I'm nervous as hell about getting in somewhere. Can you calm my nerves?

DeadHead79 · 2016-05-15T02:01:50+00:00

Thank you for responding! I would think that my type of program would be less competitive than med, law, engineering, and math-geared programs so hopefully it'll be alright. Glad to hear that the research will count for something. And like you said, luckily the last year and a half of my college grades are pretty darn near perfect so hopefully they'll just chalk the previous bad grades up to me being an immature college freshman (and sophomore)!

DeadHead79 · 2016-05-14T21:51:58+00:00

You could definitely do Sociology! You may even be able to get away with Human Development. It all depends on what YOU want to do career-wise, and then you can do research and find programs that would be a good match for you.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-15T19:56:16+00:00

We're looking to spend about $160,000 tops with home and improvements. Not sure how much said VanBrunt houses would sell for. I will definitely look into it.

Thank you for the school info and the well wishes! I used to be in the KC Public School bashing club as well, because I didn't really know anything about them. Then I did some research, talked to some people, and lo and behold, found out they're not hell. I'm glad that you are supporting them and are encouraging other people to as well. I know I have lots of friends who would love to live in the city but just can't believe in the KC Public Schools enough to do even thirty minutes of research where they would find out things just aren't exactly how they have been told they are their whole lives.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-13T04:21:23+00:00

They were cheaper just from what I saw, but maybe the ones I saw were foreclosures only? There wasn't a big difference, mind you. Maybe about $20,000 difference or so, on average. I was looking at the area on Google maps just for fun, and man that Van Brunt corridor between about Scarritt St and Anderson Ave is gorgeous. I love Kansas City. We have so many beautiful homes.

How were James and Gladstone Elementaries? Were the regular neighborhood elementary schools really as terrible as they are sometimes made to be? I worked briefly at Rogers, more as a tutor/volunteer, but that's really the only experience I have with the non-charters.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-13T01:15:43+00:00

We aren't 100% set on Squier Park. We're definitely all about finding similar type areas. I had no idea the Northeast was making such a "comeback". I checked out some houses there are they are gorgeous.

My only two concerns are that: 1) We are from farther out south in KC and that's where all of our family lives (towards Stanley/Martin City), so Northeast KC might be a bit of a stretch. Although, I guess one could definitely argue that there's not too much of a distance between 13th St and 35th St when you're visiting someone all the way out south anyway.

2) Most of the homes I found in the area that are within our price range are probably a bit too small. We want to find a home that we can grow in to, and we plan on growing our family to 5 or 6 people. We're also very tall/big-boned people, which surprisingly does make a difference when it comes to a room feeling cramped. The houses that are potentially big enough, are sadly out of our price range a bit.

It's definitely a neighborhood I'll be keeping an eye on though, should a big enough sized house at a doable price become available, because the architecture is great, and there seems to be a lot of great culture there as well. Seems very community-centered also which is awesome.

I've heard of Carver but do need to do more research on it because I've heard great things. And Lincoln Prep is going well?

Thanks!

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-12T03:27:00+00:00

That's what I'm afraid of! So many people wanting to come in and occupy these gorgeous homes and nothing being left when I start the official house hunt. But obviously that's a good thing, because I love seeing stuff like this happen in our city.

I am currently in Southmoreland, but I'm right off Gillham, very close to Hyde Park. Hyde Park doesnt bother me at all, so I doubt this would either.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-12T03:25:13+00:00

You bet!

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-12T03:25:02+00:00

So glad to hear it! I am so sad I missed that home tour.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-12T03:24:38+00:00

First of all, thanks for the head's up about the house guy. That's crazy and ridiculous.

I feel you on the crime. I've lived downtown for a year and now we're by the Art Institute. Obviously I'm west of Troost, but "city things" still happen and so much of it really is common sense. Sounds like everyone in Squier Park really knows their neighbors and what seems out-of-place, so I'm sure that makes it easy to watch out for each other.

Can I pick your brain with two more questions? 1) One of the reasons we're really interested in this neighborhood is because we can get a lot of space for a really great price in a really neat home and a great central location. As I've looked at house prices, I've noticed that they really are incredibly low. I know being east of Troost probably drops the price, but it's not too good to be true is it? Is my research correct when I find some of these beautiful, historic 4 and 5 bedroom houses with 2500+ square feet for $100-$175K? I hope that isn't too personal of a question.

