northland, up by KCI. Went to high school in Platte City. That’s too far out and I have zero interest in living in the same little area I grew up in.

Not trying to blow the budget on a rental. Would like to stay below 2K. If we were kidless, this is exactly the area we’d be looking. Maybe I’m misremembering, but I’m not sure it fits what we are looking for currently.

We’ll look into it, but man that looks out there. By out there, I don’t strictly mean distance. It just doesn’t look like there is a lot of development. Might be a hard sell. Your travel numbers sound excellent though.

Speaking of tax issues, don't live within KCMO proper or you'll have another 1% added to the income taxes you pay.

I lived in Liberty and worked in Overland Park for a few years and I got used to the drive. It's lighter traffic in that direction than the opposite would be (or at least it was when I was doing it over a decade ago). Parkville area probably makes more sense though from the commuting pov.

I've been gone 8 years but for the 15 years I was there, the best schools and the family suburban experience, Lee's Summit was the place in the KC area.

There's a lot of new development around the nearby racetrack. It would be worth checking out. It's a bit longer drive to/from your parents' area, but it's all interstate.