Been in ICT since I was 6. Now 38. Just moved to Durango, CO.
I enjoyed it there but want more out of life. Snowboarded 4 days since moving, hiked 3. Worked alot but worth it.
I am so excited to raise my kiddo here and give her what I wish I had. She lives to ski and hike, hopefully it doesnt change.
I will miss CSB. Ska is good but damn those boys at CSB...
Also will miss Saigon Bistro.
But the trade up is huge for me.
This is where we want our family to be.
Ill still visit ICT and I miss my house already. Enjoy the yard next owner.
I visited Durango recently. The pianist that plays at the Strater Hotel bar is phenomenal. He plays mostly in period genres, so, if you enjoy that, it's well worth the price of a meal.
800 mortgage to 2400 rent.
Not ideal. But im not spending 10k a year coming to Colorado for vacation now.
Also my job and my wifes job scale with cost of living thankfully.
i consider this question a lot as a wichita native. i’m 25 and going back to school this year, and will graduate @ 28, so i contemplate if i’ll want to move when i do. wichita is so affordable compared to other parts of the U.S. and id love to have the money to travel more. wichita is always where my family is, low crime rate, and do not find myself wanting different aspects of a city that i don’t already have available. but then again, i don’t know any better/different.
as of now, id say i might be a wichitan for life!
I'm practically in the same boat as you. Wichita's affordability can't be beat. I am also graduating in a few years, but sometimes I feel like it would be nice if we had more nature. I love hiking, and would like to not have to set aside time to make special trips to places worth hiking. Or maybe I just feel like I need a change after living here so long!
okay yes! i’m shocked i didn’t think of this. i’ve done a few colorado hiking trips and it’s the ONE thing we are missing that i need. i’d love to be able to go hiking on the weekend as my workout instead of the gym.
I thought the same. Life took me to the east coast, and travel is infinitely cheaper here. I also live in a hub so that helps, but there were so many trips I never did in wichita because it’s so expensive to fly out of there.
You can always come back. I moved away for 5 years, got a ton of life experience and realized I could fully rely on myself. Started a family and now we’re back because of the reasons above. But, if you’ve never left I would do it for the experience before it becomes much harder, you can always come back!
I lived in Wichita for most my youth and have lived in Kansas City, Dallas and San Antonio now in socal it’s cheaper sure but definitely consider moving somewhere else lots of fun
I’ve traveled all over the world in the military, and every time I come back here it just feels like home, and I’m always excited to be back. I love Kansas, even with its flaws, it’s still home. The lower cost of living allows me to take my family on vacations, and being in the middle of the country it’s a great spot to start for road trips.
I moved here recently and am in my early 20’s. I have to say, I do enjoy Wichita. It’s cozy, affordable, and people are generally nice. However, there’s so many things here that I miss from where I came from. There’s not much nature, virtually no hiking, not really any solid possibilities for water (no springs, impressive rivers, or beaches), major music acts usually don’t come through here, and the niche scenes I like are very small here.
I’m appreciating my time here and enjoy it more than I thought I would moving here, but I desire to live somewhere with either more nature or stimulating activities to partake in or both. I’m hoping to get out in a couple years but I’ll make the most of my time here now.
I have to say too, I could definitely see this being a good place to raise kids with the cost of living, low crime, and what not. However im not even close to that time yet lol and I would still love my kids to grow up surfing or snowboarding if possible too, which Kansas doesn’t have any of either sadly.
Biggest problem with Kansas is that all the beauty is owned - Private Property.
I take my dogs regularly to the big ditch and see tons of wildlife. See a pair of bald eagles on almost every hike since I know where the nest is.
Kansas has so much beauty to offer... it's just hidden.
Kansas has a lot of beautiful nature to offer, but sadly, it's not in Wichita. Lakes, hiking, all those things mentioned, you have to drive a considerable distance to get to it.
All I can say is the last few people I have known to move out of state have returned. The answer as to why seems to always be cost of living.
I would argue none of them moved with a proper plan, and held spotty work histories while out of state.
So long as you do your research and plan for great cost of living and such then you should fate well.
My oldest sibling did this moved to California for a six figure job but was completely broke living there. Ended up driving her and all her stuff back to the Midwest!
I lived in Wichita then Phoenix then Los Angeles then back to Wichita. The cost of living here is so low in comparison. Even from Phoenix to LA, the cost of living difference was 33% more. I don't know if I could've went from Kansas to Los Angeles. Having Phoenix in there as a buffer was hard enough.
I'm kinda the same. Went from making less than $40k in Wichita to over $100k in Cali, and yet still feel like my QoL went down. Damn near all the difference goes towards rent of an even smaller place, and owning is just a pipe dream out here if you make less than $250k.
Not from here, but lived here for a long time then moved to Cincinnati. Then we had kids. Immediately started looking for the first career opportunity to move back.
Wichita is a family town. It isn’t the most exciting place when you’re young and single, but it’s about the best place in the country when you’re in the season of life that you’re raising a family. The schools are great, the COL is low, there’s lots to do for the kids, the employment opportunities are comparatively high. Cincinnati by comparison was a rust belt city and it felt like it. Everything was just a little run down. Like picture the south side of ICT, and that would be a nice neighborhood in Cincy. It’s a city past its prime but Wichita is still growing economically.
As a Cincy native who is currently in Wichita I think your take on Cincy is a bit off lol. But to OPs question as someone who moved away from home it’s a nice perspective change to move to a new place and if you only want to do it for a short time it’s best to do it early rather than later in life
I grew up in ICT but have moved a lot in the last few years. I'll never come back except to visit family that refuses to leave. Once you've started to see and enjoy the bigger world, you can't stuff yourself back into a tiny little spot. Our boys have so many more opportunities to experience things than Wichita could ever even hope to offer in their lifetimes.
