Weather | | How much crime? | | What are the neighborhoods like? | | What are the people like? |
The weather seasons in Raytown are pretty distinct. In the winter, there's a high probability that it will snow. The winters can be very cold. The summers will be hot and humid. The spring will bring warmer, breezy weather with an increase of tornado activity and rain. The fall season will bring crisp, cooler temperatures with the change of the color of leaves for a beautiful scenery. | | Raytown has seen an increase in crime due to the increase of population and many of the inner-city residents of Kansas City moving out south to Raytown. Raytown use to be a small town with very little crime, but now it sees a variety of crime from robberies, burglaries, car jackings, kidnappings and murders. This is not meant to say the city is crime-ridden but that crime has increased. It's still nowhere near as bad as Kansas City. But it is worse than other surrounding cities. | | The best parts of Raytown is what is considered Old Raytown. It's the location from 59th street to 63rd street, which includes Raytown Rd., Elm Street and the eastern portion of the city. This area still has middle-class residents living in well-kept homes. The neighborhoods are quiet. Most people who live in this area lives in single-family homes. There is a mixture of elderly and middle-aged residents. There is a mixture of White and Black residents in this area. Most of the homes are less than 50 years old.
The worse part of the city is located in the Blue Ridge Blvd and 87th street area. This area has seen a growth of inner city residents moving from Kansas City. There is a mixture of younger black and white residents. Most of the residents are lower to middle income. The homes are newer but smaller. | | Nowadays, almost everyone will fit in Raytown. The city's dynamics has changed greatly from 30 years ago. The popular TV show, "Mama's Family" depicted a part of Raytown that is slowly fading away. Raytown is no longer mostly comprised of elderly residents. There is a mixture of blue collar and white collar workers, educated and non-educated. Most of the residents are White or Black. Not too many Hispanics or Asians. Hippies would not really fit in. |
Downtown Area | | Restaurants | | Schools | | Single life |
There is really no downtown area in Raytown. There is old Raytown which is where the police department and government buildings are located but that is spread out over a couple of blocks. And there is not much shopping in that part of the city. The main shopping center is located on Blue Ridge and Raytown Rd. | | One of the best restaurants in the city is Buffalo Wild Wings which has some of the best tasting wings around. Most of the other restaurants are local franchises. | | The Raytown School District is average. It use to be a lot better, and is still better than the Kansas City MO School District. However, it has declined compared to surrounding school districts. The graduation rate is around 75%. However, Raytown does have a strong sports curriculum where many students have excelled in sports. | | Raytown has some opportunities for singles. There are many singles living there but it's not a singles hub by any means. There are a few bars but not many nightclubs or attractions for singles. |
Noise | | town comparison vs. | | Best hospital | | Tourist attractions |
There is not too much unusual noise in the city. It's not located near the airport. However it is located near too of the busiest highways in the metro area - I-435 and I-70. | | Many people are leaving Raytown for the comforts, security, and safety of cities like Blue Springs, Overland Park and Lee's Summit. Compared to these cities, Raytown has declined in many areas, including the value of homes, cleanliness, attractions, and overall living conditions. The cost of living is better than it is in Blue Springs, Lee's Summit, and Overland Park. Unlike these cities, Raytown is seeing less development. | | Memorial Medical Hospital is the only hospital in the city. It's a good hospital but not as good as some of the surrounding ones. The city does have a great animal hospital called Raytown Gregory Animal Health Center. | | The nicest places to visit is the Super Splash park which is a small water amusement park. There is a bike racing facility called Raytown BMX Track for dirt bike fans. |
General comments | | | | | | |
To outsiders, Raytown may still appear as a small town but it has changed a lot from small, hometown family oriented city to a mid-sized, mixture of family and singles living in the city. The town closely resembles a smaller Kansas City. So there is a sense of a big city but still holding on to some small town qualities. There is not much in the way of attractions in Raytown, so it is pretty bland. | | | | | | |