Pros and Cons of Kansas City Living
So you’re thinking about moving to Kansas City and you wanna know the top five pros and cons of living here. I’m going to share with you the top five things that I love about the city and the top five things that I absolutely hate.
PRO #1 – LOTS TO DO!
All right, let’s not waste any time and get right to the meat. This is a barbecue town, right? All right, pro number one, there are a lot of things to do in Kansas City. All right?
Kauffman Stadium (Royals Stadium)
If you’re coming to Kansas City, you better know it’s a sports town. First off, we’re gonna have the royals. They play at the K. The Kansas City Royals won the World Series in 2015 and made another appearance in 2014. The stadium has been remodeled. It’s a very popular place to go, even when they’re not doing well. There’s a lot to do there.
Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs Stadium)
Now, in the same parking lot you’re gonna find Chief Stadium. Everybody here is gonna call it Arrowhead and there’s gonna be GEHA Field, but nobody calls it GEHA Field. They’re gonna call it Arrowhead. Arrowhead has the world record for the loudest stadium at 142.5 decibels. When you go there, you can’t hear yourself or think, it’s so loud. Other teams that come to play Kansas City hate it because it’s so distracting and loud. One thing to know about that, it is a huge party. The tailgating there starts 20, almost 24 hours before the game starts. People will be there tailgating all day long. It’s the biggest tailgating event in the entire country. Games in Kansas City are a very big deal. One thing to know every Friday before a chief’s game, you better wear red because it’s always Chief’s friday.
Sporting KC
Not too long ago, Kansas City got world championship soccer when they got sporting KC on the west side of town. Near the NASCAR race track, there’s a development that includes the brand new stadium. It also is a great place to go have food and dinner and drinks and then go watch a great soccer game.
Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun
While it’s no replacement for Disney World, Kansas City does have a very large amusement park. Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun include 325 acres with more than 64 attractions. It is a huge draw and you’ll always find a great time there from early spring all the way into late fall. Do not miss their Halloween Spooktacular events.
Kansas City Food
When it comes to dining, yes, Kansas City has a world famous barbecue town.
We have gates, we have Arthurs, Joe’s, Jacks Stack. But we’re also a cow town, which means this is a great destination to find great steak. I’d recommend checking out districts like the Crossroads District. Checking out the Boulevard for authentic mexican food. Visiting North Kansas City you will find the new Iron District, which is a modern food container park. Its super cool! There are lots of great little venues within walking distance. Sailaway is a neat little vending maching wine bar (one of our favs!) In Kansas City, there’s all sorts of little food districts. In the last 10 years it has became quite the culinary town.
Lakes (7 local!)
Now, you may not know this about me, but I’m an outdoors guy and I love fishing. So having seven lakes near Kansas City is a huge benefit for me. You’re going to find Smithville Lake to the north side of the city. Smithville lake, in fact, has 175 miles of shoreline. It’s great for bass fishing, catfish and great crappie fishing. If you’re not a fisherman, there is a lot of open water for water sports.
Con #1 – No Significant Geographic Features
All right, I’m gonna go ahead and give you the first con. Kansas City doesn’t have any significant geographical features. You’re not gonna look out and see a mountain range, and you’re not gonna go down to the ocean within a very short drive at all. Yet, about three hours east of here you will find Lake of the Ozarks. Lake of the Ozarks is an enormous destination for people all over the Midwest. Head South. You will find Branson. There is a ton and ton of outdoor stuff to do here.
Pro #2 Lots of Space
okay, pro number two, Kansas City’s pretty spread out means you get a little bit of space you can drive all over the city. There’s little traffic. Having a car here is very important. It is your freedom, okay? Gas prices are some of the cheapest in the entire nation. For a lot of people relocating from cities that are busy, having to use public transport is the norm. Kansas City is going to seem out of place for you. Trust me, having that freedom and that flexibility to hop in a car and get across town will be a big benefit. You can leave for work 20 minutes before you need to get there and show up right on time. No reason to plan an extra 30 minutes, just in case! It’s a huge benefit and I would have a hard time living somewhere else and giving that up.
Con #2 Where is the Public Transport?
Con number two is that Kansas City really doesn’t have great public transportation. Again, Kansas City is not a city designed for public transportation. Destinations are usually spread out. We do have buses, but most people don’t find them to be convenient. And there is a street car line that has been expanding for 5 years. It’s going to start in a trendy locale called the river market area. The street car will travel through the power and light district turn around at Union Station. It’s more of a tourist line. It’s more for going out hopping bars and going to different restaurants.
Pro #3 – FOUR SEASONS
All right, pro number three. Kansas City has all four seasons. We’ve got spring, we’ve got summer, we’ve got fall, and we’ve got winter. No matter what you’re into, there’s a season here that’s gonna cover it. Which means you never acclimate to the weather by the time you’re used to spring, it’s summer. By the time you’re used to summer, it’s fall. And the roads, they have a heart. We have a lot of bad roads here because you have so many different changes in weather. It causes some potholes and cracking. One of the things about living at Kansas City is knowing that weather is going to be a constant running joke. So you’ll always see memes and hear jokes. Cool thing is you can always use one to break the ice and meet a new friendly face.
I like to think the best weatherman in the world, all hope when they go to Weatherman’s school they end up in Kansas City. Cuz this is the probably toughest area to estimate what the weather’s gonna do day by day, hour by hour. We definitely have the best weathermen.
Pro #4 People are Nice
Pro Number four about living in Kansas City is that people here are actually pretty nice. You’re gonna be going to the gas station and somebody will stand there and hold that door for you. People make eye contact, they say Please and thank you. And generally it’s one of the most pleasant cities that I’ve ever been in. It’s actually odd for me to go to other cities where I wanna say, Hi, how are you doing? And people keep their head down and keep walking and I feel like creep. It’s normal here to be nice and friendly.
Con #4 Only if You Know Which Team to Root For
When I was dating for instance, it’s very important to know cuz this is a sports town. After all, it’s very important to know, are you a Kansas University Jayhawks fan or are you a Missouri Tigers fan? It’s a big deal, especially when I was dating. If I guessed wrong, I might not have got that date.
Pro #5 Kansas City is Cosmopolitan!
Okay, here we go. Number five. Kansas City, though it’s a medium sized city, has cosmopolitan features. All the features that you would need without any the major detractors that go with it. So I find it to be a great balance of, of both worlds. Right now.
Con #5 Stereotypes
The only con I can come up with is that everybody else in the country assumes we’re a flyover cow town with a thick accent. And when you tell them about how great Kansas City is, they kind of have that glazed overlook. But trust me, it’s, it’s, it’s a great place to live. Fun fact! Foreigners love Kansas City due to having one of the most neutral accents in the entire country.
Why I Love Kansas City
I actually love living here, even though I travel all over the country. Every time I travel, I’m always excited to come back home. Back in the fifties and sixties, Kansas City started expanding out into the suburbs. Over the last 10 or 15 years, it’s had a bunch of development in the inner core. You’re going to see that there’s a lot of new development. It’s a very new feeling city. That means there’s always a new adventure. There’s always a new food to try and something to do. It never gets boring even for a guy like me who’s lived here his entire life.
Okay, that was the five pros and cons that I’ve came up with for living in Kansas City. If you’re thinking about moving to Kansas City please go ahead and send us and email, text or even pick up a phone and call us. We are here to make your move as easy and comfortable as possible. Remember we’ve got your back!
