I have never lived in Kansas City, but am considering moving my family there. I am a little concerned about race relations in Kansas City, however. Here is why:
My currently understanding of the demographic makeup of Kansas City area (and I admit that this may be incorrect because I have never lived there) is that the area is made up of mostly African Americans and Caucasians, with the former living mostly in KC, MO and the latter living mostly in KC, KS (and other western cities like Olathe). With semi-segregation like this, how are race relations currently?
St. Louis, for example, is not far from Kansas City, has a similar demographic makeup, and is currently experiencing active racial tensions.
Could I get your personal thoughts on how race relations are in Kansas City area or any historical perspective you could provide? I need honest answers, as I am considering moving my family there. Thank you in advance.
Race is a complicated problem in Kansas City. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
There are two trendy things to do these days: 1. Ignore all racial tensions in KC and 2. Admit and talk about the existence of racial tensions.
KC's problems are old. We had the standard White Flight back in the day, which was helped along by blockbusting and our old friend J.C. Nichols and his racist neighborhood rules. We then named a fountain after him.
During the White Flight, like many other cities, the suburbs sprang up to what they are today. The urban areas began declining and deinvestment began to take place.
Eventually, this settled around a dividing line: Troost Avenue. A once-thriving street, it became the white-black barrier in KC. To this day, you "don't go east of Troost."
There are lots of "you don't" sayings around KC. Instead of diving into the problem and the problems behind the problems, we bemoan the state of affairs and sit in our new houses in Olathe without a second thought.
Some is being done, though. Hyde Park was once a "you don't go here" kind of place, and it's currently a trendy neighborhood. That trendiness is leaking east of Troost as well with places like Squier Park and Ivanhoe.
TL;DR Version: KC is a wonderful place. We've had a rough history. We're in a unique spot because of the State Line and the Troost Line, as well as the White Flight crap. But all that being said, some people are indeed trying to address and fix the problems that have been around for hundreds of years.
[deleted]
•
Nov 11, 2014, 10:43 AM
as a foreigner who lived in Kansas City for over 15 years i think i can give you a pretty unbiased perspective. there are some race issues but compared to the rest of the Midwest and a lot of he USA, it is really minor. anyone that tells you there is no racism here is most likely white, and mainly because it is more subtle here and harder for those who do not experience it to notice than in most places. i would also say that there is more being done to eliminate these problems than in the vast majority of cities i have been to and every year the suburbs and city become more and more integrated.
it really is more complicated than a black/white thing. most of KC Kansas is arguably Hispanic. there is also a sizable Vietnamese and Slavic population.
there is a lot of segregation as far as were you live but that gets ignored more and more and generally people there are very nice and more friendly than you expect.
utahphil
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Nov 11, 2014, 9:48 AM
This will give you history, present and where we are looking for the future.
We are Superman.
sillyhatday
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Nov 11, 2014, 3:05 PM
I'm white. I grew up in an overwhelmingly black area east of Troost. So that's the perspective I bring. We have a legacy segregation issue but overall I don't think race relations are very bad in KC. The biggest problem is probably education which stems from a somewhat odd quirk in KC that some of the best neighborhoods in the city are mere feet from what a lot of people would call the ghetto. The two sides of Troost are wholly different socioeconomic worlds. But that puts wealthy residents and very poor resident in the same school district. Predictably the wealthy parents bail out for private schools, making what ought be a diverse district pretty homogeneous. KC does field a solid black political class which I think helps. My state rep, state senator, and one of my city councilmen are black. Our congressional representative is CBC chair Emmanuel Cleaver, who has never been shy about bringing home the pork, which he tries to direct to poorer areas. He recently delivered on the troost max bus line. Race often takes a back seat in local politics as KS vs MO and northland vs southland tend to loom larger. As for KS, Whyandotte County is heavily black and Latino, but Johnson county is a sprawling suburban empire whose diversity I can't really speak to. It seems pretty white to me. Also, there is no comparison to be made between KC and STL as we're too culturally different. STL is an eastern city in a lot of ways, while KC is decidedly Midwestern, with a dash of south thrown in.
