What kind of city is Topeka ??? Does anyone know ?? (property taxes, homes)

[Plains10]

LOUDBulldog,
The permit for the coal plant in western Kansas was denied by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. However, Sunflower still wants to challenge the ruling! Another suggestion that a representative from western Kansas had was building the new plant and shutting down one of the oldest polluting coal plants in the state. This will likely be tangled up in the legal process for awhile.

[LOUDBulldog]

Plains, hopefully the legal tangle will go on long enough for sounder minds to come forward. I lived in Minnesota for 3 years, and it is a progressive, clean (air & water), and forward looking state. I was always told while living there it was because taxes were higher, but I didnt get that. There was no sales tax on food or clothing, there wasnt personal property tax on vehicles...39.50 gets your new license plate tabs annually, and each year I lived there I got tax refunds, vs Kansas where Ive had to pay taxes in April more often than not. Dont get me wrong, for some reason, I love my home state here, but I just wish we could get some minds to open up, and look at things in a more comprehensive ay than 10 second sound bytes. Kansas is nearly broke from what I read, yet it ranks in the lowest in public services. When I was in Minnesota, my brother visited from Texas, and was amazed that all highways, 4 and 2 lane were always mown. They are progressive in the right way, not the lets build another 30,000 houses Johnson County way.....ok Im done venting for awhile.

[Plains10]

Originally Posted by LOUDBulldog

Plains, hopefully the legal tangle will go on long enough for sounder minds to come forward. I lived in Minnesota for 3 years, and it is a progressive, clean (air & water), and forward looking state. I was always told while living there it was because taxes were higher, but I didnt get that. There was no sales tax on food or clothing, there wasnt personal property tax on vehicles...39.50 gets your new license plate tabs annually, and each year I lived there I got tax refunds, vs Kansas where Ive had to pay taxes in April more often than not. Dont get me wrong, for some reason, I love my home state here, but I just wish we could get some minds to open up, and look at things in a more comprehensive ay than 10 second sound bytes. Kansas is nearly broke from what I read, yet it ranks in the lowest in public services. When I was in Minnesota, my brother visited from Texas, and was amazed that all highways, 4 and 2 lane were always mown. They are progressive in the right way, not the lets build another 30,000 houses Johnson County way.....ok Im done venting for awhile.

Yes, I am very familiar with the sprawl issues in Johnson County. My biggest complaint is related to the interstate highways being right on top of neighborhoods, and then they try to mitigate the noise factor by putting up sound barriers everywhere. I really do not understand why they are trying to copy large cities with 8 lane highways, air pollution, etc. I am also sure you realize that the KC metro has more than its share of coal power plants as well.
MN and Iowa are much more progressive with wind energy, and KS will be adding more wind farms shortly because I think they are building some high voltage transmission lines between Wichita and Dodge City. Unfortunately, KS will have struggles with continuing to develop wind energy because of the inadequate transmission line infrastructure that currently exists. Either the state will have to come up with the funds to expand the high voltage transmission lines to more rural areas or ask the fed govt for help.

[Harpoon]

Topeka is an absolute hole. My in-laws live there and there isn't a redeeming part of town that is worth looking at. The Capitol Building is pretty neat, but there is absolutely no life in the downtown. The only thing Topeka has going for it is that the housing is cheap, you can get a 80 acre parcel with an existing house for less than $200K on the north side of town (if one were to want something like that). The Oakland area of town is very run down. There are some decent neighborhoods around Washburn, but it is pretty limited.

[Plains10]

I am not sure about where the floodplain is in Topeka, but maybe that is why the properties are cheaper? I know in Lawrence that the floodplain is on the northside of the city, and they have left most of it as ag land due to infrastructure costs and flooding issues that could arise if they put more impervious surfaces down.
In Topeka property values are generally cheap for a reason. IMHO the best part of town is on the SW side. Another reason why property values are cheap is because Topeka's economy has not done very well over the past several years. Around 11% of total non-farm employment has been lost in Shawnee County since 2000 according to the Census Bureau.

[building blocks day care]

Scranton Ks is a small town about 20 miles outside of Topeka and is a very nice place to live.

[mattman-44]

Originally Posted by TheShoeboxDiaries541

So, everyone with an opinion that doesn't fall in line with yours is bizarre?

Nobody's view should be inline with the phelps wack jobs. Its their hate mongering that is the problem. Be a nut and believe whatever you want just leave people in this still free country to believe and do what they want.

[johnslove2000]

Hello Everyone-i Moved From Topeka, Ks, In 2001.' My Family Still Lives There, And I Chat With Them On The Phone Almost Everyday. I Kind Of Miss Topeka, But It Is A Good Miss, Since I Live In Central Ca Now.

Yes, Avoid The East Part Of Topeka, As It Has Grown Very Dangerous There, Also The Mid Town Area, Esp Around Topeka Ave. The Only Safe Parts Of Topeka Is Way Up North In The Rural Areas Or Way Out West, Or So It Seems. But, Crime Is Everywhere.

In The Past, I Have Lived All Over Topeka, And Mostly Lived In The Downtown Area. Since I Haven't Been There, Since 2003,' I Don't Know How It Is. I Just Know What I Have Heard From Friends And Family Back There.

I Found Topeka To Be A Cold Town, Not Very Friendly People, Unless You Have Been Friends With Someone For Years. The Humidity Is Terrible, There, In The Summertime.

But, Yes, If You Want To Bypass Topeka, And Go To Lawrence, It Is Your Choice. There Are Some Good Areas In Topeka, Yet. Around The Va Hospital, Where My Mom Lives Is Pretty Nice, Yet, And West Of There.

But, You Do What You Have To Do.

Peace-elaine

[Houseslinger]

Originally Posted by TheShoeboxDiaries541

So, everyone with an opinion that doesn't fall in line with yours is bizarre?

Not neccessarily, but people who protest funerals are.

[Houseslinger]

Originally Posted by Harpoon

Topeka is an absolute hole. My in-laws live there and there isn't a redeeming part of town that is worth looking at. The Capitol Building is pretty neat, but there is absolutely no life in the downtown. The only thing Topeka has going for it is that the housing is cheap, you can get a 80 acre parcel with an existing house for less than $200K on the north side of town (if one were to want something like that). The Oakland area of town is very run down. There are some decent neighborhoods around Washburn, but it is pretty limited.

What a bizzare statement. First off, you don't live here your in-laws do so... maybe you just associate the area with bad things.

The Capitol Building is neat and Downtown is bustling from 8-6 with both public and private sector employees. Art and entertainment venues are all over. If you haven't been to Topeka Civic Theater to see a play or one of their in house improv companies you are missing out. Housing IS affordable everywhere and while there is some major redeveloment going on near Washburn it is no where near the best neighborhood. Oakland is one of the original suburbs of Topeka. Sure it's old but you should check out the history, pretty interesting.

Plus it's on the road to everywhere.