Living in Topeka (Shawnee, Carbondale, Silver Lake: low crime, buying a house, safe area)

[darinb]

I am looking for some help, I have been accepted to Law School at Washburn and am contemplating acceptance and a move to Topeka. I am not your traditional law student as I am 41 with a wife and 3 children 6-12 years old. I am concerned about the crime rate and where to live. I live in a small town of 300 folks, so small is not a concern and neither is culture. I would like a good public school system where my kids can be safe and play in the yard without worrying about drive by shootings. My wife is a certified K-6 teacher and will be seeking employment. I am wondering if anyone can give me a good lead on which side of town and where to be and not to be. Any help would be appreciated.

Darin

[Hueffenhardt]

I have lived in Topeka for the past year and am currently buying a house here as well. Currently, I live on the SW side of Topeka in the Auburn-Washburn School District. Most people familiar with Topeka consider Auburn-Washburn School District to be the nicest area to live in. It is mostly outside of the city limits, but part of it still is in the city limits. There are no bad neighborhoods in that district; and it is the most expensive school district to live in. One highlight of this area is the proximity to the nice/new big box stores on Wanamaker such as Best Buy and Dick's Sporting Goods.

I am buying a house in the Seaman school district which is north of Topeka, mostly out of the city limits. A little of this district is south of US 24, and I would not recommend living in that part. But, most of the rest of Seaman School District is quite nice and has more of a rural feel to it especially as you go north. I would avoid the small area called Elmont within Seaman School District. I find Seaman the second most desirable district to live in around Topeka.

Yet, another nice area and good school system is Jefferson West School District. It is located northeast of Topeka. Many of the homes in this area are very close to Perry Lake. Meriden, itself, is alright and safe, but might not be to everyone's liking. Meriden feels like a close community that is family oriented, but the homes are on the lower end of middle class. Yet, you might really like it since you are coming from a very small town. For that same reason you might really like Auburn in the Auburn-Washburn School District.

The next area I would recommend is the Shawnee Heights School District, which is SE of the city, especially near Lake Shawnee. The homes and neighborhoods are nice.

All of the areas I have recommended are mostly outside the Topeka city limits. One is pretty much guaranteed low crime outside of the city limits. There are many nice and safe areas inside the city limits, but they are scattered about in various pockets all about the city. Generally, the areas get nicer the further west one goes. Personally, I don't want my kids to be within the Topeka 501 school district which is most of the city itself. The schools aren't that bad, but the ones outside of the city are better.

Other small towns you might like depending on how far you are willing to drive are Silver Lake, Rossville, Ozawkie, Hoyt, and Carbondale.

[quesera]

Hoyt does have good schools, but property taxes here are a little high if you live in town. There are many homes, in a variety of price ranges, on the market, here. Definitely a buyer's market. The drive from here to Washburn would be about 20-25 minutes. Hoyt, BTW, is north of Topeka on hwy 75 (4 lane divided highway... speed limit 70), about 15 miles. Population is under 600.

[ShawKanAJ]

A general rule of thumb when deciding where to live would be: West of Wanamaker, South of 29th, East of Croco (maybe shorten it California), and North of Lower Silver Lake road. Obviously, there are places within those boundaries that are fine and those outside that are bad, but that's just a broad suggestion. Like Hueffenhardt said, the best areas are on the fringes of the city limits or just outside. The Shawnee Heights, Washburn Rural and Seaman districts are all fine schools and there is Hayden High School (private, Catholic) and all the other parochial/private schools. The USD 501 schools aren't terrible, but are obviously your last choice. Good luck!

[darinb]

Wow thanks for all the help, I just sent my seat deposit so I guess I will be moving to Topeka. I hope we can figure it out and it works well. At a minimum we will be there for three years and who knows if we like it!! Thanks again.

D