SparkleMeTimbers
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Nov 11, 2014, 10:43 AM
Something I feel that is very, very effected by the racial barrier--and no doubt of great importance to you--in KC is the school system.
So, first of all: you mentioned something about KS/MO being rather segregated. Yes and no. Missouri is home to giant mansions on Ward Parkway, but also a handful of blocks away you will run into the proclaimed "areas you shouldn't go" (east of troost or paseo; these are mostly black families, and where it gets weirdly racially divided)... East of troost/paseo gets a really bad rep, but honestly a lot of midtown/east KC is just touch-and-go from block to block crime-wise. I live east of troost, and have had zero problems with crime--my neighbors are hard working people, families...and yeah, some less than savoury characters, but I walk my dog by myself every night through the streets and the only problems I've had are the usual street harassment, nothing escalated. Anyways, some other redditors touched on these areas so I won't really focus on this part--but I wanted to at least acknowledge that things are kind of weird in this regard.
Now, the really bad segregation (in my eyes) is when you look at the schools for those areas. In Missouri a lot of the public school districts cross over "the bad neighborhoods" and the nicer ones, so this is what happens: the rich folk send their kids to the local catholic schools (there are lots of them for K-8, and for high school there are three big players on the MO side, two all-girl's and one all-boy's school), and those that can't afford it get sucked into the blight that is the KCMO school district. It's really dangerous, awful, and just...incredibly disappointing. I am sure your imagination can fill in the rest. KC can be a really great place, but the schooling situation will probably be the biggest thing determining if you come here or not, and if you do, it will most certainly determine where you need to move. There are definitely some schools and areas that will be able to give your family a taste of diversity and a good education, but you'll want to talk to some other parents in the area about this before you move forwards. I don't have kids so I'm not really up to date on all the schools, though in one of the Shawnee Mission districts (KS) is where I'd go if I magically popped a few kids out. That being said, Shawnee Mission West--while having the largest percentage of african americans attending of any Johnson county (KS) school--is still mostly white. The school district I personally graduated from (MO) felt much more balanced in terms of cultures and backgrounds, but I transferred there from one of the richer private schools I mentioned...and honestly, the difference in education felt pretty obvious to me (it wasn't horrible, but it is definitely noticeable).
So yeah. Sorry if any of this was a bit disappointing... Honestly if you didn't have kids, I'd recommend moving here in a heartbeat; but to me at least, it seems like in our schools you either have to sacrifice quality of education or diversity, which is pretty messed up IMO. :/
tldr; There's definitely a place you could be happy with in KC, but choose by school district
brianf408
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Nov 11, 2014, 9:28 AM
While some would say the city is "segregated," they are really meaning that there is just a higher concentration of African Americans in certain areas vs. others, particularly KCMO vs. the suburbs. However, the demographics are still pretty mixed and spread out.
We definitely don't have any kind of racial tension like you are seeing in St. Louis.
If anything, you find more tension between the idiots who argue to the death that "Missouri is better, Kansas sucks" and vice versa.
[deleted]
•
Nov 11, 2014, 9:37 AM
My block and the block behind mine, just west of Gillham park, is pretty diverse. There are large homes owned by people, apartments, a seniors home for lower income folks. Everyone seems to get along pretty well.
My daughter lives in Johnson County, KS. It's all white to the south of her with some lower to lower-middle class Hispanic neighborhoods to the north. No significant race issues or crime to speak of.
Most violence in KC proper is black-on-black crime east of Troost. But things are looking up for the Troost corridor. Major renovations are in the works right now.
chewyogre
•
Nov 11, 2014, 12:00 PM
You might find this interesting, the Pitch originally wrote about Eric Fischer's maps of racial segregation back in 2010.
