Anti Jo Co Movement

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 5:12 pm

Although I realize that suburbs are a necessary evil to any city...Southern Jo Co is just sickening. I stayed with my bro this weekend and he lives off Nall at 135th and the whole area is just gross. Why would anyone want to live down there? I'd rather live in the ghetto than the plastic prairie. At least if you got mugged or robbed, you'd still know you were alive. That sprawling big box thing off of Metcalf with Best Buy and Borders is especially bad. It's just plain ugly. I can only imagine what it'll be reused for when it's vacant in 15 years when newer centers sprout up further south. At the rate Jo Co is going they'll be building Targets at 210th and Metcalf in a few years.

ShowME · Post by **ShowME** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 6:20 pm

"I'd rather live in the ghetto than the plastic prairie."

Hilarious! You're right though it's pretty sad. You know there's a new mall going to be built off 135th & Metcalf. Heck look at Metcalf South. Give it another 3-5 years when people start shopping at the new Jones Store at Oak Park 24/7 and that place will be a wasteland. That trend will continue moving south as well. Johnson County leaders just better be praying that Sprint holds up in the campus for the long haul or it will get real ugly!

Midtownkid · Post by **Midtownkid** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 10:30 pm

I agree...the suburbs suck...but southern JOCO is the worst. It takes forever to drive anywhere in that God forsaken sprawling wasteland. Any time I'm out there I see no one on the sidewalks...only people in cars. I bet in 20 years all those cracker jack box houses will have rotten them selves out and be worth nothing. More and more people will realize the charm and value of neighborhoods north of 75th street and the burrs may become the future ghetto. Every kid i know from JOCO wants out and is envious that i live "downtown" (Westport).
-MidtownKid

DanCa · Post by **DanCa** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 10:45 am

I grew up in JoCo - but in the northern, older burbs. You couldn't pay me to live there though. What gets me about the newer areas is how all the houses look alike. Is there only one builder in JoCo? And when you're driving around, all you see is the backs of these big, beige barn-looking boxes. Currently I live in Orange County, CA - another suburban wasteland. But at least where they build new homes, they build all different styles - French, Spanish, Arts & Crafts, Farmhouse, Prarie, Victorian, etc. - which gives more character. The lots are smaller and many new developments are putting garages in the back to make a more pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.

In JoCo, the huge lawns only add to the sprawl. It seems to me that JoCo is way behind the times when it comes to new housing developments and sprawl.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 11:38 am

Johnson County plans to use almost every piece of land stretchin' from
Miami County and Douglas County for homes, offices and retail. The sickest thing about it is many of the businesses and houses are identical. But we call JOCO the "Smart Corridor"? What a frickin' joke!

KC0KEK · Post by **KC0KEK** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 12:59 pm

Let's not lump all of JoCo into the same basket. I agree 100% that anything south of 95th or 119th is cookie-cutter, but Northeast JoCo is great. I live in the northwest corner of Fairway, and I can walk to a mall, a movie theater, a large grocery store, dozens of restaurants, and dozens of shops. That's more than anybody living downtown can say. In fact, if I were told that I could live anywhere in metro KC but couldn't own a car, Northeast JoCo would be the most convenient place to live.

KCgridlock · Post by **KCgridlock** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 1:44 pm

I probably shouldn't say anything...

I do agree that NE JoCo is cool, it lacks any sort of real transit though.

DanCa · Post by **DanCa** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 2:44 pm

I agree that some parts of NE JoCo are nice, desireable and liveable. Fairway, Westwood, Mission - all have character plus they're close to the Plaza and Midtown. A lot of this area reminds me of New England with all the big trees, Cape Cods and colonial architecture. I've also noticed that property values are higher in these areas than other parts of JoCo. A 3 bdr. Cape Cod in Mission will go for a lot more than a similar Cape Cod further out in OP or Shawnee.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 11:50 pm

Everything North of College Blvd is somewhat original...but South of 119th, forget about it. The Overland Park Aboretum & Botanical Gardens plus Deanna Rose Farmstead provide some character to the south though. The landscape near the Aboretum and around the Cedar Creek area off K-10 is quite nice. Speakin' of which, for me, the two ideal housing communities in terms of natural landscape is "Cedar Creek" in western Olathe and "The Bluffs" in Parkville. Does anyone know of any similar, less expensive, areas in KC which offer the woods and hills?

