... where to live that is close to school, cheap, safe, and not roach infested?
Hi SlicMic
I'm not an authority on the subject because I'm new too, and from out-of-town, so maybe someone else could either back me up or give better advice. Here's what I found during my many visits:
The MO side near campus was crowded - there wasn't much off street parking, and the streets were lined with cars on both sides. I didn't like that so I quit looking. Farther into MO is the Plaza and Westport area. Nice lofts, but expensive.
The neigborhood west of Rainbow is hit and miss. Adams is good, Booth is ok, Booth Pl. is not as ok, Springfield is borderline scary, and it gets worse as you go west.
There's a neighborhood south of campus - State Line, Cambridge, Eaton, Francis - that seemed a little safer, but more expensive. South of 43rd seemed not as safe as north of 43rd.
I looked at some apartments near the Lamar exit. They were nice, and there's plenty of them. I liked Silverwood the best because it smelled clean and was well maintained. The newer apartments are farther west and farther south, like in Overland Park. That was too far for me to drive, so I didn't look at any.
There are also several apartments on Rainbow and Booth. Rainbow Ridge was ok, a lot of students live there (says the manager). The Booth apartments would be a shorter walk, but weren't as nice... think hourly rate motel next to the porn shop vs. Motel 6, where Motel 6 ain't great but it's better than the alternative.
I ended up in a house in the neighborhood south of school. It's more expensive than I wanted to pay, but it has a garage so my car will be safe, and my landlord is super nice.
Try
this link for the housing ads.... and good luck!
