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I did some work in Quinter years ago and I remember very little about it. I believe we ate at Dairy Queen because it was one of the few restaurants. We also ate at Pizza Hut and I think those were about the only options. From what I recall, it is a very small town with nice people. There may have been a Chinese restaurant as well.
Thank you, Rivertowntalk! It's under 1,000 people population, so there's not going to be many stores and restaurants there. The nice people part sounds good, indeed.
Sorry. I'm not really any help on Quinter. I've only been there twice going to Castle Rocks. It's a tiny town. It would be a tough move (for me) after living in KC with all the amenities there. I personally hate commuting, so if you want to live in Hays, that's up to you. I hate driving more then 15 minutes to work. Lol. Just seems like such a waste of time, fuel, and energy.
If you move out there and don't like it, you can always move again once your lease is up.
Mattks - nah, that's all right. I will just wait and see what anyone wants to share on here about Quinter. I wonder what empires228 thinks about it. I'm coming over to Quinter with my wife on Tuesday so I can see for myself - it's too important of a decision to not look at the area first. It's not a must-take situation, nor do I know I will get a job offer, but it does sound like it's a pretty good professional opportunity within my scope of work skills, that's all. We'll see. Thanks for your input.
Quinter is a clean and quiet little town, and the largest in Gove County despite not being the county seat. There honestly isn't much to say about it besides that it's between Wakeeney and Oakley, it has a fairly popular Dairy Queen Brazier (or Grill & Chill as they're now called), it's the gateway to Castle Rock and the breathtakingly beautiful Castle Rock Badlands, and that I've met some very nice people from Gove County in general. The only downside I can see about living in Gove County is the necessity to make trips to Garden City or Hays (I see a decent number of license plates with "GO" on them parked at the Walmarts in both communities) for anything beyond what you can get at Dollar General and the small local grocery store. Gove County also has some other fun little oddities outside of Monument and Castle Rock such as a restored Opera House in Grainfield and a large and very beautiful catholic church in Park! If you want a quiet life, and don't mind having to drive an hour to Hays or two to Garden City or Salina for larger purchases, then Quinter wouldn't be a bad option. I can't really speak on the quality of the four other towns in Gove County like Park, Grinnell, Grainfield, and Gove City because they're very small communities. Like I said, Park has that beautiful catholic church, Grainfield has the opera house, and then the county seat, Gove City, is pretty much just the courthouse and the children in the area are zoned to the schools in Grainfield.
If you didn't make it to Monument or Castle Rock when you were in Dodge, I'm sure you will love seeing them, so make sure to hit up one or both if you have time! Cedar Bluff Reservoir has some beautiful spots along the Smokey Hill River Valley as well.
Hays is a nice little town- I lived there for four years. Has its drawbacks like anywhere else... but *if* I was looking for a small town to live in (I'm not), Hays would be top of the list.
The good:
Hays is a CHEAP place to live. Locals will tell you otherwise... but that's because they're comparing it to other towns in Western Kansas. This is Dust Bowl country- and unless you've lived on the High Plains... you really have no concept of how cheap the cost of living can be in some of these little towns. So by Western Kansas standards (and Eastern Colorado, Northern Texas, Western Oklahoma, Western Nebraska, etc.), Hays is kinda expensive. But compared to almost ANYWHERE else in the country... Hays is dirt cheap.
Hays has a college. It's nothing special, but it *is* a 4-year university... with all that comes along with that. This is what puts Hays head & shoulders above any other town in the region. There are sporting events, various cultural events... people coming in from elsewhere in the U.S. and even from other parts of the world. Don't get me wrong- Hays is still the whitest place I've ever lived. But compared to other towns on the High Plains, it's a cultural Mecca. And even if you aren't involved with the college in any manner... the fact that people are brought in from elsewhere makes the town more dynamic than any other in the area. This town is actually growing in population- which is nothing special for most of the country. But that makes it a serious outlier on the High Plains.
And speaking of culture... Hays has that in a sense. Speaking as an Easterner who found himself there by chance for several years- Hays has a certain cohesive small-town culture that you just don't find back East. Like many small towns out here in the Rectangle States, Hays was settled by European immigrants within the past century or so. That may sound insignificant if you haven't been around this sort of thing... but to me it's distinctly different than the area I grew up in back East that had been settled by us whiteys for well over 200 years. In these small towns on the High Plains, it's not uncommon for there to still be a distinct cultural identity. In Hays, the majority of people are Volga Germans. I won't bore you with the details except to say that this is a group of people with a distinct (and rather tragic) history, who happened to find a haven in the middle of nowhere on the plains of Kansas. I married one of them There are other towns in the area settled by the French, the Czechs, Scandinavians, Mennonites, etc. I'll never be one of the locals, but I enjoy learning about these still-intact cultural identities that you just don't find in other parts of the country.
Hays is boring. It's safe. It's easily 95% white, and has an intact sense of community. For some people (not me, necessarily)... that's perfect. I like to tell people that if you have the right last name (I don't) and the right personality (probably not me!)... Hays Kansas is paradise.
