Similarly, I moved to Kansas City almost a year ago due to a job offer. If you’re moving “way across the continent” I have to assume you’re from one of the coasts, since KC is almost exactly in the middle of the continental U.S.
I mention this because although I’ve never lived on a coast, I’ve always been near a lot of water, whether it was one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes, the Mississippi River or Lake Michigan via Milwaukee.
Kansas City is typical of any moderately-sized Midwestern city. It reached it’s glory years in decades-past industrial boon. It banked on it’s central location as being THE railway hub of the continent. Naturally, those aspirations were linked to the success of the rail industry and were similarly limited. However, it still has at least two big-time corporation HQ’s here: Sprint and Hallmark – that’s more than can be said for a lot of cities.
KC is now largely a city of suburbs. There are fewer options for nice downtown living. I’ve always lived in downtown areas, and was a little disappointed that KC’s downtown hasn’t (yet) been reinvested in the way that other cities’ have been. However, they do still exist, and the cost of living is very reasonable compared to other parts of the country. Since my move, my salary went up and my rent went down. Not a bad situation in this economy.
Missouri is “the northernmost southern state.” KC is a tad more conservative / religious / family-oriented that what I was used to, but then I’m a little bit of a left-o’-center kind of fella, so take such a comment with a grain of salt.
Barbeque is like a religion with the people around here.
There is a subtle, amusing animosity between the Kansans and the Missourans. Missouri roads suck. Anyone will attest to this. Instead of fixing holes in the pavement, they put enormous metal plates over them. Kansas roads are great. The Kansas portion of KC is a bit of an armpit, however.
Lawrence, a short drive from KC, is a fun college town in Kansas. Olathe is one of the richest-median suburb areas there is (I read this statistic somewhere, but I don’t have the source. sorry)
Westport is a party.
The Plaza is VERY swanky. A California friend put it in league with Beverly Hills. This is what she said and she grew up in L.A. Whether that is a true comparison or not, the Plaza is pretty schmancy by most everyone’s measure.
KC has got this thing about having a lot of fountains. KC has more than Paris or Rome, depending on who you talk to. Whereas in those European cities one would say the fountains are an extension the art and culture that permeates their rich history; whereas here it kind of feels like someone said “I know! Let’s have fountains! That will be our thing!” Now I’m not slighting the fountains…there are some that are quite nice. I actually regularly see people standing/sitting just watching the fountain outside the Union Station like it’s the Bellagio in Vegas, though not quite as elaborate.
What else… oh jazz. KC has a RICH jazz history. This is where Charlie “Bird” Parker is from. You’ll find the American Jazz Museum on 18th and Vine right there next to the Blue Room. This is worthy of a pilgrimage for any Jazz afficionado. Shifting a genre over to blues and rock, you have the Grand Emporium which has won several awards as being America’s best blues club. I haven’t been to enough clubs to explain why this one is so great, but I just saw Southern Culture on the Skids there, and it was a great show. I’m going back in a few weeks to see Michelle Shocked.
In all, any environment is what you make of it.
