Relocation Advice -- Kansas Or Missouri?

I'd have to agree with Gary on taxes. Kansas is the greediest state I have ever seen. Gun laws are a wash. I'd also look at how much it costs for auto insurance in each location. Kansas has always been about 10 years behind Missouri it seems. Lots more public hunting in Missouri.

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I agree on the taxes but that is only to help pay to feed our huge Trophy Bucks.

Avoid the Kansas City school district at all costs. The only people I know who live in the Kansas City district are either childless or have their kids in private school. In fact, there is a pattern of my friends getting married, buying houses in Brookside or Armour Hills (Kansas City neighborhoods), then selling and moving to Lee's Summit as soon as their kid is old enough for kindergarten.

For a workplace downtown, you might want to look at the area north of the river for a shorter commute. It would be in Missouri, either Platte or Clay county. There have been two very nice new shopping centers built up there in the last few years, Zona Rosa and Briarcliff. Someone must be moving there.

I lived in the Shawnee / Merriam KS suburbs for 25 years and really miss that area... and KC overall. Only complaint I had about living on the Kansas side is fairly high property taxes. Missouri taxes are much more reasonable.

Both KS and MO have similar gun laws... especially now with the MO handgun purchase permit requirement being repealed in late August... so I wouldn't let gun laws affect your relocation decision.

If I moved back to the KC area now, I'd probably stay in MO and look into the Lee's Summit / Blue Springs / Grain Valley / Oak Grove areas. The MO suburbs north of the river are also pretty nice. Too much crime for me in KCMO, Raytown, Grandview, Independence, and Belton.

I got a good laugh from the post saying KC has bad traffic jams. KC has a very decent road system and has never given me much grief. Other large cities fair far worse.

When i worked down town, 8th and central(for thoes who know where that is), on a good day it took 20 minutes to get to work.
On a bad day it was about 30. not bad from 95th and metcalf. however like any other city if you hit the full rush hour or if there is a run into anything day the traffic stops just like anywhere else.
Anyone ever drive on I-5 in Seatle at rush hour?
For downtown area living the one bad thing is the lack of supper markerts and basic stuff like that, everything closes but the bars.
Living up north is a good idea, there are several hiways to take to get form there to the downtown area, good back-up ways also for when the orange barrel olympics start, how come when there are so many construction projects on the hiways there are still potholes that will rip off a wheel or set off the air bag in your car.
And than there's the sink holes, lost an S10 5 years ago to one of thoes bastards, whole truck went in it with me in the truck doing 35mph. wow what a ride.
Sorry for the rant there.

As a Kansas son who grew up in MO, and a devout 2A believer, I'd suggest that you move to MO. The KS farmers have a deep blue streak in them that betrays a tendency to want to control you rather than to let you be yourself, and this appears now and again in gun laws, and other legislation.

All I know about Kansas and Missouri, I learned from The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Maybe neither one?

screw KS, go MO if at all possible. This is from a former KS resident. It's the one place I've moved from with NO regrets.

One other thing about gun laws I've not seen mentioned here yet that would have some influence with me if I was the one trying to decide, in Missouri, you NEED NO PERMIT to carry a concealed weapon in your motor vehicle. That means if you happen to put a handgun under the seat and your wife, with no ccw, gets stopped and it's found, no problem ( as long as she's 21). With the exception of being intoxicated, you just basically can't get in trouble with a firearm in a vehicle as an otherwise law abiding citizen.

screw KS, go MO if at all possible. This is from a former KS resident. It's the one place I've moved from with NO regrets.

+1 The majority of Kansans continue to suffer today from the liberals in Kansas City who keep electing Dem anti 2A Governors. Although where I live now in Oregon is worse.

Consider the tax situation. If you work (or live?) in Kansas City, MO there is a 1% city income tax. If you live in KS and work in MO (or vice-versa) you will be filing tax returns in both states, and (trying to) offset the non-resident states tax against your resident state tax.

