SperlingViews - Pittsburg, Kansas

I lived in Pittsburg for several years and am glad I left. I liked the small town atmosphere but the economy was in terrible shape --> and still is very bad. The college is adequate for teachers and per-professionals but falls short in math, science, and IT. If you want a degree in engineering, math, or a scientific field, this is not the college to attend. There is negligible industry, extremely low salaries w/o benefits, and currently no jobs for local college graduates. [read more...]

Lack of industry equals lack of jobs. Period. Whether you are white collar or blue collar, jobs folded in Southeast Kansas along with the coal mines, and nothing has moved in to replace them. Kansas is about farming, and like many states, farm ground is taxed differently than commercial or residential property. Commercial interests have avoided Kansas for that reason, and now Kansas is facing a critical breaking point. The problem is, as manufacturing jobs head to Mexico and China, states are left jockying to entertain fewer and fewer companies willing to set up shop. Few employers of any size have chosen Southeast Kansas. Loss of industry has now reached a critical point, and unemployed citizens can no longer support local schools. The fat has already been cut there, and now the state legislators of Kansas are more interested in forcing schools to reduce teaching staff before they address their own jobs.[read more...]

small town, big college[read more...]

I have found that the cost of housing in pittsburg can be misleading because the average homes in pittsburg under $50,000 are in desparate need of repair due to a poor economy for so long. Many of these homes have been rented for twenty years with little or no up keep. Part of the process in home buying in pittsburg is once the papers are signed ,you pull a loader up in the front yard and begin the $20-30,000 rehabilitation. It maybe be more economical to start out with an $80,000 house in Johnson county where wages are alot higher.[read more...]

Pros: 1. Low crime rate 2. Extremely low cost of living and housing 3. Affordable place to live Cons: 1. Poor school system 2. Limited job market 3. Bad weather 4. Not much to do[read more...]

I lived in Pittsburg for two years and while I really liked the size and atmosphere of the town, there is a very, very limited job market there. If you are willing to commute to another town your luck may be better, but it's very hard, especially for a student, to find a decent position. Good luck if you try, though.[read more...]

There are not a lot of jobs available and there are a lot of applicants.[read more...]