Do you live (or have you) in Kansas?

[MHowell]

Do you love it? Why?

 

 

DD is doing a state report on Kansas and is making a travel brochure. She would like quotes from people who live there on why they love it. She has some good ones from a couple different authors, but would like some from 'normal people' too. (her words, not mine!)

 

 

Thanks for your help!

[aggieamy]

We live in Kansas and DH says it's a great place to travel from. :001_smile:

 

What we like about living in Kansas is that the people are friendly and it's easy to make good friends. We have four distinct seasons. Hmm. I'll have to try and think on more.

[Remudamom]

I love living in Kansas because I can look right out my door and see my horses. My children can run wild and have a great time. I love sunflowers. I love wheat fields. When the wind blows over the wheat fields it looks just like the ocean. The wind is fabulous. The sunsets are breathtaking. You can see countless stars at night.

 

Wow, what else?? I do enjoy Kansas. Country Kansas anyhow. I wouldn't like to live in KC.

 

eta- coyotes. Love the noise they make at night.

 

Oh yeah, the Flint hills, the Flint hills are GORGEOUS. I never get enough of them when we drive through. You can just see the pioneers with their wagon trains going west. They are full of possibilities.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Remudamom

[JeneralMom]

Sorry, I did live in Kansas, and other than Lawrence, hated it and couldn't wait to leave. I did not find the people genuinely friendly (I have never been asked so many invasive questions under the guise of Midwestern friendliness before, or had so many people butt into my personal business - I was a single, liberal, atheist Canadian vegetarian when I first moved to Kansas City and man that was like a whole lot of devils rolled into one. I was surprised no one tried to exorcise me, they just tried to set me up with every gun-toting, god-fearing, meat-eating boy they could think of.), nor did I think the weather was great.

 

Now Lawrence as a place to live was great. A fairly liberal, hippy college town that emptied out in the summer and then filled back up with vibrant students each fall. My favourite bumper sticker ever was "Lawrence, 18 square miles of sanity surrounded by Kansas."

 

(I don't mean for this to be insulting to anyone from Kansas or who loves Kansas, but I know of no one who came to grad school from outside KS/MO/OK who liked KS as a whole or who chose to stay after graduation. It is all personal opinion.)

[Hathersage]

That's funny because I hate Lawrence, KS. Yes, I really cannot stand it.

 

I'm currently living in Topeka, KS. Now our famous bumper-sticker like quote from where I am, goes something like, "Topeka, not in the middle of nowhere but you can see it from here"

 

 

Kansas does have the flint hills, but it is mostly a flat state.

 

I grew up in Kansas City, Mo.

The eastern 1/3 of Kansas is very different from the western 2/3.

Kansas has a lot of museums, I was told the most per capita when I was in college. Of course we are talking museums of hand-dug wells and the like..(worlds largest hand dug well, world's largest ball of twine, etc).

 

 

Sorry, I did live in Kansas, and other than Lawrence, hated it and couldn't wait to leave.

[BusyMama]

I do live in Kansas, and I love it. I moved here to attend college in the Kansas City area. I was so glad when I was finally able to move south, out of the KC Metro area. I was even more thrilled when we moved to central Kansas into a rural area.

 

I love being surrounded by farms and farmers. I love raising my kids in the country. I love the beautiful big sky, the storms, the wind, and the color of the wheat fields as they change.

 

We find it to be very family friendly, and even homeschool friendly. We are actively involved in our church, 4H, a homeschool group, and frequent-flyers at the local library. We've been here (in the rural area) 4 years, and all of my kids say it's the best place to grow up.

[mudboots]

I love the beautiful big sky, the storms, the wind, and the color of the wheat fields as they change.

 

We find it to be very family friendly, and even homeschool friendly.

