moving to Parsons, KS (Wichita, Pittsburg: appointed, house, employment)

[undecided1234]

I'm originally from Chicago and currently living in Atlanta, GA. I might have a job offer from a company in Parons, KS and I am wondering what it is like to live in Parsons. Is there anyone out there who can compare / contrast the lifestyle there? I have a wife and two daughters aged 3 and 2 months. Is there anything for kids to do? I know that you gotta enable kids to be creative (I don't plop them down in front of the TV all day / everyday) and help them develop but I'm a little concerned that they still won't have a environment conducive to a proper upbringing. Anyhow, I am a bit undecided. All comments welcomed !!

[geekychick]

I have a friend of the family that lives there. I visited the town and found the people to be very friendly. Small town atmosphere... get involved in the local activites and you will be fine. Life will be slower paced and that is not all bad.

[briansgi]

My wife grew up in Parsons, her parents and sisters still live there. To be honest, it's pretty depressing if you ask me. Very few jobs, many who live in Parsons do not like the school system and send their kids to Altamont instead. I don't see much at all positive for Parsons right now, but that could probably be said for many smaller communities in Kansas right now. My in laws are always complaining about the property taxes on their home and their vehicle tags. Health care doesn't seem to be much better, the in laws go to some doctor in Chetopa which is a town 1/5th the size of Parsons and 20 miles away. The largest employer for several decades was the ammunition plant, but I believe it's now closed down, very sad!

Good luck!

[thriftylefty]

If you got a sure thing as far as employment you will be okay but if you find you have to switch jobs once you get there, you may be in trouble . there are not many jobs in that area, and a lot of competition for the few that are there. Moderately large cities are over 100 miles from there. Hospital jobs seem to be okay for that area.

[pioneer88]

I had the pleasure of growing up in Parsons and for me it was nothing but a great experience. I never felt like I missed out on anything for many reasons. What it does lack KC, Wichita and Tulsa are not too far away to see some big museums, art galleries and broadway shows, pro sports etc. In terms of moving from Chicago or Atlanta Parsons like any smaller town will be way different. If you look to get involved be it in a church or other community you will have no problems meeting great people.

One poster mentioned there being nothing positive in Parsons. I understand to the outside eye (and sadly some of those that live there) sometimes it can be easier to see the negatives but there are a lot of positives as well. Regardless of what has been said I think one of the positives is the school system. They do well on the assessments k-12, have regionally, state and nationally recognized music programs, passed overwhemingly a bond issue that is just being completed with renovations and additions to the grade schools and high school not to mention a completely gutted and redone middle school a few years back etc. Great athletics etc. When I was in school our average ACT score was higher than the state average and at least a point above LC's etc. I don't like to compare the two schools in this way I just can never understand why people approach one school as a negative and another as better with little presidence. Of course we all have the right to our own opinion and if they want to go to LC that's great. I just wanted to give a little defense to Parsons. Also, one of the biggest reasons some people in Parsons send their kids to Labette County is because the west side of Parsons is in that school district. (don't ask me why) My wife was one of those students. But on the flip side there are also quite a few students that were in the LC district that chose to come to Parsons so there is give and take on that. Both districts are the same size with the biggest difference being Parsons is more diverse and LC has an AG program either way you are going to get a solid education without a doubt.

Health Care -

Personally for an area of it's size Labette health offers much more than many other hospitals. sadly my sister had to be in the hospital a lot growing up but one thing we were blessed with was a health care system that was up to date and in many ways ahead of the curve. Without this she would have had to travel much more. In fact they are preparing to open a diabetes center that will be one of the first of it's kind. They will be working initially with Children's Mercy out of KC but for the most part this will be the first of it's kind. Not bad for a small town in southeast kansas.
In regards to life in parsons -

Great Parks - Learn to Play tennis it's a pretty big sport down there
Rec Leagues - For your kids and you if you like
Municipal Auditorium brings in a lot of great musical and show acts year round
Art Walks - Great Local artists and musicians
Katy Days - Annual festival that celebrates the railroad history of the town
This fall they are starting up an annual Blues festival
etc...

I think if you look for the positive and more importantly be part of the positive we can see great things in Parsons' future.

Anyway just my opinion, hope this helps and good luck.

'neer88

[pioneer88]

Sorry, I know I've blabbed far too much already but....

I saw that a concern was the closing of the ammunition plant. Luckily the community has seen the importance of the area. Day and Zimmerman the company that has run the plant since the early 90's is still going to be there. This company makes smaller munitions and fills it's own contracts instead of being a goverment owned plant. So it is much smaller than the 10,000 people it employed at it's peak in WWII but it is still a part of it. Also the area is being turned into Great Plains Industrial Park. Recently I saw a biofuels research company plans to move into the park. Which is something I like to see the area being at the forefront of energy research. Anyway hopefully they can utilize all that space for great economic development with diverse industries.

I couldn't link it because you have to subscribe but I thought I'd post it. Sorry for the length.

Parsons Sun

In mid-June, the Great Plains Development Authority announced it had entered into a teaming agreement with General Atomics to locate a biofuels research and development project in the Great Plains Industrial Park being formed on the redeveloped land of the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant.

The project, named Great Plains BioENERGY, is a consortium of private industry and leading researchers, focused on alternative renewable sources of energy. The program proposes combining two historic Kansas industries, oil and agriculture.

General Atomics is one of the world's leading resources for high-technology systems development, ranging from the nuclear fuel cycle to remotely operated surveillance aircraft, airborne sensors and advanced electric, electronic, wireless and laser technologies.

