When someone asks you about your dream house, the go-to might be something like "a cabin on a lake," or "someplace near the beach," or even "somewhere near mountains." In 2022, that shifted to "a Kansas City suburb" — namely, Prairie Village, KS.

Prairie Village was Zillow’s most popular city in 2022, beating thousands of zip codes across America's top 100 metro areas.

"This is fun national affirmation of what those of us who live, work, learn, shop, and play here every day know and appreciate about our special Village," Mayor Eric Mikkelson told KCtoday.

Zillow ranked Prairie Village based on consumer demand, measured by pageview traffic, available housing inventory, sales, and price appreciation.

"[Prairie Village] exemplifies many of the eye-catching features the region offers: the small hometown vibes with big city amenities, top-rated public resources, and a robust local economy," Christian Barnes, president and CEO of Kansas City Homes, told KCtoday. "And above all else, it's the people that make it a truly special place to live."

"Gateway" by Amie Jacobsen at Meadowbrook Park in Prairie Village. | Photo by @duanehallock

Rising Midwest housing market

The ranking represents a rising interest in the Midwest. Zillow analysts predicts this trend will continue into 2023, especially as more and more friends and family members pool their money to buy homes together — a trend that increased big time in 2022.

"Remote work has unlocked the ability for many people to live anywhere, and lower cost homes with more space is an enticing proposition," Zillow senior economist Orphe Divounguy said. "Buying a home is relatively more affordable in many Midwest markets when compared to other markets across the country."

It's also a shift from the winners of the past. South Lake Tahoe was Zillow's most popular in 2021 along with other western destination towns.

"Prairie Village offers the trifecta of beautiful homes, a spectrum of accessible price points and great amenities, such as highly rated schools, community events and local shopping," Earvin Ray, owner of Leawood-based Ray Homes, said.

Prairie Village housing facts

Prairie Village was also tops on Zillow’s popularity rankings for small towns.
The typical home in Prairie Village is valued at $416,187, compared to the overall Kansas City metro’s $294,164.
Prairie Village led Zillow's website for views of for-sale listings per day.

Kansas City housing facts

As other markets across the country have started cooling off, KC's metro has remained relatively competitive.
Metro home sales were marked as "pending" in less than two weeks in November compared to 22 days for the nation overall.
KC metro pageviews on Zillow increased 45% from last year.

Note: Housing facts derived from Zillow