Why Overland Park, Kansas, Is a Great Place to Live, Work and Play
Overland Park offers something for everyone, from abundant job opportunities and an extensive trail system to world-class barbecue and international grocery stores.
Drew Mitrisin, a City Council member, knows the positives of this region firsthand. In 2019, he and his wife moved from Washington, D.C., to Overland Park. At the time, they were in their late 20s and wanted easy access to entertainment and dining, but they were thinking about starting a family, so they factored excellent schools and a safe neighborhood into their relocation decision, as well.
“You can live in a downtown apartment above a coffee shop, in a neighborhood near a top-ranked school or next to the 16th green on a golf course,” Mitrisin says of Overland Park.
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Homes Aplenty
A cool perk about living in Overland Park is its housing options. It has just about everything imaginable – a gorgeous two-story in a friendly neighborhood, a large four-bedroom with several acres of land, a cute townhome, retirement living complexes and plenty of apartments.
In fact, developer Price Brothers Management Co. alone boasts more than 10,000 apartment units in Overland Park.
“At Price Brothers, we recognize the value of investing in areas where people truly want to put down roots,” says Jeremy Lawson, director of marketing.
Things to Do
Residents are never at a loss when it comes to filling their time. Overland Park is home to Mastermind Escape Games, Topgolf, an active gaming facility called Activate, and iFLY indoor skydiving. Plus, for those who love to break a sweat, a few options include Body Fit Training, BODYBAR Pilates, HOTWORX, which offers infrared sauna workouts, and TITLE Boxing Club. When it comes to dining options, Overland Park has plenty of local favorites. A few include barbecue restaurants Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue and Q39 South, coffee shops like Parisi, André’s Confiserie Suisse and Buffalo State Pizza Co.
Places to Gather
Much of Overland Park’s charm can be traced to its community amenities. From parks and recreation centers to an extensive trail system, it’s easy for residents to stay active year-round. The Indian Creek Trail stretches 10 miles throughout the city, connecting parks, green spaces and neighborhoods.
Additionally, Overland Park is gaining recognition as a youth sports hub, thanks in part to world-class facilities like AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk, a 420,000-square-foot indoor complex by Price Brothers that’s designed to host everything from sports tournaments and corporate events to concerts and conventions. The sports park is just one amenity of the Bluhawk development, which is being built in phases. Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex adds to the action with its 12 lighted fields.
For the Family
The city’s community centers are also beloved. Families flock to Matt Ross Community Center for its indoor pool as well as Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, which hosts a variety of group fitness classes. Blue Valley Recreation Commission enriches lives through hundreds of youth and adult programs, classes, activities and sport leagues.
On weekends, Mitrisin and his wife enjoy taking their daughter to local parks and pools as well as the Johnson County Central Resource Library to pick out new books.
Being close to Kansas City provides families with even more things to do. In terms of sports, it offers Kansas City Royals and Monarchs baseball, the Kansas City Chiefs, Sporting KC and KC Current soccer, and the KC Mavericks hockey team.
“Overland Park is not a big city in a traditional sense, but it is close to so many cool and exciting events in the Kansas City metro,” says Molly Salisbury, a boomerang who moved back to Overland Park in 2020.
Great Careers
Those looking to launch or grow their careers will find jobs in a variety of fields, including health care, technology and professional services, such as engineering, architecture and finance. Major employers include HCA Midwest Health, Black & Veatch, Shamrock Trading Corp., SelectQuote, WellSky, Netsmart, Fiserv and Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
Ready to explore all that Overland Park has to offer in person? Come check out this thriving city and find out more about why it is such a great place to live and work.
Get to Know Overland Park
Want to learn more about living and working in Overland Park, KS? Check out the new edition of Livability Overland Park, Kansas.