 

Yes, all of this. We live near rolling green hills and a creek with trees. I love the seasons. In the spring, bulbs shoot up everywhere (something we didn't have in the mountains of the Southwest), and the fields shimmer with a million droplets of water on green blades of wheat. In the summer, the evenings are alive with fireflies and cicadas. The crisp fall air brings smells of bonfires. Winter is my least favorite, but we live in a place that still has the possibility of white Christmases. I can't think of anything I like about February in Kansas, but this is when the people make it worthwhile. :) I like knowing my neighbors and being sure I can trust them. I like the fact that we can live close to the earth and that there are plenty of people around who are willing to give us a helping hand with that venture. I like the way I've turned into a more peaceful person here.

 

[P.S. There are a few things I don't like, too, but that won't help the brochure. ;) ]

Edited February 28, 2012 by mudboots

[Stellalarella]

I miss living in Kansas.

 

I miss my family.

 

I miss the sky.

 

I currently live in a hilly, forested part of the urban south. Most folks around here talk about Kansas in a derogatory way--Kansas is just the wasteland on the way to their ski trip. Sigh.

 

I think the best way to appreciate Kansas is to have someone share with you the aesthetic beauty of the plains, the sunsets, watching a big storm roll in. Also, I think it seems to many folks that Kansas is a flat pancake, but really, there are hills! Interstate 70 was laid out on very flat parts to make travel easier, but if you go off an exit to the north or south, you'll find hills.

 

Where I was raised in NW Kansas, east of town were hills and streams where you could find flint arrowheads or limestone quarries. People most frequently use this quite lovely land for pasture. West of town the land was flatter and more conducive to crops.

 

When I go home and the wind hits my face, I feel so happy. When the wind picks up here in my city, people get totally freaked out! It just soothes me. :001_smile:

 

 

Stereotypes are not always helpful, but I did experience a big culture shift when I moved from rural Kansas to the urban south. A lot of the folks I know from Kansas tend not to be braggers. They are sincere when they invite you over for supper--it's not just a throw out line to be nice to somebody. In small towns, it seems that life depends very much on the weather (because agriculture is the big business, besides the public school), so I wouldn't call folks just real optimistic. :001_smile: Even me phrasing it that way is such a NW Kansas thing. If we really like something we might say, "That's not too bad." :lol: I also don't think people where I was raised are quite as talkative as my lovely friends are here in my southern city. I am not saying one or the other is BAD, it is just different, and takes some getting used to. Also, there is WAY, WAY less pressure for lipstick and hairspray. Why coif your hair? The wind is just going to blow it to pieces. My sister's wedding was outdoors and we were so pleased when the wind dropped just under gale force right before the ceremony. :001_smile:

[jenbrdsly]

My mom's family is from Russell, Hutchinson, and Manhattan. The comments about Lawrence really crack me up because my mom keeps trying to convince us that Lawrence is "the Palo Alto of Kansas". It sounds like she might be right about that!

This past weekend we packed up my grandma's house in SD to move her into a retirement home, and that included packing up a brick from her backyard that was from Main Street, Russell. My DH is thrilled to be the proud owners of a new random brick for our backyard.

Suffice to say, I know LOTS of wonderful people from Kansas. :)

[Stellalarella]

OK, more pictures. I'm feeling homesick.

 

In NW Kansas we have really, really, really big cottonwood trees. Settlers planted them along streams. (The tree picture is from my sister's wedding. We hung chandeliers from branches of several trees that arched together. )

[Stellalarella]

OK, who else from KS LOVES the hills around Ellsworth? So beautiful!!

 

Now, if you want to talk about flat--Sterling KS is flat. It's in the floodplain of the Arkansas river. I love Sterling. A tiny town with a college at the north end and a lake at the south end. Mile by mile square.

 

Who has been to Castle Rock to find shark's teeth over by Quinter?

 

What about the fish within the fish fossil at the Sternberg museum in Hays?

 

Who loves not getting lost in western Kansas because the roads run north/south, east/west without deviation? :001_smile:

 

Who loves how a town will have a big community event and folks will get together to make giant big roasters of tender beef for sandwiches--everybody in town can come and share in the meal--county fair, 4th of July, etc.

