Demographics:
- Cost of living is 20% lower than US average
- Cost of housing is 20% lower than US average
Housing:
- Real Estate in the area appreciated by 0.95% last quarter, which equates to 3.8% annually.
- Money Magazine ranked 3 of the metro area’s cities in the top 30 places to live.
- Historically, KC offers real estate stability and predictability and hasn’t suffered greatly from
property value depreciation or appreciation. KC is not likely to suffer from “big growth” that happens coastally, but has a proven track record of steady 5% growth year on year.
Business:
- Major auto assembly plant (Ford & GM)
- Major data processing firm (DST)
- Companies with headquarters locally; Sprint Nextel, Hallmark, H&R Block, AMC theatres, Hallmark, Levi, Applebees, Russel Stovers, etc.
- Huge healthcare software company (Cerner)
- Garmin
New and Upcoming Growth and Developments:
- KC Power & Light District-$850 million entertainment district opened 2005
- Sprint Center- arena in the heart of the center opened 2007
- Google selected KC as its first location for Google Fiber 2013
- KC Streetcar (transit system) set to open in 2015 $100 million development
- KC already known as the “Paris of the Plains” additionally became the “Silicone Prairie” due to the surge of startups moving to the city