Considering Hays, Kansas...the good, the bad, the ugly (Topeka: best towns, rental)

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by lavenderlady3388

I did take a look at the photos AnywhereElse. ;o} The tax things stinks! As for shopping, I do almost everything via the internet, so I don't think that will be an issue. The blowing dust thing could very well be. I am not familiar with Lindsborg, so I will check it out. I have looked at Salina, but not carefully. Kind of poked around in Hot Springs and Eureka Springs in AR and Birmingham in Alabama, but do worry about the humidity. Like I said, it is very overwhelming to have too many choices. I feel like Goldilocks checking out the bears' beds!

If you are looking at locations in the Southeast that are a bit more affordable for retirees I would recommend looking into towns on the Cumberland Plateau in TN. LOW property taxes and a larger selection of houses to choose from. Mild climate due to the elevation, few days above 90F. The highest elevated areas are around Crossville (Lake Tansi and Fairfield Glade are retiree communities). Monterey up the road is nice, you can likely find nice properties with annual property taxes of $400-500, even on $200K houses. Cookeville is where the university is in that area.

[a.jesse]

I lived in a small town north of hays for 15 years. We drove into hays a couple times a month for major shopping trips. Not a ton of amenities, but the basics. Nice park south of town. The people in western kansas are as good as it gets, but im a bit biased

[lavenderlady3388]

That's all I need a.jesse...well stocked grocery store, bakery, pharmacy, gas station, post office, medical and vet center. Oh, and I guess a Walmart, although I prefer Target. Any dog parks?

[mshultz]

Originally Posted by lavenderlady3388

That's all I need a.jesse...well stocked grocery store, bakery, pharmacy, gas station, post office, medical and vet center. Oh, and I guess a Walmart, although I prefer Target. Any dog parks?

Yes:

Dog Park

[AnywhereElse]

Have you been to the Hays website? They list businesses. HOME We really don't have that many Target stores. Wal-Mart dominates and you won't see much else outside metro areas. Probably would have to go to Salina for a Target shop.

[lavenderlady3388]

Thanks for the links AnywhereElse. This is helpful and it is great to see a dog park in Hays! Well, I can deal with WalMart. We have both a WalMart and Target. WalMart about 20 minutes away and Target about 40 minutes. I am still checking out other places, but Hays is definitely on my list to do further investigating. Thanks all.

[empires228]

I wouldn't move to Hays unless you can afford the outrageous cost of living compared to the rest of its similar sized peers in the state. Hays med is a nice modern Hospital, but after multiple negative experiences with them personally, and watching friends and family have trouble after receiving treatment at Hays med I can't recommend it. I'm a student at the college and you know it's bad when your teachers openly admit that they take themselves and their kids to Great Bend, Kansas City, and Wichita for all of their medical needs.

Chain Shopping:
Walmart Super Center
Home Depot
JCPenney
Sears Hometown
Stage
Christopher and CJ Banks
Maurices
Famous Footwear
Hallmark
Radio Shack
Game Stop
Vanity
Tradehome Shoes
Hibbit Sports
Rue 21
Hobby Lobby
Hastings Books Music and Entertainment
Westlake ACE Hardware
Dillon's (Subsidy of Kroger)

Besides that there are a few women oriented boutiques downtown, but not much else. The ASAIN market is moving, both banks moved out, and both antique stores have closed for good. Salina is around an hour and a half away, and has a mall anchored by Sears, JCPenney, Dillard's, Ross Dress For Less, and Joann Fabrics. They also have other major stores like Lowe's, Menard's, TJMaxx, Marshall's, Old Navy, BAM, Dick's Sporting Goods, Big Lotts, Sam's Club, Target, Kmart, Party City, Kohl's, Dress Barn, and popular restaurants like Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Chili's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Longhorn Steakhouse, and more.