[aggieamy]

I thought of another thing I love about Kansas - the food. We might not have any exciting regional dishes but we have some fantastic vegetables and fruit because we've got so much farmland. Every year we get a locally raised cow that is so good and farm fresh unpaturized milk. Mmmm.

[jenbrdsly]

I thought of another thing I love about Kansas - the food. We might not have any exciting regional dishes but we have some fantastic vegetables and fruit because we've got so much farmland. Every year we get a locally raised cow that is so good and farm fresh unpaturized milk. Mmmm.

 

 

Bieroch! Mmmmmmmm...

[Remudamom]

Don't mountain oysters count as an exciting regional dish?

[kalanamak]

What we like about living in Kansas is that the people are friendly and it's easy to make good friends. We have four distinct seasons. Hmm. I'll have to try and think on more.

 

I liked the genuinely rural folk. I found some uncalled for snobbery in the people who'd brushed the dust off their shoes a couple of generations back.

The Flint Hills was a great place to horseback ride. I like all the little county historical societies.

 

Lawrence was fun in the 70s. Now, all the students dress exactly the same. Last time I wandered around campus (I have a hobby -- walking around campuses) the only people I could strike up conversations with were from elsewhere, like Brazil or Korea. So sad.

[astrid]

OK, who else from KS LOVES the hills around Ellsworth? So beautiful!!

 

Now, if you want to talk about flat--Sterling KS is flat. It's in the floodplain of the Arkansas river. I love Sterling. A tiny town with a college at the north end and a lake at the south end. Mile by mile square.

 

Who has been to Castle Rock to find shark's teeth over by Quinter?

 

What about the fish within the fish fossil at the Sternberg museum in Hays?

 

Who loves not getting lost in western Kansas because the roads run north/south, east/west without deviation? :001_smile:

 

Who loves how a town will have a big community event and folks will get together to make giant big roasters of tender beef for sandwiches--everybody in town can come and share in the meal--county fair, 4th of July, etc.

 

Andrea, I have to thank you so much for posting the pictures and talking so fondly about Kansas. They are making me miss Kansas so much!

 

I know, I know...... WHAT on earth could a flaming, godless liberal like myself love about Kansas? Well, everything. I was born and raised in New England, but my dad was from north central Kansas-- a tiny town called Formosa, in Jewell County. My dad I spent every summer there on my grandparents wheat and cattle farm, and I loved every minute.

 

We go back to visit family every couple of years and like you, when that wind hits my face I am so happy!! I even spend ridiculous amounts of money ordering Dorothy Lynch salad dressing online so I can have a little taste of Kansas every day. In fact, right now I've got a Cozy Inn ("Buy 'em By the Sack!") sticker on my car and K-State purple towels in my bathroom. Every January 29th (Kansas Day) I make chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and pan gravy.

 

So yeah..... my flaming liberal self is just so comforted by Kansas!

 

astrid

[TXMomof4]

Bieroch! Mmmmmmmm...

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree: That is something we took away from Kansas. I'd never had them before and fell in LOVE! The Friendship House in Wamego was wonderful! Love their cookbook.

 

We were only there 18 mo, but it is beautiful in NE Kansas - Manhattan is right at the beginning of the Flint Hills and that was a huge blessing for us. I grew up in flat W. Texas and thought I might die going back to flat, windy land - but Manhattan was beautiful. The wildlife is fun too. We saved a baby squirrel and a baby bat in our backyard there. The fireflies were unbelievable. Hundreds of them in our backyard every night. We had lots of good times chasing them.

[astrid]

In fact, here are some pics from our trip to KS last July-- the vista shot was taken around Concordia, and of course, the Cozy Inn in Salina!:001_smile:

 

astrid

[kalanamak]

I loved walking out from the house into the rough-grassed field, and after you're out there a bit, one of the yard cats comes crying out to you: wait for me! You didn't say you were going walkies!

