Where’s Waldo?
No – not the British cartoon character! Waldo is a fantastic and unique neighborhood located in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Waldo is in the southern area of the city. Founded in 1841 and annexed by KC in 1909, Waldo stands firm in maintaining their own character and brags to be one of the oldest neighborhoods in the metro. The Waldo Real Estate Guide finds all the charm and eclectic sides of this area with a northern boundary of Gregory Boulevard, 85th Street is the southern edge, Troost holds the east side and State Line manages the west border.
This neighborhood has a population of about 13,000. Waldo does lots of things like a city but is considered a neighborhood and shares Kansas City as the postal city for residents. You are going to fall in love with the nuances of the area, it is lively, friendly, family-oriented, fun, and walkable/bikeable!
Moving along …
Yes, your Waldo Real Estate Guide is truly “moving along” with lots of community input and improvement. Taking care of the infrastructure, land use, and supporting local are all big agenda items for the neighborhood and the business association folks. The neighborhood is often linked with phrases including other unique areas of the city – like Country Club Plaza, Brookside, and Mid-town. Millennials love this part of town and are investing in the area by rehabbing both homes and businesses. The Waldo Real Estate Guide favors Waldo for its accessibility to the metro amenities and for the cost of homes here – median price in the mid 200k’s.
Waldo Real Estate Guide – Favorite Neighborhood Places …
Arguably the prettiest park in the whole city is Loose Park. Sprung from a Civil War battlefield, the 75-acre park has walking paths, shelters, picnic areas, playgrounds, and a rose garden beyond rose gardens! It hosts many weddings, theatrical events, and photo sessions.
Another historic park, with lineage back to Daniel Boone, is Sunnyside Park. Terrific for walking the dogs, taking a stroll, and enjoying the fresh air!
Full of history, another stop is the Alexander Majors Historic House & Museum. Buff up on your history as you step back into the mid-19th century. Fun fact – Alexander Majors was the founder of The Pony Express!
Eats and drinks are abundant here. Your Waldo Real Estate Guide could go on forever, but will limit to some favorites for you to try:
Betty Rae’s Ice Cream – sometimes you just have to indulge. Enough said!
Waldo Pizza – hand-tossed and most excellent!
The Well – the best rooftop bar area in the city, great place to catch up with friends for a meal or drinks.
Summit Grill & Bar – Mid-western food at its finest, and a heck-of-a brunch on the weekends!
What’s happening in Waldo …
Well, that’s a loaded comment! LOTS of things happen here!
Local businesses are happening in Waldo. Of the approximate 600 businesses in the Waldo area, a good 60 percent are locally owned. How cool is that? Supporting and growing the local economy is a mainstay here. Small Business Saturday is the real deal around here – not just on this day, but all days.
Along the local lines, there is a push to expand the Kansas City Streetcar route out to this part of town. You could spend a day exploring all parts of the city without ever needing to drive and park your own car!
The streetcar leads this Waldo Real Estate Guide to mention the oldest and largest 4-mile road race in the country – The Trolley Run. This runs right through Waldo and follows the old trolley tracks down to the finish at the Country Club Plaza. The event is the largest fundraiser for the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired. Kansas City = philanthropy!
Waldo Week happens in February with a virtual auction and focus on local restaurants and retail.
The Waldo Real Estate Guide favorite is the Waldo Fall Festival, a family friendly event with entertainment, rides, food trucks, live music, and more.
And, remember, you have a whole metro area at your beckon call. Sports fans are going to need to wear red for the Chiefs and blue for the Royals, as well as read-up on all your college sport details (sports is really big here – duh!). Shopping is a cool thing to do in the city with lots of shopping districts and events such as The Country Club Plaza, Oak Park Mall, First Friday Weekends, and more. Arts & entertainment abound with countless venues. You will have to force yourself to sit home and watch Netflix when there is so much going on!