Here's a link to that article
Here's a direct link to the map he made for Kansas City
I think the red dots represent white people and the blue dots represent black people, I might be mistaken but the orange dots may represent Hispanics.
It's crazy to see that sharp divide at State Line and Troost.
Question about Kansas City: how are race relations in the Kansas City area?
I have never lived in Kansas City, but am considering moving my family there. I am a little concerned about race relations in Kansas City, however. Here is why:
My currently understanding of the demographic makeup of Kansas City area (and I admit that this may be incorrect because I have never lived there) is that the area is made up of mostly African Americans and Caucasians, with the former living mostly in KC, MO and the latter living mostly in KC, KS (and other western cities like Olathe). With semi-segregation like this, how are race relations currently?
St. Louis, for example, is not far from Kansas City, has a similar demographic makeup, and is currently experiencing active racial tensions.
Could I get your personal thoughts on how race relations are in Kansas City area or any historical perspective you could provide? I need honest answers, as I am considering moving my family there. Thank you in advance.
Race is a complicated problem in Kansas City. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
There are two trendy things to do these days: 1. Ignore all racial tensions in KC and 2. Admit and talk about the existence of racial tensions.
KC's problems are old. We had the standard White Flight back in the day, which was helped along by blockbusting and our old friend J.C. Nichols and his racist neighborhood rules. We then named a fountain after him.
During the White Flight, like many other cities, the suburbs sprang up to what they are today. The urban areas began declining and deinvestment began to take place.
Eventually, this settled around a dividing line: Troost Avenue. A once-thriving street, it became the white-black barrier in KC. To this day, you "don't go east of Troost."
There are lots of "you don't" sayings around KC. Instead of diving into the problem and the problems behind the problems, we bemoan the state of affairs and sit in our new houses in Olathe without a second thought.
Some is being done, though. Hyde Park was once a "you don't go here" kind of place, and it's currently a trendy neighborhood. That trendiness is leaking east of Troost as well with places like Squier Park and Ivanhoe.
TL;DR Version: KC is a wonderful place. We've had a rough history. We're in a unique spot because of the State Line and the Troost Line, as well as the White Flight crap. But all that being said, some people are indeed trying to address and fix the problems that have been around for hundreds of years.
as a foreigner who lived in Kansas City for over 15 years i think i can give you a pretty unbiased perspective. there are some race issues but compared to the rest of the Midwest and a lot of he USA, it is really minor. anyone that tells you there is no racism here is most likely white, and mainly because it is more subtle here and harder for those who do not experience it to notice than in most places. i would also say that there is more being done to eliminate these problems than in the vast majority of cities i have been to and every year the suburbs and city become more and more integrated. it really is more complicated than a black/white thing. most of KC Kansas is arguably Hispanic. there is also a sizable Vietnamese and Slavic population. there is a lot of segregation as far as were you live but that gets ignored more and more and generally people there are very nice and more friendly than you expect.
This will give you history, present and where we are looking for the future. We are Superman.
I'm white. I grew up in an overwhelmingly black area east of Troost. So that's the perspective I bring. We have a legacy segregation issue but overall I don't think race relations are very bad in KC. The biggest problem is probably education which stems from a somewhat odd quirk in KC that some of the best neighborhoods in the city are mere feet from what a lot of people would call the ghetto. The two sides of Troost are wholly different socioeconomic worlds. But that puts wealthy residents and very poor resident in the same school district. Predictably the wealthy parents bail out for private schools, making what ought be a diverse district pretty homogeneous. KC does field a solid black political class which I think helps. My state rep, state senator, and one of my city councilmen are black. Our congressional representative is CBC chair Emmanuel Cleaver, who has never been shy about bringing home the pork, which he tries to direct to poorer areas. He recently delivered on the troost max bus line. Race often takes a back seat in local politics as KS vs MO and northland vs southland tend to loom larger. As for KS, Whyandotte County is heavily black and Latino, but Johnson county is a sprawling suburban empire whose diversity I can't really speak to. It seems pretty white to me. Also, there is no comparison to be made between KC and STL as we're too culturally different. STL is an eastern city in a lot of ways, while KC is decidedly Midwestern, with a dash of south thrown in.