[Corbster98]

We are an active duty family and had been living in Manhattan (KS) for the past year, until we moved to Topeka to be near my oldest son's swim team training. Let me say that, as with any state, what city/ area you live in really can dictate whether or not you love or even like that state.

 

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Manhattan KS!!

I Like almost nothing about Topeka.

 

Manhattan was a smaller city and had the nicest group of people I have ever met in my life. Everyone we ever met or even passed by during our walks or bike rides, almost instantly became friends :) Young and old alike were just genuinely warm and friendly. Crime is pretty much unheard of in that area.. other than some petty crimes. Traffic is pretty much non-existant most of the time. The city is small enough that you can get around very easily, but large enough to have what you may want/need.

It is situated right in the rolling Flint Hills of KS, which make the scenery just beautiful. The stars are so bright on a clear night :) The thunderstorms rolling in were just beautiful. Within a matter of minutes, you could be out in the country surrounded by farms and cows... it was just so peaceful to me.

I sure do miss Manhattan.

 

Topeka is the complete opposite. It is a much bigger city with a lot more poverty, and crime. The overall "feel" of this place to me is just rude and everyone is in a rush. If Topeka were my only experience living in KS, I would have to say I dislike KS. However, I know that I LOVE certain parts of KS!

[Meriwether]

As you leave Wichita on 54 you see a billboard advertising Boot Hill in 150 miles (approx.). It always strikes me funny when I see it. It is as good as saying there is nothing interesting in the next two hours. My family is in SE Kansas, and we are considering moving there. I'm not a native and wouldn't move to Kansas just because, but it does have it's good points. They have good roads and little traffic. Our town had fantastic 4-H programs. I feel like I'm d@mning with faint praise. The problem with Ks is that it isn't the "most". It has some pretty scenery, but it isn't the prettiest state. It has some interesting history, but it isn't the most interesting state. It has some nice people, but not nicer than anywhere else I've lived. Even my beloved KSU football team isn't the best in the nation.

[Meriwether]

We are an active duty family and had been living in Manhattan (KS) for the past year, until we moved to Topeka to be near my oldest son's swim team training. Let me say that, as with any state, what city/ area you live in really can dictate whether or not you love or even like that state.

 

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Manhattan KS!!

I Like almost nothing about Topeka.

 

Manhattan was a smaller city and had the nicest group of people I have ever met in my life. Everyone we ever met or even passed by during our walks or bike rides, almost instantly became friends :) Young and old alike were just genuinely warm and friendly. Crime is pretty much unheard of in that area.. other than some petty crimes. Traffic is pretty much non-existant most of the time. The city is small enough that you can get around very easily, but large enough to have what you may want/need.

It is situated right in the rolling Flint Hills of KS, which make the scenery just beautiful. The stars are so bright on a clear night :) The thunderstorms rolling in were just beautiful. Within a matter of minutes, you could be out in the country surrounded by farms and cows... it was just so peaceful to me.

I sure do miss Manhattan.

 

Topeka is the complete opposite. It is a much bigger city with a lot more poverty, and crime. The overall "feel" of this place to me is just rude and everyone is in a rush. If Topeka were my only experience living in KS, I would have to say I dislike KS. However, I know that I LOVE certain parts of KS!

 

I loved living in Manhattan.

[Word Nerd]

This thread makes me happy! :)

 

Definitely check out the Kansas Explorers Club (I'm a member!) website and take a look at the 8 Wonders of Kansas finalists in the different categories.

 

Also, go Wildcats! I love Manhattan, and it still feels like home when I visit.

Edited February 29, 2012 by WordGirl

[elegantlion]

I got married there, ds was born there. These are staples in our home:

 

 

[Stellalarella]

Bieroch. Yes. Yes.

Here is my how-to. :001_smile:

[Stellalarella]

The problem with Ks is that it isn't the "most". It has some pretty scenery, but it isn't the prettiest state. It has some interesting history, but it isn't the most interesting state. It has some nice people, but not nicer than anywhere else I've lived. Even my beloved KSU football team isn't the best in the nation.