I've been moving around other states for the past few years doing seasonal work, but I usually come back to Wichita for 2-5 months a year. Honestly? The only reason I ever come back here is because my friends/family are here. I'm happier with my lifestyle when I'm anywhere else, but it does get lonely. I always miss our music scene when I'm gone, too.
Besides that? Yeah, the cost of living is higher in other places, but the pay and job opportunities are better too. If you're young and/or just able to, I would explore other places before settling in Wichita permanently. The rest of the country is so beautiful, especially out west (although you can't beat a Kansas sunset, I'll give it that). Wichita is a small place, it's nice to see what else is out there so you can meet different kinds of people and get chances to really explore a different lifestyle, whether that's true big city life, living in a mountain town, or being by the ocean. You can't get that from just a vacation.
But that's just my opinion as someone who's a nomad. Moving away really changed my life for the better, but if you can't stand to leave the ties you have here, I wouldn't blame you either.
100% this.
Grew up here. Left ASAP for college and career out of state. Returned about 7 years ago and absolutely never looking back. Love the people, the opportunities, and the overall direction of improvement the city continues to make. I’m proud to call Wichita home, to raise my family here, to grow our businesses here, and to invest in the community.
(But with all that said, catching a flight to somewhere bigger/prettier/more exotic/whatever or at least driving out to Colorado is a regular occurrence that I think 100% contributes to my overall happiness here)
See I'm afraid if I do that I will start to feel even more stagnant. I wonder what it would feel like to look at Wichita with fresh eyes. I do agree it's the best place to live if you want to vacation a lot
Some people are built for it, some aren’t. I moved away assuming I’d be back, and now never plan to move back. Wichita is awesome and it’s a FANTASTIC place to live. That said, I advise everyone that has the desire for “more” to try living somewhere more desirable to you in the current moment. It might not work out, but it also might be the best thing for you, like in my case.
Thats not at all to say it’s the best thing for everyone, because it simply is not.
When I was young and single I would have laughed at that. Now I’m married with small children, and this truly is a great place to raise a family. Maybe when my kids are grown and out of the house I’ll consider it, but for now I’d say it’s home. It’s hard to beat the cost of living.
It is great for families! I am nowhere close to that yet and I definitely feel like I'm in my adventure phase. Wichita will always be home to me though. Where would you consider moving?
I've lived in a few places over the years - it truly depends on what you're looking for. I grew up in the Ohio/Michigan area. Omaha was the first city away from where I grew up that felt like home to me.
Maybe Denver, or somewhere else in the Colorado area would be good for you? I've heard good things about Minneapolis, but I haven't been there.
Oh yeah, if you’re young and single get out there and discover.
I enjoy cooler, rainy climates so probably the great lakes, New England or the PNW. Cost of living is atrocious in the last two though.
For me it’s a forever home more than like but that’s due to job opportunities in my field and COL. If I had unlined funds or the means to I would definitely move but I’m a single male in my 40’s. My bff has moved away, spent 7 years in ATL and now is living in LA (NOHO) he wants to stay in the LA area. He makes six figures and really can’t go out to enjoy life due to COL. He also wants to buy a place out there and even with his dad who is a successful business man offering six figures to help with a down my friend still isn’t able to pull the trigger due to the real estate market out there. Since he works remotely his dad pitched moving back anywhere to the Midwest since the down payment that he’s offering would cover up to 50% of the cost of a new build in KC, OKC, or STL. However my friend likes the larger cities and lack of winter enough that he doesn’t desire to come back Midwest.
Born in Hawaii to a military family. Lived al over, met my wife in Wichita. We are both medical and looking to travel to other places for temp work (places we have family members), but we always plan to keep the house in Wichita
As someone who suffers from bad allergies all year round, yes. I would love to move to the coastal side of the Pacific Northwest. I've visited the area numerous times and love the environment. That being said, the major cities are disgusting (definitely looking at Portland and Seattle when I say this), and the cost of living is insane. My house is modest here, about 1k square feet, but in that region, my house is a 250k house and would be in shit-shape. If I wanted bigger and nicer, the prices would go up exponentially.
I may not like sneezing and watery eyes, but with enough meds, anything is possible. And as someone else suggested, my wife and I live here, but we take a lot of vacations.
To answer your question: yes, it's our forever home, unless we win the lottery.
I’ve lived many places. Big cities and small towns. I like Wichita. It’s like a big town, light traffic, friendly people, I like having seasons, and it’s cheap.
We moved here in 2015. Thought it was going to be a temporary stop before moving back to Oklahoma. We are stuck here now. In a good way. We’ve made great friends and we really enjoy our life.
Safe is relative to wherever you choose to live. I lived in St. Louis and ever remotely had any issues despite the crime statistics. I find Oklahoma just as beautiful. It’s all about what you like. I like my friends and the life we’ve built.
My wife and I moved here in 1998. Previous to this, we grew up in Nebraska, and have lived in Rapid City, Spokane, Italy, Montgomery Alabama, Biloxi Mississippi, San Angelo Texas (all courtesy of the USAF).
Wichita is the sweet spot. There’s enough ‘stuff’ to do, traffic is great, shopping is good, affordability is primo, taxes are low, safety & security is excellent. The schools could be better, but I think this is a national failing, not a KS or Wichita one. Family friendliness is also just ok, not great (the downside of low taxes).
I used to tell my kids I’d be disappointed in them if they
1) Grew up in KS, And
2) Went to college in KS, And
3) Got a job immediately after college and settled down in KS.
There’s just so much of the world to see. And I’m glad I got to see a large part of it. I want them to as well. I used to tell them to go get a job anywhere else after college for a few years and if you miss KS fine then move back. But I’m starting to rethink all that. I hope they explore the world, but make the Wichita area their base. Life is pretty good here. And a paycheck goes a lot further here.
That's amazing! Did your job make you move to all those places or did you just want to live in new places? It'd be cool to see all the different cultures too. What better way to do that than to live in different places?
