Overland Park KS

Overland Park is a large city with world class attractions, nationally recognized schools, and a thriving workforce. National publications consistently rank the city as one of the Best Cities in America for housing, families, health, happiness and more.

Located 13 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City, Overland Park is the second largest city in the Kansas City metro and the state of Kansas. It’s convenient to get to with access from major highways including Interstates 35 and 435, and U.S. 69.

The city of Overland Park‘s motto is “Above and beyond, by design.” From schools to the Farmers’ Market, the city goes above and beyond for visitors and residents.

Overland Park is a top place to live

Overland Park earns national recognition, consistently ranking on lists for best cities to live based on schools, safety, and the economy.

In 2017, Overland Park made lists for Niche, Livability, WalletHub, and Smartasset.

Overland Park earned top spots on several of Niche’s lists in 2017. It ranked 8th for Best Cities to Live in America , 2nd on the Best Cities to Buy a House in America , and 7 th for Best Cities to Raise a Family in America .

The city also made Livability’s 100 Best Places to Live in 2017 list, based on jobs and the socioeconomic environment.

WalletHub considers Overland Park one of the Healthiest Cities in the U.S. , one of the Happiest Places to Live , and one of the Least-Stressed Cities in America .

SmartAsset put Overland Park on its Most Undervalued Cities in America , and one of the top cities Where Retirees Are Moving .

In 2016, add Business Insider, Yelp, MySidewalk, Zippia, NerdWallet, DataFox, and Tripping to the publications creating buzz about Overland Park. The list of awards goes on and on , with several notable organizations each year recognizing everything hat makes Overland Park a great place to live.

Overland Park Parade

Things to do in Overland Park

Overland Park has a variety of city attractions for a nominal admission fee. Whether you’re looking for entertainment, sports, or shopping Overland Park has something to offer visitors and residents.

The Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is 300 acres with more than a dozen gardens, trails, and wildlife.

Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead attracts visitors from all over Kansas City. The frontier farm is a must-see for children and their families. It features an Indian camp, schoolhouse, turn-of-the-century Main Street, and blacksmith. Plus, the Farmstead offers children a chance to fish, bottle feed goats, or watch staff milk cows.

Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex attracts soccer players from across the region. It’s a popular site for tournaments with 12 lighted, synthetic turf fields. The Scheels Soccer Complex hosted several U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships.

Livability ranked Overland Park a top soccer city because of the unique 96-acre complex. It has state of the art technology that cools the turf and improves the experience for players.

The Overland Park Farmers’ Market offers more than 80 vendors with farm-to-table food right in Downtown. A staple for more than 30 years, Tripping and Cooking Light named it the “Best Farmers’ Market” in America.

Plus, you’ll find public art, movies in the park, and music events throughout the city.

The Museum at Prairiefire: American Museum of National History showcases exhibits focusing on science and history.

There are also numerous biking and hiking trails83 parks, 5 pools, and two community centers.

Deanna Rose Farmstead

Schools nationally recognized

Like the city itself, the school districts serving Overland Park students also get national recognition. It’s yet another reason the city is a popular real estate market for families in Kansas City.

The majority of students attend three school districts. These include Blue Valley, Shawnee Mission, and Olathe.

Every district offers graduation rates above 90-percent. Plus, more than 73-percent of teachers have a Master’s Degree or Higher in all the districts.

All three are among the best in the country. In 2015, ACT exams from all three school districts far exceeded national averages.

Blue Valley School District

The Blue Valley School District earns top honors. All five of Blue Valley’s high schools made Newsweek’s top public high schools list, the Washington Post’s most challenging high schools list, the Daily Beast’s list of America’s top high schools, and U.S. News and World Report.

Blue Valley North, Blue Valley High, Blue Valley Southwest, Blue Valley West, and Blue Valley Northwest made it to the top of the Best High Schools list put out by U.S. News and World Report. They earned five of the top six spots for the state of Kansas.

The schools also stood out in The Washington Post’s America’s Most Challenging High School list, earning five of the top nine spots in Kansas.

The Blue Valley School District is proud of its Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program. It offers students mentoring opportunities to solve real world problems while earning high school and college credits. CAPS prepares students for high demand jobs.

Olathe School District

The Olathe School District is the second largest in Kansas.

Olathe is the only district in the state to earn top honors from the Kansas Award for Excellence Foundation.

Also, the district has 18 National Blue Ribbon School Awards.

Olathe Northwest High School is one of 13 silver medal schools as ranked by U.S. News and World Report.

The district also features two outstanding activity centers. The Olathe District Activity Center (ODAC) includes a football field that seats 6500 fans, a turf soccer field, two baseball fields, two softball fields, and an eight lane synthetic track.

The College Boulevard Activity Center (CBAC) is nationally recognized and features soccer, baseball, football, softball, and T-ball fields along with 12 tennis courts.

Shawnee Mission Schools

The Shawnee Mission School District is also large, pulling from 14 communities. Students score better than their peers on college entrance exams and other assessment tests. In 2016, the district had 15 National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists.

Shawnee Mission is the only district in Johnson County to offer International Baccalaureate, which is a challenging program teaching children the value of an international education.

Private schools and higher education

Private schools also stand out in Overland Park, with St. Thomas Aquinas High School earning a National Blue Ribbon School.

For higher education, you’ll find one of the country’s largest single-site community colleges in Overland Park. More than 44,000 students attend Johnson County Community.

There are also satellite offices for The University of Kansas and other colleges.

Business Community

The business community is strong in Overland Park with office buildings, retail, and a convention center. Specialty fields include telecommunications, healthcare, education, and financial services.

Some of the employers include Sprint, Black & Veatch, Waddell & Reed, and OptumRX.

There’s strong community support for continuing to educate the workforce. Voters approved a sales tax to create the Johnson County Education Research Triangle (JCERT). It’s a partnership with Johnson County, The University of Kansas, and Kansas State University. The focus is on research, science, and technology.

The Overland Park Convention Center also offers a perfect place for businesses and industries to have conventions and meetings.

With so much to offer, it’s no wonder Overland Park, KS real estate is in demand. The median home price is $228,000.

It’s a popular place to live, close to downtown Kansas City, and offers residents world class schools and attractions. Plus, some residents have short commute times with such a healthy workforce located right in Overland Park.

Quick Facts

Data from U.S. Census Bureau

*Photos uses with permission from the City of Overland Park

Sally Moore is a Kansas City area Realtor® with Keller Williams. She specializes in new construction, resales, and home staging. See the difference with FREE home staging. Follow The Sally Moore Real Estate Team on Facebook for the latest real estate trends.

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