The bad:
Hays is isolated. It's over an hour in ANY direction to the next town of similar size. If you're heading North of West, it's several hours to the next big town. It's four or five hours to the nearest large airport. There are only- I dunno- 20,000 or so people there including the college. You can't live here and be anonymous like you an in a large city. Once you're there for a few years, you'll run into people you know around town... even if you're a reclusive creep like me. For some people that might be a good thing- not for me.
There's the smell. There is the agricultural "experiment station" on the southwest corner of town. I can't give you the details except that it's basically a feed lot run by the college. You'll have to talk to some aggie if you want a better a better explanation than that. Point is that it stinks- and if you live on the South side of town (say, south of the railroad tracks... which is the cheaper part of town), you're gonna smell it at times. It's no big deal most of the time- but sometimes when the wind, temperature, and moisture are just wrong- the smell of feces will make your eyes water. And don't think that this is the only smell around. There's another feedlot on the Northwest side of town. Being in that location, is USUALLY doesn't cause a problem. But when the wind is just wrong... you're gonna smell it.
And finally- the worst thing about Hays: The weather. Hays is both the hottest and the coldest place I've ever lived- and I've lived in quite a few places. It's semi-arid there... the summers are HOT. The winters are COLD. And the wind never really stops. In late winter/early spring, and during the summer you will literally have dust blow through town. The thunderstorms are awe-inspiring... amazing to see but as terrible as you will find anywhere in the world. I've seen it be -10 degrees F actual temp, and below -20 with the windchill. The same years I've seen it his 115 degrees F in the summer. The weather is HARSH. It's unpleasant to be outside in one way or another most of the time. I didn't find it unbearable- and I had a job working outside much of the time- but be aware that you will NOT experience nice weather here most of the time. Most of the time the weather is nasty.
The ugly:
Hays is a very insular place. Really that's true of most small towns- and it's particularly true out on the plains where these places are so isolated. If you want to build a career... your last name MATTERS. If you didn't grow up there, you will never be accepted as a local. These weren't huge problems for me, as I never intended to stay for more than a few years- but keep it in mind if you need to build a career. This may not be so important if you're retiring... though that may come with its own set of considerations... I dunno. Regardless, for a large chunk of the people in this area... the sun rises about an hour East of Hays and sets about an hour West of Hays. There is no world outside Ellis county as far as they're concerned. Doesn't make them bad people- matter of fact I think they're good people for the most part. But just understand that their world may only be a 90-mile radius. Anything outside that is totally irrelevant for a big chunk of the population.
No matter what the topic is you always seem to manage to work something into your posts disparaging immigrants. Absolutely pathetic, it must suck to live your life so filled with hate.
I never disparage immigrants. Oh, you must mean illegal aliens. Well, since they run down the neighborhoods, consume massive parts of the school budgets and increase the crime rate, it is an essential element when it comes to relocation. Checking a town for the crime is important and there is no avoiding a higher crime rate of the town has a large group of illegal aliens. Cost of illegal aliens to KS, $442 million while we have families living on the street and children going to bed hungry in our state. If you don't know the difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien, it is time you educate yourself so you don't come across as "ignorant" on the subject. In short, get a clue!
I have watched what illegal aliens have done to Emporia, KS and am also aware that they have done this to other cities in KS and across the country. Poverty rate here is 25%, with schools rated 3 out of 10, 2 blocks from the state teaching college. So much time is devoted to teaching non-English speaking students that the teachers cannot keep the rest of the class up to where they should be.
It must suck to live in the US and not support the laws of our country, must make one feel like an alien themselves.
I think one of the issues is what kind of city one is used to. Obviously, someone that wants a wealth of shopping, restaurants, entertainment that starts evaluating a city in NW or SW Kansas isn't going to be pleased with their choices. One has to define what is important to them, what they NEED and/or WANT.
Sadly, many people aren't able to afford keeping up their homes anymore. Many of the older homes cost quite a bite to maintain and with so many older citizens, there are neighborhoods in every city that really need some work. And, then, there are the slum lords who cozy up with the city and get away with renting shacks that should be torn down. All a part of politics in a city.
I don't know of any city that doesn't have some homes that would be considered rundown, not anywhere. So many are unemployed (and given up) and others underemployed.
My advice on relocation though is to relocate and set yourself up to where you could get another job if something happens with the one that you are moving to. Too often, some of these companies burn through the local population with layoffs. Just something to keep in mind. I have seen that now with 3 cities here.
