what's good (or bad) about KS? (Wichita, Lawrence: best city, low crime, house)

[bande1102]

Hi,

I thought I'd be headed to TX for dh's job, but now it looks like it may be Kansas--Wichita area. I'm a little nervous since I've not visited yet, but was wondering what do you love about KS? I've read that population is falling/people are leaving and trying to figure out why b/c everything I've seen makes it seem like a pretty nice place to be.

TIA,

Ellen

[Beej]

I was born and raised in KS. Had to be one of the adventurers and left. Have lived almost everywhere in the world. (Navy nurse) and when it came time to settle down for reals I moved to Wichita. Lasted 4 years and decided to much crime, gangs etc in the schools, and no space. So my family moved 16 miles from Winfield, where I was born and we loveit. KS is great. rolling hills are beautiful this time of year, lots of agriculture, great schools and here in our rural area no crime and no gangs. 4 day a week school, small classes and it is just great. Best thing is that we are small enough we get to know our neighbors and everybody is friendly. I love KS. You may not have 10 concerts to choose from any given weekend as you do in some places but when we do have one we know how to do it up right. Rural life in KS is great.

[chbrink]

I grew up in Kansas and I also left. But - I lived in Burlington. A great little town of about 3,000 people. If you didn't want to farm, or if you didn't have a family business, or you didn't want to work at "the plant," you needed to move somewhere else to get a good job. I would think the main reason people leave would be for job opportunities. Having said that, the people who are leaving are probably young. A lot of my friends moved to KC and are quite happy there. Wichita will be fine. My mom's family is from Wichita and you'll be just fine. Rural KS life is very clean, wholesome, safe, safe, safe, somewhat sheltered, adventurous, and did I mention safe? It's a great place to grow up. The cities make it worth staying for. The rolling hills are beautiful. Kansas has a very subtle beauty that often gets overlooked by people from the East and West Coasts. However, those of us who have lived there or who move there come to spot it and appreciate it. Just go and enjoy the fact that you may not be the conter of the universe in the world's eyes, but you are safe, happy, live peacefully, and have a lot of nice things at your fingertips.

[Old Surrender]

I grew up in Leavenworth, and then moved to Lawrence. Lawrence is the only place I will give my whole endorsement to — progressive community, fledgling mass transit, good schools, low crime. I hear Wichita is on the upswing as far as cool nightlife, jobs and culture. The Wichita Eagle is a good newspaper.

I would give it a shot if I got a job there.

Good luck

[kansaslady]

I live in Shawnee, KS (KC area), and have visited the Wichita area and have friends there. The biggest plus about KS is the people, the majority are very down to earth, non-pretentious, and would give you the shirt off their back. Not sure where you are living now, so don't know what you're used to, especially the weather. It can get very hot in KS in the summer (Jul/Aug), and extremely cold in the winter (Jan/Feb). We get a LOT of ice every winter in the KC area. KS also has to deal with tornadoes, never know where they will strike next.

Cost of living is much lower in KS than the east/west coast.

The only thing that is a negative as far as I'm concerned is the extremely cold winters (but it's all relative because if you're from the MN/WI area or N. Dakota...then our winters would be a walk in the park on a spring day for you).

Katie

[bande1102]

Thanks for all of the input. Right now we're in MD, just outside of Annapolis. Here we get hot and humid in the summer. We're on the west coast, just over the Chesapeake Bay bridge, but still close enough to get that humidity from the ocean. The winters are cold. I think they say the average is 18 inches of snow a year, but it seems like we either get very little snow or blizzards. We also get the occasional hurricane and tornado. Actually, a few years ago a tornado hit my parents' neighborhood. Luckily they and their house were fine. Too bad we couldn't say the same for their neighbors...never ceases to amaze me how a twister can hit one house and not another.

Anyway, MD is ok, but getting extremely expensive and I hate, hate, hate the commutes. It seems like everybody here works in D.C. or Baltimore and the beltway is horrible. We're looking for somewhere safe, friendly, down-to-earth, and affordable. Most of all, a sense of community. I grew up in a small town with a Main Street and, boy do I miss that. Not too much to ask, huh

[kansaslady]

Regarding the commute....depends on where you work. Some who live on the MO side work in KS and vice versa. For myself, I am very fortunate in that my commute is just 5 miles each way...approx. a 10-minute commute. I'm not one who has ever liked to commute, so I found a place that is pretty central and not far from the Interstates.

Katie

[BillPierce]

I now in in Scotland from kansas, Yes Ks. is a beautiful St. and I lived in the Country small town more dogs than people but it's great not to lock your door for safety. Ks. is A- OK! Bill

[bobeckie]

The good - it is really a safe place to live, if you stay out of the big cities.
The bad - VERY high property taxes because for only 2.8 million people we have 125 counties!! this is why we are leaving Kansas again. In most of the small, cute towns you have to deal with fairly ignorant people (because mostly they have never been anywhere). Also, if you are a newcomer, you will have to deal with the "old-boy attitudes" meaning they will virtually make you leave town if you do not succumb to the way they want to live or behave in their town. In other words, do not rock the boat or they will come after you full force.
My husband is from North Central Kansas and he is being railroaded out of town. Beware - alot of people buy properties at Sheriff's Tax Sales, meaning you get a clean Title to your new property, but the Cities can add "taxes" to it after you buy it and make you pay exorbitant fees for Nuisance problems that may never have occurred.
Our thoughts are, run as fast as you can from Kansas. We learned the hard way after 3 years. GOOD LUCK! It has taken us two years in court and we still can't sell our house.

[sevdie]

Originally Posted by Old Surrender

I grew up in Leavenworth, and then moved to Lawrence. Lawrence is the only place I will give my whole endorsement to — progressive community, fledgling mass transit, good schools, low crime. I hear Wichita is on the upswing as far as cool nightlife, jobs and culture. The Wichita Eagle is a good newspaper.

I would give it a shot if I got a job there.

Good luck

I have also lived in Leavenworth and Lawrence. I agree that Lawrence is the best city in Kansas. What's good about Kansas is the safety. What's bad about Kansas is the bigotry.