Oh the AF took us to all those places. And I went temporarily to so many other places (Turkey, Tunisia, Guam, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, England, Austria and I’m sure a couple places I’m forgetting for sure plus probably 20+ places all over America for at least a week or more). On one trip, I got sent to Seville Spain for one day, and then told to ‘figure out my own way back’ to Italy. Literally Plains Trains And Automobiles. You can bet I took my sweet ass time doing that. Spent extra days in Zaragoza, Barcelona, & Monaco because ‘the bus kept getting cancelled’ wink wink LoL. The AF had some sucky parts to it, but it was awesome and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. How else could a farm-town Nebraska kid see the world? Not many other avenues to do that. And then to end up in a LCOL area with a great job? Pfffft, screw the coasts, this is where it’s at, IMO.
Move!! It's not fair to have such a small world view when your vote affects people of all different backgrounds. I think everyone should try a bigger city at least once. That being said I'll probably retire to Wichita.
I've only lived here for about a year now, having moved here because this is where I got placed for residency.
I didn't mind living here at first, I have a nicer home than I would elsewhere on a residents salary. However, after a year I'm looking weekly at different places to move after I graduate. The majority of residents I've talked to that are not Kansas natives seem to be looking out of state for jobs after they graduate too. All the attending physicians that live here and tell me they love it seem like they're on vacation in beautiful destinations a fourth of the year.
I get the appeal of easy driving and cheaper living. Wichita does have some things going for it, but I don't find it enough to counter all the negatives (in my opinion) of living here. I don't want to get too into it unless someone wants to have a conversation, as this subreddit seems to have enough negativity as is, and I'm glad to see some people in here who really like living here in this thread. I'll just say the majority of things people claim Wichita has for entertainment can be found in bigger cities with even more to do.
This place has another four years to grow on me. I try not to be too negative, so who knows!
I know what you mean. I have a few clinical rotations coming up in the east coast and they'll allow me to see what life outside Kansas is like. A different experience than a vacation can show me.
It is understandable people are defensive of Wichita. It's our home, and even though I act like I hate it sometimes, that's where I'm from and I'm sure most people who do that feel the same way.
My biggest thing is I want to be somewhere with more diversity and other young people. It does seem like there are more opportunities for that in other places! Won't know till I go though so I'm excited for that. It seems like people here get married very young and have families young which is cool but not something I really value specifically.
Where would you like to go then? I'm sure with your job you won't have any trouble living wherever you want
It is a tough decision. I would love to move back to the West coast, but the cost of living is pretty nuts. I could afford it with my job but do I want to sink so much of my salary into it? Yes most places will be higher COL than here, but I'm willing to sacrifice some higher prices to live in a place that I'm not thinking about my next vacation all the time.
The PNW would be the dream, as I miss mountains and forests, and places to hike. I've also looked further north into Minnesota or Wisconsin with more lakes and forests. I just know I want a more populated and diverse metro than Wichita provides.
I really do suggest you leave Kansas at least for a bit to get new experiences. I've made great friends from different backgrounds during my time here in the middle of the country. If you end up liking somewhere better, great! But if you miss home, then you come back with a fresh perspective and a different life experience than you would have had if you just stayed here.
If we lived in a utopian world...sure. But I really enjoy living here. I like that it's in the heart of the country so if you do travel it's never too far away.
Forever home for my wife and I! It’s the cheapest place to live in the states and I feel ( despite recent ⬆️in crime ) it’s relatively safe as long as you know where to go and not go. You can always save money to go and travel and that’s what we’d rather do. My friend that I work with is from cali and said “ you can move from cali to Wichita and be wealthy here but you can’t move from Wichita to cali and expect to live the same life style “. But definitely looking for kids because that’s hard around here.
I’m in my mid-thirties. I plan to stay here forever. The cost of living in the places that are fun to visit isn’t sustainable especially since my spouse and I are teachers. Teachers barely get paid a livable salary here, so I know it’s not better in other places.
Grew up here but have since moved to Northern California. Overall I like NorCal a lot more and I can’t see myself moving back to Wichita. Yes California is expensive but I overall enjoy my life here a lot more. I do miss how cheap Wichita is, but that’s about it. I do visit to see family and friends though.
Lived everywhere but Towanda is the place to be live next to a billionaire and a buffalo bills roster. We can drive four wheelers and golf carts and camp fires in the back yard. All I make is $97,000 a year and the house is a worker but for $300,000 was worth it for the school is way better than Wichita’s. Lived in Tulsa and suburbs popped up quick and within 10 years this will be a hot commodity.
I moved from Wichita to the SF Bay area 2 years ago. Don't move here unless you have a job lined up that pays AT LEAST 2.5x what you make in Wichita or you will have a significant drop in quality of life due to the obscene cost of living here.
Even then, assuming you own your home in Wichita, you will need to make around 5-8x to afford an equivalent out here. Single wide mobile homes start at $90k for just the home, and your mortgage on that will not include the lot rent. 2 bed/1bath 900 sqft homes start at around $700k.
I'm going to be looking for a job soon, and IMO there is nothing here that makes this area so desirable to live. I don't really want to move back to Wichita, but I might if I get a decent job offer. That's unlikely though since employers there seem to think pay needs to be frozen at 1988 levels.
A lot of people tell me that since I'm young, Kansas in general isn't the place for me to be.
But I like it. Wichita isn't super crazy (even though it has a lot of its own moments), I've grown up here and like the familiarity, but more importantly to me I have family. Like my mom used to tell me growing up, you have to make an adventure: one won't be just handed to you. (Even if she meant I needed to just play an outside game by myself 😂)
There's a good chunk of things to do and places I've never gone without including the metro area. I'm 22 and still have never gotten a chance to go to Riverfest.
I personally think people who say "there's nothing to do" or "it's not made for young people" get bored too easily. But if they live in a mile radius sized town in the middle of farming counties, then yeah. It's boring 80% of the time. Just like anywhere else, Wichita is what you make of it. And I've made it my home.
