Piper

People in Piper get the best of worlds. The Kansas neighborhood has all the amenities of a countryside oasis, like family owned farms and acres of green space. However, it's still close to the metropolitan area’s most popular destinations. “It’s a more rural part of KCK, but it's only 20 minutes from downtown, and it's even closer to the Legends Outlets,” says Shelly Doris Milburn, a Realtor with Keller Williams. “But the main reason people are moving here is because of lot sizes and the school district.”

On plots as big as 10 acres, find custom-built New Traditional estates, sprawling ranch styles or charming bungalows. The area also has a few suburban enclaves. For instance, subdivisions like Quail Creek Estates have side-by-side neo-eclectic dwellings from the early 2000s with three to four bedrooms. You can also find brand-new homes with modern farmhouse or contemporary designs. To live in Piper, expect to pay anywhere between $350,000 and $600,000, a range higher than a Kansas City home’s average $250,000 selling price.

The Piper Unified School District operates four different facilities, all of which have an A-minus grade on Niche. Students attend Prairie Elementary for kindergarten through third grade before going to Creek Elementary for fourth and fifth grade. Then, they attend Piper Middle, where events like the sixth grade Spring Fling and the Decades Dance unite the student body. Then, at Piper High School, students kick off their senior year by painting their reserved parking spots with whatever design they want. In partnership with Kansas City Kansas Community College, the school also offers dual credit classes like public speaking and psychology.

To celebrate back-to-school season, the district hosts Piper Fest every September. The event starts with a pancake breakfast made by the local Boy Scout troop, followed by a 5K. Enjoy the car show with models from several decades, play Disney-themed bingo or place bids at the silent auction. End your night at the carnival, where you can jump on the bounce houses or get food from the local vendors.

Walk the same fairway as legends like Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus at Dub's Dread Gold Club. The 18-hole course opened in 1964, and it features an award-winning landscape with winding terrain, lakeside holes and tree-lined greens. Great Plains Adaptive Riding Academy is another recreational hub in the area, and it provides horseback riding lessons for people with physical and cognitive disabilities. Piper is also 5 miles from the 1,500-acre Wyandotte County Park, where you can hike the miles of densely forested trailway, fish for rainbow trout at the 400-acre lake or rent a pontoon from the marina.

A portion of the neighborhood's wide-open green space is also filled with stunning public farms. For instance, visit Rowe Ridge to sip one of the five estate-grown wines on the tasting patio overlooking the 8,000 vines of hybrid and American native grapes. Stop by the 38-acre Cider Hill Family Orchard to pick your own apples and pumpkins in the fall or blackberries and cherries in the summer. You can also devour homemade apple pies and refreshing cider slushies at the farm.

About 4 miles from the neighborhood are the Legends Outlets, where you can find even more shopping, dining and entertainment options. Browse over 100 retailers, including Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren and a Super Target for all your grocery needs. Grab Cajun-creole cuisine from Jazz or Mexican classics at La Fuente before seeing the latest at flick at AMC. Children’s Mercy Park is also nearby, and the Major League Soccer stadium is home to the Sporting Kansas City team.

Whether you’re looking for the peace of a rural community or big-city convenience, Piper provides plenty of both.

Written By

Meghan Baker

Photography Contributed By

Brooke Wasson

Video By

Tyler Belile