2024 Best Suburbs to Live in the Kansas City Area

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 4.26 out of 5  86 reviews

Current Resident: Leawood is a wonderful, safe place to live. I went to wonderful schools, have endless options for entertainment, and feel a great sense of community here.... Read 86 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Population 33,784

• City in Kansas

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  Rating 4.18 out of 5  482 reviews

Current Resident: I grew up in Overland Park. Great community of very nice and friendly citizens. Great schools. Terrific shopping. Good job opportunities. 20-30 minutes' drive to literally ANYTHING you'd be interested in going to. I moved away in my late 20's to the Pacific Northwest--not my cup of tea, and quite frankly, culture shock. After 3 years I couldn't WAIT to get out (not used to unfriendly people) and moved back to the Midwest, settling in suburban St. Louis-Chesterfield. Felt so good to be around friendly Midwest residents again, and I stayed for 13 years before I went through a life-changing event and then was presented with an opportunity to "Go Home" which I took. I moved back to Overland Park after about 17 years. A lot had changed. Overland Park had grown considerably, but the people were still as friendly as ever, the community was still beautifully maintained, still safe, and OP continues to draw more new residents every year. Simply a wonderful environment!... Read 482 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Population 196,676

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 4.37 out of 5  68 reviews

Current Resident: Prairie Village is an overall great place to live. I am a female high school student and I feel safe in my community the grand majority of the time. The public schools are great, and that's why my parents decided to live here. It is however an expensive place to live, because of these stated reasons. I don't think I could afford to live here with my future job. I would also love to see more diversity. It is close enough to the plaza and downtown that I feel like there are interesting enough things to do, but I personally would love to live in a more urban area. I would like to me around more different people, restaurants, and activities.... Read 68 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Population 22,922

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

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  Rating 4.42 out of 5  38 reviews

Current Resident: I love Parkville! I have lived here for 17 years and still find things I haven’t done! It is a hidden gem of Missouri. We have about everything from large city feel to small town country life! Parkville has it all!... Read 38 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 7,669

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 5 out of 5  3 reviews

Current Resident: Westwood, Ks is close to midtown, Westport and various other communities in the area. I work at the University of Kansas health systems which is one of the largest employers in the area and live near it. I can walk to work in 20 minutes. cute area. Very health conscious area, people always walking, running or riding bikes in area.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Population 1,829

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 4.75 out of 5  4 reviews

Current Resident: If you live in "The Triangle" part of Fairway, you get everything. If you live elsewhere in Fairway, you basically still get everything. Everyone is just a good person here and no complaints much from them. Everywhere you go everyone is extremely friendly (even some of the seniors because lots of senior citizens live in The Triangle), and not much crime happens in this area. Minutes away wonderful locations are near such as the Plaza, some (medical for now) marijuana shops in KC Missouri, Joe's KC BBQ in KCK, among so many other places, and even the "La Jolla" of Kansas being Mission Hills. Very plentiful locations and I have nothing to complain about except the fact no mountains like Estes Parks' or beaches like La Jolla's are near because those would be magical and just would make my life much better, that way we'd REALLY get more weed for the bros like me haha ;P... Read 4 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Population 4,162

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 4.14 out of 5  180 reviews

Current Resident: Lenexa is an extremely accessible city with parks and trails that are interconnected throughout the city. I have never encountered a person in the city that does not greet with a smile, wave, or verbal "hello". More and more restaurants are coming into the city and health food markets are on every corner.... Read 180 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 57,497

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 4.06 out of 5  234 reviews

Current Resident: Shawnee has been a great town to grow up and live in. It is a very safe place with great community and people. It is also filled with many great restaurants and things to do, and is also a relatively close drive to Kansas City, so I am able to enjoy the amazing professional sports in the big city.... Read 234 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 67,671

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 4.02 out of 5  463 reviews

Current Resident: Overall I have really enjoyed living in Olathe because the community is great here. Everyone is so friendly wherever you go whether that’s to the grocery store, school, or even just walking around the neighborhood. Specially the neighborhood I live in has an amazing tight knit family feel because we do lots of outdoor activities and food truck festivals together. One thing I would like to see change is the amount of trash in some of the more populated areas. My school occasionally goes on volunteering field trips and sometimes this includes picking up trash. So that is the one major change I would like to see in Olathe but besides that I am glad I have been able to call Olathe my home.... Read 463 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 142,114

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

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  Rating 4.5 out of 5  6 reviews

Current Resident: I love the small town living atmosphere, yet being in the heart of the big city. Best of all is the recreational lake that provides the community a commonality for togetherness. The city of Weatherby Lake (2000 people )is only 15 minutes from downtown, 25 minutes to the Plaza and 10 minutes to the airport. The school district is top notch, Park Hill and Has its ow police and mayor form of government. It is less than 30 minutes from Pembroke school as well... Read 6 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Population 2,422

