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Old 08-07-2007, 09:04 PM
 
31 posts, read 136,087 times
Reputation: 24

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Hello All,

Because of a job, I'm considering of relocating from Columbus, OH to Topeka KS. My wife and I just have a beautiful baby girl. We are used to living in a surburban area. Can anyone provide us some pros and cons of Topeka KS (zip code 66601). We would like to live in a clean and nice area but also not too far away from the city. We enjoy both indoors and outdoors activities. Which counties should we be concentrating on. We enjoy diversity and culture. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 08-08-2007, 12:41 AM
 
2,652 posts, read 8,556,398 times
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Unless there is something that you would seriously gain, i.e a $50K per year salary increase, don't move there. It sucks. I was stationed there for a year and a half.

A lot, no, most of the city is getto. It was actually ranked as the most crime ridden city under 200,000 popululation a couple years ago.

You like culture and diversity, not in Topeka. For any culture, you will have to go to Lawrence. Not much in Topeka, period.

If you insist on moving there, move to the southwest side of the city. The more southwest the better.

There is really not much outdoors stuff to do there either, with the exception of a couple lakes. You can get that anywhere though. Unless you hunt of course.

I honestly would live in Lawrence and drive to your job in Topeka.

Try cjonline.com for rentals and homes for sale. If you find something, PM me the address and I will try to remember if the area is decent.
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Old 08-08-2007, 05:30 AM
 
11,558 posts, read 11,992,501 times
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Default Kansas....NOT culture.

Topeka is nothing to brag about. Just because it is the state capitol does not mean it has culture.

Sorry, but there is no city in KS that offers culture. You'd have to go to another state for that.

Lawrence is nothing but a college town and looks like it was dropped from an airplane and landed wherever.

This isn't what you wanted to hear, but why lie to you?
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Old 08-08-2007, 07:45 AM
 
110 posts, read 608,048 times
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Yes, Topeka is awful and the crime is a huge problem. Like Luke said above, if you decide to move there, go as far southwest as possible - just don't count on the crime staying in the eastern or central part of the city. It's everywhere. The mall on the western side, Westridge Mall, has seen a lot of gang activity.

Lawrence is considered one of the best areas in northeast Kansas and is just a 25 mile trek down the turnpike. I think you'd find it much more to your liking.
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Old 08-08-2007, 09:07 AM
 
2 posts, read 18,695 times
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We live in SW Topeka in what was considered a good neighborhood 3 years ago when we moved in. Now it's not. Last month alone we called police 4 times to report gunfire nearby. The schools in Topeka 501 district are horrendous, there is absolutely nothing in the way of culture except the Topeka Performing Arts Center, which the city is considering not funding. We are looking for a way out of Topeka, the sooner the better. It seems that every day there are shootings, stabbings, and gang activity reported all over Topeka. This past Saturday there were four separate shootings in different areas of town. Property crime is huge and the city recently had a committee come in to assess it in terms of attracting more and better business, it did not do well. It was seen as overall dirty, in poor condition, and having little to offer.
Lawrence is about the best you could do and it's a short commute to Topeka. If you do decide to move to Topeka certainly listen to all the other comments and stay as far SW as possible.
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Old 08-08-2007, 10:28 AM
 
31 posts, read 136,087 times
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All,

Thank you for inputs. This has tremendously helped with my decision making. We weren't aware how bad Topeka was and it sounds like Lawrence is probably a better place in KS. I guess from what I'm hearing, unless it's a big salary increase, KS would not provide the environment we're looking for which is diversity and culture. I'm interested in hearing what others thought if you had a choice between KS vs NJ.
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Old 08-08-2007, 10:30 AM
 
31 posts, read 136,087 times
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I'm sure that KS has it's ups and downs like any other state. Sounds like there's more downs than ups?
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Old 08-08-2007, 03:53 PM
 
Location: Acworth, GA
61 posts, read 245,327 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by summerrayne View Post
We live in SW Topeka in what was considered a good neighborhood 3 years ago when we moved in. Now it's not. Last month alone we called police 4 times to report gunfire nearby. The schools in Topeka 501 district are horrendous, there is absolutely nothing in the way of culture except the Topeka Performing Arts Center, which the city is considering not funding. We are looking for a way out of Topeka, the sooner the better. It seems that every day there are shootings, stabbings, and gang activity reported all over Topeka. This past Saturday there were four separate shootings in different areas of town. Property crime is huge and the city recently had a committee come in to assess it in terms of attracting more and better business, it did not do well. It was seen as overall dirty, in poor condition, and having little to offer.
Lawrence is about the best you could do and it's a short commute to Topeka. If you do decide to move to Topeka certainly listen to all the other comments and stay as far SW as possible.
Wow, I lived in SW Topeka for a year or two back in 2000 and it was nice!!! I always found it funny how little happened there...but then again Im from Atlanta and there is NO shortage of gangs and violence here. Atlanta makes Topeka look safe no matter what happens, you know?
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Old 08-08-2007, 04:05 PM
 
31 posts, read 136,087 times
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Even though the job might be in Topeka, can anyone recommend somewhere nice besides Lawrence that wouldn't be too much a commute to Topeka? We're young couple but Lawrence appear to be a college town and we're looking for some quietness in a safe area where we can freely walk at night and close to good hospitals, local restaurants, etc. We want a nice community to raise our newborn.
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Old 08-08-2007, 06:35 PM
 
153 posts, read 1,245,274 times
Reputation: 148
Default Joco

Quote:
Originally Posted by pthcmhoh View Post
Even though the job might be in Topeka, can anyone recommend somewhere nice besides Lawrence that wouldn't be too much a commute to Topeka? We're young couple but Lawrence appear to be a college town and we're looking for some quietness in a safe area where we can freely walk at night and close to good hospitals, local restaurants, etc. We want a nice community to raise our newborn.
My recommendation would be Johnson County (JOCO) KS. Housing is still affordable. Great schools/neighborhoods/shopping/hospitals/restaurants. And for the most part, you would be within 10-20 minutes from KC, MO..and there are great live theatres/concerts/restaurants/shopping available.

JOCO is approximately 60 miles east of Topeka...the commute would be fine until the winter snow/ice hit...but they do keep the roads maintained as much as possible.

In JOCO, there are numerous cities to check out: Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee, Leawood, Prairie Village, Olathe, Mission, Fairway, Merriam, Mission Hills (and if I forgot any, my apologies). You may often see "Shawnee Mission"; there is no such such town named Shawnee Mission. There is Mission, and there is Shawnee...Shawnee Mission means the entire area of JOCO; and used by the post office.

There are numerous areas of JOCO where you can walk in the evenings and not get shot age, robbed or worse. BUT, we do have crime like any other place, but fortunately the crime rate is not as high as other places.

Good luck on your move! I hope I have offered some good advice to help you in your decision making.
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