The paradox "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" can be applied to Kansas City in reference to the differences in financial classes. Kansas City has a variety of both rich and poor. As you get into the inner city there are lesser affluent people. When you get to places like the Plaza or Brookside you see a lot of money. As you head south to Raytown there is, again, a mix in wealth and poverty. Raytown is your middle class town. There are some average neighborhoods and there are some very nice ones. To the east is Lee's Summit, the promised land of wealth for Missouri. Having worked in Lee's Summit and lived in Johnson County, I can confidently say that the Lee's Summit attitude towards the lesser financially inclined is stronger than that of Johnson County residents. Johnson County, Kansas is the epitome of money in the metro.
English: The 15-county Kansas City Metropolitan Ar...
Lee With A Chance To Win
The location of Lee's Summit in relation to counti...While a good majority of Johnson County residents enjoy six and even seven figure incomes there are people living on both sides of the state line struggling with poverty each and every night. The Palazzo 16, a movie theatre at 135th and Antioch, "required" fifteen million dollars to build. The money used on building the theatre could have easily been spent on books and clothing for disadvantaged students of even pay raises for teachers. Now matter how good of a job someone does at helping the close the gap between the rich and poor, there is still work left to be done.