 

I'm smiling. I think this is why I wrote earlier that we say things like, "it's not too bad," about the things we do like. :001_smile:

 

A man once told me about a "mindset" that may have come with some of the settlers. People originally set out to go west all the way across the country. When they got to Kansas they looked around and thought, "Well, we can make this work," so they stopped short of the "big destination." He called it "The People Beside the Path." Interesting theory, anyway. They settled (literally) for what was there instead of going all the way west.

[MrsBasil]

I grew up in a big sprawling suburb of Kansas City, KS. Very little farm land. By the time I left it seemed to be mostly housing developments and shopping. The things I remember the most, the lights on the Plaza at Christmas, good barbecue, wandering the Nelson Atkins are all in Missouri. :)

 

I liked it well enough and, as an adult, it would be a place I'd consider raising my kids.

[elegantlion]

I'm smiling. I think this is why I wrote earlier that we say things like, "it's not too bad," about the things we do like. :001_smile:

 

A man once told me about a "mindset" that may have come with some of the settlers. People originally set out to go west all the way across the country. When they got to Kansas they looked around and thought, "Well, we can make this work," so they stopped short of the "big destination." He called it "The People Beside the Path." Interesting theory, anyway. They settled (literally) for what was there instead of going all the way west.

 

That's funny. I grew up in NW MO, many of my ancestors moved here during the wagon days. I tease ds because in our ancestry we have warriors and knights and people that conquered countries and came to America before it was a country. MO is nice, but were they afraid to venture past the MO river? Why did they stop here? It's like the wanderlust died here, at least in our family tree.

[Stellalarella]

This thread makes me happy! :)

 

Definitely check out the Kansas Explorers Club (I'm a member!) website and take a look at the 8 Wonders of Kansas finalists in the different categories.

 

Also, go Wildcats! I love Manhattan, and it still feels like home when I visit.

 

Your link shows a picture of the Brookville Hotel.

 

Anybody else ever get to eat fried chicken family style at the Brookville?

[mommymilkies]

My dh thinks I'm crazy because I want to move to Kansas. This thread isn't helping! :lol:

[kalanamak]

Your link shows a picture of the Brookville Hotel.

 

Anybody else ever get to eat fried chicken family style at the Brookville?

 

It was the big event of the year!

[rocketgirl]

i drove through there once and noticed that it was very green! we entered from colorado which was quite dry and brown...

[jenbrdsly]

Bieroch. Yes. Yes.

Here is my how-to. :001_smile:

 

Very cool!

So now I have to ask... has anyone read The Worst Hard Times by Timothy Egan? My mom insisted that I read it, and I am so glad I did. It's all about the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and Kansas.

It was especially meaningful to our family because it specifically talks about Russo Germans. My grandma’s family never went hungry in the Dust Bowl, but they had their own silos.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that just this past weekend I went through all of my grandpa’s Hutchinson High School and K State yearbooks. It was pretty cool. My mom can still do the Hutchinson high school chant. Chime in if you know it!

Edited February 29, 2012 by jenbrdsly

[mudboots]

It's nice to hear I'm not the only one who likes the wind (at least, anytime except winter). I find it exhilarating and refreshing, like I'm caught up in something I can't control, and all my worries are blown away.

 

the lights on the Plaza at Christmas

 

I agree - beautiful! I also liked 39th Street for its indie feel, all the colorful shops and restaurants.

 

I've eaten at the Brookville Hotel once.

 

The Cozy Inn... I've never eaten there, but my brother-in-law has to go visit each time he comes to Kansas, like a test of bravery. :)

[mudboots]

has anyone read The Worst Hard Times... My grandma’s family never went hungry in the Dust Bowl, but they had their own silos.

 

Interesting! Whenever I watch apocalyptic-type movies (because DH likes that genre), I wonder about this, but always for the future. I don't often consider the ways that the ability to live off the land has affected people historically.

