Empty nesters relo to Wichita: best areas? (Derby, El Dorado: rent, how much)

[roxfan]

Just found out we'll be relocating to Wichita. I may have to be there in a couple of weeks to start work, but truly don't know when we'll be in the market for a home. Hopefully, should be within the next few months. Just her and I, kids are grown and gone, not old enough to retire. I'll be working on base. Looking for a quiet area, preferably with a short commute. Don't necessarily want a cookie-cutter neighborhood, but that might be okay if there's some elbow room between homes. Proximity to schools not a concern. Greenways or other walking paths nearby would be great. Heard that Derby and Andover are nice.

Looking forward to your advice.

[KevK]

Originally Posted by roxfan

Just found out we'll be relocating to Wichita. I may have to be there in a couple of weeks to start work, but truly don't know when we'll be in the market for a home. Hopefully, should be within the next few months. Just her and I, kids are grown and gone, not old enough to retire. I'll be working on base. Looking for a quiet area, preferably with a short commute. Don't necessarily want a cookie-cutter neighborhood, but that might be okay if there's some elbow room between homes. Proximity to schools not a concern. Greenways or other walking paths nearby would be great. Heard that Derby and Andover are nice.

Looking forward to your advice.

Most everyplace in Wichita is nice. There are a few dangerous areas such as Planeview and a small area on the NE side but the rest of the city is pretty much decent. Derby and Andover are nice too but you are gonna pay high school taxes there. As for your commute, there is no such thing as "traffic" in Wichita really. The longest commute from anywhere to anywhere is probably 20 minutes at most.

[roxfan]

Sounds good. Especially the commuting part. I know that some folks out there have had long commutes in their careers, but I've been in Albuquerque doing 30 minute commutes in the morning at 6 am and 40 to 60 minutes at 4:30 for the past 5 years. You never get used to it, and I'm looking forward to a change on that front.

Are Derby and Andover areas where they've had a lot of new construction in the past few years? They don't look far enough away from Wichita to really be considered "bedroom communities", but it seems like a good number of homes in those areas have a lot of new homes going up (hence the "specials", right?).

[chaseystarz]

Derby's a quaint small town. Most of the homes there are newer. However, expect to pay high school taxes and a really high water bill as Derby gets their water from Wichita. They've added some new shopping - Dillions Market Place, Target, Kohl's and some dining. I went to Derby High back in the 90s when nothing was there. I still have friends that live done there that I go down to Derby every so often.

Andover is out in Butler county and they pay some of the highest property tax rates in Kansas.

I lived in Derby for a few years when I was going to WSU. The drive got pretty boring after awhile and having to deal with traffic to and from Derby can be a little taxing. There are times it can be pretty heavily traveled on K-15 Highway and Oliver. I haven't had to drive down Rock Road since they added all the shopping, but from what I heard it can get pretty busy.


It all boils down to how much do you want to spend, where you want to live by and if you want newer housing versus older.

[vb_guy]

If you're looking for newer housing, you can also look in NE Wichita. There are several golf course communities there (Tallgrass, Willowbend, and Crestview), and the property taxes will be lower than Andover. There are also newer housing developments north and east of K-96, which runs around that side of Wichita. If you prefer the older architecture, you should look at College Hill or Crown Heights. The primary differences between the neighborhoods are the size of homes and the price (Crown Heights is lower in both). Downtown is only a few minutes away, most east-side shopping and restaurants are within 10 minutes, and there is easy access to Kellogg.

[drjones96]

Originally Posted by chaseystarz

Derby's a quaint small town. Most of the homes there are newer. However, expect to pay high school taxes and a really high water bill

I won't dispute the taxes. On average the property taxes on any given home in Derby will be around 2%. Still lower than where I previoiusly lived (2.4%) but still more than most want to pay.

But the water bill? Please. My average bill for the year is $35/mo. During the hottest 2-3 summer months when I have to water my yard it gets as astronomically high <sarcasm> as $70/mo. Oh man I may have to file for bankruptsy if i have to keep watering my yard <obvious sarcasm>.

[StuckinOZ]

Andover is really nice in many areas, and not that far from McConnell. It is on the edge of the Flint Hills, so it is a rockier and more rolling environment. Derby is east of the base and it's nice too...closer to the base than Andover but pretty flat. Derby is more of an Air Force town being so close to the base. Andover is close to a small lake (Santa Fe Lake) and not that far from state park in El Dorado with a good fishing lake. I've lived in Derby and there is the advantage of a shorter commute, but if I had to choose between the two, I'd go for Andover.

[roxfan]

Thanks for the replies, all. I guess I'm about to find out first hand: we're arriving next Thursday, and I start work that following Monday. Now I just need to find a place to stay for a while (we have to sell our place in Albuquerque before we buy in Wichita).

"See" you soon.

[JoCo freak]

i have forgotten what it is called, but if you are looking for BIG houses, go to east wichita, or if your not, then pretty much any place is fine.

[KevK]

Originally Posted by roxfan

Thanks for the replies, all. I guess I'm about to find out first hand: we're arriving next Thursday, and I start work that following Monday. Now I just need to find a place to stay for a while (we have to sell our place in Albuquerque before we buy in Wichita).

"See" you soon.

If I were you, I would rent an apt for 6 months and get a feel for the area before you commit to anything. Rents in Wichita are dirt cheap and there are lots of nice apt complexes there.