One of the real hidden gems of the Great Plains in Wichita, Kansas. Wichita is the largest single city in the state of Kansas, with a population of nearly four hundred thousand, while the total Wichita metro numbers nearly six hundred and fifty thousand. Us native Kansans in the Northeast part of the state sometimes forget it is part of the same state because it is so far removed from the other densely populated areas of the state, but Wichita soldiers on as a booming industrial and cultural center.
Wichita is a great place to call home, although it is not without drawbacks. We’ll take a look at some of the pros and cons of living in Wichita through the lens of a lifelong native Kansan.
What’s it like to live in Wichita, KS?
Wichita is an excellent place to live. Wichita is the 51st largest city in the U.S., sandwiched between Arlington, Texas, at 50, and Aurora, Colorado, at 52. Wichita is an industrial powerhouse that has long been known as “The Air Capital of the World.” And they are not wrong; Wichita is home to Textron Aviation, Learjet, and Boeing/Spirit AeroSystems, which have major manufacturing facilities in Wichita. It is also home to the McConnell Air Force Base, which is the largest aerial refueling base in the Air Force.
Wichita is also home to the largest commercial airport in Kansas, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, or ICT as it’s known to the locals. From ICT, you can easily reach any destination in the world from the heart of Kansas, and that’s pretty cool.
The climate is overall nice, although the summers can be overbearing when you hit the seventh-inning stretch in August or so. Winters can be cold and snowy in Wichita, but to be honest, this part of the state is quite mild. Springs and fall are great seasons in Wichita, and they afford several months of “window weather,” which is a welcome relief from the hot and muggy summers.
Arkansas (pronounced “Are-Kansas” in Kansas) runs through downtown, making a beautiful backdrop for the area. Wichita is also academically astute. It is home to Wichita State University, one of the three largest land-grant state universities in Kansas, and a slew of other small private colleges. Several technical schools and community colleges reside in the Wichita metro and surrounding communities.
Is Wichita a Safe Place to Live?
Here’s the deal: Wichita is a large city, so it does deal with crime, as does every other city in the world.
Wichita scores fairly poorly in this area, with the inner city neighborhoods scoring the worst by a large margin. This pattern of criminal behavior is consistent among basically all major cities, so if you don’t mind a commute, staying in one of the outlying suburbs or small rural towns on the outskirts of Wichita may be your jam.
My Storage Box plans to open a location in Derby in the near future, and we cannot endorse this town enough. Close enough to Wichita (15 minutes, give or take) to get anywhere quickly, but far enough from the high-crime areas to know that you are safe, all with the small-town atmosphere that makes the Great Plains such a nice place to live.
What’s the weather like in Wichita, KS?
The Great Plains are mostly known for their extreme weather patterns. Spring storms are well known worldwide, as the Great Plains has the highest concentration of tornadoes in the world. But this is not necessarily a fair assessment of the overall climate.
Wichita, like the rest of Eastern Kansas (Wichita is really South Central, not Eastern or Western), lies in a humid subtropical environment. This climate lends Wichita to hot, muggy summers and mild-to-cold winters.
But that doesn’t fully cover the rest of the year. The Great Plains usually has a nice, long springtime with many weeks of “window weather.” Also, Autumn is lovely here, with lots of golden foliage and crisp weather. The cold doesn’t usually really settle in until after Christmas, and actually, cold months are usually just January and February. There is enough snowfall in Wichita to enjoy it, but not so much that it makes getting around all that hard.
What’s the cost of living in Wichita, KS?
One great thing about the Great Plains is the cost of living. This is a key consideration for people moving to the Midwest from the coasts, where life has become incredibly expensive. Affordable housing is one of the key indicators of an inexpensive place to live, and it makes a great place for young professionals to get started after college.
Compared to the national average of other cities, Wichita is quite inexpensive and offers highly affordable housing. Gas prices are below the national average, utilities are inexpensive, and groceries are less than average, too. And, after all, this is the nation’s bread basket, so finding lots of local farmer’s markets and fresh food stands is not hard at all in the Wichita area.
According to Best Places, Wichita is slightly over 17% below the national average, making it a great place to call home.
But the breakdown in costs is where you really see the massive gains of moving to the Great Plains (author’s note: there is considerable discussion about what Kansas really is: is it Midwest, or Great Plains? We’re going with Great Plains.) The typical home cost in Wichita is a hair over $172,000, whereas the national average is over $338,000. That’s right: Wichita is almost exactly half the price of the national average.
Thinking about Moving to the Area?
It’s important to understand that there is no perfect place to live. If you want to live by the ocean, you must sometimes deal with severe weather, and it’s going to cost a lot more. If you want a nice, stable place to call home with a low cost of living and easy access to anywhere in the nation, then Wichita is a great place to call home.
What Are Wichita’s Best Suburbs?
As with most mid-size cities, Wichita is surrounded by a handful of suburbs that make up a good percentage of the population base. Like many cities, these suburbs are the preferred places for families to live and grow.
Derby
Located about 15 minutes south of Wichita, Derby is a popular suburb with a population of around 25,000. It is a very popular spot for personnel stationed at nearby McConnell Air Force Base, as it is very close to the base but maintains a small-town feel.
Andover
To the East of Wichita, in Butler County, lies Andover, a town of just under 15,000 people. Andover maintains a small-town appeal but has most of the amenities you’ll need on a daily basis. For bigger grocery trips or getting materials for DIY projects, Andover is only about 20 minutes from Wichita.
Haysville
Haysville is located on the Southwest edge of Wichita, more or less across I-35 from Derby. Haysville is smaller, with around 11,000 Kansans calling it home. The commute from Haysville to noteworthy employers in Wichita is easy, taking no more than about 20 minutes.
Maize
Finally, we have Maize. Located on the northwest side of Wichita, Maize really is a small town with a population of about 6,000. But this doesn’t tell the whole story; in 2000, Maize only have 1,868 people. It was a tiny town.
Wichita natives wanting to leave the city and people moving to the area found that Maize is a really nice little place that is still very close to Wichita proper. Highway 96 runs through Maize, which connects to I-235, and from there, you can get anywhere in Wichita easily and quickly. In Maize, you are out of the city but as connected as you want to be.
Parting Thoughts
Wichita is a truly underrated gem of a city, a beacon high on the hill of the Great Plains. Surrounded by nice, picturesque suburbs, you can live as small or as big as you want. Wichita is a family-oriented city with tons of churches, many schools, including private schools, to tailor education opportunities, and several colleges, including the third-largest state university in Kansas, Wichita State.
The weather is a detractor, as it tends toward extremes, but that has not proven to be enough to keep a few thousand new Kansans from calling it home. If you are getting ready to move to Wichita, make sure to check out our blog for all kinds of helpful storage and moving tips, and keep your eyes on My Storage Box for new location announcements in the near future!