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Post by workingclassdog on Apr 9, 2024 19:52:41 GMT
So DH and I are talking seriously about moving in the next few years to get out of Colorado to somewhere cheaper. We both are pretty much on the same page but I am trying to look at all options of locations.
We are both from Missouri basically. And we feel like we can buy something either in KS, OK or MO.. and could almost pay it all off. We wouldn't want to go further east due to family. I don't want to be that far from my daughter/grandson. Any place am I overlooking? Or suggestions if you live in a cute town? We are making changes now to lower our monthly bills.
We have been looking at Topeka, KS since we both have lived there. It's not far from Kansas City where my roots are from and my best friend (although that isn't really a consideration). Just stuff churning in my head.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,730 
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Apr 9, 2024 20:22:49 GMT
Who in your family are you trying to stay close to and where do they live?
In addition to proximity to family, I would also prioritize proximity to good healthcare options.
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Post by Linda on Apr 9, 2024 20:26:24 GMT
Are you looking for urban, suburban, small town, rural? What is important to you? A church? grocery stores (how far away is ok?), medical care? an airport? public transportation? cultural activities? outdoors opportunities? I don't know how old you are or whether you're looking to make this your home into retirement (are you retired? if not, look at job opportunities) but if you are looking at living there as a senior or into your senior years - consider what those years might look like and whether the location will support your needs then.
I know FOR ME - when we move again - I'll be looking at the availability of public transportation as I don't drive and DH has some vision issues. I'll be looking at what's available to walk to - expecially groceries and medical care. I like walking trails, libraries, art, and history so I'll want someplace where those are accessible on foot or by bus. I would like a vibrant community with regular community events (festivals, farmers/craft markets, street art, concerts in the park - those sorts of things). I'll want a single storey house with only a small yard. If/when we move, it'll be close to my children and there isn't really other family to consider.
Your needs and wants are going to be different than mine but I think it's important to make a MUST-HAVE, WOULD LIKE, and a DEALBREAKER list for both the community and later the house/property to help narrow down your search. Good luck
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Post by workingclassdog on Apr 9, 2024 20:40:14 GMT
While there are no ties to move near any family member, most of our 'family' vacations have been back to Kansas City to see relatives. The only family member that I want to be nearest to is my DD where we live now. No more than 10 hours I would go.
Kansas City seems to be about the size of the biggest city I would want to be near. Topeka is about an hour from there.
- Public transportation not really important
- Church/cultural stuff - nothing that any other city can really provide
- I'll probably be working somewhat for a few years, so somewhere that would have decent jobs around.
- Small town/suburban'ish but not some run down town that is on it's last leg. lol
- As long as there is decent shopping with some mainstream stores: Target, Walmart, a few department stores, those types. within 20-30 miles at least.
- Decent healthcare
- Airport, probably something decent close by... we don't fly a ton but I might fly once/twice a year (now) maybe four times in a big year.
My mom would be a lot closer to me if she is still kickin it... lol.. she is 84 and lives in OK. So moving that direction would be great even though I know time is against us. She is very healthy and active.
Edited to add: There are a lot of family members on both sides of the family in this big area.. we have never lived near them so being close to them is not that important but could be fun to met up with them on occasion. Some of their politics don't align with mine, so while it would be fun to spend some time with them, I don't need to be with them for any extended period of time especially if politics is a big conversation with them. It never was in the past, so I don't know if it would even be brought up.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 9, 2024 20:48:57 GMT
What kinds of things do you want to be able to do once you retire? The answers to that would help narrow things down. For example, if I wanted to travel I would want to be close to a larger international airport. If I wanted to spend time golfing or fishing, I’d look for somewhere with access to those types of amenities.
ETA: I live not far from a cute historic area with a lot of touristy shops and quite honestly we never ever go there due to the hoards of people in the stores and restaurants, the bad traffic congestion and lack of easy parking. Its definite not the draw some people might think it is.
