Atchison/Emporia/Lawrence----Seeking Information (Kansas City, Topeka: sales, apartments, rent)

[NancherrowGirl]

I want to move back to the Kansas area where I once lived.

I hope to go back in the New Year to check these three out...Lawrence, Atchison and Emporia.

Lawrence I am familiar with (or as it was two decades ago.)

I need good information especially on Atchison and Emporia.

Do they have a strong sense of community---friendly people? Does the college have an impact on the community? Where it is a more interesting place to live because of it?
Do they have decent shopping...and/or interesting shopping? (Doesn't have to be big department stores...but maybe shops to poke around in.)

I want to live in a college town, a small college town.
I would like the housing to be affordable (Lawrence is much higher as I have found out.)
I would like for it not to feel like it was an unbearable distance from a larger city....or a difficult commute to a larger city.
I would like it to have a bit of culture, some creative people, and be tolerant and welcoming of people who didn't grow up there...some veggie food place/shop would be nice, too (does Emporia/Atchison have this?)


Is it unbearable in the summer?? I don't mind the cold as much as the heat...and I remember Lawrence being really humid in the summer.

The one thing that concerns me is....do Emporia and Atchison feel really isolated from Kansas City? I would need to get to an airport once in a while. Emporia, especially feels like it is in the middle of nowhere---but I want to go back to school and they have some programs I am interested in. If you live there, do you "feel" isolated? Or is it okay for you? Same for Atchison....if anyone lives there hope you will respond.

How safe is it...?

I realize that Lawrence might fit all my criteria...but for the housing I would like to get...Lawrence is just really much higher. It's not crossed off my list, yet....just would like to know more about Atchison and Emporia.



Thank you.

[thriftylefty]

Lawrence will fit most of your criteria, you might also want to consider the fact that Lawrence has a bus system, and also there is a bus that commutes to Johnson County Community College from Lawrence. I think the cost is relatively cheap $11.00 per week I think.

Your rent will be higher in Lawrence but transportation cost may be less . I don't think the weather will vary much from either location
I don't think anyone thinks of art and culture and Atchison at the same time (sorry Atchison)

[kanhawk]

Of the 2 other towns besides Lawrence, I prefer Atchison over Emporia. Atchison is a bit more of a historical town with some nice old buildings and historic old houses.It also has some nice views of the Missouri River from the bluffs on the east side of town. Emporia is a bit more bland to me although Emporia is larger and has more services and shopping areas.
Both towns have a college. Emporia has Emporia State. Atchison has Benedictine College.
Both towns have roughly the same crime rate. As far as temperature goes, Atchison is just slightly cooler in the summer, but really, in Kansas there isn't anywhere to escape the summer heat.
Atchison also has much easier access to the Kansas City airport. The airport is on the north side of the city and from there is a relatively short drive up to Atchison.

[j_k_k]

My aunt works at ESU and my family come from the next county over; probably half of them have lived in Emporia and/or attended ESU at some point. It's farther from KCI than Lawrence, of course, but when I fly home, my cousin drives from west of Emporia and picks me up, and it's not a huge hardship. Given the adjacent access to the turnpike, I don't think people there feel isolated.

I would describe Emporia as quiet. Shopping...well, it has a quiet little downtown, but shopping is modest. For significant shopping one would go up or down the turnpike. It does have a certain amount of civic spirit, and a generally polite air. I might retire there due to the relatively low cost of living. If I did, I would have a lot of company, because Emporia's got a lot of older people.

[KsJayhawker]

Ditto on what most others have said...

I have lived in Lawrence for the past 20 yrs and my mother in-law has lived in Emporia for 20 yrs.

<Do they have a strong sense of community---friendly people?>

Lawrence is a very diverse community and has a strong sense of welcoming of all races/sexes/religions/etc. We have strong neighbor associations who hold varied political positions throughout the systems.

<Does the college have an impact on the community?>

Oh definitely...As the major employer and all around best sales tax generator, Lawrence is all about the University of Kansas...albeit, you do not necessarily need to bleed Jayhawk colors but it helps if you want to have a good time I am very pleased how the University administration and the City of Lawrence administrators work together on issues...it helps that 90% of the city administrators are KU graduates and the mgt. graduated from KU's prestigious Public Administration program.