DanCa · Post by **DanCa** » Tue Nov 26, 2002 10:21 am

I don't know of anyplace else with that type of surroundings. Cedar Creek is nice with great views. And the houses don't look cookie-cutter. My only problem with it is that it's so far from anything else. Aren't there some areas of NKC that have hills, woods and views where they could build new homes that would actually be close in to the city?

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Tue Nov 26, 2002 11:55 am

"The Bluffs" in Parkville are nestled deep in trees and hills. "Riss Lake" sits on top of the bluffs, but it doesn't have that nestled feel to it. Many of these quarry rock sites become man-made lakes after the rock companies finish digging. There's a huge quarry rock site on the westside of I-435 visible before crossing the Missouri River heading towards KCI. I'm sure it'll be lakefront homes in the future. I jus' wish that the city would fill that quarry on the eastside of 71 highway near Bannister. I would love to see affordable homes near a future lake on that bluff. As far as wooded areas up north...basically any place along the Missouri River Valley from Briarcliff West to St. Joseph Parkway. There's also some nice wooded areas stretchin' along the Blue River from Swope Park all the way to Mission Road near Stillwell.

KCgridlock · Post by **KCgridlock** » Tue Nov 26, 2002 12:12 pm

Well as you mentioned, the Parkville Bluffs and Cedar Creek, but also:

Briacliff West (Hallbrook type homes west of 169)
Old Briarcliff (Little bit of everything east of 169, surrounding water works park)
Independence has several upscale areas in wooded and cliff areas like the Cliffs (Derrick Thomas's old home)
Lee's Summit has Lakewood which is just freaking awesome
There are some pretty cool areas in Southern Blue Springs, near Downtown Libety, on the Westside of KCMO, SE corner of KCK, etc.

Old Briarcliff, Lakewood and Parkville's the Bluffs are the best IMO, Briarcliff West is awesome if you have a zillion bucks. Cedar Creek is cool, but too far out and doesn't have any major water features like Lakewood etc.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Tue Nov 26, 2002 12:24 pm

Lakewood hasn't really impressed me too much...some parts seem too open. But I do like the area of Independence and Blue Springs along Pink Hill Road. There's also some nice places towards Sibley.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Wed Dec 04, 2002 3:09 pm

I think one of the big problems with Jo Co is the fact that many of the people who move there are from not only outside KC, but outside the Midwest. When people from Cali or the East Coast are forced to move to KC...they come to Jo Co. They bring their sour attitudes and snobby approach to life with them. They complain about how boring and small KC is, yet they choose to live in the most bland and vanilla part of the entire Metro. I really think this is part of the reason Jo Co has such a bad reputation...that and the fact it's ugly.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Wed Dec 04, 2002 3:54 pm

There are some beautiful neighborhoods and areas in Johnson County (Prairie Village, Mission, Fairway and more)...unless you jus' hop off 119th Street or Metcalf Ave and head towards Town Center Plaza. I think all this anti-JOCO is startin' to sound a lil' ridiculous. We can't blame Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, etc for Missouri's problems. Some people want nice roads, massive/stocked stores, up-to-date shopping centers, big houses, great schools, clean neighborhoods and so on. I encounter friendly and rude people throughout the metro. For one to stereotype JOCO would be like another stereotypin' WYCO. I can easily say the fattest, ugliest and worse dressed females come from Wyandotte and Jackson County. You'd be surprised to find out that more people from Overland Park support museums such as the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art than people from Kansas City. This suburbia epidemic is in every big city in America...don't be a hater...let's jus' fix the problems elsewhere so everyone (black, white, etc.) doesn't flee to the southwest metro. BTW, Missouri is full of rednecks

Anyhow, let's all work together to support and revitalize the heart of our metropolitan area because none of our suburban cities can strongly stand alone without it.

