Can Anyone Tell Me Anything About Elkhart? (Hugoton, Johnson City: for sale, trip)

[TwoSticks]

Haven't found too much information anywhere else.

[tibbar]

I lived north of Elkhart many years ago. We would go there to buy cars and have them worked on. It is/was a small community with a few stores, most of them serving farmers. There are of course the Grain Elevators.
I drive through there when I visit my kids. Hwy 27 used to go through town on Baca Ave and join Hwy 56 but now it goes around town.
Go to Google maps and type in Elkhart, KS Then click on find businesses. I entered food then retail and came up with quite a few. The map shows a golf course and an airport. There is more there than I saw in my limited dealings with it.

[TwoSticks]

Originally Posted by tibbar

I lived north of Elkhart many years ago...

Thanks, tibbar. Looks like a small town without a lot going on, judging by the response(s). Sorta like most of the western Kansas towns, it seems. Just what I'm looking for.

Moderator: not trying to bump this, just acknowledging the response.

TS

[JD.]

Don't have much more to add than what tibbar already said but I live near Elkhart on the Oklahoma side and its pretty much a small Kansas town that has been losing population for a while, not even sure if they have any retaurants. The closest town for anything would be Hugoton. They have two grocery stores and a couple fast food places (Sonic, McDonalds are the one's I can remember) and a hospital which I hear is pretty good, unless its something serious. Nearest Wal-Mart would be Guymon, OK which pretty much services southwest KS and the OK panhandle. Elkhart's not exactly a place people are lining up to live in but I don't exactly know your situation either. Hope I helped a little bit.

[TwoSticks]

Originally Posted by JD.

Hope I helped a little bit.

Yes, you did JD., and thanks too. Interesting that you're from Oklahoma as I've been looking at the Panhandle area there too, in addition to the western Kansas towns roughly up and down State Route 27.

I was through Guymon in late October, on a return road trip from Michigan to Arizona, and liked the feel of the area. I'm looking eventually for a place in the High Plains where I can someday just slow down a little, after I can afford to leave the urban rat-race for good. By then employment for me won't be as critical as it is now.

Thanks again for your input.

[JD.]

Well, if you're looking into the Oklahoma Panhandle there's definately some peace and quiet to be found for sure. Most of the towns you see on the map like Hooker, Tyrone, Eva, etc. are not much more than tiny settlements with a grain elevator or two. One town I would recomend checking into is Boise City in Cimmaron Co., very nice town with a cool town square, a couple restaurants (Dairy Queen, a Mexican place too I think), and the home of the world famous (okay, maybe just Panhandle famous) No Man's Land Beef Jerky. You're also just a 30 minute drive from Black Mesa State Park, has some pretty nice scenery. Just a quiet little one horse town.

Guymon is a little run down but the outskirts over towards Sunset Blvd. and the rodeo arena are very nice. Goodwell, OK is home to Oklahoma Panhandle State University and a gas station and Texhoma is a nice little grouping of houses (but their Main St. is pretty much abandoned), that is right on the OK/TX border. We definatley have some of the friendliest folks anywhere, where neighbors are actually friends and the whole town watches out for everyone. Hope you check us out.

(Just make sure your tank is at least 3/4 full, towns are few and far between. )

If you need any more info just give me a holler.

[tibbar]

I thought of moving back to Johnson, KS but I don't want the cold winters so will stay down in the South. Last time I was in Johnson I noticed a lot of houses for sale. I was told the owners were older and have moved into the retirement home.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by tibbar

I thought of moving back to Johnson, KS but I don't want the cold winters so will stay down in the South. Last time I was in Johnson I noticed a lot of houses for sale. I was told the owners were older and have moved into the retirement home.

Is this Stanton County you are referencing or Johnson County Kansas?

[tibbar]

Stanton county. I guess the proper name is Johnson City, KS but in the many years I lived there we just called it Johnson.