<Where it is a more interesting place to live because of it?>

This really depends on what you are looking for...living close to downtown will get you the restaurants, nightlife, shopping, transit system, etc...but you will pay for the location.. Remember, this is a college town, keeping that in mind, noise is prevalent to the Oread Neighborhood where most of the kids live.

<Do they have decent shopping...and/or interesting shopping? (Doesn't have to be big department stores...but maybe shops to poke around in.)>

Downtown Lawrence continues to thrive with small businesses; however, a trend is moving towards more bars and corporate restaurants, which has divided the community. Recent development on the southern edge of the city has brought a mixture of large department stores/corporate restaurants. A large development west of the city is in the mix right now as well as the east side of town. The west side of town is where all of the new development is being focused on right now.

<I want to live in a college town, a small college town.>

Lawrence is still small and has the small town feel...takes less than 25 minutes to get from one side of the city to the other...population is around 90,000.

<I would like the housing to be affordable (Lawrence is much higher as I have found out.)>

The city has seen a boom in duplexes and apartment buildings throughout the city. Rent runs anywhere from $300 for a one-bedroom up to $900 for a 3 bedroom. Just figure $300 per bedroom and this does not include utilities. Some of the new apartments have real nice amenities (great pools, fitness facilities, meeting rooms, computer rooms, and transportation services- mainly to the campus). If you are interested in buying a home, home prices have flattened some what due to the economy and it is a buyer's market here right now, something Lawrence has not seen in the past 15 years. If price is a major consideration, look at Eudora which is 6 miles east of Lawrence or Baldwin City, which is about 15 miles southeast (Baldwin City is a really nice small community). Both offer substantially lower housing but you lose the close amenities. Just remember that Lawrence is only about 15-20 miles from Topeka and 35-40 miles from Kansas City.

<Is it unbearable in the summer?? I don't mind the cold as much as the heat...and I remember Lawrence being really humid in the summer. >

Anywhere in the State, you will experience humidity...eastern Kansas is much less than western Kansas..We are a four season state

I do not have any first hand experience of Atchison or Emporia other than visiting... Hope this info on Lawrence helps, we do have a GREAT city that is envied by many in the state and Kansas City area.

[rruss07]

I"m writing a screen play and I have chosen Emporia, Kansas as the protagonist's hometown. I have chosen Emporia primarily for its geographical and symbolic qualities ... the heart of America. She (my protagonist) was born there and grew up there, but went to college at KU. It would be of great help if someone could offer me some sense of what it is like growing up in Emporia. Are there a set of common values peculiar to Emporia? Is the community particularly religious or secularist? What is the quality of education my character might encounter? Are there common or known prejudices? What kind of specific knowledge would someone from Emporia possess ..i.e. farming, livestock care, manufacturing? What kind of attitudes might my character possess after growing up in Emporia, and then attending KU? What Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Warning ... I'll have more questions.

[empires228]

This isn't going to be much help but Emporia is a college town on the interstate that doesn't have passenger train service anymore and sent all their Somalian refugees to Garden City and Doge City when their largest employer Tyson basically shut down. The people seem friendly and I have heard good things about the college, which by the way has a beautiful campus. They also have a nice newer McDonalds out by Wal-mart and a scary Trailer park behind the Roadway Inn.

I don't know much else hardly ever go there hope that helps.

[GraniteStater]

Your best bet is Lawrence. I don't find Emporia or Atchison particularly desirable places nor would I recommend buying properties in those areas as it would be extremely difficult to sell or be a money making venture. I would also recommend looking into Manhattan. That area and the Topeka through KC metro corridor are pretty much the only areas of the state with any future growth prospects at all.

[tytyguy]

There is no question about it. You should move to lawrence. One of the best places to live in kansas if you like to party and want to live in a college town.

[Fr. John]

"and sent all their Somalian refugees to Garden City and Doge City when their largest employer Tyson basically shut down." - Empires 228

Well, that IS a good piece of news...for Emporia. Coming from Minne-Mogadishu, with the only (so far) Muslim 'Congressperson', I can tell you, Minnesota nice is wearing thin on the Somalian issue. So, in considering Kansas, this IS a nice thing to know- from a native-born American.