Help us pick the right town to move to in Kansas (Wichita: Home Depot, find a job)

[LastMove]

Hi,
My wife and I are moving to Kansas this year. She is an elementary school teacher and there are openings (so far) in Mulvane, Chapman, Selden, Hope, Hutchinson, Shawnee Heights, Concordia, Auburn-Washburn, Piper, Wichita, Ogden, and of course KC Metro.

My grandparents were from Russell and I loved it there as a kid. My mom was from Bunker Hill. I have lived in New Jersey, New York City, Denver. My wife lived in South Carolina, Buffalo, Alaska, and Oklahoma. We met in Fallbrook, California and now live in Las Vegas.

We have both spent way to much time in the fast lane and the only thing we have accomplished is a desire to slow down.

My wife if very good at her work . She has a Master's Degree and was nominated for Teacher of the Year for the state. She loves the kids but hates the hassle of living here.

We hate the incessant heat, nothing grows, the traffic is awful, the people are greedy, grouchy, and mostly unhappy souls who would love to leave if they could.

We are looking for a place where they say "Hi" when you shop. A place where we can help our neighbor if we can, know the people we go to church with, spin some yarn and knit, can some home grown food, watch the sunset from the porch, and smile a lot.

Thanks in advance for the advice..

Hope we caught you having a great day.

Randy and Donna

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by LastMove

Hi,
My wife and I are moving to Kansas this year. She is an elementary school teacher and there are openings (so far) in Mulvane, Chapman, Selden, Hope, Hutchinson, Shawnee Heights, Concordia, Auburn-Washburn, Piper, Wichita, Ogden, and of course KC Metro.

My grandparents were from Russell and I loved it there as a kid. My mom was from Bunker Hill. I have lived in New Jersey, New York City, Denver. My wife lived in South Carolina, Buffalo, Alaska, and Oklahoma. We met in Fallbrook, California and now live in Las Vegas.

We have both spent way to much time in the fast lane and the only thing we have accomplished is a desire to slow down.

My wife if very good at her work . She has a Master's Degree and was nominated for Teacher of the Year for the state. She loves the kids but hates the hassle of living here.

We hate the incessant heat, nothing grows, the traffic is awful, the people are greedy, grouchy, and mostly unhappy souls who would love to leave if they could.

We are looking for a place where they say "Hi" when you shop. A place where we can help our neighbor if we can, know the people we go to church with, spin some yarn and knit, can some home grown food, watch the sunset from the porch, and smile a lot.

Thanks in advance for the advice..

Hope we caught you having a great day.

Randy and Donna

Hi Randy and Donna! Welcome to Kansas!

I would strongly recommend Johnson County for your wife who is looking to teach in a good district. Desoto, Shawnee Mission, Olathe, and Blue Valley are all very good districts.

I grew up in Hays, went to K-State (with lots of ed majors) and now live in Shawnee (JoCo) and I'm familiar with many of the small towns you mentioned.

Are you looking for a small Kansas town? Or are you looking to live in a more urban or suburban area? If you have not lived in a small town, I must warn you that living there is not the same as visiting. Many small towns (not just in Kansas) can be very friendly to visitors, but a community can also turn on a newbie quickly and make life miserable. You also have to be prepared to travel to get to decent shopping, entertainment, culture etc. Small Kansas towns can also be less than welcoming if your skin is not white enough. (Sad to say, but it's true.)

Russell is not at all the same town you visited as a kid. With oil wells slowing production and what few big businesses that were there having left, it has slowly withered.

Wichita, Hutch and the Topeka areas will have more shopping and a few more entertainment options - but to me still have very much a small town feel to them. Ogden is adjacent to Fort Riley (and Chapman is nearby) and near Manhattan - which would give you decent shopping and put you near the college, but again, a small town near a military base has a flavor all it's own. If you have not lived in a town like that before, I'd consider something temporary until you are sure you like it. (I'd actually recommend that in any of the small towns)

I absolutely love the area we live in - City of Shawnee, Desoto School district. I also really like our schools and our teachers. Desoto is a small town, but close enough to KC and all that the city offers, other JoCo shopping, entertainment and cultural stuff. Our area is very much a suburb, but has a wonderful "community" feel to it.

As far as weather goes - Western Kansas is much dryer and windier. If you don't like the heat of Vegas, you probably won't like western KS much better. Eastern KS has the rolling hills, and more rain, so it's greener and prettier by most standards.

I'd be happy to elaborate more if you have specific questions - I love Kansas. I don't love everything about Kansas -- but I wouldn't live anywhere other than where I do right now.

Best of Luck to you!!

