Topeka - how different is this gonna be - possible relocation (Kansas City: house, find a job)

[morriganwind]

Possible relocation in my future. Hubby and I are DINKs. We currently live outside of Houston. I dislike Houston a great deal even though I was born here (prefer international locales and larger cities). At least in Houston there are museums, sci-fi conventions, activities of a non-religious bent.

Here's my question. Is there anything to do in Topeka? Are there cultural things to do? Will it simply be a community where all people there do is go to church related activities? Are there any international restaurants?

How racist and anti-LGBTIA is the area?

I'm not looking forward to this possible relocation. Hopefully, he'll be able to work from home especially since I finally got a librarian gig and Kansas seems about as friendly to education as Texas is.

Thanks

[Mattks]

What is a dink?

Well, Topeka (I live here btw) is about as far as one can get from being an international or large city. Topeka has decent suburbs, but the inner city isn't great and there are not many entertainment options, especially for a city of almost 200K. It's a slow paced life here and while not as conservative as the rest of Kansas, it's still more conservative then not. I have some gay friends here and they have never had issues and I happen to be in an interracial marriage and have never had issues. I'm also an atheist, so another way I am an odd man out, but it never causes problems. But I never press anything either. I'm not particularly liberal, and I grew up here, so maybe I am used to how things are.

Kansas, and Topeka in particular have decent schools, better then the national average by a decent amount, but things have declined since Brownback was elected.

The state of Kansas (under Brownback) legalised discrimination towards lgbt, but most schools and most businesses still keep non-discriminatory practices.

I don't think Topeka is for you, but if you are LGBT or a minority, I don't think those things will cause issues for you, unless you are very public about it.

On another note, Topeka is a cheap place to live and the people are friendly, for whatever that is worth. Topeka could almost be described as a miniature Houston.

[morriganwind]

DINK = dual income no kids.

Thanks for the honesty. We're quiet for the most part, but pretty liberal. Hubby has long hair but as he's a consultant, weirdness is the norm. Most librarians are pretty liberal and weird (I have purple, teal, and blue in my hair), so I'm getting the sense this may not be a place for us.

Again thank you for the 411.

[Mattks]

Originally Posted by morriganwind

DINK = dual income no kids.

Thanks for the honesty. We're quiet for the most part, but pretty liberal. Hubby has long hair but as he's a consultant, weirdness is the norm. Most librarians are pretty liberal and weird (I have purple, teal, and blue in my hair), so I'm getting the sense this may not be a place for us.

Again thank you for the 411.

You may consider Lawrence, Kansas. Cost of living is a little higher, but it's a weirdo friendly city. For a city of its size it has a lot of entertainment, there probably a dozen clubs, numerous bars, a very fun Main Street. The suburbs are also nice and quiet, so you can get the best of both worlds. I lived in Lawrence for a year and it wasn't for me, but it might fit you nicely.

Topekas library isn't huge, but it's nice and I'm pretty sure most if not all the employees are somewhat liberal.

[morriganwind]

Good to know if I gotta start looking for work. Took me about a year to find a job here though (huge number of librarians here and very few jobs). I still drive about 60 miles round trip for a commute which is annoying but unfortunately my job isn't in demand. I love it, but nobody really uses library resources much and the services are the first to go whenever there is a budget crunch in a city, college, or business.

[Rivertowntalk]

Topeka has an International House of Pancakes. That's about it for International restaurants. Colorful hair is neat, but it may not help you get a job in Topeka. It may not help you get a job in Lawrence either.

[Mattks]

Originally Posted by Rivertowntalk

Topeka has an International House of Pancakes. That's about it for International restaurants. Colorful hair is neat, but it may not help you get a job in Topeka. It may not help you get a job in Lawrence either.

Hey, that's ones of my favourite restaurants.

Actually, our restaurant selection has greatly improved in just the last 2-3 years, but it's still lacking a lot of variety. No Greek, Filipino, anything Eastern European, no middle eastern. We have gotten some new Indian, Japanese, Italian, and a variety of American style restaurants. A bunch of new bars doing various foods and a lot of them are actually good.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

I would second the suggestion that you look into living in Lawrence, especially if your husband is not required to go to the office everyday. It is quite liberal, very LGBT friendly, and has a lot more to do. Since you are willing to drive a long distance for work living in Lawrence may also give you the option of looking for jobs in the Kansas City suburbs if necessary. Good luck!

[morriganwind]

Thanks so much. I really appreciate the news on this. Lawrence may be an option. Still hoping the hubby can work from our current home and do some travelling as he's needed. I hate moving period.

[empires228]

I'm going to third the suggestion for Lawrence. Lawrence is home to the University of Kansas, which is a larger research university, so the town is pretty liberal and has a lot to offer. There are a lot of State government employees and Washburn teachers who live in Lawrence and commute to Topeka because Lawrence is seen as safer and more clean town, but Topeka definitely beats them out in the retail market. Lawrence beats them out in schools, safety, restaurant variety, and entertainment, but retail has issues thriving there because they're in Topeka and two huge shopping areas in suburban Kansas City.

The drive from Lawrence to Topeka is a really easy one, as is the drive to the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties. You pay for the amenities with a marginally higher cost-of-living (mostly associated with housing prices more so than anything else), but it fits the bill of what you're looking for! Douglass County does consistently vote blue come election time.