What's Augusta like? (Wichita, Hays, Derby: crime rate, houses, job market)

[bbxsandman]

Recently I’ve been thinking of relocating to Kansas specifically Augusta. From what I’ve seen online it looks really nice. I have lived in Philadelphia, PA all my life and have watched my neighborhood rapidly decline in last couple of years. This along with ridiculous prices of houses is what’s making me think of relocating. It certainly seems like you get more for your money in Kansas compared to Philly. Plus I think I change a pace would be nice. One of my biggest concerns however is finding a job when/if I decide to move. Does anyone know of any good sites I could check out aside from monster & hotjobs???

I’m also curious to know how the people are out there. I guess I should mention I’m in my late 20’s so what I’m wondering is are there people out there my age or is it mostly families and retirees??

Having never done anything like this before if anyone has any advice on relocating in general I’d love to hear it. Thanks!

[TBird81]

I'm 25 and currently live in Wichita. We (husband,kids,& I) are currently looking to move out of Wichita and simply find a quieter, safer place on the outskirts since we both work in Wichita. Well Augusta was one place we WERE looking. You must keep in mind that there is a major highway that runs through that area and with that comes many other problems (ie pollution, traffic, crime, etc.) IMO, its better then Wichita...but there are areas around Wichita that are better then Augusta. I know my doctor lives in Augusta even though her practice is in Andover. She likes it but is concerned about the schools. From my understanding there is mostly families located in that area. Most outskirts of Wichita are mainly families (for the schools) and retirees (for the slower pace).

I used to live in Dallas, so I understand big city life. I really enjoy Kansas in general. There is really no place like it...good and bad. Just depends on what you consider good and what you consider bad. The night life, if your into that sort of thing, is surely in Downtown Wichita.

The job market right now is okay. Depends on your education, really. But the cost of living is low which means you don't necessary need to be making 40k to "make it" My husband and I make an average of 35k a year (him FT, me PT & in school FT) and we do just fine...keep in mind that we are also raising two little ones (7 and 4). The best places I would check for jobs is CareerBuilder.com or Monster.com. I have had some success in the past with CareerBuilder.com. I seemed to get more of a return of call backs and interviews.

Some areas you may want to also look that are around Wichita (considering the hottest job market is in Wichita) are; Andover, Bel Aire, Maize, Goddard, Derby, Haysville, Mulvane, Rose Hill, Park City, Valley Center, Benton. These are just off the top of my head. The commute is anywhere from 20-30 min. Also keep in mind that you can get any where in Wichita in approx. 20-30 min anyway. There are also some nice areas IN Wichita that may suit you as well.

I hope I have been of help! GOOD LUCK!

[bbxsandman]

Tbird81 thank you so much for your input. It actually was a big help. I do have few more questions if you wouldn’t mind answering them. In your opinion out of the places you mentioned which 2 or 3 would you consider better than Augusta? I’ve never been to Kansas so I really no nothing of the area. What are some of the things you consider bad about Kansas? Also is the traffic, pollution, crime etc. really that bad?? I can’t imagine it being worse than Philadelphia.

I am looking for a slower pace, but another part of my concern being a single guy in his late 20’s is that I won’t meet anyone new. I guess as long as I venture out to Wichita I’ll be okay. Schools aren’t really an issue for me right so I’m not terribly concerned about that. Once again thank you for helping me with my research as I continue looking into possibly relocating to Kansas.

[kansanbychoice]

Hi! I saw the reply written about Augusta by someone who doesn't even live in augusta, and would like everyone to know that they are all wrong! The only thing that person got right is that the highway does run through town, but not through our beautiful historic downtown area. Our schools are TOP-NOTCH! and we even have a NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BLUE RIBBON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Andover, Goddard, Maize, etc. doesn't have one of those! Last year alone, we received 13 standard of excellences! And we just keep getting better, constantly providing new opportunities for our students!
In augusta, we have a family atmosphere. You can enjoy the slowpace of a small town; but you can jump right on the highway and you're 12 minutes from wichita. Our crime rate is EXTREMELY low, and our police chief is devoted to keeping it that way. In short, when wanting to know what Augusta is REALLY like, please ask an Augustan! I've lived here for 13 years now and AUGUSTA ROCKS!!!