[athfo]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Wichita, Hutch and the Topeka areas will have more shopping and a few more entertainment options - but to me still have very much a small town feel to them. Ogden is adjacent to Fort Riley (and Chapman is nearby) and near Manhattan - which would give you decent shopping and put you near the college, but again, a small town near a military base has a flavor all it's own. If you have not lived in a town like that before, I'd consider something temporary until you are sure you like it. (I'd actually recommend that in any of the small towns)

Wichita has the largest and most diverse school district in the state and is much larger than Hutch or Topeka. Area suburban school districts are also some of the best in the state. Kansas is more than only Johnson County.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by athfo

Kansas is more than only Johnson County.

Yes, yes it is. I believe I spoke about more than JoCo. JoCo is what I prefer, so that is not hidden. But I realize it's not what everyone prefers.

I love Kansas, as I said. But I don't love everything about it, and since I'm familiar with almost all of the areas of the state (the exception being the SW corner, which I have not frequented as much) I have seen all that it has to offer and I've seen some of the not-so-great aspects as well. But of course it is very subjective.

The OP did not specify a preference for urban/suburban/small town/rural. If I knew that much, I could comment more about the pros and cons of any of those in KS and speak more specifically about the different areas.

Personally, I don't care at all for the Wichita area. I wouldn't live there. And I wouldn't recommend its city school districts to an incoming teacher. If you end up in Wichita, I'd highly recommend living and looking for work in the suburban districts. Goddard, for example. But lots of people do like Wichita and they are happy. It's just not for me.

[KansasKris]

I would personally recommend Mulvane...it's still considered a relatively small town, but close enough to Wichita that you can have more of the hustle and bustle if you miss it. We have family that live there and they like the school system and LOVE living in Mulvane! Derby is also a good area, but it's between Mulvane and Wichita, and is more urban than Mulvane.

I could be wrong, but I think Andover is supposed to be one of the top school systems in the country. I know people from Wichita are trying to move there because the public system is supposed to be one of the best. Of course, you will pay more in taxes there.

If you are trying to move away from the "city" I would stay away from Johnson County, with the possible exception of DeSoto, like someone else mentioned. People LOVE Lawrence and Manhattan - the first is home to KU, the second is home to K-State.

Just my 2 cents worth!

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by icestormonthemountain

Its going to be a bumpy ride for the country for several years.

Agreed. But it's going to be bumpy no matter where you live. I don't expect Kansas to be any better or worse in terms of the economy.

But it can make a difference in the choice of where to live. In a small community, a factory going out of business can mean a large chunk of a town out of work and needing to move to find it. Which might mean you are out of work and/or there is a downsizing of school districts and your wife is out of work.

I'm not trying to discourage you from living in a small town. If that's the life you are looking for, you will find it in abundance in KS. What I caution you though (and I'm sure you know this) is that "Mayberry" was a fictional place. Small town life has it's share of issues and you should be prepared for them.

[Samantha S]

Hey, my post got deleted.

Yeah, the one it referenced was dumb, but mine was still good!

Anyway, the reference was to the economy - which definitely is something to consider when moving to Kansas especially a small town.

If the largest employer in a small town goes out of business and lots of people are out of work, it could make it more difficult to find a job. If a large chunk of a small town leaves to find work, it could mean a downsizing of a school district.

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from living in a small KS town. If that is the lifestyle you are looking for, you will find an abundance of it in KS. But, as I'm sure you are aware, "Mayberry" was a fictional place. Small towns have their issues, so be sure you are going in with your eyes wide open.

[Samantha S]

And now both are there.

Oh well. Good advice bears repeating

[Hueffenhardt]

Originally Posted by LastMove

Hi,
My wife and I are moving to Kansas this year. She is an elementary school teacher and there are openings (so far) in Mulvane, Chapman, Selden, Hope, Hutchinson, Shawnee Heights, Concordia, Auburn-Washburn, Piper, Wichita, Ogden, and of course KC Metro.

We are looking for a place where they say "Hi" when you shop. A place where we can help our neighbor if we can, know the people we go to church with, spin some yarn and knit, can some home grown food, watch the sunset from the porch, and smile a lot.

I currently live in Hutchinson (locals call it Hutch). We moved here last May and our neighbors have been wonderful. They helped me move in, borrow tools, gave us some of the vegetables they grew, and spoil our young kids. The people we go to church with are very nice. The general attitude is very easy going.

The Amish community of Yoder is close by. They have several quaint stores: fabric, candles, homemade crafts. We really like the family style restaurant they operate called "Carriage Crossing".

Hutch is only 45,000 people, but we do host the Kansas State Fair, have a Cosmosphere, Salt Mine Museum, the Dillon Nature Center, a small zoo and a lot of grain elevators. We have a mall, Target, Walmart, Sears, JC Penny, Orschlein, Hobby Lobby, movie theater, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

If you are looking for places like Best Buy or Olive Garden, you will need to drive to Wichita which is about 40 minutes away.

[concrete it]

Hi Randy, Your wife teaches and whats your occupation ?