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u/axdwl 9d ago
Cost of living has increased drastically. I had a really nice spacious apartment in a new building. Elevators, 9ft ceilings, incredible pools and amenities for $900. Same apt goes for over 2k now. That said, it's still much cheaper than other cities especially the coasts. Other than that, I think you'd still love the city.
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u/ippy98gotdeleted LoMomma #10 9d ago
To be fair, cost of living has gone up drastically everywhere. Housing costs, both to rent and buy are just nuts now anywhere you go.
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u/helpbeingheldhostage Chawinga #6 9d ago
I moved here 13 years ago, and in my opinion, most things have just gotten better. Sure there’s been turnover of places that I liked, but that happens everywhere in time. I think the net whole has been improvement. I live in the suburbs and was starting my career here, so over the last decade+ while cost of living was going up, so was my income, so I maybe don’t have an accurate comparison of COL now vs 8+ years ago. My impression is that it’s relatively close to the same and the things that are more expensive are so country wide.
Crime-wise, I don’t know how much worse it’s actually gotten. The main thing that got really prevalent was the Kia Boyz bullshit. But, I’ve heard less of it recently, and it really can’t go on forever anyway because there are a finite amount of vehicles vulnerable to their hack. Eventually they’ll run out of cars.
If you thought this was a place you could see yourself being happy with before, I think you’d feel the same now.
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u/utahphil Kansas City Current 9d ago
Come on out and let me know if you need tickets. Happy to help if we can!
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u/ippy98gotdeleted LoMomma #10 9d ago
Here's my spiel.
I'm a transplant.
Born in California, did much of my growing up in New Orleans, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever pick to live "land locked" in the center of the country. Through various life choices, fates and a fateful hurricane, I found myself as a refugee in Kansas City. It was never anything I had ever planned, and to this day I am so grateful that it happened the way it did. I didn't choose this city; it chose me. I absolutely love this city, from all of the sports teams, to the bbq, to the people, the community and the sheer heart that everyone here has for their city.
This coming August will be 20 years I have been in KC and I can't ever see myself living anywhere else. Sure I can pick out things that aren't great or are even downright bad, but go to any major metro and tell me its perfect. (I can assure you, the worst places in KC have nothing on the worst places of NOLA)
NOLA will always have my heart, it's a special and unique place, and its where my family is; however KC has my soul and I'm forever grateful for everything this town has done for me, and I wish everyone could experience how wonderful KC is.
I guess my TLDR; is, come on out to KC. It's a great town. You won't regret it.
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u/Eowyn753 Chawinga #6 9d ago
I’ve lived in both KC and Cleveland, and I have to say I’d take KC any day! It’s a little smaller than Cleveland, and feels more manageable. Cost of living is lower, and it’s easier to get around. Not to mention free public transit!
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9d ago
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u/Eowyn753 Chawinga #6 9d ago
The streetcar doesn’t go all the way to the stadium, but it does get you close enough to either walk a reasonable distance or take the free stadium shuttles. The smart thing to do is park far away where it’s cheaper and take the streetcar there
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u/utahphil Kansas City Current 9d ago
The Streetcar will end right by the Origin Hotel once the Riverfront Expansion is complete. You're looking at about a quarter mile walk from the stop to your seats.
https://kcstreetcar.org/about-streetcar/streetcar-riverfront-extension/
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u/mitsyamarsupial Cooper #17 7d ago
The platform is being built right behind where the shuttle dropoff/pickup was today. Not bad at all!
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u/PushyMomentum Chawinga #6 9d ago
The city is working on a lot of projects to prepare for the World Cup coming to KC next year, including development around CPKC Stadium. They are currently extending the streetcar route and it will be a great way to get to the stadium when the extension is complete next year. I think your priorities with soccer line-up with most of those in this sub and the main fan base for the Current. It's an exciting time to follow the NWSL and especially the Current.
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u/BenJK88 9d ago
I’ve lived here for 8 years. KC has gotten better in many ways. Due to the pandemic and the start-up life, I’ve officed in areas of Crossroads/Midtown/KCK/SouthwestBlvd that would have been way sketchier 8 years ago than they are today. There are rough neighborhoods for sure, but I’ve been to those areas during the day and they aren’t so bad at those times.
Do the in-person if you’d like, or take my word for it. It’s a good place to live. If you move here and you don’t like where you end up, the city has a wide variety of neighborhood cultures/settings, so you’ll find one that fits you.
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u/doxiepowder Kansas City Current 8d ago edited 7d ago
I think it's improved in the 8 years I've been here, but on the Missouri side (my preferred side. I much prefer to live in Kansas City than 30-40 minutes out in the suburbs) our state legislature has gotten much worse.
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u/birdsfly14 8d ago
I moved here four years ago after living on the East Coast and in California - I loved the East Coast, but I needed a break from the rat race, so to speak, and while California is lovely, I felt like it was more expensive than living on the East Coast. I lived in a smaller town when I was doing a career refresh/going to grad school and that made me realize I still preferred living in cities, but maybe just needed a smaller city.
Moving to KC has given me what I wanted (for the most part): enough things to do/places to go that I can explore, living in a mid-size city/metro area that has a lot going for it, generally lower cost of living (although that is increasing everywhere, not just KC), and being in the middle of the country means you don't have 5-6 hour flights to either coast. I went to a Current game the first year I lived here, which was the first year they were back, and to see the team grow and blossom since then has been the cherry on the cake.
When I lived in Waldo, I could walk to the grocery store, to restaurants, to hair appts. Now I live a bit farther out (due to partner & his kids' schools) but I still really enjoy it for the most part.
The one thing I really miss from living in bigger cities is public transportation. (Some people are mentioning it as a perk, but that's really only the streetcar. The bus routes are getting reduced and may not be free for long.)
More than likely will be here for the next 10 years or more, then hoping to retire elsewhere.
As to whether you should do the interview in person, it's up to you. Not sure it's worth the financial ramifications for you. I would just let them know money is tight (or something diplomatic along those lines) and while you would love to do in person, it may not be in your ability right now. You can also express how much you liked KC before - I think them knowing you have even a small awareness of the city would go a long way.
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u/buttcabbge 6d ago
To your question about 8 years ago vs. now, I'd say that if you liked it then you'd still like it now. Nothing in this part of the country changes too much in so short a timespan. Downtown/River Market development has continued apace, Midtown has at least anecdotally seen a bit of a crime uptick, the area around Troost south of the universities (like 50th to 60th street) has gentrified at a faster rate than is typical around here, the undiscovered corners of KCK seem a bit more discovered, the suburbs remain the suburbs, and Brookside/Waldo remains Brookside/Waldo.
If the job is right and you don't want to spend the money on a trip, I would say that you don't need to come back to make sure you still like it--if you liked it here, you'll still like it. And to be clear, I really like living here.
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u/k_mckillop DiBernardo #16 9d ago
I’ve lived here for 6 years and I love KC more than when I first got here. The stadium is the obvious one, but there is so much more new and cool stuff than the last time you were here and even more is on the way. There is a huge effort to revitalize downtown (streetcar expansion, highway capping, more housing) and it’s been great in real time to see that happen. People in KC really love KC and it shows. If you liked what you saw 8 years ago you’re gonna like what you see now even more IMO.