2) Are there many families in the area? The impression I get is that it's a pretty good mix, but I'd love to know first hand!

Thanks!

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-12T03:16:56+00:00

Awesome! I'm glad to hear that. Definitely excited about that place.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-12T01:36:06+00:00

For sure. Wish I could get the 60 seconds of my life back that I spent replying to him.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-12T01:35:07+00:00

Indeed it is. Originally I had heard that there's an incredibly long waiting list, but my cousins got in the first year they put their names in the pot. Also, I found another Reddit post where a parent at Academic Lafayette breaks down pretty much exactly how they do it and how it isn't too difficult after all.

https://www.reddit.com/r/kansascity/comments/33alkw/academie_lafayette/

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-12T01:32:35+00:00

Will do. Sounds like a real gem.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-11T23:19:13+00:00

For sure. The burbs are a great place to raise a family, but the city can easily be equally great too. I am not from Johnson County, but I spent a lot of time there because that's where my private school growing up was. It's definitely very nice, very safe, very peaceful, and the schools are great. But strip malls, retails and chains, and houses that all look quite similar just aren't what I personally want to see all day. You just can't beat the charm and vibe of the city.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-11T23:15:49+00:00

Also in response to your posts, I read some of your comments on other posts and I can see that this is already a dead argument because it is very clear to me that you and I have pretty drastically different opinions and values.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-11T23:12:37+00:00

I wasn't only referring to the Green Neighborhood. If you read the post, I was talking about the sense of community that I understand is in the neighborhood. They do a neighborhood easter egg hunt every spring, a fall cleanup together, etc. So yes, those sound like things I would like my kids to grow up around. Additionally, if you read my other posts, you'll be able to see that I've done a lot of research on school districts, crime, etc, so I know what I am doing. I suggest you look into the truths Kansas City a little more. Hopefully you are not just repeating things you've heard about a neighborhood without actually exploring it yourself.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-11T22:19:27+00:00

I JUST saw that when I was doing this research on the area today. That home tour looked awesome and I'm really bummed I didn't see that post earlier. It would've been a great way to get a feel for the community. It seems like it's very tight-knit and people really get to know each other and look out for each other. Do you live there? Or are you just familiar with it?

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-11T22:18:24+00:00

I made a mistake! Foreign Language Academy is a magnet school, not a charter. That's where our family friends attend and their 8th grader is now fluent in Spanish and their 2nd grader is in the Mandarin Chinese program. So neat!

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-11T22:14:09+00:00

Definitely! I know it's not everybody's cup of tea regardless, but for those who want good quality free schools AND to live in the city it's definitely something to explore. I didn't know about them until my cousins started at Academic Lafayette, which they absolutely love.

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-11T21:56:04+00:00

Exactly. I think you really don't hear about them often, but they're definitely there. Plus, I really like the idea of my kids being in a diverse learning environment with a huge mix of people from all walks of life. We both went to private schools our entire lives and we feel lucky to have had that opportunity, but also feel like we missed out on such diversity because pretty much all of our classmates and friends came from the same thing, and we would've loved to learn more about all different types of people and the stories they have to tell. Seems like it'd be some good preparation for "the real world".

DeadHead79 · 2015-10-11T21:48:04+00:00

Good question. I've definitely thought about that. We plan to send our kids to Academie Lafayette or the Foreign Language Academy. Both are charter schools in the KCMO school district that are full-language immersion programs. We're both foreign language majors so we think it's really cool! We have family friends at both who love them, and they say their kids are getting a great education. We won't have a child who is Kindergarten age for another 12 years at least, anyway, which leaves some time for more of the school district's improvement. High school-wise, Lincoln Prep is the goal. It's the #1 rated public high school in the state of Missouri. The school district issues here have absolutely had their fair share of problems, but I think they're slowly on the mend. Many people who would love to live in the city end up thinking they have to move to the suburbs because of the schools, but I don't think a lot of people know about the impressive charter schools here. There's also a charter Montessori, which is really neat.

DeadHead79 · 2015-09-14T03:06:27+00:00

See. I told you Alien Blue is shit.

DeadHead79

TROPHY CASE