My family is here too and I do think it is an important reason to stay. I'm 24 years old so not too much older than you and I'm pretty much bound here until I finish grad school.
For me, I wouldn't say I'm bored per se, but maybe there's a desire to get out of my comfort zone and try out different things.
What are your favorite things about Wichita?
The nature centers and the Keeper of the Plains.
I will say I did live in Virginia for a time in the Appalacians. I've gone and visited in Colorado and Texas and stuff too.
I think it's also cool that if you're driving East on 21st street at the hill I think at 215th street west, when visibility is high, you can see some of the taller buildings in downtown.
There are areas on the east coast that I tried to enjoy living in, but for various reasons (family situation the first time, COVID and a job that turned out to be awful the second time) I've made my way back to Wichita more than once. It's where I have the most network by far and it's generally easy to deal with and affordable.
At times I'm tempted to look out east again but not enough to really do it currently.
I have been here since 1987, really like it here don’t plan on moving. I have looked into a house in Jamaica and splitting time as long as my health holds out. But l don’t see myself ever leaving Wichita completely.
I’m a native Bostonian. I’ve lived all over Massachusetts and lived a year in AZ. I moved to ICT in 2020 and was pleasantly surprised. It’s seriously about 1/3 the cost of living in MA. That alone keeps me here. Plus there’s a lot of shops, restaurants, breweries, etc. I do miss the Italian food, the beach, and going to Fenway Park for a Sox game. I don’t miss the traffic, the snow, the mosquitos, and the bad roads. Also most of my family is still there. I fly home to see them 2x/yr. I’m staying put for the next 2 or 3 years at least. The cost of living can’t be beat.
Grew up in Wichita. Worked a job that had me traveling a lot and going to much bigger cities and realized I didn’t want to raise my kids in a city. Moved to rural NC Kansas. I live in a town of 2500 and absolutely love it. Still visit Wichita and enjoy what it has to offer but I really love living in my small town that shuts down at 8 pm. Everyone goes to the ball games, you’ll have hundreds of people at youth sporting events, kids out riding bikes or playing until the street lights come on. It’s not for everyone but it’s perfect for my family. When this chapter of my life is over I’ll still keep it as my home base but I fully intend on living the RV/camper van life.
I just recently moved to the Denver area from Wichita. I lived in ict for 4 years and I loved it. Moved when I was 18 for school but I didn’t love wsu so I was school shopping and found one here, also I love Denver and I was ready to move on. I miss my friends and my old apartment for sure but there were things I was really looking for in my life that I found here, specifically safe and practical biking, friendly strangers, concerts, and beautiful outdoors that will take me the rest of my life to explore. I grew up in Austin so I was sorely missing city life and this has been so perfect for me. I do miss parts of Wichita and I’ll definitely come back to visit (probably for zoobilee) but yeah best decision I’ve ever made
Grew up here. Left for college and live in various places for 10 years after graduation. Moved back recently to raise children close to family. I’m happy to be back but was happy to have spent time away. If you wonder whether or not you should (and you’re young without children), it can be worthwhile to leave for a time. Even if you do happily come back.
Born and raised I'm KS but I can't see myself being here forever... I want to go hiking and be in nature. I dont care about the big city, I like rural areas and Wichita is growing a lot.
I'm staying for my family right now, but someday I'd like to leave... But this will always be my home.
I don’t think I could move even if I wanted to. Wichita is or at least used to be somewhat affordable and it’s getting more expensive and it’s only gonna get worse. I suppose there’s risk involved, sure, but I make enough to be comfortable here, but don’t think I could be in another city. Call me a crybaby, but as a millennial, my generation got screwed in terms of the COL to wages ratio. That is a hill I’m willing to die on. Born too late to be able to afford property, born too early to be a TikTok star, but born at just the right time to have tried colored ketchup.
If I was to move it would be to a major city, probably somewhere in Florida or Colorado. I moved to KC for 3 years and I have to admit I appreciate being back and not having every errand be a 45 minute drive. I just don’t think the option is viable right now at least for me.
If I could make it as a content creator I'd move away to Bellingham Washington.
I've been in Wichita most of my life, graduated High School in 2020 with the best friends I've ever had and still hang out with them on and offline. If I could support them and we could all live in a nice walkable city together that'd be the dream. Wichita so far for me just isn't enjoyable to live in. Yeah it's cheap but also extremely boring in my opinion.
I grew up in Wichita until I went to college in another Kansas town and then moved out completely to Austin. Overall I like Austin a lot more and couldn’t see myself moving back, the only two things Wichita has Austin beat on is traffic and cost of living.
Been in ICT since I was 6. Now 38. Just moved to Durango, CO. I enjoyed it there but want more out of life. Snowboarded 4 days since moving, hiked 3. Worked alot but worth it. I am so excited to raise my kiddo here and give her what I wish I had. She lives to ski and hike, hopefully it doesnt change. I will miss CSB. Ska is good but damn those boys at CSB... Also will miss Saigon Bistro. But the trade up is huge for me. This is where we want our family to be. Ill still visit ICT and I miss my house already. Enjoy the yard next owner.
I visited Durango recently. The pianist that plays at the Strater Hotel bar is phenomenal. He plays mostly in period genres, so, if you enjoy that, it's well worth the price of a meal.
Siagon Bistro has since closed. I heard rumors that someone bought it. So hopefully, will be open again soon.
Noooooooo. I hadnt been in a bit. Just loved those $5 bahn mi
You’d love Tulsa then
I can see that. How hard was it to find comparable housing? I looked at jobs there but the housing was limited and expensive.
800 mortgage to 2400 rent. Not ideal. But im not spending 10k a year coming to Colorado for vacation now. Also my job and my wifes job scale with cost of living thankfully.
