Got a chance to move to Burlington from Atlanta, opinions please. (Wichita: transplants, schools)

[Mr. Fixxit]

I have a medium sized family: My wife and I, two daughters (3yrs and 9mos) with another due in June. I am white, my wife is mixed Pacific Islander/Asian. I work for an inspection company and was offered a position at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Station in Burlington, KS. We currently live in Alpharetta, GA, but are recent transplants from Hawai'i where I was stationed in the Navy.

I've made a decent web search regarding Burlington, but could use all the advice and opinions I can get. Specifically: cost of living, local attitudes with regards to politics and tolerance, schools, experiences with renewable energy (windmills and solar), anything else pertinent. Also, a comparison with rural GA could be helpful, as I've been performing inspections in southern and central GA for most of the past year and it is my only comparison for rural life. (I like what I've seen.)

I know that I will do fine wherever I go, but my main concern is for my family. Thanks in advance for all the thoughtful words I will receive.

P.S. I've heard lots of good things about Lawrence, KS, but it is too far away for a reasonable commute.

[Samantha S]

I'm not familiar specifically with the town of Burlington. But the general area of the state is not bad - although it looks like the town is a little secluded, you're close enough to Emporia for decent shopping as well as Wichita, Topeka and KC for day or weekend trips.

Their community guide says the population is about 2800. That's big enough to not have the whole town in your business. I do not know anything about the schools there. greatschools.net has some older comments about problems, but it looks like improvements have been made.

If you didn't find Burlington comfortable, you are close enough to Emporia to commute.

Cost of living should be pretty low. As for politics, KS is very conservative, but there are a few of us liberals hiding about. ;-) I honestly don't know what the reaction would be to your wife's ethnicity. It's sad that this is something you have to consider, but you do. Most people will probably not even give it a thought. But it only takes one or two small-minded idiots to make like life miserable.