A combination of continued commercial growth in Salina and Garden City combined with greedy landowners and landlords in Hays who inflate the price of land and rent, have prevented much new commercial activity from happening in Hays. In fact, several chain restaurants, Village Inn, Carlos O'Kelly's, and Montana Mikes, have closed over the last three years due to high rent. All three of the buildings have sat empty since with little interest from local or national tenants. Target is usually the poster child of what Hays wants every time the lack of retail development comes up at a city meeting, but Target isn't interested because there are three stores that overlap the Hays trade area. It probbaly doesn't help that Walmart is king here and the original location took out Kmart almost immediately after opening, and the super center killed off the local ALCO Discount Center.

So overall Hays isn't a bad community, there is a huge park (and the only decent park in Hays) to the south of downtown to enjoy, but if you're set on Kansas, try considering Hutchinson, Salina, Emporia, Ottawa, Pittsburg, Fort Scott, or Winfield. All of those towns are better located when it comes to Wichita and Kansas City, and have thriving historic downtown districts.

[lavenderlady3388]

Empires228- thanks for the heads up. Yes, medical is very important to me. You have certainly given me something to think about. As for being set on Kansas, the answer is no. I am not set on anything. I can literally move anywhere in the US...that is why this is so dang difficult. I am really trying to pick someplace that is medium sized. (30K to 60K) not pounded with snow in the winter and not miserable in the summer with humidity, low taxes, good medical care, light on the crime, easy to get around, and a town that promotes the arts. Generally any "art towns" I find are way out of my price range. And to top it off, I would really like to live in the "town" part, not a 15 minute drive to get into town. I am out in the boondocks where I am...there is nothing to do unless I drive 30 minutes away and I simply won't do that. I am tired of being isolated!

Dearly love the old bungalows that have been remodeled. I also need a finished basement with water for my art studio. The "basement" part alone limits my location because many parts of the country don't have basements and generally speaking, most remodeled bungalows don't have good finished basements. The ceilings are too low and the footprint too cramped and dark. Yep...looking for the impossible. Thank goodness I am not in a rush at this point. Thanks for your observations!

[empires228]

Originally Posted by lavenderlady3388

Empires228- thanks for the heads up. Yes, medical is very important to me. You have certainly given me something to think about. As for being set on Kansas, the answer is no. I am not set on anything. I can literally move anywhere in the US...that is why this is so dang difficult. I am really trying to pick someplace that is medium sized. (30K to 60K) not pounded with snow in the winter and not miserable in the summer with humidity, low taxes, good medical care, light on the crime, easy to get around, and a town that promotes the arts. Generally any "art towns" I find are way out of my price range. And to top it off, I would really like to live in the "town" part, not a 15 minute drive to get into town. I am out in the boondocks where I am...there is nothing to do unless I drive 30 minutes away and I simply won't do that. I am tired of being isolated!

Dearly love the old bungalows that have been remodeled. I also need a finished basement with water for my art studio. The "basement" part alone limits my location because many parts of the country don't have basements and generally speaking, most remodeled bungalows don't have good finished basements. The ceilings are too low and the footprint too cramped and dark. Yep...looking for the impossible. Thank goodness I am not in a rush at this point. Thanks for your observations!

Sounds like you might enjoy Pittsburg, Kansas. It's a college town and a former mining boom town. It's close to Joplin, Missouri and it's not far to Tulsa and Kamsas City for additional ahopping and services. It has a nice downtown and a plethora of historic houses and buildings. Their university recently completed a brand new state of the art music building, and the climate down there doesn't favor snow as much as the rest of the state. It's also close to many senic areas.

[AnywhereElse]

We lived just north of Pittsburg for 6 years. It has gotten very run down. As you probably know, they have lost some major employers during the years we were in the area, not long ago, couple of years. They are getting quite a number of illegals in the area with the dog food plant. One of the employers that closed about 6 years ago had over 800 employees so you can see what that would do to a city that size. Also, SE KS is the more humid area of the state. Poverty is also an issue and I am sure that many in Pittsburg were probably driving in for work at Amazon which just closed its doors in February this year.

Also, the crime situation there would be an issue for the OP: https://www.city-data.com/crime/crime...rg-Kansas.html