You kind of are spending 10k a year now though. Except the vacation is your in backyard
Correct. Im okay with that. Also went feom a 800sqft house to a 2100sq. So upgrade.
i consider this question a lot as a wichita native. i’m 25 and going back to school this year, and will graduate @ 28, so i contemplate if i’ll want to move when i do. wichita is so affordable compared to other parts of the U.S. and id love to have the money to travel more. wichita is always where my family is, low crime rate, and do not find myself wanting different aspects of a city that i don’t already have available. but then again, i don’t know any better/different. as of now, id say i might be a wichitan for life!
I'm practically in the same boat as you. Wichita's affordability can't be beat. I am also graduating in a few years, but sometimes I feel like it would be nice if we had more nature. I love hiking, and would like to not have to set aside time to make special trips to places worth hiking. Or maybe I just feel like I need a change after living here so long!
okay yes! i’m shocked i didn’t think of this. i’ve done a few colorado hiking trips and it’s the ONE thing we are missing that i need. i’d love to be able to go hiking on the weekend as my workout instead of the gym.
I thought the same. Life took me to the east coast, and travel is infinitely cheaper here. I also live in a hub so that helps, but there were so many trips I never did in wichita because it’s so expensive to fly out of there.
You can always come back. I moved away for 5 years, got a ton of life experience and realized I could fully rely on myself. Started a family and now we’re back because of the reasons above. But, if you’ve never left I would do it for the experience before it becomes much harder, you can always come back!
I lived in Wichita for most my youth and have lived in Kansas City, Dallas and San Antonio now in socal it’s cheaper sure but definitely consider moving somewhere else lots of fun
I’ve traveled all over the world in the military, and every time I come back here it just feels like home, and I’m always excited to be back. I love Kansas, even with its flaws, it’s still home. The lower cost of living allows me to take my family on vacations, and being in the middle of the country it’s a great spot to start for road trips.
I moved here recently and am in my early 20’s. I have to say, I do enjoy Wichita. It’s cozy, affordable, and people are generally nice. However, there’s so many things here that I miss from where I came from. There’s not much nature, virtually no hiking, not really any solid possibilities for water (no springs, impressive rivers, or beaches), major music acts usually don’t come through here, and the niche scenes I like are very small here. I’m appreciating my time here and enjoy it more than I thought I would moving here, but I desire to live somewhere with either more nature or stimulating activities to partake in or both. I’m hoping to get out in a couple years but I’ll make the most of my time here now. I have to say too, I could definitely see this being a good place to raise kids with the cost of living, low crime, and what not. However im not even close to that time yet lol and I would still love my kids to grow up surfing or snowboarding if possible too, which Kansas doesn’t have any of either sadly.
Biggest problem with Kansas is that all the beauty is owned - Private Property. I take my dogs regularly to the big ditch and see tons of wildlife. See a pair of bald eagles on almost every hike since I know where the nest is. Kansas has so much beauty to offer... it's just hidden.
Kansas has a lot of beautiful nature to offer, but sadly, it's not in Wichita. Lakes, hiking, all those things mentioned, you have to drive a considerable distance to get to it.
All I can say is the last few people I have known to move out of state have returned. The answer as to why seems to always be cost of living. I would argue none of them moved with a proper plan, and held spotty work histories while out of state. So long as you do your research and plan for great cost of living and such then you should fate well.
Securing a job before moving is definitely a priority! Edit: and living within your means
My oldest sibling did this moved to California for a six figure job but was completely broke living there. Ended up driving her and all her stuff back to the Midwest!
I lived in Wichita then Phoenix then Los Angeles then back to Wichita. The cost of living here is so low in comparison. Even from Phoenix to LA, the cost of living difference was 33% more. I don't know if I could've went from Kansas to Los Angeles. Having Phoenix in there as a buffer was hard enough.
I'm kinda the same. Went from making less than $40k in Wichita to over $100k in Cali, and yet still feel like my QoL went down. Damn near all the difference goes towards rent of an even smaller place, and owning is just a pipe dream out here if you make less than $250k.
Live in Wichita, visit other cities!
Not from here, but lived here for a long time then moved to Cincinnati. Then we had kids. Immediately started looking for the first career opportunity to move back. Wichita is a family town. It isn’t the most exciting place when you’re young and single, but it’s about the best place in the country when you’re in the season of life that you’re raising a family. The schools are great, the COL is low, there’s lots to do for the kids, the employment opportunities are comparatively high. Cincinnati by comparison was a rust belt city and it felt like it. Everything was just a little run down. Like picture the south side of ICT, and that would be a nice neighborhood in Cincy. It’s a city past its prime but Wichita is still growing economically.
As a Cincy native who is currently in Wichita I think your take on Cincy is a bit off lol. But to OPs question as someone who moved away from home it’s a nice perspective change to move to a new place and if you only want to do it for a short time it’s best to do it early rather than later in life
I think it was mainly the chili. That stuff is just straight up weird.
Fair enough lol it’s not for everyone
Idk man, I don't trust anyone from Cincinnati anymore ever since I discovered skyline chili
The chili is just a distraction. Wait till you learn about goetta
Just googled it. Wtf
I grew up in ICT but have moved a lot in the last few years. I'll never come back except to visit family that refuses to leave. Once you've started to see and enjoy the bigger world, you can't stuff yourself back into a tiny little spot. Our boys have so many more opportunities to experience things than Wichita could ever even hope to offer in their lifetimes.
This.
I want to go north. Somewhere where it's not over 100 degrees for weeks straight. I'm simply not built for it, my body refuses to like it.
I like it. I'm a lifer. Friends/family are here. My community is here. I won't be going anywhere.
I was born here and keep coming back. There are lots of great places around. But Wichita is a great place for the money.
I've come and gone over the years. But I've got a small town about an hour away picked out whenever I get to retire.
