Moving To Kansas City? 8 Things to Know Before You Go

Skyline view of downtown Kansas City

Are you moving to Kansas City? Great choice! Kansas City is one of the best cities in the United States! In fact, Bloomberg ranked it #15 on their list of America’s 50 Best Cities! Kansas City was also given the distinction of being the #1 coolest city to visit by the Huffington Post!

1: Kansas City Offers More Home for Your Hard-Earned Money

If you’ve got a big family, you need a big home. The problem; in most major US cities, a big house is practically out of reach for many families. But if you’re moving to Kansas City, MO, however, a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with a huge backyard is around $220,000. That’s far below the national average. Indeed, the median home price for Kansas City is $154,000, one of the lowest in the country. (The national average, at $217,000, is over $60,000 more!) In fact, it’s #21 out of 228 for ‘best cities to buy a house in America’! By the way, rents are cheaper here, with a median of $941 for a 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment.

2: Kansas City Public Schools Get a B+

Big family or mall, if you have kids, you want them to go to the best schools. You’ll be glad to know that public schools in Kansas City get a solid B+ rating. Several schools rank even higher with an A or A+. Several high schools also get an A rating. In short, there are plenty of excellent public schools in Kansas City!

3: Kansas City is the City Of Fountains

Moving to Kansas City means a beautiful scenery. Back when city planners were envisioning Kansas City, they wanted to go big. They talked about having more fountains than Rome and more boulevards than Paris, a lofty goal to be sure. They weren’t kidding, either, because Kansas City has over 200 fountains! There are big ones and small ones all over the city, and all free of charge to enjoy. The boulevard system here is just as impressive. Kansas City has over 151 interconnected miles of roads to make getting around faster. The lush and green boulevards are a beautiful sight to see!

Moving to Kansas City? 8 Things to Know Before You Go

4: There are Several Awesome Farmer’s Markets in Kansas City

Here in the midwest, you’ll find some of the freshest food in the country. If you’re moving to Kansas City, all of that food is on display in our many delightful farmer’s markets! For example, there’s the City Market, one of the biggest in the Midwest, over in the River Market district. Cooking Light magazine named the Overland Park Farmer’s Market the best in the city! Those two aside, there are at least a dozen more farmer’s markets every weekend around the city. Also, some are open mid-week to make food shopping for the family a more leisurely affair. One thing’s for sure; you’ll always have delicious, fresh produce here in the City of Fountains!

5: The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Kansas City

Irish or not, everyone loves St. Patrick’s Day. In Kansas City, though, they live it just a bit more. That’s why you’ll find one of the biggest St. Patty’s Day parades here, with over 200,000 spectators a year! It’s one of the grandest parades you’ll ever see, bar none! Plus, the weather is usually spectacular here in the spring!

6: Kansas City Offers 4 Glorious Seasons

Moving to Kansas City from a city where it’s always sweltering hot, bone dry, or ice cold. That can get old, let’s be honest. Here in the Heart of America, though, we have four seasons to enjoy! In Spring, everything turns green as trees and plants bloom once again. Summer can rival Florida for sunny, hot days, and Fall is usually mild and comfortable. Winter? Well, that’s a crapshoot, to be honest. Winters can be mild and relatively calm but include the occasional blizzard or two.

7: The Barbecue Here in KC is Scrumptious!

When Travel & Leisure magazine names your city the #1 for barbecue, you’re doing it right! There are a ridiculous number of BBQ joints when moving to Kansas City, and all of them are delicious! Below are the Top 5 Kansas City barbecue places as ranked by Kansas City magazine:

  1. Porky’s Blazin’
  2. Joe’s Kansas City Barbecue
  3. Scott’s Kitchen
  4. Gates
  5. BIG T’s
  6. Arthur Bryant’s
  7. Q 39 South
  8. Jone’s Bar-B-Q
  9. Fiorella’s Jack Stack
  10. Harp Barbecue
Moving to Kansas City? 8 Things to Know Before You Go

8: Find Secure Parking

While not as dangerous as some big American cities, Kansas City still isn’t the safest. It gets a C rating based on both violent and property crime rates. One of the most common crimes is motor vehicle theft. We are above the national average. If you’re planning on bringing your car, consider a safe storage solution. We suggest gated, covered, and locked parking in a Kansas City Storage Facility.

Where To Store Your Household Goods When You Arrive

If you’re not sure where you’re going to live or buy a home in KC, you might need some interim storage for your stuff. Here at iStorage, we’ve got clean, safe, secure, and affordable storage units in Kansas City. If you have any questions or need help, you can chat online with a manager. They can answer all your questions. Until then, best of luck with your move to Kansas City! If you want to know more about the Pros and Cons of Living in KC, we wrote a blog on that too! Welcome to KCMO. We know you’ll love living in the Paris of the Plains.