Moving to Topeka,KS -suggestions pls (Kansas City, Shawnee: foreclosed, crime rate, homes)

[wayforward2012]

My husband and I with our two children(6 and 8) are considering moving to Topeka.i heard and read a lot about the crime rate in Topeka.i really wanted to know the present situation.is it a good place for a family coming from outside the state?what about there school?any good area there to live and what is the neighborhood like?
your suggestions is really appreciated.
Thanks

[wayforward2012]

why negative sign and no reply.
suggestions plsssssssssssss

[AnywhereElse]

First, I would run a search on this website for Topeka, KS and since this has been discussed a few times. One could safely guess that crime has not gotten better. We lived in Junction City for several years and our news came out of there. It kind of depends on where you are coming from and what you are looking for. As someone who came from outside of Kansas originally, I can tell you that it is a different world and much different than some places. There are a lot of foreclosed homes there so I am guessing I would not move there without a job lined up and less expensive homes, many charming especially in the downtown area would not be anything you would probably be interested in. Topeka has a lot to offer (well, if you understand what Kansas has to offer and don't want metro mega) and many relocate in the smaller communities outside of the city. It just really depends on what you are looking for and what you are used to.

[Hueffenhardt]

Originally Posted by wayforward2012

My husband and I with our two children(6 and 8) are considering moving to Topeka.i heard and read a lot about the crime rate in Topeka.i really wanted to know the present situation.is it a good place for a family coming from outside the state?what about there school?any good area there to live and what is the neighborhood like?
your suggestions is really appreciated.
Thanks

As for crime rates, check out this map: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

All of the good school districts I will tell you about below are listed as "safest" on that map. Whether one considers there to be a lot of crime or a little is a matter of perspective. If you are coming from a small town or a rich neighborhood, then crime within the city limits of Topeka may seem to be more than you are used to. If you are coming from a sizable city, it will seem like there is hardly any crime. Personally, I don't think crime is all that bad here. I have lived here for 3 years, and the only crime I have had happen to me or my property was someone probably played mailbox baseball with my mailbox. I live in a semi-rural area and work downtown.

I live in Seaman school district, which is north of Topeka. It is a great public school district mostly outside of the city limits and is mostly semi-rural to rural. I love it here. I'd also recommend living in the Auburn-Washburn School District which is mostly southwest of Topeka, but some of it is within the city limits, or Shawnee Heights School District, which is mostly southeast of Topeka. Both are great public school districts with nice neighborhoods. Silver Lake School District is also great.

I don't care for the Topeka 501 School District, and so would not live there, which is most of the city of Topeka. However, there are some nice neighborhoods within Topeka 501 if you want to send your kids to one of the great private schools. If you are open to that I could outline where the nice neighborhoods are in Topeka 501.

As for family friendly activities, check out this old post of mine: Overview of Topeka Kansas

I should add that since I wrote that post, we also have a Discovery Center for kids. We have three YMCA's, several community centers and parks, an indoor playground for young kids at the mall, and a number of kid themed restaurants such as Chucky Cheese and Going Bonkers. And Kansas City isn't that far away if you want theme parks and water parks and aquariums, etc.

And welcome to Topeka!

[wayforward2012]

Thank you for your suggestions.Am concern about my kids school and nice neighborhood.i know that the crime rate has not gotten any better.Do you think the crime rate will be alarming for someone like me and my family coming from outside the state and use to small community?
Thank you.

[AnywhereElse]

Originally Posted by wayforward2012

Thank you for your suggestions.Am concern about my kids school and nice neighborhood.i know that the crime rate has not gotten any better.Do you think the crime rate will be alarming for someone like me and my family coming from outside the state and use to small community?
Thank you.

For me, I think the crime where I am is terrible and it rates double what my hometown is so crime seems bad especially the types of crimes committed. If you look at the main page and not the forum for city-data, go to the bottom of the page and click on your state and then find your city, they are listed in groups by the population and then find Topeka under KS and I just found they have a 469.9 when the avg for the US is 319.1. They adjust the number of crimes for the population size, basing it on how many crimes per I think 100,000 - the math is easy but hard to explain. My hometown is like 180.0 and where we are is around 375 or so. Also, look at the charts for what types of crimes are being committed. Often, in smaller towns, crimes have more to do with thefts and robberies versus murders, rapes and arson you might find in the bigger cities. We stayed in Topeka for a couple of months and they do things like patrol the parking lot at Wal-Mart which was new to us and we were careful because we did not know the town that well but a murder took place at or near the library when we were there so we never ventured over to the area.

[Hueffenhardt]

Originally Posted by wayforward2012

Do you think the crime rate will be alarming for someone like me and my family coming from outside the state and use to small community?
Thank you.

You may be alarmed; I can't say. It depends on your personality. Given my personality and my life experiences, I am not alarmed one bit, not for myself, my wife, or my kids.

[PineappleMSW]

I just posted on another thread about Topeka. Lived here pretty much my whole life (grad school for two years away from here). Topeka is horrible for crime. It did not use to be like it is now. Property crime is by far the most prevalent. Grew up in what is a very good area. But the whole area has changed. Better than some other areas. My current situation keeps me here, but that will change within a year or so and I am looking forward to leaving. On top of the crime, local government is pretty messed up, too. Heard recently about Code Compliance citing a man for building materials in his yard. They sent him a notice, and within a couple weeks took them. It was the materials he had to completely restore the house. Another person got a notice about trash in back of their garage. It was stuff they put out for regular trash pick up. And the insanity goes on. I am sure there are those that will say they will be glad I am leaving. But I do not recommend living here.

[Luisadaddy]

I have never felt unsafe in Topeka nor will I ever feel unsafe. Just stay away from central Topeka because that is where 90% of the crime is at.