Junction City or Manhattan?? (Lawrence, Ogden: real estate, apartment, crime)

[daznconfzd]

We will be moving to KS in Sept. My hubby is in the army & we have one child in the 9th grade. I would like some feedback as to which town is better....Junction City or Manhattan

Thanks

[Jim West]

Do not even slow down until you get to Manhattan. They dont call the other place Junk Town for nothing. I'll probably get flamed for that, but I lived up there for about 8 years, which is long enough to know.

Junction City is a supply center for Fort Riley. Anything that Junction City might even think about, Manhattan has better. Housing, Schools, Shopping, Medical, you name it and Manhattan is superior. Depending which area of the Fort that your hubby would be deployed at, Manhattan would not be more than maybe 5 miles farther than trying to find a decent place to live in Junction City.

Manhattan High School is light years ahead of schools in Junction City. That in itself is reason enough. KSU is at Manhattan. Manhattan Area Technical College is at Manhattan. Tuttle Creek Lake is at Manhattan. Other than Marshall Field at Fort Riley, the airport is at Manhattan. Junction City does have a little dinky strip but no commuter service.

It isnt a contest. Pick Manhattan.

[leighland]

When I was a K-State 20 years ago, a favorite pastime was to get drunk and drive to JC to watch prostitutes. Also known as the easiest place to score weed. Sorry to be so harsh but move to Manhattan, a nice home near the Sunset Zoo would be family friendly....

[SharonKS]

Originally Posted by daznconfzd

We will be moving to KS in Sept. My hubby is in the army & we have one child in the 9th grade. I would like some feedback as to which town is better....Junction City or Manhattan

Thanks

Depends on what you are looking for. Junction City is small with the basics (Wal Mart, etc) Manhattan is a college town and has a mall. The housing is going to be expensive in both areas...get ready!
I was born and raised in Junction City...getting ready to move to Ft Knox with the Army. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[RLFuller]

I'm going to have to disagree with Jim.

I am in the military and have high school aged kids. We specifically chose Junction City because it has a better high school. Hands down. It does better on the national tests, has a better run program (after meets with both high school's academic coordinators), and a better outlook. I would recommend you go online to find the scores and determine which of us is correct. Additionally, the kids your kids go to HS with would be the kids of Soldiers from the Fort so there is some commonality between them.

Manhattan does have a mall and better shopping. But it is a whopping 15 miles from JC. I've commuted farther than that anywhere else I have been assigned so I find it no problem to travel to Manhattan when I need something. The downside to that commute is trying to get onto post from the Ogden gate (the only entrance on the Manhattan side) at 0630. Pack a lunch. All my subordinates have to leave their home no later than 0545 to make it to PT. You will be leaving earlier if you are a leader who has to be in earlier. I make it onto post in 10 minutes. At any time.

There is one area in which Manhattan is better; and that is at treating military familes like second class citizens. If you aren't affiliated with the college then quite honestly, Manhattan wants your money but not your opinion. Their much vaunted Aggieville is nothing more than three blocks of bars where college kids can go to look down on our Soldiers.

I bought a bigger house in a better neighborhood in Junction City (tons of new construction and complete neighborhoods with their own elementary schools, parks, pools, etc.) than I could find in Manhattan.

Oh...almost forgot. Junction City has significantly LESS crime than Manhattan. Another dirty little secret no one from Manhattan will ever share with you. We get some petty criminal activity centrally located in one part of town. For their size they get as much crime as a city larger than their actual size (truth in lending that tidbit comes from research I did when I first moved here in '07). College kids, go figure.

The only people I can find that push Manhattan are actually pushing the college (as I believe Jim used a major 'selling' point for you). Are you looking for a community that understands the military and our culture or are you looking for a community that would very much like your money but clearly views you as a second class citizen?

Your choice, but I voted for Junction City (despite the disparaging remarks and truncations of the towns name) after doing some hard research.

[TwoWheelRider]

I lived in both cities over 20 yrs ago. Father was in the Military and served his final years at Ft.Riley before retiring back in the middle 70's. My siblings and I spent most of our years growing up in Manhattan. It is the home of Kansas State University and was a much better place to live than Junction City.

