Kansas City's Top Neighborhoods: The Suburb of Parkville and the Campus of Park University

As a full-time student on the Parkville campus of Park University in Missouri, I must admit my bias right from the start as to why I claim the campus is a great neighborhood tucked away in a suburb of Kansas City. While I'm not one of the 250 or so Park University students living on the beautiful campus, I spend enough time on the campus between my two jobs and 12 credit hours to feel right at home. Here are the reasons I claim Park University in picturesque Parkville, Missouri is one of Kansas City's top neighborhoods.

The Parkville campus of Park University is set on 10 acres or so of rolling hills overlooking the Missouri River. The stairs on the campus alone can almost certainly get any college student into shape. What's better about the setting of Park University are the buildings that adorn the Parkville campus. The clock tower on Mackay Hall was originally constructed in the late 1800s and was recently renovated in the past few years. The Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel is the site for annual awards convocations and music concerts open to anyone in the greater Kansas City area, not just Parkville. The buildings are beautiful because they have managed to maintain their original artistic integrity over the century that Park University has existed in the Parkville suburb of Kansas City.

Not a two minute walk from the Parkville campus of Park University is the cute little town of Parkville, which is not without its own history. Founder of the town (and of Park University) Colonel George S. Park was subject to criticism when the newspaper of which he was publisher came out as anti-slavery. His printing press was thrown into the Missouri River and the newspaper was published no more, until a few years ago when Mark Vasto again began publishing the Parkville Luminary weekly newspaper, which has established itself as one of the most-read publications in Platte County. In addition to this history, the Parkville suburb of Kansas City is one of those towns in which everybody really does know your name. You can let your kids play without fear of kidnapping. You can always catch some of the town locals at the neighborhood American Legion bar on Main Street, including some members of the city government. To give you a taste of how old Parkville is, their government reps are called aldermen. The neighborhood's current mayor is the first woman in the history of Parkville to be elected to that office.

The relationship between the city of Parkville and Park University is one that has flourished in recent years. Controversial lectures on the campus of Park University, including a visit by a former CIA intelligence officer who gave a presentation criticizing the Iraq war, garnered attendance from nearly 200 students and Parkville residents, more than any other lecture event on the campus since I became a Park University student in 2003.

Finally, the growing popularity and recognition of Park University as one of the country's best providers of online Internet classes has resulted in one of the most diverse college campuses in the nation. The Parkville campus of Park University has a large international student body, with students representing over 100 of the world's countries. You're able to meet someone from Ecuador, Russia and Brazil in the same day, making interaction on the Parkville campus one of its most attractive points, and making Park University a unique neighborhood in Kansas City. Where else can you find that much culture?

The close-knit relationship between the city of Parkville and Park University makes the area one of Kansas City's top neighborhoods. Take the kids to English Landing Park for a barbecue or come to one of the many annual festivals, such as the Fourth of July parade or Parkville days in early August. Afterwards, you and your spouse can take in one of the lectures on the Parkville campus of Park University, like the upcoming annual Black History Month lecture series in February. You may just meet a Park student from Spain and have a new best friend.