Decent Affordable Housing - 12/24/2010

Like any other town or city, Wichita KS has it's ups and downs. It is really what you make of it. Currently, like the rest of the country, Wichita is battling a stubborn unemployment rate, a lot of it due to layoffs from the aircraft industry. By the grace of God, I am GENUINELY THANKFUL to be fully employed with health insurance and profit sharing to go along with it, (fortunately outside of the aircraft industry). One REALLY bright spot in Wichita KS is affordable housing. I currently live in a one bedroom 650 square foot apartment on the (Central) North West side of town. My monthly rent is $425.00 a month. I live in a decent working class to middle class neighborhood with a supermarket practically across the street from me. The people are decent and the complex is immaculately kept up. I go to great lengths to make sure that all rent and utilities are kept up to date. Having originally lived in the Northeast, this place is an absolute Godsend to me. Currently, the population of Wichita KS, give or take, is approximately 350,000 to 400,000 people.

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Stay away... - 8/14/2010

I would say that wichita is good for some people. First off, anyone moving here needs to understand that this is a blue collar/military town. Because of that the general education rate here is very low. You will not find a lot of arts, culture, or lounge style night life. Next thing that you need to understand is that this is not a city, it is a small town. Everyone knows everyone. That and there is absolutely nothing to do if you enjoy the former things that I mentioned. The town is very cliquey. Being that, a lot of the people can come across as extremely rude. That and it seems that if you leave the Rock road east side area or the Maize area, the town and people are I am sorry to say this but physically dirty. The roads in these parts of town are really bad and the crime is high. Now for the good stuff. If you like living in a town where you have no privacy, because there is nothing to do but talk about other people, then yes this would be a good place for you. Imagine if you can a place where everyone has bibles spread out in their living rooms, but they are just for decoration. The only time that people seem happy is when they watch others suffer. Yes housing is cheap because no one wants to live here! The only people moving here is illegal Mexicans. I was raised here so this is not a brash assessment. I have also lived in Dallas, Houston, and Denver. So be careful when you read Forbes saying that this is a great place. They only looked at the demographics. I doubt they actually made a thorough visit. For parents do not move your kids here unless you want them to learn that theater is going to the movies. For single people, this is a small pond that has not been just fished, its been dredged. You might catch a bucket or old shoe at best. The happiest day of my life will be when I see this town fade away in the rear view mirror.

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Living in Wichita - 8/14/2010

I would say that wichita is good for some people. First off, anyone moving here needs to understand that this is a blue collar/military town. Because of that the general education rate here is very low. You will not find alot of arts, culture, or lounge style night life. Next thing that you need to understand is that this is not a city, it is a small town. Everyone knows everyone. That and there is absolutely nothing to do if you enjoy the former things that I mentioned. The town is very cliquey. Being that, alot of the people can come across as extremely rude. That and it seems that if you leave the Rock road east side area or the Maize area, the town and people are I am sorry to say this but physically dirty. The roads in these parts of town are really bad and the crime is high. Now for the good stuff. If you like living in a town where you have no privacy, because there is nothing to do but talk about other people, then yes this would be a good place for you. Imagine if you can a place where everyone has bibles spread out in their living rooms, but they are just for decoration. The only time that people seem happy is when they watch others suffer. Yes housing is cheap because no one wants to live here! The only people moving here is illegal Mexicans. I was raised here so this is not a brash assessment. I have also lived in Dallas, Houston, and Denver. So be careful when you read Forbes saying that this is a great place. They only looked at the demographics. I doubt they actually made a thorough visit. For parents do not move your kids here unless you want them to learn that theater is going to the movies. For single people, this is a small pond that has not been just fished, its been dredged. You might catch a bucket or old shoe at best. The happiest day of my life will be when I see this town fade away in the rear view mirror.

