Everything you ever need to know about Wichita (Kansas City, Lawrence: appointed, fit in)
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So I'm bored at work and have been researching place to live. I was comparing Wichita (where I was born and raised) to other areas and I want to chime in with a little info.
Weather
The summer can get hot. Miserably hot. I don't mind the heat personally. We get some awesome violent storms. If you like severe weather you won't be disappointed.
The winter can be bitterly cold with sub zero wind chills. Also, there are a lot of overcast days in the winter which I find depressing.
Get used to windy days because we have a lot of them. I like to ride bikes and it's really hard to battle the wind.
Safety
We have a lot of police in this town. You sometimes see a car pulled over at night with 3 or 4 cop cars behind them. Seems a little excessive to me but whatever it takes to keep scumbags off the streets.
I rarely feel unsafe anywhere I go. There are a few places in the inner city that I would prefer to stay away from at night.
Crime
Compared to larger cities, Wichita isn't bad. People don't regularly get mugged or purse snatched. The biggest crime problems we have in Wichita is property crime (home and auto) related to drugs. There are a lot of drug addicts in this town. Meth seems to be a big problem in the Midwest right now and Wichita is no exception. Most of the time they will just break into your car and steal a stereo. Home burglaries seem to be on the rise from the data I was reviewing and I know several people whose homes have been robbed in a recent string of robberies. Having said that, I don't think it's enough to lose sleep over.
Domestic violence is a problem in lower income areas. These same areas have problems with stabbings and shootings related to gangs and drugs. My advice on how to avoid these areas is detailed in the section below.
The East Side/West Side Debate
If you have lived here for a while you will find that that there is big difference in opinion on which side of town is better. To me, it all depends on how far east or west you are talking about. See the info below for the info on "the good parts of town".
East: Stay north of central and east of rock road. This is all a nice area.
West: Anything west of Ridge road is safe. Anything west of Maize road is really nice.
Suburbs
A lot of people have been moving to the suburbs. This is mostly due to lower crime, newer homes, and better schools. Also, the inner city is starting to become a dump. Buildings are deteriorating and old houses are becoming cheap rentals when the owners pass away. There isn't a lot of renovation going on and inner Wichita is going downhill.
Here is a list of the best suburbs:
Andover - Nice area, great schools, low crime.
Maize - Nice area, great schools, low crime.
Goddard - Nice area, great schools, low crime.
Derby - Nice area, great schools, low crime.
Houses
Houses are cheap here. For $120,000 you can get a new home with a few frills. For double that you can get pretty much everything you ever wanted.
If a house is less than $90,000, it's probably in a bad area of town. Avoid buying a house south of Kellogg (HWY54) in the inner city at all costs. There is a stigma surrounding the south side of town and it's harder to sell houses in this area.
College Hill is an island of great older homes surrounded by ghetto. There is a similar area called Riverside. I see people talking about these places a lot on this board. Just remember these historic homes are almost 100 years old and they may require a lot of maintenance and won't be as efficient with the utilities. Also, they are completely surrounded by bad neighborhoods.
The best place to live is in the suburbs listed above or the area on the far east and far west side of town.
Apartments
We have a fair selection of modern affordable apartments. Here is some advice on selecting an apartment.
1. Never move into an apartment with rent less than $500 a month unless you like parties, noise, crime, and drugs.
2. Try to stick with apartments that were built in the last 10 years or so. Most of these are located in the "good/safe" areas of town and have stricter resident guidelines.
Cost of Living
The cost of living is great compared to larger cities on the coasts. Housing is cheap and if you work in a specialized field you will be in a great position living in Wichita.
Taxes are high. Personal property tax (auto, motorcycle, boat, etc) is the worst followed by housing taxes. There is a state income tax which is too high in my opinion.
Schools
There is a stigma surrounding Wichita schools and most people don't want their kids going to them. I don't see what the big deal is. I never felt unsafe and I turned out okay. Having said that, we haven't built a new school in years. May of them were recently renovated.
Side note: North West is probably the nicest high school in town.
WUS is a nice college in the middle of the ghetto. It's safe to go to school there but for the love of god do not live anywhere within a 5 mile radius with the exception of the dorms or greek establishments. This includes the nearby apartment complexes (one in particular called "The Windows or" or something like that). There have been a lot of murders there in the past few years despite its gated community and proximity to the police station.
Entertainment
This is where it starts to get really sad. Wichita is a boring town. It's great if you want to sit at home all the time or go to one of the same 5 bars and see the same shallow people every weekend. We have a cool area called Old Town. It's nice in the summer because you can enjoy the patios and be social. In the winter everything closes up and it's just a meat market.
We have a minor league hockey and baseball team. WSU has basketball and baseball. These are all fun distractions.
Concerts are few a far between. The 2 venues Wichita has are run down and don't offer a lot of amenities. There is a new area being built that will be ready in 2010. If you can find a place to park, I'm sure it will be a pleasant experience.
Shopping
This is another area where Wichita disappoints. We have 2 major malls. Not sure if I would call them malls though - it's more like a flea market threw-up and created them.
