Grenola ks?? (Wichita, Derby, Winfield: home, job market, buying)

[cal007]

Can someone tell me anything about grenola ks or some of the towns around there?

[GraniteStater]

Grenola is a very small town located in Elk County Kansas in the southern part of the Flint Hills region. The whole region is rural with only about 3000 people living in Elk County. The nearest towns would be Arkansas City, Winfield, and Coffeyville. Wichita is more of a drive, and is located further to the West. I do not think their are many jobs in the area, and the county is one of the poorest in the state. The area does tend to attract more retired people who want a rural small town.

[Paul_Bettes]

Man! It's been years since I've been to grenola. My grandparents used to live there a long time ago, and I don't really remember that much about it. They moved to Severy in the '70s.

[nl67124]

I didn't realize anyone else knew that grenola, ks existed, except maybe the 200 and some odd residents there. Grenola is a small town that use to be a huge booming town of 10000 in the days of cattle drives. You can learn all about it in the museum. 8 miles to the east is the town of Moline. Bigger, but still not much else to do besides drink beer and talk cattle. Cambridge, Burden, and Atlanta to the west add more to the excitement.

Paul Bettes, can I ask you who your parents are. I used to call Elk Co. home a few years ago. Sad to say, not much there, but some of the people are pretty nice.

[Paul_Bettes]

My Grandparents were Harold and Jeanette Woods. My grandfather worked in a rock quary in moline for many years.

[prairie guy]

Cal007, congrats on finding about the area--it is not well known even among Kansans. (Are you from California?) The area has hills, is green, nearby rivers and some lakes and quite pleasant--not your steretypical view of the state.

But, as plains 10 says, no real job market and much distance to bigger cities. If you need a job, come out first on "vacation" and plan to work hard researching what is available. If you are retiring, then area is a very viable option. As in most rural Kansas, buying property is amazingly cheap.

Grenola itself is quite small--biz district really just one block and not much there, but has a museum (closed unfortunately day I drove thru couple months ago).

Agree with nl you might check out Moline (attractive village straddling a stream), Cambridge at least has a store and gas station, and Burden so big you might just call it a town; nl also mentions Atlanta but it is my least favorite of the group cuz it is has the least natural beauty, tho it is the closest to Wichita, if that is important.

At any rate I think you would be pleasantly surprised upon a visit. All the best.

[fishbowl]

How did those towns do during the flooding this year?

Janet

[brokenbutterfli]

Originally Posted by fishbowl

How did those towns do during the flooding this year?

I grew up in Burden and went to school for part of my youth in both Grenola and Atlanta. Burden never floods, neither does Cambridge (just gets tornadoes), nor Grenola. Of course the roads surrounding most of these towns (mostly dirt/gravel) do wash out when there's heavy rainfall. If you want to get away, Grenola is as far from anywhere as you can possibly get. The people arent always nice if you're an outsider, but if you can say that your grandfather's uncle's cousin's best friend's ex sister on their mother's side lived/worked/married in that town you're in.

[caneyriverranch]

My husband and I went to Grenola the first time about 2 years ago. It is 55 miles from our home in Derby, Ks. We decided to buy a farm in Grenola because of the friendly people as well as the beautiful Flint Hills. This year has been particularly spectacular with all the rain we've had. The hills are the greenest I've ever seen for this time of year. We plan to build a home there when we retire. Believe it or not, we know of at least 3 other couples who have either bought property there or would like to. Although the town doesn't have a whole lot to offer, and yes the townspeople all stare at you when you walk into the one restaurant town, just say hi and you'll see how friendly they all are. We love it. I've lived in California and Arizona where there are so many people and so much traffic, and I can tell you it's a breath of fresh air to watch the beautiful sunsets over the hills, and at night, you won't believe the stars. It's a great place to get away from it all!

[thedeerskinner]

I have lived in Grenola most of my life, its a great place to be a kid in,lots of woods,rocks,streams,swimming holes.lots of wildlife,turkey,squirrels,deer,coyotes,and lots and lots of good fishing.bass,crappy,catfish,so if you like to hunt or fish its a great place to be.our water here is not drinkable for parts of the year, and there are warnings sent out by the city that there are hazards from long term consumtion.so be prepared with a fitler system or bottled water for drinking.alot of pesticides and fertilizers are used in the area, and people spray for weeds or to kill trees,and it washs into the big caney river. our water source. the lower areas are prone to flooding,the town itself is on a small hill with good veiws of the flint hills,jobs are scarce in the area and some residents drive up to 60-140 miles a day,so even a good paying job is hard to do. its about a 80 mile round trip to winfield, or about the same to Independence,the closest towns with stores with affordable foods,the trick living here is to grow a garden,raise some chickens,goats, pigs,or just go hunting or fishing, there are some websites about Grenola. if you would like to know more contct me at thedeerskinner@yahoo.com or check out my pics at thedeerskinner@myspace.com peace and love. many blessings. Todd Sweet