- Jackie Nguyen, 35, used to live in New York but landed in Kansas City, Missouri in 2020.
- Nguyen, who was on Broadway, chose to stay after the COVID lockdown ended and opened a coffee shop.
- Nguyen said she likes how far her money goes and the more relaxed pace of life in Kansas City.
I actually ended up in Kansas City because of the pandemic. I wasn't planning to come.
I was born and raised in San Diego, lived in Los Angeles for a year, and then lived in New York for 10 years. I always thought I would be in one of the big seaside towns.
I was doing a 'Miss Saigon' tour at the time and the pandemic shut down my show. My partner, who was also at the show, was from Kansas City. So we came here temporarily to wait out the pandemic.
I arrived here in July 2020 and by July 2021 I knew I was going to stay.
It took some time for the theater to recover. When New York started opening up, I had to make a decision: Do I want to go back to New York? Do I want to go back to LA? But I really felt like Kansas City was bursting.
I'm 35 now, so I was just getting out of my 20s. I began to readjust my expectations of what I need from a city. There are many more opportunities for people who want to stop being small fish.
Now I feel like I'm a big fish in a small pond. I have never experienced this before. It's cheaper here, and I have a better quality of life.
This is what I want millennials to know. There are huge opportunities in these smaller secondary cities that I didn't even know about until I accidentally found myself here due to the pandemic.
I have my own business and have much cheaper rent
It's half as expensive to live in Kansas City.
In New York, I paid $2,100 for a small one-bedroom apartment in Astoria. Another time, I paid $1,000 for a railroad apartment — but my bedroom was the living room. I paid $2,300 for a one bedroom in Long Island City. In Los Angeles, I paid $1,100 for a room in a three-bedroom in the Van Nuys neighborhood.
Right now, in Kansas City, I pay $900 for a two bedroom apartment. I have parking, a full basement, a front yard, a back porch, and a washer and dryer in the unit. And I'm in a great neighborhood. It's called Columbus Park, and I'm right by the river and 10 minutes from downtown.
In New York, for example, I was working five jobs. I was a barista in the morning. I auditioned and took a class. And then I nursed and nursed at night. Now, my life is a little slower, but I can still apply my hustle.
I started a coffee truck in 2020and we opened a brick and mortar location in 2022 — the first Vietnamese cafe here in Kansas City. Because of this, we have become a hub for the AAPI community in Kansas City. We do all the Heritage Month activities. we do all Lunar New Year activities and Autumn Moon Festival activities for the city.
There is much more support for small businesses. There is a more common sense. You don't feel like you're just lost in a big crowd. Since people have a slower lifestyle, they can focus more on making friends and hanging out with friends. Community is such a big part of the success of my business.
Los Angeles and New York, for me, felt like I was on the hamster wheel. Obviously, I had to be in New York for theater. People go to big cities because of the opportunity, right? But I don't think they understand that there is also an opportunity in other cities.
I want to say to other millennials: Don't live in fear of the unknown. If you feel lost on the hamster wheel, you can get off. Take a chance on these other smaller places – you might end up being really surprised.
