I want to live in rural Kansas (Kansas City, Atchison: crime, home)

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Sco

+1000!!! I was born and lived in Kansas for 20+ years, both small towns and in Wichita. If you plan to live in a rural, small town and you are white, conservative and Christian, then you will eventually be accepted and your outsider status will be forgiven. However, if you are a minority, have liberal political leanings or do not attend some type of Christian church, then you will be treated as a pariah forever. If you are gay, or your family is non traditional in any sense (same sex couple, biracial couple, etc), you would literally be in danger and I would not consider it safe. It is a sad but true fact that beneath the friendly facade of small town Kansas, there is a level of bigotry and racism that may be shocking to people used to living in other areas or raised in big cities. In many ways, the culture of the small Kansas town is a throwback to a different era and bigotry is still out in the open, mainstream and accepted. Also, in many respects, the small towns have problems that mirror the large urban inner city areas, including a disdain for education, chronic poverty, drug/alcohol abuse and large numbers of bored, unemployed, intoxicated miscreants.

While small town Kansas can be a nice place to live, do not be fooled into thinking that it is some type of pastoral paradise where the cares of the world cease to exist.

Very true. I know several gay Kansans (from my years at KU) and none of them every returned to the small towns they grew up in, and left the state completely. I have a theory that Kansas is overall so conservative because a large chunk of liberal Kansans (like me) leave the state.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by denverian

Very true. I know several gay Kansans (from my years at KU) and none of them every returned to the small towns they grew up in, and left the state completely. I have a theory that Kansas is overall so conservative because a large chunk of liberal Kansans (like me) leave the state.

I am leaving the state as well and I am definitely not a conservative at all. The small towns can be rather backward when it comes to changing with the times and adapting to change. Younger people vote with their feet and many small towns in rural Kansas are now ghost towns as the average farm size continues to increase.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Plains10

I am leaving the state as well and I am definitely not a conservative at all. The small towns can be rather backward when it comes to changing with the times and adapting to change. Younger people vote with their feet and many small towns in rural Kansas are now ghost towns as the average farm size continues to increase.

I wonder if the state will change politically, even to become more centrist, once all these small towns die. Although it's sad to see what they've become.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by denverian

I wonder if the state will change politically, even to become more centrist, once all these small towns die. Although it's sad to see what they've become.

Basically, the greatest population declines have been in NW and north-central Kansas. If the town is under 1,000 population expect to see a strong population decline if it is not located near a bigger town/city. The counties that are very far removed from the interstate highways and larger cities seem to have the fastest declines in population and younger people. It is strange to drive through some of these very small towns and see hardly any people or cars.

[northbayeric]

Kansas is an entirely different world from what many of us derisively call the People's Republic of California. The screwball politics of Sacramento has done much to cause Californians to pay some of the highest taxes, fees and utility rates anywhere in the country, which is making it nearly impossible for the middle class to stay here. We can't construct new reservoirs, so many places in California are facing a rapidly worsening water shortage. There are even some radical environmentalists who want to drain the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which would literally mean no water supply to speak of for much of the San Francisco Bay Area. We can't build new power plants, so we continue to face the specter of rolling blackouts during heat waves. We can't build new refineries, so the slightest mishap with an existing refinery (and they're all running full-tilt) causes our gas prices to jump by 25 cents overnight. We pay some of the highest gasoline taxes, yet our per-capita spending on roads and highways ranks near the bottom of the 50 states. Most of our urban freeways and bridges are terribly overburdened and crumbling apart. That Governor Schwarzenegger has completely capitulated to the most radical elements of the California Democratic Party and not shown any leadership since the special election of 2005 has brought California to the brink of fiscal and infrastructural disaster.

I can definitely understand where you're coming from regarding small town good-ol' boy politics in Kansas and northern Missouri. But I'm obligated to tell you that the same thing is happening in California, so much so that we're more like a foreign country than the 31st state in the Union. Many of us in the Missouri forums are either ex-Californians who are thrilled and relieved to be living in the Midwest, or current Californians who want to get the (expletive) out of here. No joke.

[northbayeric]

Originally Posted by Sco

+1000!!! I was born and lived in Kansas for 20+ years, both small towns and in Wichita. If you plan to live in a rural, small town and you are white, conservative and Christian, then you will eventually be accepted and your outsider status will be forgiven. However, if you are a minority, have liberal political leanings or do not attend some type of Christian church, then you will be treated as a pariah forever. If you are gay, or your family is non traditional in any sense (same sex couple, biracial couple, etc), you would literally be in danger and I would not consider it safe. It is a sad but true fact that beneath the friendly facade of small town Kansas, there is a level of bigotry and racism that may be shocking to people used to living in other areas or raised in big cities. In many ways, the culture of the small Kansas town is a throwback to a different era and bigotry is still out in the open, mainstream and accepted. Also, in many respects, the small towns have problems that mirror the large urban inner city areas, including a disdain for education, chronic poverty, drug/alcohol abuse and large numbers of bored, unemployed, intoxicated miscreants.