StL_Dan · Post by **StL_Dan** » Fri Dec 27, 2002 3:14 pm

Midtownkid wrote:
I agree...the suburbs suck...but southern JOCO is the worst. It takes forever to drive anywhere in that God forsaken sprawling wasteland. Any time I'm out there I see no one on the sidewalks...only people in cars. I bet in 20 years all those cracker jack box houses will have rotten them selves out and be worth nothing. More and more people will realize the charm and value of neighborhoods north of 75th street and the burrs may become the future ghetto. Every kid i know from JOCO wants out and is envious that i live "downtown" (Westport).
-MidtownKid

You should check out the sidewalks and walking/biking paths in Olathe. Smooth, ashphalt paved paths connect south Olathe to east Olathe as they wind through neighborhoods and side streets teeming with excercising adults, bike riding youth and in line skating college aged adults.

Olathe also has wonderful parks with plenty of green space and adjacent ponds and lakes that have been renovated to attract anglers, sunset walkers and family's that enjoy spending time outdoors.

Olathe may be the home to 100,000-plus residents, but in many of the most important ways, it still feels like a tight knit town that has a lot of neighborhood and civic pride.

It's not for everyone, but to classify it as a part of the JOCO "plastic prairie" is laughable. I could be harsh about Midtown, Downtown and other pockets of KCMO, but why? I find myself enjoying aspects of most areas of KC and the lifestyle they offer that differs from my own.

This is what makes life fun isn't it? Variety? Life would suck if we all looked like you, lived where you do, drive what you do, call home where you call home and had the same perspective as you have. Same for me....I like me and my lifestyle, but I'd be a fool to say my suburban status is the best and that KCMO sucks. I don't want a bunch of people walking around this city that think just like you or just like me about such things. How bland would that be?

StL_Dan · Post by **StL_Dan** » Fri Dec 27, 2002 3:25 pm

KC0KEK wrote:I agree 100% that anything south of 95th or 119th is cookie-cutter,...

wrong.

You obviously haven't visited Gardner, "old" Olathe or Martin City among other areas south of 119th St.

To say that "100% of anthing south of 95th or 119th is cookie-cutter" displays the fact you have not ventured far from your little perch.

Olathe, for instance, has much history and pride dating back more than a century before it was considered a part of the KC Metro. Back then, many turn of the century homes, cabins, churches, businesses and trail stops were erected for those heading west on the Trails. Mahaffie Farmstead comes to mind. I don't believe it's large acreage contributes to "urban sprawl".

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Sat Dec 28, 2002 3:07 pm

I'm sure there are nice areas of Olathe, but you must realize the areas that everyone notices. To visitors and people in the metro...Olathe is 119th, Santa Fe, 151st. These "gateways" to Olathe are what give Jo Co the plastic prairie reputation. I'm glad that you're proud of Olathe and like it, but you must realize that the tucked away places are not noticable. Olathe's reputation is for tons of big box stores, highly suburban streets, and sprawling housing developments--that's what outsiders see.

KC0KEK · Post by **KC0KEK** » Mon Dec 30, 2002 1:14 pm

I agree with Trailerkid's comments about "the areas that everyone notices," but I'd stretch the definition of "outsiders" to include people who have lived in metro KC for years yet apparently never venture outside of their corner. For example, on any given Monday, my wife tells her co-workers about some place in Gardner or Liberty or wherever that we visited over the weekend, and they haven't heard of the place.

We've lived in metro KC for only five years, and every day I'm more convinced that most people here -- particularly in JoCo -- never venture outside of their town. (I'm not criticizing, just stating an observation. I live in NE JoCo, by the way.) We actually know people who have lived here their whole lives and have never been to Metro North mall or Parkville -- or even know where they are.

Has anybody else noticed this?

phxcat · Post by **phxcat** » Mon Dec 30, 2002 2:35 pm

I agree that a lot of people are like that, but I don't think that's a Johnson County phenomenon. I lived in the Northland recently and a lot of the people who live up there never cross the river and could care less that there is anything on the other side. They are more aware of the Missouri suburbs, I think, because the high schools are all in the same leagues, but the Northland is much more of its own little world than JoCo.

I explore the city as much as I can, and I've wanted to do that in Phoenix too, but since moving there, I just haven't had much time due to work. That and every square mile of Phoenix looks exactly the same, whcih is another story!