Montara in Topeka (Shawnee, Hoyt, Hope: rentals, crime, homes)

[ClickMyHeels]

We are considering a move to the Topeka area and I see several rentals available in the Montara subdivision. Can anyone tell me about this area? The only information I can find online is a couple of years old, looks like they were cleaning the area up. Housing seems cheaper than in other parts of town so I'm wondering if the area is still not so great.

Thanks.

[tdnp]

Montera is an old Air Force housing subdivision. There are some nice areas and some run down areas. There is a mix of rentals as well as owners in the area. I think that most are slab homes, but I am not sure.

Hope this help

Tim

[ClickMyHeels]

Thanks, Tim, for your help. I will try to figure out the parameters of the area and look at the crime stats.

Any idea which areas are better than others there? Or better areas in Topeka in general?

[kansas sky]

Topeka is a weird patchwork of bad and good neighborhoods. In general though, the newer neighborhoods on the west side of town seem pretty good, as well as the area right around Lake Shawnee on the east. I grew up in Tecumseh, which is a suburb east of Topeka. It's quiet and safe, though some parts are expensive.
The Topeka Police Dep't has a pretty cool map of crime stats on their website.

[quesera]

I'll just say that I'm glad we chose Jackson County, over Topeka, when we moved to this part of the state. Good luck in your search.

[ClickMyHeels]

Thanks so much for your help, everyone!

[quesera]

Is there a specific reason you were looking in the Montara area? Would you consider outside of Topeka? There are many small towns that might suit your needs and the commute would be about the same as driving in Topeka.

[ClickMyHeels]

No reason I was considering Montara, just noticed lower rent prices there and wondered why. Yes, we'd consider living in one of the smaller towns outside of Topeka. We'd actually prefer that over living in Topeka itself.

[quesera]

We live in Hoyt. My husband's commute is about 20 minutes. He works within a block of the Capital Building. Other folks on here have suggested places south of Topeka, in other threads. If you have small kids, the outlying towns would probably be a better option as far as teacher to student ration is concerned. Our kids have thrived in our school district. If the kids are older (assuming you have children), like in middle or high school, there are limited options for things to do (entertainment-wise) in the small towns. It's a trade-off.

[ClickMyHeels]

We have a 9 year-old and a college student so a smaller community would be preferable. I'll look into Hoyt, do they have their own school district?

We're in a small town now, the closest large city to us is 90 min. away so a 20 min. trip for shopping and other things to do is nothing!