Coleman Highlands, Kansas City

Like nearby Valentine, Coleman Heights is difficult to pin down. I have friends that live nearby and absolutely love it. This neighborhood actually defies easy description. There are some really shady parts but you can also find homes in the multi-million dollar range in the area. It's mainly residential but there is retail and a large variety of mid-tier restaurants on the roads bordering the area. Most of the western side of the area is warehouses and some light industry. The problem is, the rough parts are not contiguous, nor are the nice parts. If you're planning on moving here, you really owe it to yourself to drive several blocks in each direction as a beautiful block of upscale homes can easily be hemmed in by some pretty ugly homes with some unsavory folks living in them. Also, it's not uncommon to have an expensive home right next door to a converted apartment building or abandoned lot. Beyond that, proximity to Southwest Blvd and I-35 means that you can get around the city easily. Also, Midtown and Westport are not far away. There are numerous nice parks nearby and you're also getting pretty close to Downtown, as well as the Performing Arts center, Crossroads and other neat places to visit. A side note, this is one of the neighborhoods with a very large percentage of gay and lesbian couples. Of course, KC schools are a joke so this is not a great area for kids. As with other neighborhoods where money and poverty mix, there is some crime to consider though this is not an unsafe neighborhood for the most part.