KCRag Forum

I will be relocating to Kansas City this coming June from PA. I really don't know anyone from KC and this will be my first move away from home. I just wanted to gather a list from either people that have lived in KC awhile or have recently moved to KC not knowing anyone as well. What clubs/organizations did you join, how did you meet a majority of your friends. Is there any recommendations you could provide that could assist me in getting more comfortable in KC. I am single, 22 years old and bringing nothing but myself to the city. Thank you everyone in advance for your continued help on this website!

Assuming for a job? Where is the job? What type of living arrangements do you want?

Male or female?

Do you enjoy sports? If so, which ones?

From where in PA? Spent time in both Pitt and Philly, have done the pertty drive between the two couple times, and up to Erie. Welcome to KC!

can you let chef out of the quiet chair?

somewhat obvious advice coming from this forum, but: unless you work really far away, you should live in the city. specifically the plaza area or downtown (or, for the more adventurous, midtown). there is probably no better way to mingle with young single folks. if your new coworkers advise you to live in the burbs, reject that advice. there is a wealth of information on this site for urban living options, and of course we can answer any questions.

if you're active at all, a great way to meet people is to join one of the many adult kickball or softball leagues that play in the city. they are super casual, and more about having fun and drinking beer, but it's a great way to meet people.

another good organization is Young Friends of the Arts, if you like art. they have lots of social events.

if you like trivia nights, there is basically at least one every night of the week somewhere in the downtown/midtown area, which is a fun way to mix with people.

also, when you go out to places in the city, people are typically super nice and approachable and it's fairly easy to make friends.

I guess this is as good of time as any to come out of hiding (for those that didn't already know).

Might I recommend Yelp as a good resource when moving to a new city? If you're unfamiliar, it's a website/phone app that allows people to rate and review virtually any type of business. It's great for finding out what types of places might be your cup of tea. Also, it features an events calendar for the city, and Yelp itself throws parties of various sizes to highlight cool businesses in the city. I also happen to be the Community Manager for Yelp, so you can hit me up any time for personal recommendations.

I don't suggest Yelp as one-stop shop for starting your new life here in KC, but I think it's an excellent resource to supplement your efforts.

Also, definitely live downtown or in the River Market. It's really the area with the most momentum in terms of appealing to people in their early 20s.

Oh and yeah trivia. Might I suggest Tuesday nights @ Flying Saucer (13th and Walnut). I think it's the best, though I might be biased, as I'm the host.

ColumbusParkian wrote:I guess this is as good of time as any to come out of hiding (for those that didn't already know).

Might I recommend Yelp as a good resource when moving to a new city? If you're unfamiliar, it's a website/phone app that allows people to rate and review virtually any type of business. It's great for finding out what types of places might be your cup of tea. Also, it features an events calendar for the city, and Yelp itself throws parties of various sizes to highlight cool businesses in the city. I also happen to be the Community Manager for Yelp, so you can hit me up any time for personal recommendations.

I don't suggest Yelp as one-stop shop for starting your new life here in KC, but I think it's an excellent resource to supplement your efforts.

Also, definitely live downtown or in the River Market. It's really the area with the most momentum in terms of appealing to people in their early 20s.

No, CP, I didn't know it was YOU that just took the CM position for KC Yelp. Didn't associate the you here with the you there. I like you much better, now that I know the facts. Congrats and good luck. Seems like a great role to fill.

Winskii, welcome to our sometimes humble burg. Stumbling across this site is a great way to pick up the flavor of what's happening in Kansas City, and the addition of Yelp makes for a robust (do we hate that word yet?) guide to what to anticipate as you set up your life here.

ColumbusParkianator was right in recommending the River Market, but you'll need to see and decide between there, Columbus Park, Quality Hill, the West Side and Crossroads neighborhoods. There are some other options too, but these are the broad options downtown and you'll just need to nose around and see what fits your vision and budget.

Yes, move into Kansas City, Missouri, not the outlying suburbs or towns. We need the population growth.

Thanks Loftguy, I've certainly been enjoying the position so far!

I would say River Market and Crossroads would be the two best sub-sections of "downtown" to move. Both are amazing. Crossroads has a more vibrant nightlife, but River Market has oodles more green space and the farmers market. I love love love the Westside, but I feel like it'd be easy to be priced out of that area. ( Unless you're a baller 22 year old! ) I once lived in Columbus Park, thus the name, but it's kinda sleepy. I personally do not care for Quality Hill.

ColumbusParkian wrote:Thanks Loftguy, I've certainly been enjoying the position so far!

Congrats on the gig. I noticed Joi had moved and wondered who the new blood was going to be.

