Overland Park Top Ten Place to Grow Up

[chrizow]

South of 435 is probably more commonly accepted.  There is actually a magazine that strongly believes in the 435 dividing line:
http://www.435southmag.com/

dear god that magazine is horrible!

"From the Publisher

There's No Place Like Home

It?s always surprising when people who have never visited our community are initially struck by the beauty of the rich natural surroundings populated with mile after mile of stately neighborhoods dense with sizable estates. But with our well-maintained highways, breathtaking city parks, exquisite fine dining and vibrant social scenes, it doesn?t take long for a first-time visitor to gain a greater respect and better understanding of the true reasons residents take such great pride in our Heartland home."

[LenexatoKCMO]

Its always evolving - when I was young we were relatively "South Joco" in central Lenexa where I lived - once you got past Oak Park there really wasn't much else out there.  The 435 demarcation may make sense today but in 5-10 years will all of the folks living in new subdivisions around Gardner, Stanley, etc. really want to share that prestigious name with folks in the "old" areas around the 435 and college corridors? 

[warwickland]

South of 435 is probably more commonly accepted.  There is actually a magazine that strongly believes in the 435 dividing line:
http://www.435southmag.com/

omg I just theoretically vomited. sorry.

[Melling]

I am actually not sure if Gardner is attracting the same SoJoCo types. The houses in Gardner do not seem to be all that "stately."  They are like what you find in north-central Johnson County, except with more garages and less hardwood flooring. 

[LenexatoKCMO]

I am actually not sure if Gardner is attracting the same SoJoCo types. The houses in Gardner do not seem to be all that "stately."  They are like what you find in north-central Johnson County, except with more garages and less hardwood flooring. 

Is that any different from south olathe?  Doesn't stop people from adopting the mantle. 

[Downtowner]

How far can this McMansion sprawl go? The next decade will hopefully stop the madness at some point near Ft Scott

[Melling]

Is that any different from south olathe?  Doesn't stop people from adopting the mantle. 

You are probably right.  But I'm overeduated, so I'm always trying to discover nuances and their political implications.  Here I think there is a nuance that is related to a Gramscian concept of cultural hegemony.  The people who live in the wealthier parts of South Johnson County seem to be driven by acquisitiveness.  For people in exurban split levels, perceived security is probably more salient.  My assertion here is driven by linguist/Democratic consultant George Lakoff's book Moral Politics.  He argues that conservatives are driven by a strict father schema, which disallows them from questioning the social order.  As such, the less upwardly-mobile people absolutely "adopt the mantle," even if it won't ultimately reward them.  Thomas Frank does a good job of illustrating this in "What's the Matter with Kansas."  His discussion of Kay O'Connor's dream of a "low-wage utopia" has some relevance here. 

The marketing segments generated by Claritas also offer some insight on the differences between Gardner and Overland Park.  At least it demonstrates how marketers conceptualize the residents.

Overland Park, KS 66212's most common PRIZM NE Segments are:
Number Name
35 Boomtown Singles
47 City Startups
27 Middleburg Managers
10 Second City Elite
24 Up-and-Comers

Gardner, KS 66030's most common PRIZM NE Segments are:
Number Name
25 Country Casuals
20 Fast-Track Families
23 Greenbelt Sports
50 Kid Country, USA
32 New Homesteaders
http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp

Well, I should go be productive now.

[LenexatoKCMO]

You are probably right.  But I'm overeduated, so I'm always trying to discover nuances and their political implications.  Here I think there is a nuance that is related to a Gramscian concept of cultural hegemony.  The people who live in the wealthier parts of South Johnson County seem to be driven by acquisitiveness.  For people in exurban split levels, perceived security is probably more salient.  My assertion here is driven by linguist/Democratic consultant George Lakoff's book Moral Politics.  He argues that conservatives are driven by a strict father schema, which disallows them from questioning the social order.  As such, the less upwardly-mobile people absolutely "adopt the mantle," even if it won't ultimately reward them.  Thomas Frank does a good job of illustrating this in "What's the Matter with Kansas."  His discussion of Kay O'Connor's dream of a "low-wage utopia" has some relevance here. 

The marketing segments generated by Claritas also offer some insight on the differences between Gardner and Overland Park.  At least it demonstrates how marketers conceptualize the residents.

Overland Park, KS 66212's most common PRIZM NE Segments are:
Number Name
35 Boomtown Singles
47 City Startups
27 Middleburg Managers
10 Second City Elite
24 Up-and-Comers

Gardner, KS 66030's most common PRIZM NE Segments are:
Number Name
25 Country Casuals
20 Fast-Track Families
23 Greenbelt Sports
50 Kid Country, USA
32 New Homesteaders
http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp

Well, I should go be productive now.

That is indeed a deep take.  I would argue that over the decades, as the definition of "south JoCo" has steadily moved further and further south there have always been pockets of higher and lower-end housing along that line.  You could look at almost any particular lattitude accross the county and find some sections where the subdivisions were initially built for the cheaper market and some where they were built for the much higher-end market.  What always transcends it all though is the attitude that newer is better and that there is some increase in prestige from the newness.  I have no doubt that you could go out to some of the more cheaply built, low-end subdivisions in South Olathe or Gardner and find plenty of folks that would look down their nose at anyone living in older, northerly neighbohoods - even if some of those older homes were and maybe even still are worth a lot more and/or better built than where they are now.  Half the prestige is in the newness and being in a new area, regardless of cost or quality - why else would we keep moving further and further out?

[Melling]

Half the prestige is in the newness and being in a new area, regardless of cost or quality - why else would we keep moving further and further out?

Laissez-faire capitalism coupled with a frontier impulse that's been present since Europeans colonized North America.  I am only halfway joking here.  But I do think the U.S. has a tradition of starting over, rather than fixing what already exists.  Sure, there is prestige in telling people "I own a new house" (depending on the audience), but there is also a longstanding tradition in this country of settling the frontier.  The pragmatic question seems to be how do we change this?  In my opinion, the best idea is more sensible regulation, and incentives related to in-fill development.