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Post by Merge on Apr 9, 2024 20:54:09 GMT
You might like Omaha.
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Post by workingclassdog on Apr 9, 2024 21:06:24 GMT
Ya know, Omaha has always been in the back of my mind, but I really never considered it. Not sure why.. lol.. I guess because I am just not familiar with the city. I think I will start poking around and see. thanks for that tip. |
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Post by busy on Apr 9, 2024 21:38:58 GMT
This is what I was going to say. |
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smcast
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Posts: 5,509
Location: MN
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Post by smcast on Apr 9, 2024 21:58:50 GMT
I know two couples that live in Overland Park , Kansas and like it.
My husband lived in Lawrence, Kansas once upon a time,, and enjoyed that college town. They're both about one hour and 25 minutes to Kansas City.
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Post by workingclassdog on Apr 9, 2024 22:07:57 GMT
I know two couples that live in Overland Park , Kansas and like it. My husband lived in Lawrence, Kansas once upon a time,, and enjoyed that college town. They're both about one hour and 25 minutes to Kansas City. I used to live very close to Overland Park... I lived right next door in Leawood. Unfortunately I am sure we are priced out in that area. I know Lawrence.. I'll poke around there.. haven't thought about that town. Even though I am a Columbia (Mizzou) fan.. haha. My sister, cousins and friends all went to Mizzou. |
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pantsonfire
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Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 6,239
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Post by pantsonfire on Apr 9, 2024 22:29:41 GMT
workingclassdog does this mean you will root for the Chiefs?? 😄😉 Hopefully by the time you are ready to move, womens health care is better in those states. I just couldn't move somewhere where I know I could die due to lack of access of womens health at any age. I would for sure stay in a liberal state. My must haves are very different than most due to ds. 1. Adult services for disabled Autistic persons. 2. Superb health care with knowledge of rare conditions. 3. IHSS 4. Private group homes that are regulated and taken care of 5. Museums, zoos, etc 6. Lots of shopping 7. Quick access to public transportation 8. No snow (or like in my care, snow but it doesn't stick around long and can be driven in) 9. Water- lakes, ocean, etc 10. Variety of landscape. I can't do flat. 11. No tornadoes, hurricanes, the such. Hopefully you find a great place you love!!
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Post by workingclassdog on Apr 9, 2024 22:47:57 GMT
workingclassdog does this mean you will root for the Chiefs?? 😄😉 Hopefully by the time you are ready to move, womens health care is better in those states. I just couldn't move somewhere where I know I could die due to lack of access of womens health at any age. I would for sure stay in a liberal state. My must haves are very different than most due to ds. 1. Adult services for disabled Autistic persons. 2. Superb health care with knowledge of rare conditions. 3. IHSS 4. Private group homes that are regulated and taken care of 5. Museums, zoos, etc 6. Lots of shopping 7. Quick access to public transportation 8. No snow (or like in my care, snow but it doesn't stick around long and can be driven in) 9. Water- lakes, ocean, etc 10. Variety of landscape. I can't do flat. 11. No tornadoes, hurricanes, the such. Hopefully you find a great place you love!! 1. NO NO NO to the Chiefs.. lol.. although I do have a soft spot for Mr. Swifty.. haha 2. Tornados, snow really doesn't bother me. It's what I grew up with. 3. Currently in the land of no lakes, water really, so that is a plus moving Midwest for sure. We do like the Ozarks. 4. Politically I am not really passionate about. Passionate about hating Trump.. but I'm kinda in the middle'ish.. might bug me, but nothing that I care to dwell on. You can see how many political posts I engage in. 1% maybe. haha 5. Flat landscape is fine. KC is actually kinda of hilly.. but I would miss the mountains. 6. Museums/Zoos, eh.. I have been to enough.. KC zoo is kinda dumpy (unless they have revamped it).. Omaha I think has a fantastic one. |
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scrappinmama
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Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Apr 9, 2024 23:21:53 GMT
