Hey Kansas City residents!!

[heyitscyndi]

Hi! I'm a pre-dent student who is going to UMKC dental school. I am needing some help as to where to live. I will be looking for a nice apartment in a safe neighborhood. Any suggestions? I will be going to KC for a visit next month and I wanted to check out the city, look at neighborhoods, etc. so any input would be greatly appreciated!

One more thing, is there anything of interest in KC that I should make sure and visit before I leave? Are there any areas that should be avoided?

Thanks in advance!

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[nist7]

I will be (hopefully) at UMKC SOM come this fall. And I live about 10 min away from the med school, which is basically across the street from the dental school.

As for living options, the areas near the med/dental schools are somewhat less wealthy than other parts of the town. But there are frat/soro houses as well as rental houses and apartments. And of course there are UMKC's dorms, but those usually cost more. And many students also live a bit far away from UMKC on the Kansas side, which has more 'up-scale' apartments/houses. The prices are a little bit higher but you get a lot of greenery/space/etc.

When you visit make sure to see the Nelson-Atkins Museum . It has one of the best Asian collections as well as some modern pieces. Other artistic attractions: American Jazz Museum, Missouri Repertory Theater, Starlight Theater.

Also checkout musical events in KC

And for the best dining and shopping, visit the Country Club Plaza

Nightclubs/etc. can be found at Westport.

 

[Soup]

Hi! I'm a pre-dent student who is going to UMKC dental school. I am needing some help as to where to live. I will be looking for a nice apartment in a safe neighborhood. Any suggestions? I will be going to KC for a visit next month and I wanted to check out the city, look at neighborhoods, etc. so any input would be greatly appreciated!

One more thing, is there anything of interest in KC that I should make sure and visit before I leave? Are there any areas that should be avoided?

Thanks in advance!

Good info so far . . . how about some more specifics. I know alot of KU SOM students lurk around here. Help a gal out.

 

[dswonger]

Hi,

I've lived in KC for 15 years and know the city quite well.

UMKC area is very close to a crime area. As well as the KU SOM. Inner-city university type stuff. If you don't mind a little drive, Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, Merriam, Prairie Village and Shawnee (all cities in KS & suburbs) are about 20min. from UMKC. If I were a girl, these are the areas I would pick. Don't get me wrong, there are some nice areas of Kansas City, MO. But, overall, the apt. thing is closer to the inner city. The plaza area is nice, but can be pricey. There are apts. right off of I-35 that are safe and full of coeds. SOM people are scattered around the campus (pricey @ times and really not that safe an area) and then there are plenty in Lenexa and apts. right off I-35 in Merriam. Start @ the med school and go west and south to find your apt. However, the $$ is more in KS. The risk is less (safety). Get a short lease, find a roomey and be happy!

 

[s137mack]

Hi, I am a UMKC-SOM student. I just moved so I have been looking around lately.

I used to live in Brookside (about 7.5 miles from dental school) and I like it a lot. The houses are very neat and the people are interesting. I would say it was safe for the most part. The only reason I left Brookside was because of the lack of one bedroom apartments.

I just moved to Mission, KS. It is also about the same distance from the dental school. There are tons of medical students (I am not sure about dental students) living around here. The area is more of a suburb feeling and close to tons of fast food and other restaurants. It is very close to I-35 as well, which has just started a 1 and 1/2 year construction project, so I am not sure how wonderful that perk is.

Please feel free to ask any questions.

 

[Soup]

I think that everyone is right. Johnson County, KS is probably the best place to live. I used to rent a two bedroom duplex in Merriam a few years ago for about $500/mo. Brookside, Mission, Prarie Village, Shawnee, Overland Park, etc. are all good places to live but will cost a little more than what you can find in KCK or KCMO. On the Missouri side I'd probably rank cities 1. Lee's Summit 2. Blue Springs 3. Independence. Any of these places will require at least a short commute (probably less than 15-20 min., no more than 30 min). Of course there are nice places to live closer to UMKC. I just am not as familiar with them. Hopefully, you can hear from people who do live closer to downtown.

 

[lowlandgorilla]

I wouldn't live in johnson county. It is the land of cupcakes. Seriously. I don't want to denigrate cupcakes either. I am most likely going to have to move back there for school and will look for a place on the KCK side to re-establish residency. Since you are UMKC, you don't have to to this. There are some very cool places that seem to be coming into focus in the otherwise lifeless downtown Kansas city. I say lifeless because decades of suburban expansion have left downtown very thin. If you can afford it Quality hill is very nice and I hear quite great. same with the city market area (these are all within the downtown area or with in spiting distance) Hyde park isn't bad and it is cheap, but right on the border of shady. The cross roads area is great and lofts are poping up like mushrooms. I personally would love to live around 20th and Summitt (i think the neighboohood is called Westside???). It seemed arty, but without the pretension. Brookside isn't bad either.

 

[evajaclynn]

I've lived at City Place in Westport since September. I'm getting ready to move out, but its been pretty nice while I've lived here. Just about a mile from the Plaza and I feel pretty safe here. Lots of nightlife too. However, it is a little more expensive than some of the other apartments. The proximity to the Plaza really makes the price jump up!

 

[heyitscyndi]

Fantasic. Thanks for all the input guys, I really do appreciate it. I have one more question for you all. How do I go about finding a roommate?