General Atomics will partner with consortium members Kansas State University and the Kansas Polymer Institute at Pittsburg State University as well.

A brochure released by General Atomics this week states that it will "provide algae-derived biofuel expertise, facility design and construction and project management" for the Great Plains BioENERGY project.

K-State, in conjunction with its Bioprocessing and Industrial Value Added Program and Advanced Manufacturing Institute Center of Excellence, "will provide bio-mass evaluation and optimization, economic and cost impact modeling, and scale-up of process required for value-added products."

PSU's Kansas Polymer Research Center will provide development of value-added products from algae-derived biocrude oil.

The GPDA, the redeveloper of the KSAAP, will act as a liaison for political representation and coordination of the plant facilities and infrastructure for the pilot plant.

The goal of the program is to develop a bio-fuel industry in Kansas, demonstrate and commercialize the production of algal-derived bio-fuel from cellulosic materials, construct and operate a 1 million to 2 million gallon/year technology development pilot plant and begin facility construction within four months of the contract award.

"This cellulosic-derived biofuel project will be beneficial for the Kansas economy as it is sustainable, good for the environment and exportable to other locations within the state, nation and world. The biomass processing and fuel production will be performed in Kansas, thus increasing the number of jobs in the state," the brochure states.

The consortium's project hits on target as the new Obama administration moves toward demanding increased alternative energy and fuel sources and production to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and reduce dependency on oil imports.

Concerns have risen in the last year as demands for biofuels have risen.

For example, Polytechnic University research professors James Jordan and James Powell said in a Washington Post article that using all of the country's prime agricultural land to produce corn, soybeans and other crops for the production of bio-fuel, and not food to feed the world, would still not meet the demand for transport fuel in this country.

Add to that, cellulosic bio-fuel, or fuel produced from wood, grasses and non-edible parts of plants like corn stover, and it would still not produce enough bio-fuel to Americans' transportation fuel demands.

Numerous other research articles concur that biofuels through usage of agricultural food crops, is not the solution.

However, General Atomics may have realized a means by which not to cause devastating impacts on agriculture and land, and meet fuel consumption needs, by combining cellulosic bio-fuel technology with algae-derived bio-fuel technology.

Unlike corn and soybeans, which can only be harvested once in a season, if grown in the right conditions, algae can double its weight overnight. Thus, algae can be harvested every day. The oil produced by the algae can be converted into biodiesel and the carbohydrate content-forming starches can be fermented into ethanol. In addition, 50 percent of algae's weight is in oil

Solix Biofuels in Fort Collins, Colo., one of several start-up companies using algae to produce bio-fuel, states that soy produces around 50 gallons of oil per acre per year, while canola produces about 150 gallons, and palm, around 650 gallons. However, algae is expected to produce 10,000 gallons of oil per acre per year, with the possibility of producing even more.

Besides the benefit to saving cropland and food production, cellulostic bio-fuel production is more environmentally sound. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that using cellulosic ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent, unlike bio-fuel produced from corn.

[undecided1234]

Thanks everyone ! ! You've all been a great help. I'm going to go on a second interview with the potential employer this weekend and we'll see what becomes of it. Anyhow, thanks again.

[prairie guy]

Good that you are visiting the town....my view...

Don't worry about it being right to raise kids, it's perfect for that...plenty of activities for kids and unlike a big city, your kid does not have to be a "star" to be involved..

Here's something to consider--as in any Kansas town, the cost of living is low and housing very cheap compared to where you have lived. If you have a house in Atlanta, you can sell it and live like a king in Parsons. But housing does not appreciate (or depreciate) much in Parsons, so if you are looking to move back to the an urban area a few years from now, you'll only get a modest return on selling your house.

Parsons will have plenty of family type activities--and unless you attend the grand opera every week, you'll be able to find enough activities if not locally then within a reasonable drive to keep you entertained.

Unlike other small towns, Parsons offers you a choice of public school districts because the boundaries between Parsons schools and Labette County schools split the town. The latter has several small old-fashioned K-8 schools rather than the grade school/middle school model. Labette County Hi is considered more for the "ag" kids but LCHS also has a superb theater program, so initial looks can be deceiving. Investigate both and choose!

Overall, Parsons has a bit of a negative connotation in comparison to nearby areas, but I'm sure that if you can afford to buy into a "nicer" part of Parsons (and it won't take a fortune) it can be a very good move for your family. If the stories about Parsons really scare you (they shouldn't), there are countryside homes (with acreage!) just outside town, or Independence to the west, Erie to the north, or other smaller towns to the east and south are very commutable.

Do let us know how it all shakes out!

[grumpyfarmer]

I would be very very cautious of moving to Parsons KS it is a lousy place to raise kids look at there school profile they are even under the averages for the state and on disciplinary action.The city book keeping is a lot to be desired and even wondered how legal it really is. Unethical unpractical non respective city council the town needs to be audited by the state and the actions need to be reviewed by the ethics comity of Kansas along with the league of municipalities there needs to be recalls on commissioners and mangers need to be fired we should have a state investigation into the affairs of the city of Parsons KS along with a grand jury investigation.

This town dose not rate to move to I would strongly suggest to reconsider any effort of moving into the area you will be greatly disappointed. There are a great many places in the state of Kansas with out moving to Parsons Kansas. Good luck and Keep looking.

[pioneer88]

"look at there school profile"

Here's the district website - www.vikingnet.net hope this helps.