[kalanamak]

 

The other thing I wanted to mention is that just this past weekend I went through all of my grandpa’s Hutchinson High School and K State yearbooks. It was pretty cool. My mom can still do the Hutchinson high school chant. Chime in if you know it!

 

If you are looking for a Kansas-fix, try PrairyErth by William Moon. He spent months tramping over all of Chase county and interviewed a third of the residents.

[HeidiKC]

That's funny because I hate Lawrence, KS. Yes, I really cannot stand it.

.

 

What?! Really? I've never heard that before. I love Lawrence - it's fun, friendly, good prices (college town) and the campus is beautiful. What do you not like about it? Just curious because it's hard for me to imagine!

[kalanamak]

What?! Really? I've never heard that before. I love Lawrence - it's fun, friendly, good prices (college town) and the campus is beautiful. What do you not like about it? Just curious because it's hard for me to imagine!

 

I love the old houses and I love imagining my grandparents living there over 100 years ago.

[HeidiKC]

If you are looking for a Kansas-fix, try PrairyErth by William Moon. He spent months tramping over all of Chase county and interviewed a third of the residents.

 

Another really good Kansas book is "Bird, Kansas". I think that's the name. It is a fictional town but, as I recall, you can figure out which town it's supposed to be. I think it was near Nicodemus (which is a town settled by former slaves). Anyway, it was a very different kind of book that really sucked me in. Focused on a few random characters in town, and the slow pace of life there. Sort of what they did day to day. Sounds boring the way I'm describing it, but I found it fascinating and in some ways wanting that kind of slower pace of life. Walking to the library, etc. Gives you a good feel for life in a midwestern (prairie) small-town a just a few years back.

[Hathersage]

Ok, I don't hate Lawrence, KS. And for the record, I'm liberal atheist type, so that's probably even more shocking.

 

Housing prices are unaffordable. Jobs? Oh, everyone commutes here, or KC. And they'll all let you know how much Lawrence is sooo much better than here. So annoying. I live in Topeka, and I like it. Sure there are some things I don't like about it, I'll never make any friends here. But the library is good. There are in fact inclusive homeschoolers here, shocking I know. And an atheist group! And I'm sure that Lawrence is a nice town, but that doesn't make where I live inferior. I'm not a fan of college towns, that's my personal preference there. Lawrence isn't somewhere I'd want to live. And sometimes I dislike visiting because I think Topeka should offer the same thing. People from Lawernce probably think the same thing in reverse. lol. Seriously, why is everything about commuting?! Can we still afford to do this much driving?

[Remudamom]

I loved living in Manhattan.

 

I think the campus is gorgeous. And my kids love Aggieville.

[Word Nerd]

I loved last year's Newbery winner, Moon Over Manifest, which is set in 1930s-era Kansas and written by Kansas author Clare Vanderpool.

[kalanamak]

Ok, I don't hate Lawrence, KS. And for the record, I'm liberal atheist type, so that's probably even more shocking.

 

Housing prices are unaffordable. Jobs? Oh, everyone commutes here, or KC. ?

 

 

Ah, but I lived there before it became a bedroom community of ex-Jayhawks trying to relive their youth.

[elise1mds]

I grew up in SE KS, in a very tiny town. I love that I can go back and still feel as welcomed and at home as I did when I lived there 20 years ago. I love the town spirit. I love that the two-fingered wave while driving is alive and well. :)

[Hathersage]

Ah, but I lived there before it became a bedroom community of ex-Jayhawks trying to relive their youth.

 

There are not enough jobs in Lawrence to support the bedroom community it has become. Outside of university employment, it really doesn't offer the jobs they need. So they commute. But they don't want to do that. Or they want to tell us that living out in Lawrence is well better, because it more liberal, its more this or that. That can get old. And they really have driven up the prices around there. Not that I mind because I don't live there. I guess I just don't understand the appeal. There are other "hip, sane" people across the state.