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 4.2 out of 5  15 reviews

Current Resident: Great city in KC metro. Close to downtown, being one of the Kansas side's first suburbs. To the south and southwest are the extremely affluent cities of Fairway and Mission Hills. To the east is Westwood, another affluent suburban city, and then further east on the Missouri side the world-renowned Country Club Plaza neighborhood of Kansas City. To the west is Mission, which is more middle class. To the north, across the county line, is the lower income Rosedale neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, which while not quite as bad as some parts, is definitely not the best area - but has some great nightlife and food options, in addition to the KU Medical Hospital. We've found it to be a good mix of dense suburban living that allows us to walk almost anywhere but also have the safety to not worry about leaving cars out on the street. The city is mostly single family housing, while there is one apartment complex - The Boulevard, and another, The Rocks, planned to be built.... Read 15 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A minus

• Population 6,848

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Nearby Resident: One of the nicest areas to live in the KC metro with great golf courses and very friendly people. Close to the Village shopping center as well.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Population 3,567

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

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  Rating 4.13 out of 5  346 reviews

Current Resident: Great place to live! Close to everything, yet still far enough out. Friendly people, beautiful neighborhoods, low crime.... Read 346 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Population 101,728

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 3.96 out of 5  26 reviews

Current Resident: Mission is a cute small town but there are no fun things to do here with the family. One thing that would be awesome to see would be a big park. There is a construction sight that hasn't been anything for years where the mission mall use to be. If there would be a park there with lots of nature it would be awesome.... Read 26 reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• Population 9,894

• Suburb in Kansas

• grade A

• grade A minus

• Population 994

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

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  Rating 5 out of 5  4 reviews

Current Resident: Nice community with a “small town” feel right in the city. Where else can you have a short drive home from your job... walk down to your pontoon boat and float away from the rest of the world? Neighbors are friendly without being intrusive...lots of activities to participate in if you choose...4th of July celebrations are awesome! Something for every age...the little ones through the retirees all enjoy living at Lake Waukomis!... Read 4 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Population 1,021

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

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  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Current Resident: So many amazing unique homes I love going on walks and chatting with neighbors. It’s close to everything yet very quiet and private. I look forward to every weekend we can spend here!... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Population 3,017

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

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  Rating 4.02 out of 5  153 reviews

Current Resident: Liberty is a great area outside of Kansas City, good schools and great businesses. Love the area, would recommend!... Read 153 reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• Population 30,299

• Town in Kansas

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  Rating 3.81 out of 5  21 reviews

Current Resident: De Soto Kansas, is a cute and small town and different from what I’m used to. I love the parks and just being able to walk around in nature. One thing I would like to see is just the town grow. There are very limited options on what to do..... Read 21 reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• Population 6,248

• Suburb in Kansas

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  Rating 3.83 out of 5  18 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived in Merriam quite a few years now and have not had any real problems. There is the usual nine and five work traffic, but plenty of grocery stores, gas stations, parks, and dog or family friendly areas.... Read 18 reviews

• grade A

• grade B+

• Population 11,070

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

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  Rating 3.94 out of 5  186 reviews

Current Resident: I moved to Blue Springs right at the beginning of my high school. Absolutely loved the neighborhood we moved into. It was newer at the time and rapidly growing. Very family friendly neighborhood and safe. The city was split into 2 high schools, Blue Springs High School and Blue Springs South High School. At the time I had moved, there was a building specifically called the Blue Springs Freshman Center. Back then, it was very fun making friends from all over the city, until the time of the split after that first year. However, the city permanently closed down the freshman center and added "freshman wings" to the high schools. I see both pros and cons. Throughout my high school time, I had stayed connected with all my blue springs south friends while attending blue springs high school. The atmosphere for both schools and relationships between the two, always remained positive in & out of school.... Read 186 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Population 58,720

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

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  Rating 3.97 out of 5  61 reviews

Current Resident: Overall experience is very good, great. Gladstone is in a great location off a major interstate (I-35) to reach downtown Kansas City as well as other areas of the metro in generally less than 30-45 minutes. Geographically bound on all sides by Kansas City, its growth potential is seemingly limited. It lacks a walkable main street or quaint downtown area, possibly due to missed opportunities in city planning decades ago as compared to adjacent areas that have experienced both housing and economic upward trends. That being said, the city more than makes up for any perceived missed opportunities for big box store tax dollars with qualities that families and businesses need: a massively quick response time for emergency services, great public works, & fantastic community services and partnerships.... Read 61 reviews

• grade A

• grade A minus

• Population 26,964

• Town in Kansas

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  Rating 3.48 out of 5  50 reviews

Current Resident: Lansing is a quiet town with great schools and a small-town feel. The town is safe, clean, and welcoming. There is very little crime and everyone works together to help each other out. Kids are safe to walk to the park without their parents having to worry about them too much. There are plenty of places to eat and things to do in this small town.... Read 50 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade B+

• Population 11,254

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Population 1,263

• Suburb of Kansas City, MO

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  Rating 4 out of 5  8 reviews

Current Resident: This is a small town and everyone is friendly. My neighborhood is so connected with each other. I said when or if I ever mi e again it’ll be to a place like this. I enjoy the parks and the local coffee shop. Big store are jus t down the road. It’s perfect for Raising a family.... Read 8 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Population 6,038