An honest review
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7/20/2009
I moved my family to Overland Park from the East Coast back in 1999. At the time, my job was offering lucrative transfers for employees. After talking it over with my wife, we decided the Midwest might be a better place for us to raise our children, so I took the offer.
Ten years later, we've seen the good and the bad, and feel we can offer a true evaluation of living in Overland Park.
Good
1. It's cheaper to live here than it is on the East Coast
2. Very nice houses
3. Lots of business (Sprint and Cerner are the major employers)
4. Great schools
5. Nice parks
6. Lots of entertainment options nearby (pro sports teams the Cheifs, Royals and Wizards, Worlds of Fun Theme Park, Country Club Plaza, etc.)
7. Safety
8. Located close to a major international airport
9. Located about an hour away from the University of Kansas
Now the bads:
1. It's cheaper, but not that much cheaper. Property taxes more than make up for the seemingly cheap price for a house
2. Very bland and extremely conservative population
3. It's about keeping up with the Joneses. People are materialistic and love their children through money, not actual love
4. Traffic is becoming heavier and heavier as the suburbs continue to grow
5. Lots of broken families and households due to money being the biggest priority
6. Unpredicatable weather throughout most of the year
Overall, we aren't loving it here, but we aren't hating it either. Likely after our last child graduates high school in two years, we'll move back East. For the Midwest, they have somewhat skewed values compared to other cities and towns in the area. It was a bit disheartening as that was a big reason why we ended up settling here. If you decide to settle here, you'll have a nice, clean, safe life, but your children will be exposed to closed mindedness, greed and materialism that could give them the wrong ideas on how to live life. My two cents, for what it's worth.
Robert | Irvine, CA