Phillipsburg or Kirwin, KS? (Hays, Smith Center: housing, lease, jobs)

[bssjkc]

Thinking of retiring to KS. If anyone knows about these two towns would appreciate info about people, close Wal Mart, fishing, hunting etc.
Thanks

[Plains10]

Phillipsburg is located in a rural area near the Nebraska border. The main road that runs through that area is highway 183. It is a rural community with mainly elderly people living there because most younger people have left to find jobs in the larger urban areas. Fishing could be done at the nearby Kirwin Reservoir. The area would be a good distance from a Super Walmart. The nearest one would be in Hays or Kearney, Nebraska.

[bssjkc]

thank you for your imput - old people are ok with us, as we will fit in perfectly, retiring and all. We want to go back to our roots where we gardened, hunted for our meat and made our own clothes. You think that area would be right for that sort of lifestyle? We used to live in Wyoming before, and did all that when we were younger, but it seems that Wyoming is way over-priced for our needs now.

[Plains10]

Phillipsburg and Phillips County would most likely be a very conservative area so I would assume you would have a lot in common with the people that live there. It is a dry semi-arid climate and can be quite dry at times. High winds can occur in all seasons, but can be brutal in the winter out in the open plains. I would recommend good insulation if you can afford it for your house if you want to live out in the Central Plains. The housing prices in a town like Phillipsburg are very affordable because their is not a lot of demand because of the declining population. Good houses can be had for well under $100,000
The distance to Hays, KS is exactly 1 hour from Phillipsburg. This is a college town but offers an excellent hospital, Home Depot, Super WalMart, plenty of restaurants etc.

[bssjkc]

Thank you plains10 for all the info. Do you know any thing about Kirwin Lake? Have you ever fished there, etc, and do you know the town of Kirwin?

[Plains10]

I have not been to Kirwin, but I do know that the reservoir there is fairly large.
I have not been through the Phillipsburg area in a while so it would be advisable to spend some time there yourself and see if you like the community. Rural areas can sometimes be hard to break into the social circles.

[lebanonmom]

LOL I just came back from Wyoming, too expensive, cant grow anything and people are too rude. Phillipsburg is a sweet little town. I am hoping and praying to get a job at the hospital there. I live in Lebanon, which is a great little town to retire in and even less expensive to buy a home than Phillipsburg area. Idrive to Hastings for Wal Mart and most grocery shopping, although Smith Center and Mankato also has nice stores. As far as gardens, this is the absolute best place I ever seen to grow a garden, I use to think only Arkansas grew great tomatos but this area has even Arkansas beat!

[Plains10]

Phillipsburg is also closer to Hays because it has a direct link south via highway 183!

[Visi]

If you do wind up moving to the area, make sure you attend the Phillipsburg Round-Up Rodeo in late July/ early Aug. each year. It's a huge event, and people come from all over to go to the festivities.

Also go eat at The Chubby Pickle in Phillipsburg for no other reason than the name of the restaurant.

Please take into account that the winters can be severe. Some years, people have been snowed into their homes for more than a week. When I was a kid, we were snowed in (I lived in the country about 40 miles from Phillipsburg) for more than 2 weeks & were without power for more than half of that time. Please make sure you have lots of non-perishable food on hand and an alternative source of heat.

[lebanonmom]

I saw that "chubby pickel" the other day and wondered what kind of food they have? Is it only pickle related stuff?