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housing - 7/9/2010

very reasonable

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Practically everything a person/family needs in a - 11/18/2009

Wichita, KS is a great city to live in! It has anything a single person or family would want for entertainment, physical activity, sports, and shopping. There are unique areas/neighborhoods of the city that are reminicent of 'days gone by' celebrating fantastic shopping & beautiful architecture. River festivals, cultural events, various theater genres, wine & beer events, nationally recognized Universities provide varied interest throughtout the year. Some neighborhoods in the city are similar to a small town within the Wichita city limits. Accessing all areas within the city is made 'driver friendly' by the use of Kellogg's/54 quick drive across town.

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cost of living - 10/29/2009

We recently moved to Wichita due to a job transfer from the East Coast. We heard the cost of living was lower than what we were used to. Were we in for a shock when we received our 1st water bill for a total of 10 days of use the bill was $66.00!. The price of 12 ears of corn $5.00, we paid $1.99 home and isn't grown here? The sales tax is higher and it is even on food. Don't let anyone kid you about how inexpensive it is here, yeah housing is lower because no one wants to live here.

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Do not come - 10/24/2009

My husband and I moved to Wichita from Connecticut due to a job transfer. I must say Wichita is next to worst places to live out of the 10 places we have moved to over his career. There is nothing to do and no shopping what so ever. I don't see how anyone can say they like living here. On top of that is is expensive. Our water bill was $66.00 for 10 days. The grocery store wants $5.00 for 12 ears of corn. Are you kidding me? I got the same amount in Ct for $1.99. I rather me dead than live here.

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Manageable Rent - Attempted Living Expense Managem - 10/21/2009

I live in Wichita KS, northwest side of town, area of N. West St. and W. 13th. St.. I live in an apartment complex where the rent is $425.00 a month for a one bedroom apartment, 650 square feet. This part of town is quite decent and very peaceful. There is Dillons Supermarket, Quik-Trip convenience store, and Wichita Federal Credit Union all close to one another. As for myself, I am a retail clerk, in my 50's, working for a major retail company earning between $8.00 to $9.00 an hour, fortunately with health insurance. Believe me, I am very grateful for this job. Wichita KS is a place that a lower income individual can find a decent place to live. However, it does take a lot of work on one's part. I will admit that my pay check is still quite "stretched". I really went out of my way to try to find a place that was also very close to a major supermarket to avoid as much driving as possible. Also, I was quite fortunate to be within walking distance from my credit union. My job is 7 miles away from where I live. I drive 75 miles round trip each week. At one time, I used to drive in excess of 250 miles each week, getting to and from work. No matter where one goes, it is very hard to be a lower income person. However, because of more manageable rent places in Wichita, other living expense management becomes more bearable.

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Wichita Economy - 10/5/2009

The economy here can be very, very scary! They call it the "Air Capital" for a reason and when aircraft isn't doing well neither is anything else in this city.

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Cost of Living is decent - 5/30/2009

In wichita you can get very nice, large, newer houses for fairly decent prices

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Art - 5/14/2009

Wichita is very arts oriented with several museums and galleries. There are also many bronze statues around town and in the many parks which are very nice. Douglas St in downtown has 3 blocks where the statues are on the sidewalks, quite a site to see.

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Wichita - 4/15/2009

Wichita, Kansas, has a very low cost of living, making the city a great place to raise a family.

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Living in Wichita, Kansas - 12/1/2008

Wichita is a great place to raise a family. Lots of schools and parks. Cost of living is probably the greatest thing because housing is very affordable. The negatives are that there aren't a lot of things to do except go out to eat and go the movie theaters. Of course there's the usual golf courses and bowling alleys but culturally speaking, just not a lot of interesting things to go see or do.

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Gas - 10/26/2008

It won't make as much of a difference when gas prices are low, but Wichita average cost of regular gasoline is generally among the lowest (and is sometimes the lowest) across the country.