All I know about Kansas and Missouri, I learned from The Outlaw Josey Wales

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Yeah, but us Missouri boys can shoot!
Missouri boat ride anybody?


I live south of KC in one of the counties that probably served as inspiration for the movie, so I consider Josey one of my neighbors, sorta.

I'd second the concern about the KCMO schools. Avoid at all costs. Some of the suburban schools are very good. Some of the schools in the smaller towns are excellent, but the commute will be a serious comitmment of time.
There are a lot of people around here who drive an hour one way so it can be done.

Hunting in the area is very good, on both sides of the line. We have a pretty much everything except the western big game available. Access to private lands isn't impossible yet, but is getting harder every year. I hear public lands close to the city fill up quickly.

but you'll need to put the motor vehicle in 4 Low simply to traverse the Interstate highways, they're terrible.

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Nonsense. 4 high will get you anywhere.

"Kansas is the greediest state I have ever seen"

You haven't been to Nebraska then----lolololol

Missouri has great morel mushroom hunting. Go there.

Come to Southwest Mo. very gun friendly. carry in your car with no permit at all! CCw $100. Easy to get. Shall issue.

Springfield is an awesome city... well planned and easy to get around. I've debated several times over the years to move there. The flea markets over that way are some of the best in the nation and have made me a small fortune via Ebay.

Bulldozer, despite some miniscule differences in gun laws, you made an excellent choice, seeing as how you have a child readying for school.

The Blue Valley School District is one of the most successful school districts in the country, and the Shawnee Mission District (further north) is right behind them.

I attended the BVSD and it was a great experience, not looking back on it, just in general. Wonderful teachers and facilities.

Let me know where you're moving to, an intersection or vague address, its always funny to run into somebody who is from or is going "back home". My parents just moved, maybe you bought their house!

Take care, and eat some BBQ for me... (I miss it so.) And Jazz...

Keep in mind that just because something is legal in Kansas doesn't mean the JoCo authorities are going to let you do it


If you haven't already, head on over here and sign up http://www.ksccw.com/ Lots of helpful and nice folk there.

Another vote for MO. The CCW process couldn't be better. The class is informative, the wait is short and the cost is fair. And like others have said, you can carry in your car without permit and we have the castle doctrine. The land is beautiful and no matter where you are at in MO, you are just a short trip from something different and fun.

I grew up in Missouri and my dad still lives there. It's a good place for RKBA.
And Kansas City is an interesting place, good branch of U of M there.

Springfield is an awesome city... well planned and easy to get around. I've debated several times over the years to move there. The flea markets over that way are some of the best in the nation and have made me a small fortune via Ebay.

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LOL. Well, having grown up there I'm not sure I'd go so far as "awesome"... but it is a pretty good place, yes.

Springmom

I would vote Mo. They have better laws regarding firearms. However Ks has 2 better Universities in K-state and KU. How can I say that? Look who made it to the final four and who didn't! Mizzou Kitty was beat down like a mobile SCUD missle launchers #**.

I'd say you'd have to choose MO. I lived there from 92-04 (when I joined up) and grew to love the place. I've lived in Ozark, Springfield, and KC, and I'd have to say that as long as you're in a district where your kid isn't going to one of the downtown schools in KC, you'll be doing just fine. Too bad the job isn't in Springtown. I've not come across a city that I'd rather spend the rest of my life in yet.

Red Tornado, watch out! My Brother attended the Flaw on the Kaw...er KU.

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Hey now.....

just a heads up, KS's carry laws suck compared to MO's. I'd argue that with all the restrictions KS puts on legal carry, that a permit there is almost useless.

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That's not true. They amended many parts of the CCW bill and it is pretty easy to carry.

Kansas is pretty gun friendly unless you are in Lawrence.

Also, the Kansas side of Kansas City (if you are living there) has much nicer roads and safer neighborhoods (IMO).