Junction used to have a bad reputation for drugs and prostitution.
I lived in Junction back in the early 80's because of a job. Back then there were more lower rank enlisted men living in Junction than Manhattan because housing was cheaper.

There were a few places in Mahattan that were cheap then especially south Manhattan along the flood dyke. Although, that may not be the case anymore.

I was there a liittle over a year ago visiting someone and in my opinion Manhattan has improved alot since then. If you can afford to drive a little further, I would strongly consider Manhattan. The only thing i recall that was nice in the Junction area was Milford Lake however Manhattan has Tuttle Creek Lake and both are only about 20 minutes apart. Good Luck with your choice.

[TwoWheelRider]

RLFuller reported that the Crime stats are significantly less than Manhattan. Below are some links to look at that don't support that claim.

Since I have not lived there for a long time I don't know if the crime is any better or the schools in Junction City are doing better than Manhattan?

Back then Junction was a mess. The drug users in the nearby towns would go there to stock up. The night action was non-stop (especially on Washington street). I knew many friends in the military that got rolled on paydays. There was alot of crime for such a small town.

When I went to school at MHS they were usually the best in state in debate, Spelling Bee etc. They also were usually good in sports (especially football).

Anyway, you might notice that Junction City has a trend of decreasing population whereas Manhattan has an increasing population. In addition, when considering crime stats you need to check the source.
For example, some Realtor sites have used outdated or unreliable sources that may not reveal all the facts. After all they are trying to sell you a home not drive you away.

Check multiple reputable law enforcement sources and look at the breakdown of the crimes. For example I would rather have someone steal my car stereo or something like that then have them pull a gun or assualt me or my family.

Also, consider other factors such as quality of life, employment opportunities, possible home purchase etc.

Moderator cut: link to a competitors site removed

[RLFuller]

I agree that I would not use a real estate site to compare crime statistics. But you did. You threw the link up like it is somewhere you advocate.

Check with the local law enforcement. And read both cities papers. After doing that for a period of over a year I stand by what I said.

Murders happen in Manhattan. Rapes happen in Manhattan. Junction City gets damage to property violations.

Manhattan has a static population would be more accurate. When a unit deploys (and typically when a first time deployment wife of a lower enlisted Soldier chooses to go home for the year) Junction City naturally feels a larger portion of that burden.

Two Wheel Rider; it sounds like you are using a lot of personal experience from over 30 years ago to self-reinforce this belief you have about both towns.

When was the last time you visited either city?

[idealist]

Oh, my gosh. This whole thread is cracking me up! I'm from Manhattan (KS), born and raised. I lived there until I was 18, at which point I moved to Lawrence (Rock Chalk, baby). Since then, I've lived in Birmingham, AL.

First, let me quickly and easily answer the initial question posed: Manhattan. Hands down, live in Manhattan!!! I second everything that Jim West said in his previous reply. The schools are better, there's more to do (albeit limited), it's prettier, the hospitals are better, etc.

Second, crime? Seriously? There's crime everywhere. Murder? I'm living in Birmingham (AL) now, and I think we had a new homicide about every other day during the first part of the year. Drugs? You can get drugs anywhere. Promise. Honestly, Manhattan is extremely safe.

Third, high cost of living? Perhaps relatively speaking it's higher than Junction City, but that's for a reason. Quality of life is way better. I'll also say that the housing market in Manhattan is not egregious. If you'd like a little perspective, please check out other cities across the US. I know it's not a fair comparison, but I'll soon be relocating to Seattle, and you can start complaining about the cost of living when you start paying $1100 for a nice studio apartment in a safe area.

Ok, sorry I feel like this turned into a diatribe. The bottom line is that I grew up in Manhattan, and it's a nice small city. I really can't vouch for Junction City, as I've maybe been there once? People don't really go to Junction City if they don't have to.

[_redbird_]

JC was the murder capitol of the world was how it was described to me when I lived in Manhattan from 90-97.

And no, I am not interested in crime stats. I already know statistics are a) behind and b) only as real as the agencies who report them. Meaning not all agencies report them.

Take the kids and hit the little Apple. And learn to bleed purple! I loved Manhattan. Made a lot of great friends and even graduated K-State!