What do you dislike about Kansas? (Lawrence, Wamego: house, neighborhood, high school)

[AnywhereElse]

(1) Two seasons: Hot & Wet, and Cold & Wet, (2) High taxes (3) High prices for goods and services when it is supposed to be a low cost area (4) low wages of captive populations (5) high cost of health insurance because the state has such a list of what must be provided that most can't afford it (6) high taxes with limited services (7) that myth that people are friendly in the smaller towns (most want you to visit, spend money and go home) - stay around larger cities preferably with military populations so you won't be alone (8) abortion, especially late term (9) they won't pass that law that keeps sexual offenders from living next door to the schools and other places that kids get together - so generally with 8 & 9 - moral issues that conflict with mine. Have lived in 5 Kansas towns from 800 people to 40,000 people and 4 other states.

[j_k_k]

What I dislike about Kansas is that when people ask you where you are from, and you tell them, 80% of them blurt something idiotic from the Wizard of Oz. And you can't win. Having heard it several hundred times, if it was ever funny, it no longer is, so you can hardly pretend to laugh. But if you don't act like it's the first time you ever heard the joke--either by long-suffering strained silence, or outright scowling--you come off churlish. I just wish that story had been set in Missouri. (Although, maybe the author considered that, and realized that a story in which no one wore shoes would sound a little odd.)

[Samantha S]

I grew up in western KS. Much less precipitation out there. Although this year they had some unusual late season rains.

But for weather I prefer the Eastern side. The wind out west is one of the things I dislike. (When I moved East, one of the first things I noticed was, "Hey! The snow falls vertically here!" I was used to seeing it only snow horizontally! :-)

I went to school in Manhattan, and weatherwise that was nice. Being in a little bit of a valley cuts the wind.

It's still cold though, and I don't care for that. I could do without the 6-8 weeks of bitter cold that we get. And ice storms, I could do without those too, but everyplace has its weather issues I guess. <shrug>

As for small town life, well, it's probably not much different in KS than in other surrounding states. Many of the small town in KS were started by a group of people from the same area of Europe. For example, Hays has predominantly Volga (Russian) German roots. Other small towns have similar beginnings. So while the people are generally friendly (and it's fun to visit when they have traditional celebrations) the people can also take time to warm up to strangers for the long haul.

Unfortunately, racism is also still quite prevalent in the small towns (and sometimes the big towns too.) There are very few black people in the small towns of KS (other than JoCo or the towns with universities) and Mexican people are not welcomed either. It's frustrating to see the wheels of change grind so slowly.

Politically, I also wish for more moderation. But I don't expect to see it any time soon.

As for forest preserves, well -- KS never has had forests TO preserve!

Lots of interesting history here if you look for it though.

[LabGirl]

1. the frigid weather
2. lack of natural beauty
3. lack of outdoor activities

[CaseyRyan]

I just moved from Lawrence, KS to Austin, TX and I have to say that I LOVE Kansas! I hate the hot weather in Texas and I REALLY miss the (YES!) 4 true seasons that DO exist in Kansas. I will say though that Northeast Kansas is the only area of Kansas that I think I could live. I'm not too much a fan of Western Kansas, although I have not lived there. In NE Kansas, you aren't ever really far away from anything that you might need. Airport, Passenger Trains, Big Box stores (besides Wal-mart, as we all know they love to be the only store for miles), international grocers, quality hospitals, varying specialists, and lets not forget a little culture (meaning something other than Caucasian Christians...)

[ambient]

mainly that it's boring as hell. I'm much more of a big city person than a tiny village in the sticks person.

[athfo]

Things I dislike:

- The negative attitudes held by those who live here toward the state
- The stereotypical Wizard of Oz references by those who do not live here

Things I like:

- The awe-inspiring Flint Hills
- The weather. Yes, we actually do have 4 seasons, contrary to popular belief
- The friendliness of the people. At least in bigger cities, everyone is accepting of most people

[silverhaired51]

The snow is pretty, but when you have to make a needed trip into town, 10 miles away, I don't like it. But, the snow has put me more in a holiday mood.

[Johnny Bananas]

The things that I hate about Kansas (mainly the JoCo area):
1. As everyone is saying: the weather. I seriously hate the winters here. The snow and cold and then the ice storms that we get. I would rather have Houston's hot and humid summers than have to deal with this weather that we have right now.
2. Lack of real entertainment. The majority of entertainment is downtown; in Missouri. There is not a venue like Sprint Center/Kemper arena around here.
3. As for the small-towns like Gardner (even though it is expanding) and Wellsville, they are redneck towns. I lived in both towns and when I told them I was from O.P., they gave me this god-awful expression. Needless to say, I would never live in a small-town.
4. No natural beauty. I have to drive west (which I rarely do) to see all the hills/plains.
5. Not close to any major cities. St. Louis is pretty much the closest but that's what? a 5/6 hour drive?? I prefer to have something like Dallas then I can drive to Austin.

I do like the people here. I have something to do here with my job, school, and volunteering. The only thing that makes me want to move is the weather and maybe a bigger city.

[JHG722]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

1) The huge brain drain= TALENT POOL EXODUS
2) The horrible weather
3) the overtly conservative politics
4) JOCO
5) Lack of good jobs in my career field
6) Horrible scenery and outdoor recreation overall

They're that bad?