Grew up in KC (Shawnee, specifically). If you are from a large coastal city and want to get acquainted with life in the Midwest, KC is a good start. Certainly less of a shock than, say, Omaha or Wichita.
KC is a reasonably culturally hip location as well. Decent music and arts scene. It's not San Francisco, but it beats the rest of Silicon Valley in that department.
And the Nelson-Atkins Museum is better than anything in the Bay Area, in my opinion.
Been a while since I saw the Nelson-Atkins, but there are several solid museums in SF, as opposed to Nelson-Atkins being one of the few games in town in KC.
And the Nelson-Atkins Museum is better than anything in the Bay Area, in my opinion.