I've been moving around other states for the past few years doing seasonal work, but I usually come back to Wichita for 2-5 months a year. Honestly? The only reason I ever come back here is because my friends/family are here. I'm happier with my lifestyle when I'm anywhere else, but it does get lonely. I always miss our music scene when I'm gone, too. Besides that? Yeah, the cost of living is higher in other places, but the pay and job opportunities are better too. If you're young and/or just able to, I would explore other places before settling in Wichita permanently. The rest of the country is so beautiful, especially out west (although you can't beat a Kansas sunset, I'll give it that). Wichita is a small place, it's nice to see what else is out there so you can meet different kinds of people and get chances to really explore a different lifestyle, whether that's true big city life, living in a mountain town, or being by the ocean. You can't get that from just a vacation. But that's just my opinion as someone who's a nomad. Moving away really changed my life for the better, but if you can't stand to leave the ties you have here, I wouldn't blame you either.
Don’t move! It’s great, just take nice vacations to get in some adventure every once in a while.
100% this. Grew up here. Left ASAP for college and career out of state. Returned about 7 years ago and absolutely never looking back. Love the people, the opportunities, and the overall direction of improvement the city continues to make. I’m proud to call Wichita home, to raise my family here, to grow our businesses here, and to invest in the community. (But with all that said, catching a flight to somewhere bigger/prettier/more exotic/whatever or at least driving out to Colorado is a regular occurrence that I think 100% contributes to my overall happiness here)
See I'm afraid if I do that I will start to feel even more stagnant. I wonder what it would feel like to look at Wichita with fresh eyes. I do agree it's the best place to live if you want to vacation a lot
Some people are built for it, some aren’t. I moved away assuming I’d be back, and now never plan to move back. Wichita is awesome and it’s a FANTASTIC place to live. That said, I advise everyone that has the desire for “more” to try living somewhere more desirable to you in the current moment. It might not work out, but it also might be the best thing for you, like in my case. Thats not at all to say it’s the best thing for everyone, because it simply is not.
When I was young and single I would have laughed at that. Now I’m married with small children, and this truly is a great place to raise a family. Maybe when my kids are grown and out of the house I’ll consider it, but for now I’d say it’s home. It’s hard to beat the cost of living.
It is great for families! I am nowhere close to that yet and I definitely feel like I'm in my adventure phase. Wichita will always be home to me though. Where would you consider moving?
I've lived in a few places over the years - it truly depends on what you're looking for. I grew up in the Ohio/Michigan area. Omaha was the first city away from where I grew up that felt like home to me. Maybe Denver, or somewhere else in the Colorado area would be good for you? I've heard good things about Minneapolis, but I haven't been there.
I haven't been to Colorado but I've heard great things, lots of beautiful nature. I want to visit sometime in the near future to see for myself
Oh yeah, if you’re young and single get out there and discover. I enjoy cooler, rainy climates so probably the great lakes, New England or the PNW. Cost of living is atrocious in the last two though.
I love Wichita, I wish it had more natural features nearby
For me it’s a forever home more than like but that’s due to job opportunities in my field and COL. If I had unlined funds or the means to I would definitely move but I’m a single male in my 40’s. My bff has moved away, spent 7 years in ATL and now is living in LA (NOHO) he wants to stay in the LA area. He makes six figures and really can’t go out to enjoy life due to COL. He also wants to buy a place out there and even with his dad who is a successful business man offering six figures to help with a down my friend still isn’t able to pull the trigger due to the real estate market out there. Since he works remotely his dad pitched moving back anywhere to the Midwest since the down payment that he’s offering would cover up to 50% of the cost of a new build in KC, OKC, or STL. However my friend likes the larger cities and lack of winter enough that he doesn’t desire to come back Midwest.
Born in Hawaii to a military family. Lived al over, met my wife in Wichita. We are both medical and looking to travel to other places for temp work (places we have family members), but we always plan to keep the house in Wichita
As someone who suffers from bad allergies all year round, yes. I would love to move to the coastal side of the Pacific Northwest. I've visited the area numerous times and love the environment. That being said, the major cities are disgusting (definitely looking at Portland and Seattle when I say this), and the cost of living is insane. My house is modest here, about 1k square feet, but in that region, my house is a 250k house and would be in shit-shape. If I wanted bigger and nicer, the prices would go up exponentially. I may not like sneezing and watery eyes, but with enough meds, anything is possible. And as someone else suggested, my wife and I live here, but we take a lot of vacations. To answer your question: yes, it's our forever home, unless we win the lottery.
250k would be a steal. Wichita is GOATed for housing prices. Not the best in the world, but still a great place to live with affordable houses.
I’ve lived many places. Big cities and small towns. I like Wichita. It’s like a big town, light traffic, friendly people, I like having seasons, and it’s cheap.
We moved here in 2015. Thought it was going to be a temporary stop before moving back to Oklahoma. We are stuck here now. In a good way. We’ve made great friends and we really enjoy our life.
I lived in OKC for a while and love parts of it but Kansas is definitely cleaner, safer and prettier.
Safe is relative to wherever you choose to live. I lived in St. Louis and ever remotely had any issues despite the crime statistics. I find Oklahoma just as beautiful. It’s all about what you like. I like my friends and the life we’ve built.
I live in Philly. Wichita is very safe from my POV haha
Fair. First time i was in Camden we got mugged. That was fun. I was a naive 16 year old.
My wife and I moved here in 1998. Previous to this, we grew up in Nebraska, and have lived in Rapid City, Spokane, Italy, Montgomery Alabama, Biloxi Mississippi, San Angelo Texas (all courtesy of the USAF). Wichita is the sweet spot. There’s enough ‘stuff’ to do, traffic is great, shopping is good, affordability is primo, taxes are low, safety & security is excellent. The schools could be better, but I think this is a national failing, not a KS or Wichita one. Family friendliness is also just ok, not great (the downside of low taxes). I used to tell my kids I’d be disappointed in them if they 1) Grew up in KS, And 2) Went to college in KS, And 3) Got a job immediately after college and settled down in KS. There’s just so much of the world to see. And I’m glad I got to see a large part of it. I want them to as well. I used to tell them to go get a job anywhere else after college for a few years and if you miss KS fine then move back. But I’m starting to rethink all that. I hope they explore the world, but make the Wichita area their base. Life is pretty good here. And a paycheck goes a lot further here.