Something I feel that is very, very effected by the racial barrier--and no doubt of great importance to you--in KC is the school system.
So, first of all: you mentioned something about KS/MO being rather segregated. Yes and no. Missouri is home to giant mansions on Ward Parkway, but also a handful of blocks away you will run into the proclaimed "areas you shouldn't go" (east of troost or paseo; these are mostly black families, and where it gets weirdly racially divided)... East of troost/paseo gets a really bad rep, but honestly a lot of midtown/east KC is just touch-and-go from block to block crime-wise. I live east of troost, and have had zero problems with crime--my neighbors are hard working people, families...and yeah, some less than savoury characters, but I walk my dog by myself every night through the streets and the only problems I've had are the usual street harassment, nothing escalated. Anyways, some other redditors touched on these areas so I won't really focus on this part--but I wanted to at least acknowledge that things are kind of weird in this regard.
Now, the really bad segregation (in my eyes) is when you look at the schools for those areas. In Missouri a lot of the public school districts cross over "the bad neighborhoods" and the nicer ones, so this is what happens: the rich folk send their kids to the local catholic schools (there are lots of them for K-8, and for high school there are three big players on the MO side, two all-girl's and one all-boy's school), and those that can't afford it get sucked into the blight that is the KCMO school district. It's really dangerous, awful, and just...incredibly disappointing. I am sure your imagination can fill in the rest. KC can be a really great place, but the schooling situation will probably be the biggest thing determining if you come here or not, and if you do, it will most certainly determine where you need to move. There are definitely some schools and areas that will be able to give your family a taste of diversity and a good education, but you'll want to talk to some other parents in the area about this before you move forwards. I don't have kids so I'm not really up to date on all the schools, though in one of the Shawnee Mission districts (KS) is where I'd go if I magically popped a few kids out. That being said, Shawnee Mission West--while having the largest percentage of african americans attending of any Johnson county (KS) school--is still mostly white. The school district I personally graduated from (MO) felt much more balanced in terms of cultures and backgrounds, but I transferred there from one of the richer private schools I mentioned...and honestly, the difference in education felt pretty obvious to me (it wasn't horrible, but it is definitely noticeable).
So yeah. Sorry if any of this was a bit disappointing... Honestly if you didn't have kids, I'd recommend moving here in a heartbeat; but to me at least, it seems like in our schools you either have to sacrifice quality of education or diversity, which is pretty messed up IMO. :/
tldr; There's definitely a place you could be happy with in KC, but choose by school district
While some would say the city is "segregated," they are really meaning that there is just a higher concentration of African Americans in certain areas vs. others, particularly KCMO vs. the suburbs. However, the demographics are still pretty mixed and spread out.
We definitely don't have any kind of racial tension like you are seeing in St. Louis.
If anything, you find more tension between the idiots who argue to the death that "Missouri is better, Kansas sucks" and vice versa.
My block and the block behind mine, just west of Gillham park, is pretty diverse. There are large homes owned by people, apartments, a seniors home for lower income folks. Everyone seems to get along pretty well.
My daughter lives in Johnson County, KS. It's all white to the south of her with some lower to lower-middle class Hispanic neighborhoods to the north. No significant race issues or crime to speak of.
Most violence in KC proper is black-on-black crime east of Troost. But things are looking up for the Troost corridor. Major renovations are in the works right now.
You might find this interesting, the Pitch originally wrote about Eric Fischer's maps of racial segregation back in 2010. Here's a link to that article
Here's a direct link to the map he made for Kansas City
I think the red dots represent white people and the blue dots represent black people, I might be mistaken but the orange dots may represent Hispanics.
It's crazy to see that sharp divide at State Line and Troost.