Reply to Young couples with kids---Where did you move to from the DC area?

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[quote=Anonymous] 
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This message has been brought to you by: The Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Realtors' Association, and the Kansas City Tourism Board.

PP, I'm glad you enjoyed your time there. Sounds too good to be true. [/quote]

Wow, I've been in DC over 10 years, but grew up in Brookside in KC and go back to visit family there a few times a year. This is all incredibly  accurate. It's a great place to raise kids and/or grow up. It makes me sad every time I visit that there isn't anything close to a place like Brookside at an affordable price in the DC area. Del Ray is the closest I have found but it's not the same (and before someone mentions the ACPS schools, the KCMO schools in Brookside have the same reputation; it's private schools for most).

If anyone else is seriously considering this move, a few points for consideration. I think this truly depends on your preferences and one isn't better than another.  In KC, your average water cooler or neighborhood conversations will most likely revolve around local sports (Royals right now, but Chiefs, and KU or MU basketball work as well). [b]In DC, I can start a conversation with "I heard on Morning Edition..." and it's not uncommon for people to have heard the same story and want to discuss. In your average office in KC, you wouldnt have that type of conversation. Another anecdotal difference is that people in KC tend to go on vacation to the lake (Lake of the Ozarks) or Mexico/Carribean. Vacationing to Europe or larger cities in the US is a bit more outside the mainstream,[/b] and people may perceive you as somewhat snobby or different.

The biggest thing is that it can be really hard to break into social circles on a more than superficial level. People there (especially in the older, walkable and more historic neighborhoods like Brookside, Sunset Hills, the Plaza) have been there for a long time and their friend groups often are made up of people they went to high school and grade school with, and in a lot of cases, their parents also went to the same high school and grade schools. (In KC, there are tons of second and third generation families at schools like St. Peter's and Visitation and high schools like Rockhurst and St. Teresa's). People are very friendly on a surface level but often aren't looking for new people to join their groups.  I read on DCUM that people have trouble making friends in this area, but I've truly had the opposite experience, and found that many transplants are actively searching for new friends. I now have great groups of friends from grad school, my first job, DH's job, DD's preschool etc.  I was nerdy in high school and from what I've heard/seen from those still there, I think I would have a harder time finding a solid group back in KC. Second to my lack of transferable job skills, that's the biggest factor holding me back from moving back to KC.

While my experience is KC focused, from what I have heard, the same is true for many medium sized Midwestern cities (St. Louis, Minneapolis etc.). There are a lot of good qualities, but they aren't perfect either. Just depends on what you are looking for. [/quote]

I lived in a mid sized city at one point and experienced this kind of stuff frequently.  Everyone I worked with and hung out with was educated but there was still a difference in interests and hobbies.   People in "middle America" seem really into sports.  One time I had a two day layover in London before meeting friends in another European city.  The friends I had in the midsized city were shocked I would spend two days in London by myself.  They thought it was incredibly strange and I received so many questions about what I was going to do.  Very few people in dc would make a big deal about this.  This was also during the financial crisis and most people I interacted with seemed to barely have a clue that our economy was tanking.  [/quote]

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