Sorry for the late response, was gone all weekend but first and foremost thank you everyone for your suggestions. Like i said it's my first time relocating outside of my state and am excited to see everything KC has to provide. To answer some of the previous questions, I am a male, 22 years old, and currently reside in "beautiful" Philadelphia, PA. I recently accepted a job offer with Hormel foods which is located in Lenexa, KS. I have taken everyones advice and noted to reside in the city rather than the suburbs. I need excitement not a sleepy elderly community, no offense. I am very active, enjoy many sports and the kickball/ softball/ drinking suggestion really sounded cool. I have used Yelp before but not very frequently, so i will be definitely checking that out. If anyone has any specific advice for apartment complexes to live in, that would be greatly appreciated as well. I am currently looking at city place? My price range is between $800-900 a month and am searching for a young professional complex. Thanks again everyone!

Yelp is definitely a valuable resource. I can't recommend it enough.

The commute from downtown KC to Hormel is only around 20 minutes, so downtown is probably a viable option and within your price range, depending on how much space you need. I'd check out kcloftspace.com and kcloftcentral.com and see if there's anything that strikes you. I'm sure any number of forumers would also be happy to give you a tour of the city and show you around the various neighborhoods if you're interested in getting a grasp of the alternative options. It really depends on what you're looking for, but in my opinion, downtown is tough to beat for a young professional.

winskii wrote:Sorry for the late response, was gone all weekend but first and foremost thank you everyone for your suggestions. Like i said it's my first time relocating outside of my state and am excited to see everything KC has to provide. To answer some of the previous questions, I am a male, 22 years old, and currently reside in "beautiful" Philadelphia, PA. I recently accepted a job offer with Hormel foods which is located in Lenexa, KS. I have taken everyones advice and noted to reside in the city rather than the suburbs. I need excitement not a sleepy elderly community, no offense. I am very active, enjoy many sports and the kickball/ softball/ drinking suggestion really sounded cool. I have used Yelp before but not very frequently, so i will be definitely checking that out. If anyone has any specific advice for apartment complexes to live in, that would be greatly appreciated as well. I am currently looking at city place? My price range is between $800-900 a month and am searching for a young professional complex. Thanks again everyone!

city place is definitely in a good location, within stumbling distance of many bars and restaurants in westport. it's maybe 1.5 miles to I-35 (via rainbow or mission) so not bad for getting to lenexa. city place is kind of a suburban style apartment complex in the middle of the city, so if that is the vibe you want it's a good option. i have no idea whether it is filled with "young professionals" or not. beyond that, there are a lot of options in the downtown/midtown/plaza area.

examples:

http://www.marketstationapts.com/ - another option for more of a "complex." this one is on the northern edge of the river market and is filled with hundreds of young people. as mean said, downtown is somewhat farther from lenexa than westport, but since I-35 is so accessible it would probably take the same amount of time as schlepping on surface streets from midtown/plaza to I-35. some friends live in this building - the places are a tad small, but it's a nice place and was built only 3 years ago.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/apa/2894744950.html - kind of a nice location right on mill creek park, between westport and the plaza. lots of joggers and whatnot in mill creek park.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/apa/2891163304.html - nice space in columbus park, a historic, up and coming italian/vietnamese/hipster neighborhood east of the river market. farther from work but the highway is about three seconds away so maybe 20 minutes to lenexa.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/apa/2888305491.html - this is a unit in a cool little section of historic rowhouses near 29th and Main. the Union Hill area is full of young professionals and it's near the Martini Corner bar district which is very active on weekend nights. live right next to costco!

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/apa/2891423511.html - inexpensive loft in the river market area, which has a lot of professionals.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/apa/2888054383.html - downtown apartment.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/apa/2887378988.html - i like this place. it's in the southmoreland neighborhood, near the KC art institute and museums, so there is a funky feel to the area, but it's also within 4 blocks of the plaza and westport. if you have a dog it's also near gillham park which is a great park a few blocks east (we live basically on the park and are over there all the time).

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/apa/2884675980.html - if you want you can also rent a small house in midtown in your price range. KC life is all about the front porch or backyard fire pit/BBQ action.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/apa/2883820497.html - this is a nice area, very close to the plaza, south plaza restaurants (spin, chipotle, peanut, glace, eggtc, il centro, etc) and loose park, which is a large, beautiful park in a very upscale area.

wow thank you for the extensive apartment review! I have heard the traffic is not bad at all compared to philadelphia where i am at. I'm very excited to make the move as it seems the people of KC are extremely friendly and welcoming!

^Compared to Philly, definitely. My younger brother used to live in Center City. After moving to KC he said it felt like a weight taken off shoulder. But be prepared that KC is a much smaller city/metro than Philly. There's quite a bit here for a metro of 2M but it will feel like a smaller town in comparison to E Coast.

For $800 or $900, you might even be able to get a small house or a duplex in the Westport/Volker/general midtown area (check this out http://kansascity.craigslist.org/apa/2884675980.html). A lot of activity in these neighborhoods -- people hanging out on patios, walking dogs, doing projects -- and a mix of people of all ages, walks of life, stages of life. You can also walk to Westport and easy access to the interstate to get downtown or out of town.

Wherever you end up, I would recommend downtown or the west side of midtown. I lived in Brookside and worked in Lenexa, and the cross-town drive on 75th broke my heart a little every day.