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West Wichita - 10/5/2008

I have lived in Wichita for almost 20 years now and I absolutely love West Wichita. The faster growing developments are on the west side Which includes NewMarket Square which contains: Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Super Target, Old Navy, On The Border, Applebee's, TGIF, Pei Wei, Coldstone Creamery, Chipotle, Starbucks, Olive Garden, Granite City Food & Brewery, Yankee Candle, Borders, various cellphone carriers, FedEx Kinkos,and many other shops, Banks, there are also talks of a BestBuy being built there, and places to eat and it is still developing. NewMarket Square currently stretches between the intersections of 21st & Maize and 29th & Maize. Right across the street from NewMarket square there is Baskin Robbins, Logan's Roadhouse, Emerson and Biggins, A Dillon's Marketplace which has a newly completed jewelry store inside of it that is similar to Beldens, and various other shops and a New Lowes that is near completion. There is also another retail development in the works at 37th and Maize called Stonebridge. About 1 minute from NewMarket Square is a nice movie theater called Warren Theater West. 3 min from NewMarket Square is a very large YMCA (The biggest in the Wichita and surrounding areas). And a New $93.1 million Hospital currently broke ground which is due to be completed in 2010. There is also the Zoo which is a pretty nice zoo which is on the west side and about 5 min from NewMarket Square. This area has very little crime and I frequently see individuals leave their car running while they go into the store because they realize that the chance of someone bothering their car is very slim. The houses in this area are very nice as well. The newly developed/developing places to live are Fox Ridge, Fossil Rim, Pier 37 and Watercrest. Other nice neighborhoods include Reflection Ridge, Auburn Hills, Rainbow Lakes, and Mere Ridge. Downtown is also developing a Waterwalk and a New Arena. There is also Old Town which is downtown that has various night clubs. A commute to the east side is about 15 min. depending on where you are trying to go. The best shopping mall is Towne East Square, although Towne West Square has a better Express. Wichita is a nice city with nice people. I personally am not too fond of East Wichita because there is higher crime and the customer service tends not to be as friendly as the West side. Although East Wichita has some nice areas of focus which include The Waterfront (a line of resturaunts on a lake and some shops), and Bradley Fair (similar to NewMarket Square but on a smaller scale but they do have shops that NewMarket Square currently does not have which include Banana Republic, Gap, and Whitehouse Black Market. It just seems as though you get more house for your money out on the West Side. I have traveled to many cities including orlando and Tampa Florida, Austin Houston Dallas and Gavleston Texas, various cities in Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nevada, California and many others and I have yet to find another city that I want to live in. All in All, I love Wichita and especially West Wichita.

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Private Schools - 9/25/2008

Our Catholic private school tuition is subsidized by your church tithing. There are the general enrollment fees but our diocese is the only one in the nation that usues your tithe to fund the school system. Furthermore, our statewide private school scores soar above the public school system both statewide and in the nation.

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Summer in Wichita - 7/29/2008

Summer in Wichita is to experience weather from one extreme to the other. Some mornings can be in the mid 60's or in the mid 70's with the humidity from 50% to 90%. Just wait a few hours and soon the sky and become threatening with thunder storms or even worse tornado spawning clouds. I particularly like the thunder storms. Watching them build in the sky and eventually towering several miles high is something to see. They may pass you by or head your way. Soon the lightning is streaking and the wind is changing and you know that something more powerful than anything we humans can make is about to demonstrate once again the wonder of the Creator.

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Wichita Quality of Life - 6/30/2008

Wichita is a great place to live and work...easy commute...friendly people...cultural opportunities...beautiful sunsets...good economy!

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Wichita-God Fearing, Bush Loving? - 4/22/2008

Don't move to Wichita if down to earth, God fearing, Bush loving folks annoy you. If you live there and are annoyed by them, please leave.

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Wichita - Pros/Cons - 3/20/2008

Pros: 1. Low cost of living and housing 2. Affordable place to live Cons: 1. High crime rate 2. Poor school system 3. Not much to do for a big city 4. Wichita is in the middle of tornado valley, and I think it's been hit by a tornado twice in the 1990s 5. Overall one of the worst places to live in the state

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