I know two couples that live in Overland Park , Kansas and like it. My husband lived in Lawrence, Kansas once upon a time,, and enjoyed that college town. They're both about one hour and 25 minutes to Kansas City. I used to live very close to Overland Park... I lived right next door in Leawood. Unfortunately I am sure we are priced out in that area. I know Lawrence.. I'll poke around there.. haven't thought about that town. Even though I am a Columbia (Mizzou) fan.. haha. My sister, cousins and friends all went to Mizzou. I live in the area. Overland Park and Leawood would be $500,000 or more for a 4 or 5 bedroom, unless you go to the older part of Overland Park. The houses will be smaller, maybe even 1 floor ranch style. I call my area McMansion hell. Houses here are 2 stories, with most having a finished basement. Every house looks the same. Houses are a good size, like 2,000-3,000 square feet. I do enjoy living here. We moved here from Los Angeles. I love not having traffic. It's definitely more affordable. I can get into Kansas City in 30 minutes or less. The weather is decent. We don't get a lot of snow in the KC area. We don't get a lot of ice either. We might even have the odd day where a winter coat isn't needed on some winter days. The summer is hot and humid, but not Texas humid. There are plenty of doctors, specialists and hospitals around. Editing to answer about shopping. I have 4 Targets within 15 minutes from my home. One of them is within walking distance. There are plenty of grocery stores. Anything from Aldi to Whole Foods to independent grocery stores. There are plenty of clothing stores, restaurants, 3 AMC theaters within 15 minutes from my house. You can also look into Spring Hill. It's still in Johnson County, but you are more in the outskirts of the county. I know houses are more affordable, but it's a very nice area to live. I have a friend that lives there and they love it. |
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Post by playingcinderella on Apr 10, 2024 0:32:06 GMT
We are having similar conversations at my house. We currently live on the Texas Gulf Coast and the cost of windstorm, flood and home owners insurance is killing us. Add the politics and the general state of education (DH & I are both teachers) - We are talking exit strategies.
We went to school in Springfield Missouri and left in 2008 when we struggled to find "grown up" jobs post graduation. Plus we had a small child and realized we didn't love the social and political climate there. We loved the college town feel, the weather, the outdoors and so much about the area.
We are taking our kids to visit Springfield and Missouri State in July as they start thinking about college options. We are going from there to Lincoln, Ne and the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Then we are swinging through Omaha before we head back home.
It's a college tour for them and potential next phase visits for us. We have been to Lincoln several times for conferences and loved a lot about the town. I have never been to Omaha, but it seems like it might be a good fit for us so we are taking a look.
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bethany102399
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by bethany102399 on Apr 10, 2024 3:05:06 GMT
Politically I am not really passionate about. Passionate about hating Trump.. but I'm kinda in the middle'ish.. might bug me, but nothing that I care to dwell on. You can see how many political posts I engage in. 1% maybe. haha There are pockets where the population is more liberal, as is true of most large cities. Certainly if you go into the Ozarks or smaller towns, like Atchison small there are more Trump supporters. if you really want to get political check out the mess that our local sports teams made of trying to build a stadium in the middle of downtown. Thankfully (IMO) the tax extension was voted down last week but there's got to be more to the story there. Museums/Zoos, eh.. I have been to enough.. KC zoo is kinda dumpy (unless they have revamped it).. Omaha I think has a fantastic one. Ok, this I'll fight you on. I love our zoo. We have an aquarium now and I spent most of Saturday morning walking around there and it was packed. On balance, Omaha's zoo is better but ours is far from dumpy  live in the area. Overland Park and Leawood would be $500,000 or more for a 4 or 5 bedroom, unless you go to the older part of Overland Park. The houses will be smaller, maybe even 1 floor ranch style. I call my area McMansion hell. Houses here are 2 stories, with most having a finished basement I have a former co-worker who has been looking to move for almost 5 years now. They can't find what they want in their price range and they're stuck in their too small house which is in an area that they love but the house is too small. I'd plan some visits, maybe take a week and tour the KC, Lawrence and Topeka area. Omaha is very drivable from here. We have lots to offer and it sounds like you have family in the area. |
