Hutchinson Neighborhoods? (Wichita, South Hutchinson, Buhler: to rent, houses, movie theater) - Kansas (KS) - City-Data Forum

riceme · 01-26-2010, 02:23 PM

I am a single woman and will be moving to Hutchinson in the very near future and will be looking to rent a home. Can anyone recommend good neighborhoods or suggest neighborhoods to steer clear of? I appreciate your feedback!

Hueffenhardt · 01-26-2010, 06:55 PM

I'd steer clear of anything south of 4th Ave, and the further south of 4th you go, the worse it gets. The neighborhoods and the houses are run down. I'd stay out of the town of South Hutchinson as well.

As for the the rest of the city of Hutch, it depends on what you are looking for. You can find some quaint historic homes in middle of the city from Monroe to Plum and between 4th and maybe 17th. There will also be some homes that have not been taken care of as well in that region.

The nicer, newer, and bigger homes are in the north of the city. That becomes especially true north of 30th, but north of 21st is also nice. And there are some nice homes out west off of 17th near Rice Park. I would stay away from anything east of HWY 61 and south of 30th as well.

You might want to check out the neighboring communities of Buhler and maybe Haven.

j_k_k · 01-26-2010, 07:10 PM

Do you think Hutch would be a good place to retire, hueffenhardt? I have roots there, went to McCandless, lived on E 14th St.

riceme · 01-26-2010, 07:12 PM

Thank you, Hueffenhardt. This is exactly the sort of information that I'm looking for. I appreciate it very much.

Hueffenhardt · 01-26-2010, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j_k_k

Do you think Hutch would be a good place to retire, hueffenhardt? I have roots there, went to McCandless, lived on E 14th St.

It depends on what you are looking for in retirement. The locals are very nice and friendly. The city has a little of 40,000 people, so it is big enough to have most of what you might want. There is a mall, a movie theater, a Walmart and Target, a Home Depot and Lowe's. Dillion Nature Center is very nice as is Carey Park and the zoo. The downtown shopping district is nice as well. Hutch has some nice parades and festivals and of course the state fair.

It is very windy. It is 45 minutes to Wichita which has over 300,000 people. Wichita would have almost anything else you need: airport, Best Buy, Olive Garden, etc.

Yoder is close and has the best little Amish restaurant called Carriage Crossing.

j_k_k · 01-26-2010, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hueffenhardt

It depends on what you are looking for in retirement. The locals are very nice and friendly. The city has a little of 40,000 people, so it is big enough to have most of what you might want. There is a mall, a movie theater, a Walmart and Target, a Home Depot and Lowe's. Dillion Nature Center is very nice as is Carey Park and the zoo. The downtown shopping district is nice as well. Hutch has some nice parades and festivals and of course the state fair.

It is very windy. It is 45 minutes to Wichita which has over 300,000 people. Wichita would have almost anything else you need: airport, Best Buy, Olive Garden, etc.

Yoder is close and has the best little Amish restaurant called Carriage Crossing.

Yes, I'm familiar with the region's geography and climate (and with the delights of breakfast at the CC). Was raised playing with in-town Mennonite kids and am not taken aback to see a buggy alert sign down south of town on a county road. My problem is that my knowledge of the area is, except for one visit in the last ten years, nearly forty years out of date. In retirement, I would mainly be seeking peace and quiet, maybe golf (I know the Carey Salt moguls built quite a course; whether I could afford it is another matter), and decent healthcare access. It's close to family in the Flint Hills and Wichita, so that part is pretty comfortable.

My experience in Wichita is actually rather more recent because of that aspect, so I know pretty much what it has (and I also know it wouldn't be my first choice in retirement, partly because of what it has that I don't want). On my last visit, we drove past our old place on E 14th (I remember very well being forbidden to ride my bike on Lorraine) and it seemed like kind of a dowdy neighborhood, not bad but nothing to get excited about. But it also looked like, if I were widowed or my wife and I just wanted to have a little house in a medium sized town, we could get a suitably sized place that wasn't too expensive.

Wonder if my old bud Michael King's still in town. Another old crony told me his dad had a car wash or some automotive business, got in trouble over pollution, had misfortune. Sorry, just musing here (on the off chance that the name or business rings a bell).

riceme · 01-27-2010, 05:23 AM

It seems like every thread I've read about Hutch mentions the Carriage Crossing in Yoder! I'll have to be sure to check that out when I get to town. What are some recommended restaurants or bars in Hutchinson?

j_k_k · 01-27-2010, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riceme

It seems like every thread I've read about Hutch mentions the Carriage Crossing in Yoder!

Going there is a good method of getting a farm breakfast from people who are not playing games when it comes to farm breakfast. Many of the ingredients are raised/grown/made right in the local area with old school knowledge and obviously high freshness. The rest of Yoder is a place to just drive through (there is a cemetery there full of Unruhs, Schrocks, Stoltzfuses and Yoders; in Reno county any time you sneeze, you hit one of the above).

Of course, it might also mean that there aren't many good breakfast places in Hutch proper. That I couldn't tell you.

riceme · 01-27-2010, 10:35 AM

Well, I am a big fan of a good, fresh country breakfast, so that is a good tip. Many thanks.

Hueffenhardt · 01-27-2010, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riceme

It seems like every thread I've read about Hutch mentions the Carriage Crossing in Yoder! I'll have to be sure to check that out when I get to town. What are some recommended restaurants or bars in Hutchinson?

I liked China Star - it has an excellent Chinese buffet.
A lot of people rave about the Anchor Inn and say it is great Mexican food. I think it is ok, but nothing to rave about.
Montana Mike's is good for steaks.
Braums has some really good shakes.
I wasn't impressed with any bars, however, there is a County Western dance club bar. I can't remember the name of it, but it is on 4th ave, east of Plum and west of HWY 61 on the north side of 4th. It seemed like a happening place, although I never went.