I want to live in rural Kansas (Wichita, Topeka: to buy, university)

[sonicdohc]

Originally Posted by Versatile

Locate somewhere on the outskirts of Topeka and you will be very happy i think! All you need in Topeka with short driving distances as well as nice down to earth people and no real traffic problems. Hays Ks is getting out there. A long road to anywhere else. Imo.

Sorry to bump an old thread... What are some desirable areas in or outside of Topeka? Nice and quiet where a guy can find a nice 2 bed home w/ a garage...

-jimmy

[HUSHYS]

DesertLovers check out Hays, Kansas. Midway between Kansas City and Denver on I-70. Take a look at removed

[Desertlovers]

HUSHYS:

Thanks for writing. Do you live in Hays? Hope you didn't have many problems from the last snow storm.

I have some relatives in Grinnell, Kansas and they haven't had phone service since the big snow storm hit.

I wonder if their power has been turned back on yet. Kind of spooky! We're having trouble getting information about their area.

Do you think Hays will continue to grow? We kind of have our hearts set on living in a super small town. Can you recommended some small towns around Hays?

Thanks for taking the time to write! Happy New Year....Claire in AZ!

[hannah2u]

I lived in a small town in Kansas and I found the people to be unfriendly. One thing you'll discover quickly, you're not accepted if you're not born and raised in the area. They don't cotton to outsiders. The good people will look their noses down upon you and they have absolutely no qualms letting you know you are not one of them.

Let's not forget the poor people from California who bought a bed and breakfast in Meade, Kansas. Because kansas is famous for the Wizard of Oz this couples young son saw a rainbow flag at a store in Liberal, Kansas (which reminded the boy of the Wizard of Oz.) The boy asked his daddy to fly the flag on the flagpole with the American Flag at the B&B, daddy obliged his son and, the good people of Meade had a fit because the flag was designed by a homosexual and was made for the gay community. They ran the good people out of town but not before they made such a big deal of a young boy's flag. It made the national news and was all over the newspapers. Teenagers vandalized the B&B. Meade showed the true side of small town Kansas. Outsiders are not accepted and like I said, the people have absolutely no qualms letting outsiders know they are not welcome. Think twice before you move to small town Kansas. You might want to rethink and move to Wichita or Kansas City. Kansas is not as friendly as you might think.

[jmages]

There are a number of towns giving away free land. Most of the town I know of are using current city lots which have already had older homes on them. Argonia is starting a new development. I'm hoping the town increases in size somewhat....we are pretty small right now. And yes I'm currently building a new home there now.

[HUSHYS]

Yes, I live in Hays. I moved from Ohio. This is a terrific place to live because you are not that far from Denver, Kansas City , or Wichita. This is a friendly town and yes, it is growing. I originally came to work at the television station and now I am a REALTOR. We raised four children here. I had a chance to move to a bigger tv station, but because the school system is so good I declined. The other towns you might consider are Plainville, Wakeeney or Ellis. In Hays we have the Hays Medical Center where they do open heart surgeries at the DeBakey Heart Institute of Western Kansas and have a Cancer treament center. Fort Hays State University is here and has about 5,000 on campus students.

I have not heard how they are doing at Grinnell. We did not have that much snow here. We did not lose power, but they did in Ellis just 10 miles west of here. I understand further west they are still without power especially in the rural areas.

[Desertlovers]

Hushys:

Thanks for writing. Glad you didn't lose power in your area. My cousin's phone line is still down in Grinnell.

Sounds like you really love Hays! That's great!

We really want to live in a small rural town....far, far away from cities that are on a "growth path."

Our city in Arizona is growing so fast, we feel like we have stepped into an episode of the "Twilight Zone." We just don't feel like we belong here anymore. The city council and the new people who are moving here don't love the desert and open spaces the way that we do.

I'm afraid to move close to a city that is starting to grow because developers have a habit of building further and further out...and turning nearby cities into suburbs. They offer lower priced homes outside the city limits and pretty soon,....the nearby cities have increased populations too. This has happened to us over and over again in California, and now, here is Arizona too.

What are some of your favorite cities in Western Kansas? Where did you live in Ohio?

Please keep in touch. Enjoy hearing from you. Glad you and your family love Hays so much.

I have a cousin in Hays but I don't know him all that well. Hope to get to know him better when we finally move to Kansas. Thanks again, Claire

[Desertlovers]

Hannah2u:

I'm sorry you had such negative experiences in Kansas. Where did you live in Kansas?

I didn't hear about the B&B owners in Meade, Kansas until I read your post. Sad situation.

My Dad was born in Kansas and I still have a lot of relatives there. I've gotten to know some of them better thru the past few years and we seem to get along well.

Thanks for writing, Claire

[HUSHYS]

I lived in Findlay, Ohio.

I agree living in a fast growing community is not ideal, but Hays is growing at slow pace and this allows infrastructure to keep up. If you grow too fast the city and schools become over burdened.

My favorite towns to visit are Salina, Wichita, and Kansas City.

[Torn2pieces]

I'm not originally from Kansas, only have lived here for amost 7 years. I'm originally from NY and let me say - For the most part the people where I live in Kansas are nice. I never once encountered rudeness toward me since I'm not a born Kansan.