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Post by workingclassdog on Apr 10, 2024 14:28:16 GMT
Ok, this I'll fight you on. I love our zoo. We have an aquarium now and I spent most of Saturday morning walking around there and it was packed. On balance, Omaha's zoo is better but ours is far from dumpy  Regarding the KC Zoo.. I guess I should have made myself clearer.. back WHEN it was dumpy... haha.. like late 1980s... I am sure it's been updated since then... I'm sorry to talk down about the KC Zoo. |
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Post by workingclassdog on Apr 10, 2024 14:36:07 GMT
I used to live very close to Overland Park... I lived right next door in Leawood. Unfortunately I am sure we are priced out in that area. I know Lawrence.. I'll poke around there.. haven't thought about that town. Even though I am a Columbia (Mizzou) fan.. haha. My sister, cousins and friends all went to Mizzou. I live in the area. Overland Park and Leawood would be $500,000 or more for a 4 or 5 bedroom, unless you go to the older part of Overland Park. The houses will be smaller, maybe even 1 floor ranch style. I call my area McMansion hell. Houses here are 2 stories, with most having a finished basement. Every house looks the same. Houses are a good size, like 2,000-3,000 square feet. I do enjoy living here. We moved here from Los Angeles. I love not having traffic. It's definitely more affordable. I can get into Kansas City in 30 minutes or less. The weather is decent. We don't get a lot of snow in the KC area. We don't get a lot of ice either. We might even have the odd day where a winter coat isn't needed on some winter days. The summer is hot and humid, but not Texas humid. There are plenty of doctors, specialists and hospitals around. Editing to answer about shopping. I have 4 Targets within 15 minutes from my home. One of them is within walking distance. There are plenty of grocery stores. Anything from Aldi to Whole Foods to independent grocery stores. There are plenty of clothing stores, restaurants, 3 AMC theaters within 15 minutes from my house. You can also look into Spring Hill. It's still in Johnson County, but you are more in the outskirts of the county. I know houses are more affordable, but it's a very nice area to live. I have a friend that lives there and they love it. Spring Hill, wow haven't heard that town's name in a LONG time... brings back some memories of an old boyfriend. We would go out there to party at his friend's house. I had more of my fair share of drinks there. Including some kind of punch that was made in a bathtub. (YEAH... disgusting right?) HAHA... That's why I don't get sick much.. I am immune to everything... heehee We used to joke that we lived in the slums of Leawood. Compared to the new area we were in the old area.. Beautiful though.. we were right off 95th and State Line. Our house actually caught on fire. The outside was fine but the inside was a total gut job. I honestly think my (now deceased) father might have been the cause. But that is another whole story. The story is that an unplugged Mr. Coffee Pot started the fire. It was unplugged after being used and we were told that the wiring inside it probably sparked or something. I always had a nagging feeling he did it though. Anyways... anything in that area would be something out of our price range. I'll think about looking at Spring Hill though.. lol.. I did look at Lawrence but didn't see much. |
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bethany102399
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by bethany102399 on Apr 10, 2024 15:35:39 GMT
Regarding the KC Zoo.. I guess I should have made myself clearer.. back WHEN it was dumpy... haha.. like late 1980s... I am sure it's been updated since then... I'm sorry to talk down about the KC Zoo.  it's all good. I was meaning it in a mock outraged way. It has come a LONG way from the 1980s. Both it and Starlight have been renovated and offer something to the community now. On the arts scene, we have a lot going on between Kauffman performing arts which hosts the symphony, ballet, opera and a host of other organizations. Traveling broadway shows at the music hall, Our comic con has almost outgrown Bartle and I'm not sure where they're going to move to as there isn't much space anywhere else. We just opened a world class museum dedicated to Children's Literature - the Rabbit Hole. Are you set on the Kansas side? North of the river has some great options check out Parkville and Liberty. Both are growing suburbs and have a lot to offer. If you want an older home North Kansas City is it's own little fiefdom surrounded by the bigger city. |
