Any Nice, Safe, Racially mixed neighborhoods? NYC to Wichita or KC

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Originally Posted by Torn2pieces

Being a former NYer, I can say that Wichita is full of crime!!!! Not a day goes by, or night that there isn't a shooting or killing. I've said it before, its a place that's good for shopping and eating. I don't think people realize that Kansas is full of crime. I've lived here 6 plus years and I'm trying to get out of here.

I agree that Wichita has a lot more crime than people seem to think. I've lived in the area for 30+ years, and in the past decade crime here has gotten much worse. I mean people compare Wichita's crime rate to St. Louis and Detriot and think that if it's not worse that means it's good. That kind of blows me away. Yes, the crime rate in Wichita is not as high as in Detriot or St. Louis, but that doesn't mean it's good. And, in the past two or three years violent crime has been everywhere, not located in a certain area of the city. I tried to map out a route to drive across town 20 minutes for an event that would keep me away from the rashes of shootings, stabbings and home invasions and I couldn't do it without driving way out of my way to the edges of the city.

I just don't want people to think because Wichita is in the heartland that it's all rosy. It isn't. And, I get irritated when people try to paint that picture. It's just misleading.

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I just don't want people to think because Wichita is in the heartland that it's all rosy. It isn't. And, I get irritated when people try to paint that picture. It's just misleading.

It's not THAT bada** in Wichita. Most of the crime occurs (a) in the same neighborhoods over and over again, so if you avoid those areas, you'll be fine, or (b) because someone parked with a laptop sitting out in their car a lot, or left their house unlocked repeatedly, etc. There's crime here, but its only a real presence if you know where not to go (which would be anywhere that looks like a place you shouldn't go - the areas west of WSU, for example). Or if you run around rough parts of town alone after dark.

Wichita is also very racially diverse, especially for a town of its size. One of the biggest shocks to me when I left the area was how self-segregating a lot of the biggest cities seemed. I don't think there are too many places/groups/gatherings in Wichita that won't have multiple races there at the same time. Race isn't really not a big deal there, aside from the occasional ignoramuses that you'll find in any city.

It is a very family-oriented social scene here. There are the working class families, college kids and post-college families with children and ... that's the majority of the population. There can be a very "live and let live" environment here that makes it hard for transplants to put together a social network. The best way around that is to find a group/hobby/church/cause and join, volunteer, show up, get to know some people and make friends over your shared interests - and you're in. Just seeking people out for random friendships is rather rare there, IMO, and is seen as a bit weird and suspicious.

A lot of people live outside of Wichita proper because the crime rates are much lower in the suburbs and the drive is not too bad. Bel Aire is quite safe, Derby's not bad (although overpriced) and most areas east of Rock Road are fine.