Traffic
Anyone that thinks the traffic in Wichita is bad has never been to LA, Kansas City, or Dallas. Wichita is nothing like these areas. The highways are great and delays are rare. There are just a couple of areas to avoid listed below:
N I-35 between K-96 and I-235 from 5-6 pm on weekdays
Kellogg (HWY54) and Rock Road due to never ending construction
People
The people you meet day to day are nice mid-western people. If you are a liberal, don't talk about politics or religion unless you want to start a war. If your car breaks down someone will stop and help you. The people you meet in bars are usually bit*#es and d-bags.
Dating
Wichita has plenty of single mothers. That’s all I’m going to say.
Social Environment
Wichita is in the Bible Belt and there a more churches per a capita here than any other place I have been. Wichita is very much a conservative town - often to the extreme. Christian extremist show up at all major events and in old town to spread propaganda. Sometimes they protest outside of adult book stores and abortion clinics.
If you're gay, a minority, or liberal you will find it hard to fit in Wichita.
Employment
If your background is in manufacturing, nursing, or sales then Wichita is a gold mine of mediocre jobs. If you are in business or technology you shouldn't move to Wichita.
Final Words
I give Wichita a 5 out of 10 stars. The cost of living is great and it's a safe place to live. However, there are not a lot of jobs, there isn't anything to do, and too many conservatives.
I've lived her for 28 years. I hate this place and I'm leaving. Soon.
Last edited by goaliefight; 01-26-2009 at 06:02 PM..
I have found that being a liberal isolates me and singles me out among a town of predominately right wing Christians. When it comes to neighbors, co-workers, and employers I am tolerated, but looked down upon.
I have found that being a liberal isolates me and singles me out among a town of predominately right wing Christians. When it comes to neighbors, co-workers, and employers I am tolerated, but looked down upon.
Wichita has tolerance, but not acceptance.
When my Ex and I went to Wichita (a gay couple) to see "Mamma Mia" on stage, we definitely felt a little ostracized - it seems that everyone in the theater was staring at the "gays."
We spent some time looking for bars to go to - it was a lot worse then in Kansas City. We found three gay bars: One was in a very bad neighborhood, one was busy but pretty run down, and the other one was in a strip mall.
Wichita definitely had a lot of churches - as did the rest of KS - I think if you are a liberal, minority or gay you should skip Kansas totally. All of my friends in Chicago think I am nuts for having ever lived there, and when I explain how intolerant and religious the state was, they are not surprised.
I think the only place a liberal could live in Kansas and be accepted is Lawrence. I lived in Johnson County for 1.5 years with my ex, and I couldn't wait to get out of there and move on.
No!!! You should come here and stay!! We few liberals who are here trying to keep the place from being totally overrun, need you on our side!
But seriously, it's difficult to argue with your point. It's my least favorite thing about KS.
This is a generalization, but I have noticed that the social conservatives in larger cities in Kansas tend to stay on the far outskirts. They prefer cheaply built large houses. SW JOCO is a good example of this.
Last edited by GraniteStater; 01-27-2009 at 01:45 PM..
I know a few gay people in this town. They survive by not being openly gay. It's kind of like an underground. Most of them are unhappy here and only stay out of necessity.
I feel the same way being a liberal. It sickens me how many people here cling to guns, religion, and intolerant hostility. It's all based on fear.
I can't speak freely about political issues at work or in social situations because I am immediately attacked for being a "baby killer". Some of the people I work with hate me because they think Obama is a Muslim terrorist who wants to take their guns away - and I didn't even vote! These are supposed to be smart people who went to college.
This is a generalization, but I have noticed that the social conservatives in larger cities in Kansas tend to stay on the far outskirts, and prefer cheaply built large houses. SW JOCO is a good example of this.
Yep - you just described my neighborhood to a tee! The bigger the McMansion, the farther to the right!
I'm in the west part of Shawnee - Woodsonia area. Westside Family Church (a sugarcoated Southern Baptist affiliation) pretty much has a monopoly on the area.
I know a few gay people in this town. They survive by not being openly gay. It's kind of like an underground. Most of them are unhappy here and only stay out of necessity.
I feel the same way being a liberal. It sickens me how many people here cling to guns, religion, and intolerant hostility. It's all based on fear.
I can't speak freely about political issues at work or in social situations because I am immediately attacked for being a "baby killer". Some of the people I work with hate me because they think Obama is a Muslim terrorist who wants to take their guns away - and I didn't even vote! These are supposed to be smart people who went to college.
I'm a blue man trapped in a red state.
Those same conservatives generally hate government programs such as early education, social programs, and fact based science. They are generally hypocrites that can not participate in an intellectual debate.
Those same conservatives generally hate government programs such as early education, social programs, and fact based science. They are generally hypocrites that can not participate in an intellectual debate.
What until you hear this. Most of the conservatives I know don't believe in evolution. I was having a conversation with a coworker about a book from an author who was on this ridiculous talk radio program I ran across when surfing the channels one day. The author claims that humans and dinosaurs walked the earth together only 2000 years ago. He also said the earth is only 2000 years old. So anyway, I was telling this to my coworker who is very right wing, but also pretty smart, and he agreed that the humans and dinosaurs walked the earth together and the earth is only 2000 years old.
I was like seriously? Haven't you ever heard of carbon dating? He said yes but that "carbon dating is just a theory that hasn't been proven". So at this point I was like "conversation over" because I didn't want to get into a debate and further alienate myself.
So anyway, remember that if you are moving to Kansas, this is the state that outlawed evolution from school text books.
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I second that