While small town Kansas can be a nice place to live, do not be fooled into thinking that it is some type of pastoral paradise where the cares of the world cease to exist.

The exact opposite is the case along the coastal areas of northern California, especially in Marin, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. I am very sorry that you've gotten the notion that conservative Christianity is equal to racial bigotry. In no way whatsoever do true conservative Christians subscribe to Fred Phelps and his Westboro so-called "Baptist" church in Topeka. There are a lot of adjectives that can describe Fred Phelps, but "conservative" and "Christian" are NOT among them.

Here in Santa Rosa, California and the surrounding area, evangelicals and conservative Catholics are made to feel shunned and ridiculed in the same way you describe the treatment of non-Christians and liberals in rural Kansas. We each have to follow the Golden Rule as best as we can when we feel like our values are under siege; I certainly I know I need to.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by northbayeric

Kansas is an entirely different world from what many of us derisively call the People's Republic of California. The screwball politics of Sacramento has done much to cause Californians to pay some of the highest taxes, fees and utility rates anywhere in the country, which is making it nearly impossible for the middle class to stay here. We can't construct new reservoirs, so many places in California are facing a rapidly worsening water shortage. There are even some radical environmentalists who want to drain the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which would literally mean no water supply to speak of for much of the San Francisco Bay Area. We can't build new power plants, so we continue to face the specter of rolling blackouts during heat waves. We can't build new refineries, so the slightest mishap with an existing refinery (and they're all running full-tilt) causes our gas prices to jump by 25 cents overnight. We pay some of the highest gasoline taxes, yet our per-capita spending on roads and highways ranks near the bottom of the 50 states. Most of our urban freeways and bridges are terribly overburdened and crumbling apart. That Governor Schwarzenegger has completely capitulated to the most radical elements of the California Democratic Party and not shown any leadership since the special election of 2005 has brought California to the brink of fiscal and infrastructural disaster.

I can definitely understand where you're coming from regarding small town good-ol' boy politics in Kansas and northern Missouri. But I'm obligated to tell you that the same thing is happening in California, so much so that we're more like a foreign country than the 31st state in the Union. Many of us in the Missouri forums are either ex-Californians who are thrilled and relieved to be living in the Midwest, or current Californians who want to get the (expletive) out of here. No joke.

I can definitely understand where you are coming from with regards to many of those statements. I have visitied California several times, but it is definitely not a state I would ever want to live in.
Your point about the reservoirs is a little overblown. Most states in the U.S. have not built many reserviors at all in the past 20 years. Also, a lot of our older reservoirs need additional maintenance and funding just to keep them from not completely filling up with sediment. Reservoirs only have a limited lifespan.
With regards to power plants California does have some very stringent regulations. However, it is one of the most energy efficient states in the U.S. as well. On the other hand, Missouri and Kansas have many dirty coal power plants. You will not see any of these polluting monsters in California. In fact, the Kansas City metro area has many dirty polluting coal plants that are quite old.
However, with the much lower price of homes and cost of living indicators many people from the coasts are moving to states like MO. It just all depends what you want. I have lived in KS most of my life, and am glad to be moving out of the Great Plains.

[Lashmi]

Could you please give me an idea about Overland Park ,KS? I would like to relocate there next year with my family.
Thanks

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Lashmi

Could you please give me an idea about Overland Park ,KS? I would like to relocate there next year with my family.
Thanks

Overland Park has a lot of variety in terms of housing stock. North Overland Park is much older than the newer areas on the south side of the city. (The city limits stretch over 100 city blocks) It is still a buyer's market so you should be able to find a 4 bedroom 2 bath house in the 200-225K range. Overland Park is just like any other large suburb in the U.S. It is family friendly, tends to vote moderate Republican politically, and has traffic jams on the beltway highway, I-435. Economically, Johnson County is doing much better than Kansas City, MO. Overall, I like Overland Park better than Olathe, which is the city SW of Overland Park. Olathe is extremely cookie cutter with strip malls on every corner with less in the way of established older neighborhoods.

[ol'gfromeastsideyakima]

cool advice they might concider pittsburg-state small town rual area's good e-z living if you don' want fancy coffee on every corner and want to raise a family great place. i moved from seattle area 15yrs ago now best life choice i ever made. if i can do i any-one who want's a slower pace (less some money) come to S.E.Kansas. I buy your first lawn mower oh ya you'll mow pick up farm aminals small cars and things of that nature from your yard every 5 or so years but heck canT beat the good life. 4 real 4 life you'll grow grand-kids here it's so safe and e-z.