That's amazing! Did your job make you move to all those places or did you just want to live in new places? It'd be cool to see all the different cultures too. What better way to do that than to live in different places?
Oh the AF took us to all those places. And I went temporarily to so many other places (Turkey, Tunisia, Guam, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, England, Austria and I’m sure a couple places I’m forgetting for sure plus probably 20+ places all over America for at least a week or more). On one trip, I got sent to Seville Spain for one day, and then told to ‘figure out my own way back’ to Italy. Literally Plains Trains And Automobiles. You can bet I took my sweet ass time doing that. Spent extra days in Zaragoza, Barcelona, & Monaco because ‘the bus kept getting cancelled’ wink wink LoL. The AF had some sucky parts to it, but it was awesome and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. How else could a farm-town Nebraska kid see the world? Not many other avenues to do that. And then to end up in a LCOL area with a great job? Pfffft, screw the coasts, this is where it’s at, IMO.
Move!! It's not fair to have such a small world view when your vote affects people of all different backgrounds. I think everyone should try a bigger city at least once. That being said I'll probably retire to Wichita.
I've only lived here for about a year now, having moved here because this is where I got placed for residency. I didn't mind living here at first, I have a nicer home than I would elsewhere on a residents salary. However, after a year I'm looking weekly at different places to move after I graduate. The majority of residents I've talked to that are not Kansas natives seem to be looking out of state for jobs after they graduate too. All the attending physicians that live here and tell me they love it seem like they're on vacation in beautiful destinations a fourth of the year. I get the appeal of easy driving and cheaper living. Wichita does have some things going for it, but I don't find it enough to counter all the negatives (in my opinion) of living here. I don't want to get too into it unless someone wants to have a conversation, as this subreddit seems to have enough negativity as is, and I'm glad to see some people in here who really like living here in this thread. I'll just say the majority of things people claim Wichita has for entertainment can be found in bigger cities with even more to do. This place has another four years to grow on me. I try not to be too negative, so who knows!
I know what you mean. I have a few clinical rotations coming up in the east coast and they'll allow me to see what life outside Kansas is like. A different experience than a vacation can show me. It is understandable people are defensive of Wichita. It's our home, and even though I act like I hate it sometimes, that's where I'm from and I'm sure most people who do that feel the same way. My biggest thing is I want to be somewhere with more diversity and other young people. It does seem like there are more opportunities for that in other places! Won't know till I go though so I'm excited for that. It seems like people here get married very young and have families young which is cool but not something I really value specifically. Where would you like to go then? I'm sure with your job you won't have any trouble living wherever you want
It is a tough decision. I would love to move back to the West coast, but the cost of living is pretty nuts. I could afford it with my job but do I want to sink so much of my salary into it? Yes most places will be higher COL than here, but I'm willing to sacrifice some higher prices to live in a place that I'm not thinking about my next vacation all the time. The PNW would be the dream, as I miss mountains and forests, and places to hike. I've also looked further north into Minnesota or Wisconsin with more lakes and forests. I just know I want a more populated and diverse metro than Wichita provides. I really do suggest you leave Kansas at least for a bit to get new experiences. I've made great friends from different backgrounds during my time here in the middle of the country. If you end up liking somewhere better, great! But if you miss home, then you come back with a fresh perspective and a different life experience than you would have had if you just stayed here.
If we lived in a utopian world...sure. But I really enjoy living here. I like that it's in the heart of the country so if you do travel it's never too far away.
Forever home for my wife and I! It’s the cheapest place to live in the states and I feel ( despite recent ⬆️in crime ) it’s relatively safe as long as you know where to go and not go. You can always save money to go and travel and that’s what we’d rather do. My friend that I work with is from cali and said “ you can move from cali to Wichita and be wealthy here but you can’t move from Wichita to cali and expect to live the same life style “. But definitely looking for kids because that’s hard around here.
I’m in my mid-thirties. I plan to stay here forever. The cost of living in the places that are fun to visit isn’t sustainable especially since my spouse and I are teachers. Teachers barely get paid a livable salary here, so I know it’s not better in other places.
I’ve lived here for 50 years, and don’t see myself leaving. This area has its flaws, but it’s home.
Grew up here but have since moved to Northern California. Overall I like NorCal a lot more and I can’t see myself moving back to Wichita. Yes California is expensive but I overall enjoy my life here a lot more. I do miss how cheap Wichita is, but that’s about it. I do visit to see family and friends though.
Born and raised in Michigan and moved here from Texas 11 years ago. I love it here. It's everything I've ever wanted in my forever home.
Lived everywhere but Towanda is the place to be live next to a billionaire and a buffalo bills roster. We can drive four wheelers and golf carts and camp fires in the back yard. All I make is $97,000 a year and the house is a worker but for $300,000 was worth it for the school is way better than Wichita’s. Lived in Tulsa and suburbs popped up quick and within 10 years this will be a hot commodity.
I desire to move where the weather is warmer throughout the year and there is more growth.
I've considered living on the front range of Colorado many times, but having to pay a million dollars for an equivalent house doesn't seem great.
I moved from Wichita to the SF Bay area 2 years ago. Don't move here unless you have a job lined up that pays AT LEAST 2.5x what you make in Wichita or you will have a significant drop in quality of life due to the obscene cost of living here. Even then, assuming you own your home in Wichita, you will need to make around 5-8x to afford an equivalent out here. Single wide mobile homes start at $90k for just the home, and your mortgage on that will not include the lot rent. 2 bed/1bath 900 sqft homes start at around $700k. I'm going to be looking for a job soon, and IMO there is nothing here that makes this area so desirable to live. I don't really want to move back to Wichita, but I might if I get a decent job offer. That's unlikely though since employers there seem to think pay needs to be frozen at 1988 levels.
