Is Kansas City, Missouri, the city you should move to? What type of crime is in the city and surrounding areas? What neighborhoods might you want to visit?
Kansas City consistently ranks for being among one the best places to live in America, which makes it desirable for many. But if you’re someone looking from the outside in, you might not exactly know why Kansas City is so popular.
Growing up in Kansas City ourselves, we hope we can give you a more detailed glimpse into the city with top neighborhoods stats, crime data and more to help you make a better buying decision.
Let’s begin.
Is Kansas City a good place to live?
At first, Kansas City appears to be a very dangerous place to live with the crime rate 112% higher than the national average. However, when you take a closer look at the data, you’ll find Kansas City’s neighborhoods have more favorable crime rates compared to other cities of the same size. Kansas City, MO, by and large, is a very safe and good place to live with great schools, competitive job opportunities, affordable housing, top sports teams, and more.
In this article:
- Parts of Kansas City, MO
- Good places to visit in Kansas City, MO
- Good Neighborhoods in Kansas City, MO
- Map of Neighborhoods in Kansas City, MO
- Crime Stats in Kansas City, MO
- Kansas City, MO Neighborhood Crime Map
- Raising a Family in Kansas City
Parts of Kansas City, MO – How The City Is Divided Up
Kansas City can be broken up into three categories: The Northland, East KC, and South KC.
We define the Kansas City Northland to be anywhere North of the Missouri River, which includes Gladstone, Parkville, Liberty, and small cities and areas.
East KC includes Independence and Buckner, MO, and South KC includes Raytown and Lee’s Summit.
Good places to visit in Kansas City, MO
Here is a map of popular places and landmarks to visit in Kansas City along with the area of the city they are located in.
If you’re looking to move to Kansas City or simply visit, a visual of where these popular areas are adjacent to one other is helpful.
The Kansas City Zoo is located in South KC about 15 minutes from downtown. Worlds of Fun, a theme park, is in the Northland about 20 minutes from downtown. However, Smithville Lake is a good 30-40 north of the city.
The Kansas City Zoo, Science City, Downtown Parkville, Smithville Lake, and the Independence Mall are all great places to visit while you’re in Kansas City.
If you’re into sports, The Chiefs football stadium is located east of the city, near Independence. It’s not listed on the map, but the Kansas City Royals baseball team is right next to the Chiefs, which is nice for fans.
Good Neighborhoods in Kansas City
There are hundreds of good neighborhoods in Kansas City that are perfectly suited for any type of family or individual.
When looking for a neighborhood to call home, make sure you write down your criteria, wants and needs so you can compare and contrast areas.
To help, we’ve compiled a list of neighborhoods in each part of the city to help you make a better buying decision. This list is meant to help you start somewhere and have an idea of the locations you’d like to visit.
In the table below, you’ll see a list of neighborhoods along with the commute time, build year, average home price, and more.
Neighborhood in Kansas City | Minutes to Downtown | Est. Build Year | Avg. Age | Average Home Price (2021) | Reported Crimes (2020) | Location |
Bristol Park | 22 Minutes | 2000’s | 50 | $238K | 8 | The Northland |
Fountain Hills | 19 Minutes | 2000’s | 55 | $280K | 2 | The Northland |
Maple Park | 20 Minutes | 1960’s | 47 | $150K | 24 | The Northland |
Fairland Heights | 16 Minutes | 1930’s | 47 | $127K | 0 | East KC |
Saddle Ridge | 21 Minutes | 1970’s | 52 | $143K | 0 | East KC |
Blue Springs Manor South | 22 Minutes | 1970’s | 45 | $234K | 0 | East KC |
Blue Hills | 8 Minutes | 1920’s | 50 | $110K | 35 | South KC |
Hyde Park | 7 Minutes | 1920’s | 45 | $231K | 32 | South KC |
Explore More Neighborhoods in KC
If you have questions about any of these neighborhoods or would like more information regarding neighborhoods that are not listed, please don’t hesitate to call the Dani Beyer Real Estate Team. We are trusted by 1,063+ families in the KC Metro area. Call us at 816-716-5172.
Map of Neighborhoods in Kansas City
There are thousands of neighborhoods in Kansas City. But we’ve outlined a small list of eight (included in the table above) to help you place their location on a map to compare.
Three neighborhoods, Bristol Park, Fountain Hills, and Maple Park, are in “The Northland.”
Fairland Heights, Saddle Ridge, and Blue Springs Manor South are in East KC.
Blue Hills and Hyde Park are in South KC.
Crime Stats In Kansas City
Unfortunately, Kansas City, MO, tends to have a higher crime rate. Why? There sections of the town that are prone to higher crime rates. These sections combine together to produce a larger than usual statistic.
According to recent data Area Vibes, there are specific parts of the city that share the load in bringing Kansas City’s crime rating to staggering levels.
In Marlborough Heights, for example, the average crime rate is 279% higher than the rest of the city. Same for Knoches Park, among others. Yet other areas of the city have more favorable crime rates. As a result, Kansas City is regarded as a safe place to live. In fact, Kansas City is rated number 27 on the Numbeo list of best cities to live in, based on the overall quality of life.
A Kansas City, MO, Neighborhood Crime Map (2020)
Using crime data from Areavibes, the following table lists the top five most dangerous neighborhoods and their average crime rate relative to the city as a whole.
Neighborhood | # of Violent Crimes (2020) | Average Crime Rate (2020) |
Marlborough Heights | 5,425 | 279% |
Knoches Park | 5,250 | 267% |
Oak Park Southeast | 5,183 | 262% |
Marlborough East | 4,892 | 242% |
Sarritt Point | 4,679 | 227% |
Raising a Family in Kansas City
Is Kansas City a good place to raise a family? Yes, Kansas City is a great place to home families of many kinds. Here’s five reasons why:
- KC is Safe: While there are some areas in KC with very high crime rates, there are hundreds more areas that are safe and secure neighborhoods where thousands of families call home every day. The data doesn’t tell the full story.
- Quality Neighborhoods: There are hundreds of quality neighborhoods in close proximity to excellent schools, shops, pools and community spaces.
- Affordable Housing: House prices in Kansas City are significantly lower than the national average, making it ideal for families of all kinds. The overall cost of living in Kansas City is cheaper than the US average, with an index of 86.2 and the median house price is $146,300.
- Diverse Ages: The median age in Kansas City is 35.3 and many families have children under the age of 18. Many of these families continue to settle in the suburbs to take advantage of the high quality of life and reasonable property prices.
- Low Unemployment: Kansas City, historically, also has a low unemployment rate. Currently sitting at 7.3, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Median House Price Kansas City | Median Age in Kansas City | Unemployment Rate in Kansas City |
$146,300 | 35.3 | 7.3% |
If you’re looking for a home in Kansas City, you can find a list of homes for sale in the area by clicking here.
Regardless of the online misgivings that people have about Kansas City’s safety, know that Kansas City has all of the healthy and safe attributes that families look for in a place to live.