Interracial family thinking of moving to Hays, KS (Wichita, Lawrence: high school, gated)

[kansas sky]

I haven't lived in Hays, so I'm not sure about racial attitudes there. If you are interested in Kansas, I would probably advise sticking with Manhattan or Lawrence as others have suggested. I've lived both places and they are culturally diverse (for Kansas) as well as, I think, quite beautiful.

A vegan would probably feel uncomfortable in the middle of feedlot country. I am a vegetarian who lived in Colby for 2 years. I kept my dietary choices to myself as much as possible. When so many are involved in the meat industry, as a vegan/vegetarian you are a direct threat to their way of life.

[KevK]

Kansas is racially liberal and you should not have any trouble there but it is not likely there are many other blacks there for you to socialize with. Probably the only city west of Wichita that has any blacks is Dodge City. Maybe a few in Garden City.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by robertjohnson

As a certified member of an interacial marrage I object to these posts of manufactured content that cast stink and suspission upon large areas of our great nation. Speaking for the Midwest I disagree with your false, foul and libelous post.

"certified" huh? I didn't realize interracial marriages were a club.

Kansas is my home, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. Racism is certainly an issue to be considered when moving to many of the more rural areas. It's a fact, and I'd rather be honest about it than tell someone it doesn't exist only to have them move here and realize it's alive and well.

If you live in KS and have never experienced racism as part of an interracial couple with a child, then you should count yourself extremely fortunate, extremely sheltered, or extremely non-observant. You pick.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by KevK

Kansas is racially liberal and you should not have any trouble there but it is not likely there are many other blacks there for you to socialize with.

And why is that? Answer: Blacks in Hays are not at all made to feel welcome unless they are playing (and winning!) sports at the University. Sad, but true.

(I grew up there, I went to FHSU (didn't graduate from there though) and I remember it well.)

[Modron]

Um, no, Kansas is not racially liberal, hence in many communities there are no blacks to socialize with. And, when there are, there's usually not a lot of mixing, anyway.

Originally Posted by KevK

Kansas is racially liberal and you should not have any trouble there but it is not likely there are many other blacks there for you to socialize with. Probably the only city west of Wichita that has any blacks is Dodge City. Maybe a few in Garden City.

[HUSHYS]

I object to the those saying Hays is not a good place to live. I moved here in 1967 from Ohio. I have found it to be a good town to raise a family ( four children). You are not so far from the large towns that, have more violence, but have a larger retail selection. There are people here who are vegan and have a co-operative that orders organic foods on a regular basis. The school system is excellent. Medical facilities are outstanding. The 4-h program here is very strong and would allow your son to participate in their activies which include farm related programs.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by HUSHYS

I object to the those saying Hays is not a good place to live. I moved here in 1967 from Ohio. I have found it to be a good town to raise a family ( four children). You are not so far from the large towns that, have more violence, but have a larger retail selection. There are people here who are vegan and have a co-operative that orders organic foods on a regular basis. The school system is excellent. Medical facilities are outstanding. The 4-h program here is very strong and would allow your son to participate in their activies which include farm related programs.

I was raised in Hays from the early 70's through a year at FHSU in the late 80's. I'm not saying it's not a good place to live. I had a nice and uneventful childhood and a typical smalltown teenhood.

But I'm a white person of German heritage. Even being a non-Catholic, I was able to fit in and was accepted as a "local".

From K-12th grade, there was ONE black kid in my class for ONE year. That's it. I can count on one hand the number of kids I knew that fit any other minority racial or ethnic group. Kids who didn't fit the mold were excluded at best and brutally tormented at worst. Their families often didn't stick around long and who could blame them?

Other families chose to stick around and were eventually tolerated, but never considered "locals".

The schools are fine. I wouldn't say "excellent" but they are typical for a town of that size and prep most kids for college (who want to be prepped for college) just fine.

Medical facilities are NOT good, IMO. The hospital caters to specialists making it very difficult for GP's to practice. The hospital has also had numerous cases of staph infections and poorly done procedures. Personally, I wouldn't have a wart removed in Hays. For medical care, plan to travel at least as far as Salina (90 miles East) and to Wichita or KC for major stuff.

Hays will always be my "hometown" and I don't dislike it. But not a lot has changed. It's a RED RED area, the n-word jokes about Obama are still frequent fare - there's no denying it.

Again, I'd rather be honest about what it is and what it isn't, than to paint a rosy picture for someone who will soon see the reality.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

Again, I'd rather be honest about what it is and what it isn't, than to paint a rosy picture for someone who will soon see the reality.

Plus, there's the vegan factor. In my experience a good percentage of vegans are as much into announcing that they are vegan and making a political cause of it as they are into actually just choosing a particular diet. Maybe there are some other vegans in Hays who will think it's cool, but most people in most places in Kansas are going to treat vegan announcements/pronouncements with disdain, indifference being rather a tolerant perspective by comparison. Kansas produces, eats and enjoys beef.

[thriftylefty]

Even Lawrence is not that liberal compared to other college towns, after all a lot of young people who choose to go to school in Kansas are mostly from small Kansas towns, I would think Hays would be not as Liberal, I have heard heartwarming stories of African Americans who came to small town Kansas and made the best of it. The kindness of one or two prominent or progressive whites can vastly out weight the disdain of an entire town

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by thriftylefty

I have heard heartwarming stories of African Americans who came to small town Kansas and made the best of it. The kindness of one or two prominent or progressive whites can vastly out weight the disdain of an entire town

I don't know if I agree with that. I suspect it's largely a personal decision and that the results are based on circumstances.

I have been in situations/groups of people where I stood out as "different" and even when I was welcomed, it was quite uncomfortable to know that I stood out and that everyone was watching me. (In a way it was quite an interesting psycho-social experiment to observe my own feelings.)

If I had felt that the majority of the group did NOT want me there, it would have been very unpleasant. I doubt the kindness of a few people would be enough to have convinced me to stay.

To each his own of course. But the OP was looking for opinions. I'm not trying to convince her not to move to Hays - but I am trying to be honest.