Chicago to Kansas (Wichita, Overland Park, Kansas City: environment, skyscrapers, apartment)

[ashley018]

My roommate and I are looking to move from Chicago to Kansas. We are both 24 and looking to move to a smaller city. We are both from Iowa, so Chicago can be a little overwhelming! We need some suggestions of towns/areas to look for a place. We love the college atmosphere still, and want to be in a young environment. We have been looking around Kansas City, but need to know what areas would fit our lifestyles the best. Any suggestions?

[Plains10]

Originally Posted by ashley018

My roommate and I are looking to move from Chicago to Kansas. We are both 24 and looking to move to a smaller city. We are both from Iowa, so Chicago can be a little overwhelming! We need some suggestions of towns/areas to look for a place. We love the college atmosphere still, and want to be in a young environment. We have been looking around Kansas City, but need to know what areas would fit our lifestyles the best. Any suggestions?

I would definitely look at Lawrence, Kansas. It is definitely a College atmosphere with plenty of students from the Chicagoland area! I believe this is because the state tuition rates are higher in Illinois compared with Kansas.

[KevK]

Lawrence or Salina

[navywife22]

I would definitely stay away from Kansas City, Kansas. It's a high crime area. I grew up there and still have some family there. The western part of the city isn't too bad, but there isn't much there to do for someone your age. I agree with the other posters.

[Kansasfornow]

Originally Posted by ashley018

My roommate and I are looking to move from Chicago to Kansas. We are both 24 and looking to move to a smaller city. We are both from Iowa, so Chicago can be a little overwhelming! We need some suggestions of towns/areas to look for a place. We love the college atmosphere still, and want to be in a young environment. We have been looking around Kansas City, but need to know what areas would fit our lifestyles the best. Any suggestions?

What about Wichita - there are several universities here - Newman, Friends, WSU and U of Kansas Med School. Just a thought.

[katieann]

Funny..I am actually from Kansas and moving to Chicago for the summer! Yes, Lawrence is a college town but the party kind of dies out in the summer when everyone moves back home. The same goes for Manhattan, KS. I would say a big no on moving to KCK, it's really not very safe. You should definitely try looking near the Country Club Plaza...the bar scene is great down there and in Westport (a little expensive, but probably not to someone from Chicago). I would stay away from LIVING in Westport but definitely near the Plaza!

[ecoates2]

The Brookside area in KCMO would be great. There is lots of night life and activities in this area. I live in Overland Park, but if I was still single, I would live in the Brookside or Plaza area.

[nvared]

I would say Kansas City, MO would be a good deal. Although a city, it is not "overwhelming" like Chicago can be. Better than Wichita. I lived in the Plaza area when I was a little younger and there were/are a lot of younger people and if you have a college degree, the chances of getting a decent job would be pretty good. Lawrence? Great place to live as a student and a little older-however, there are very few good jobs IMO and you would most likely have to commute to the KC area. Salina-well, I grew up there and I can't imagine being a younger person and having/wanting to live there. The people who stayed there after high school were those who did not go on to college or those who have family connections to good employment.

[wsushocker]

Are you not considering Wichita?

[KevK]

I was raised in Wichita except for one year in Everett Washington. I later moved to Chicago Illinois and lived there for 15 years after I also lived in Kansas City and Dallas. I now live in Atlanta GA.
Here is the best thing I can tell you- moving either from or to Chicago from or to Wichita is a BIG change. Perhaps too big for some people to handle smoothly. For one thing Wichita is a car town. Every adult there must have a car just to survive. Every teenager has a car there. You take driving for granted there. They have a bus system there but nobody but the poor rides it and it only runs until 6PM. There is no traffic and no matter where you go except to Old Town on Saturday night, the parking is always easy and usually free.
If you move to Chicago, your car will be more of a burden than a asset. Many people there- even middle class people- do not have cars. A parking space is paid for in addition to your regular rent or condo association dues and it can run you $300 a month and more for an indoor garage space. And if you work in the Loop or on the near north side, forget about driving to work. I worked in the Hancock Building and parking there would have set me back about $550 a month. The subway was $50 a month.
A decent apartment in Chicago will cost you about 4 times what the same apartment in Wichita will cost you and a $120,000 house in Wichita will cost you about $550,000 in the suburbs of Chicago. Electricity in Chicago is about 2 times what it cost in Wichita (although Chicago is not as hot and humid and you use much less of it). Groceries in Chicago are about 20% more unless you either shop at Aldi or go to a Wal*Mart in the suburbs. Jewell and Dominicks are both more expensive than Dillions in Wichita.
Everything is cheaper and easier in Wichita. Conversely, Chicago offers alot of things that many people that move away from there miss. You will not find miles and miles of beach front in Wichita. Kellogg does not substitute for Lakeshore Drive. There is no major league sports in Wichita. No Cubs, no Sox, no Bulls, no Bears and no Blackhawks. The food in Wichita is bland next to the great food that Chicago offers. It is doubtful you will walk into a pizza joint in Wichita and see the Italian oven masters tossing the dough.
No evening strolls along the lakefront with the one you love and no sitting on a balconey overlooking the great lake or the skyscrapers. Wichita has a tiny bit of nightlife- mainly in Old Town but nothing like Ontario Street or even Rush Street in Chicago.
Wichita is a hard place to find a good union job and even when you do, it will pay much less than the same job in Chicago would pay (although as I pointed out, it cost much less to live in Wichita). Chicago is a union town. Wichita is a non union town and the few unions they have are very weak unions.
All said there are many things to love about both cities. If I was told that I have to live in either city, it would be hard for me to pick which but all in all I would probably choose to return to Chicago simply because I loved the culture and beat of it. The only thing I would suggest to anybody thinking about moving either way would be to try a place like Kansas City. KC is big enough to offer some of the culture of Chicago yet small enough to offer much of what is good about Wichita.