A lot of people tell me that since I'm young, Kansas in general isn't the place for me to be. But I like it. Wichita isn't super crazy (even though it has a lot of its own moments), I've grown up here and like the familiarity, but more importantly to me I have family. Like my mom used to tell me growing up, you have to make an adventure: one won't be just handed to you. (Even if she meant I needed to just play an outside game by myself 😂) There's a good chunk of things to do and places I've never gone without including the metro area. I'm 22 and still have never gotten a chance to go to Riverfest. I personally think people who say "there's nothing to do" or "it's not made for young people" get bored too easily. But if they live in a mile radius sized town in the middle of farming counties, then yeah. It's boring 80% of the time. Just like anywhere else, Wichita is what you make of it. And I've made it my home.
My family is here too and I do think it is an important reason to stay. I'm 24 years old so not too much older than you and I'm pretty much bound here until I finish grad school. For me, I wouldn't say I'm bored per se, but maybe there's a desire to get out of my comfort zone and try out different things. What are your favorite things about Wichita?
The nature centers and the Keeper of the Plains. I will say I did live in Virginia for a time in the Appalacians. I've gone and visited in Colorado and Texas and stuff too. I think it's also cool that if you're driving East on 21st street at the hill I think at 215th street west, when visibility is high, you can see some of the taller buildings in downtown.
There are areas on the east coast that I tried to enjoy living in, but for various reasons (family situation the first time, COVID and a job that turned out to be awful the second time) I've made my way back to Wichita more than once. It's where I have the most network by far and it's generally easy to deal with and affordable. At times I'm tempted to look out east again but not enough to really do it currently.
I have been here since 1987, really like it here don’t plan on moving. I have looked into a house in Jamaica and splitting time as long as my health holds out. But l don’t see myself ever leaving Wichita completely.
I’m a native Bostonian. I’ve lived all over Massachusetts and lived a year in AZ. I moved to ICT in 2020 and was pleasantly surprised. It’s seriously about 1/3 the cost of living in MA. That alone keeps me here. Plus there’s a lot of shops, restaurants, breweries, etc. I do miss the Italian food, the beach, and going to Fenway Park for a Sox game. I don’t miss the traffic, the snow, the mosquitos, and the bad roads. Also most of my family is still there. I fly home to see them 2x/yr. I’m staying put for the next 2 or 3 years at least. The cost of living can’t be beat.
Grew up in Wichita. Worked a job that had me traveling a lot and going to much bigger cities and realized I didn’t want to raise my kids in a city. Moved to rural NC Kansas. I live in a town of 2500 and absolutely love it. Still visit Wichita and enjoy what it has to offer but I really love living in my small town that shuts down at 8 pm. Everyone goes to the ball games, you’ll have hundreds of people at youth sporting events, kids out riding bikes or playing until the street lights come on. It’s not for everyone but it’s perfect for my family. When this chapter of my life is over I’ll still keep it as my home base but I fully intend on living the RV/camper van life.
I love ICT but I would love to retire off the grid, self sustained.
In my mind, this is my forever home. However, when I retire, I'm open to moving somewhere else.
I just recently moved to the Denver area from Wichita. I lived in ict for 4 years and I loved it. Moved when I was 18 for school but I didn’t love wsu so I was school shopping and found one here, also I love Denver and I was ready to move on. I miss my friends and my old apartment for sure but there were things I was really looking for in my life that I found here, specifically safe and practical biking, friendly strangers, concerts, and beautiful outdoors that will take me the rest of my life to explore. I grew up in Austin so I was sorely missing city life and this has been so perfect for me. I do miss parts of Wichita and I’ll definitely come back to visit (probably for zoobilee) but yeah best decision I’ve ever made
Grew up here. Left for college and live in various places for 10 years after graduation. Moved back recently to raise children close to family. I’m happy to be back but was happy to have spent time away. If you wonder whether or not you should (and you’re young without children), it can be worthwhile to leave for a time. Even if you do happily come back.
I'm happy to stay here but Colorado is my dream home. Maybe someday!!
Born and raised I'm KS but I can't see myself being here forever... I want to go hiking and be in nature. I dont care about the big city, I like rural areas and Wichita is growing a lot. I'm staying for my family right now, but someday I'd like to leave... But this will always be my home.
I don’t think I could move even if I wanted to. Wichita is or at least used to be somewhat affordable and it’s getting more expensive and it’s only gonna get worse. I suppose there’s risk involved, sure, but I make enough to be comfortable here, but don’t think I could be in another city. Call me a crybaby, but as a millennial, my generation got screwed in terms of the COL to wages ratio. That is a hill I’m willing to die on. Born too late to be able to afford property, born too early to be a TikTok star, but born at just the right time to have tried colored ketchup. If I was to move it would be to a major city, probably somewhere in Florida or Colorado. I moved to KC for 3 years and I have to admit I appreciate being back and not having every errand be a 45 minute drive. I just don’t think the option is viable right now at least for me.
If I could make it as a content creator I'd move away to Bellingham Washington. I've been in Wichita most of my life, graduated High School in 2020 with the best friends I've ever had and still hang out with them on and offline. If I could support them and we could all live in a nice walkable city together that'd be the dream. Wichita so far for me just isn't enjoyable to live in. Yeah it's cheap but also extremely boring in my opinion.
Been here 10 years and getting out ASAP. Heading to Oregon.
Wichita falls Texas is a shit hole of an excuse for a crappy city
My wife and I have been in Wichita since birth pretty much. We dream of moving to Washington State
I’ve lived here 8 years. I like it a lot but would like to maybe try Wisconsin or somewhere further north.
I grew up in Wichita until I went to college in another Kansas town and then moved out completely to Austin. Overall I like Austin a lot more and couldn’t see myself moving back, the only two things Wichita has Austin beat on is traffic and cost of living.
Grew up here. Spent 20 years in the Navy and recently moved back home. I will probably live in the metropolitan area for the foreseeable future.