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Post by workingclassdog on Apr 10, 2024 17:16:23 GMT
Regarding the KC Zoo.. I guess I should have made myself clearer.. back WHEN it was dumpy... haha.. like late 1980s... I am sure it's been updated since then... I'm sorry to talk down about the KC Zoo. it's all good. I was meaning it in a mock outraged way. It has come a LONG way from the 1980s. Both it and Starlight have been renovated and offer something to the community now. On the arts scene, we have a lot going on between Kauffman performing arts which hosts the symphony, ballet, opera and a host of other organizations. Traveling broadway shows at the music hall, Our comic con has almost outgrown Bartle and I'm not sure where they're going to move to as there isn't much space anywhere else. We just opened a world class museum dedicated to Children's Literature - the Rabbit Hole. Are you set on the Kansas side? North of the river has some great options check out Parkville and Liberty. Both are growing suburbs and have a lot to offer. If you want an older home North Kansas City is it's own little fiefdom surrounded by the bigger city. I am all about north of the River... went to high school in Gladstone.. Oak Park (maybe we have talked about this before.. I know there is one pea that knows of Oak Park).. whenever we visit I am at my besties house by Zona Rosa. I am pretty much thinking that we won't go to KC as I think we can get more bang for our buck a little more out of the area. I just thought of Wichita as well. Still close by like Topeka. |
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Anita
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,727
Location: Kansas City -ish
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Post by Anita on Apr 10, 2024 18:56:28 GMT
Even within the crazy expensive areas around Kansas City, you can still find reasonable places to live in certain pockets. I live in Shawnee, KS. You might look in this area. In the middle of the ridiculous housing season that saw 25+ offers per house, we lucked into a huge house that would sell for twice as much a few miles away in OP or Lenexa. There's nothing wrong with this area, either, but the houses in my pocket don't appreciate as quickly as the ones in neighboring towns...which I like at tax time. Our kids are out of school, so district no longer mattered to us. I didn't want an HOA, but good luck finding that around here. I will say, though, that if our house went on the market today, we'd be priced out of it, so I'm very thankful we bought and sold in the middle of the madness. And when you move here, look me up, we'll do lunch.  |
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scrappinmama
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Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Apr 10, 2024 23:15:53 GMT
The KC Zoo has actually had a lot of improvements in the past 10 years. They just opened an aquarium that's supposed to be pretty neat. If you want to live a little further from KC, but not too far, look up Luisburg. 69 highway is expanding because more people are moving out there.
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Post by 950nancy on Apr 11, 2024 1:50:36 GMT
Ya know, Omaha has always been in the back of my mind, but I really never considered it. Not sure why.. lol.. I guess because I am just not familiar with the city. I think I will start poking around and see. thanks for that tip. I grew up in Omaha and loved it. I was super thankful to move to Colorado though. For me, the humidity, heat and cold (and so many bugs) were awful. We had winter from Halloween until Easter. We still have a ton of relatives who live there, and they don't seem to mind the extremes, but I think after enjoying the more mild temps, I don't think I could go back. I also think that people who live in Nebraska are generally very nice people. Lots of kindness in Nebraska. |
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snowdie
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Dec 30, 2018 4:45:59 GMT
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Post by snowdie on Apr 11, 2024 2:00:25 GMT
Olathe, Kansas
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it's all good. I was meaning it in a mock outraged way. It has come a LONG way from the 1980s. Both it and Starlight have been renovated and offer something to the community now.