Quinter is a clean and quiet little town, and the largest in Gove County despite not being the county seat. There honestly isn't much to say about it besides that it's between Wakeeney and Oakley, it has a fairly popular Dairy Queen Brazier (or Grill & Chill as they're now called), it's the gateway to Castle Rock and the breathtakingly beautiful Castle Rock Badlands, and that I've met some very nice people from Gove County in general. The only downside I can see about living in Gove County is the necessity to make trips to Garden City or Hays (I see a decent number of license plates with "GO" on them parked at the Walmarts in both communities) for anything beyond what you can get at Dollar General and the small local grocery store. Gove County also has some other fun little oddities outside of Monument and Castle Rock such as a restored Opera House in Grainfield and a large and very beautiful catholic church in Park! If you want a quiet life, and don't mind having to drive an hour to Hays or two to Garden City or Salina for larger purchases, then Quinter wouldn't be a bad option. I can't really speak on the quality of the four other towns in Gove County like Park, Grinnell, Grainfield, and Gove City because they're very small communities. Like I said, Park has that beautiful catholic church, Grainfield has the opera house, and then the county seat, Gove City, is pretty much just the courthouse and the children in the area are zoned to the schools in Grainfield.
If you didn't make it to Monument or Castle Rock when you were in Dodge, I'm sure you will love seeing them, so make sure to hit up one or both if you have time! Cedar Bluff Reservoir has some beautiful spots along the Smokey Hill River Valley as well.
There's that empires228 input I was yearning for. Excellent stuff. HR Head said that they can network and find a new person to the Hospital housing. I don't know - the only local (within 57 miles if I include Colby) town with pretty much good housing for us with the 4 animals looks ta be Hays. Thanks for the tip on seeing Monument or Castle Rock. I will certainly go see these and my cellphone will be popping full with pictures.
Our situation has to include the spiritual concerns and our particular denomination looks to be only located in the towns of Hill City (46 miles north of Quinter), Hays (55 miles east) and Colby (57 miles west of Quinter). I need to talk to people in the church in this area to see where we would be able to attend meetings at if living in Quinter. Just to see what all our available options are. But, from our own research, so far, Hays has the most options. We need a landlord that will accept our 4 pets and the place needs to have a fenced yard. We'd rent a smaller house. This gig is a daytime one, so that makes it a possibility as far as staying awake. If I was doing my Sleep Tech. work, I would need to work night shift, and that would mean falling asleep on the drive of 55 miles ta get to Hays in the morning after staying awake all night long. Not an option. But, for this gig during the day, I could do it. So there we are for now, until we learn more. Thanks for your tips, empires228.
It's a matter of finding a house the closest to the Hospital, church and amenities. That makes this one a challenge. If we move to Hays, work will be an hour away. All the other things will be close to us. This gig includes the possibility of working 6 days on and then having 8 days off. The other tech. already approves of this - both tech.'s obviously have to agree to this to make it work out.
turkey-head - wow, your information on Hays is unique and interesting. As for the good, I'll ruminate on that and it does sound good, the good things of Hays.
As for the isolation, that's true of the whole region. We can deal with it. The smell of cows and all that goes with them - hey, we lived a year in Dodge City and made it fine. Dodge City has the two large slaughterhouses in it and they...smell. Worse at times than other times.
The weather information on Hays sounds somewhat disturbing. Add the always-possible thought of tornados and you've got a weather cocktail that sounds potentially explosive. But still...fairly doable. I'll keep gathering weather information on Hays and the region.
As for Hays being insular - not a problem - I'm heading closer to retirement and just want a quiet place to go to finish my career out. That is actually why this gig in Quinter looks to fit me and my age and my previous most successful Allied Healthcare gigs. The best one was in small Willcox, AZ, and I worked 7 days on (with call at night) and got 7 days off at that job. I liked it - though that stretch on could get brutally tiring at times. Especially when you get a nutcase doctor that orders the moon on all of his patients. And guess who gets ta do those Respiratory Therapies? You guessed it - the Respiratory Therapist.
Thanks for all of that, turkey-head. I appreciate all of it!
If you lived in Dodge City for a year and didn't hate it... you'll love Hays. Dodge city is a crime-ridden dump by comparison- and with similarly nasty weather. Remember that when I rant about the weather in Hays, I'm speaking as an Easterner who came from an area with much milder weather. The weather is about the same as Dodge City. The smell probably isn't as bad overall.
I can't say much about Quinter specifically. Been there a couple times and it seemed about like any small town out on the prairie. Small, isolated, very inexpensive. Probably a perfectly good place to be depending on what you want. And for someone in your line of work- healthcare- business will be good. Tons of old people in the region... because all the young people move away for better opportunities
If you lived in Dodge City for a year and didn't hate it... you'll love Hays. Dodge city is a crime-ridden dump by comparison- and with similarly nasty weather. Remember that when I rant about the weather in Hays, I'm speaking as an Easterner who came from an area with much milder weather. The weather is about the same as Dodge City. The smell probably isn't as bad overall.
I can't say much about Quinter specifically. Been there a couple times and it seemed about like any small town out on the prairie. Small, isolated, very inexpensive. Probably a perfectly good place to be depending on what you want. And for someone in your line of work- healthcare- business will be good. Tons of old people in the region... because all the young people move away for better opportunities
After reading this I feel more positive about it than before. Long-ish drive from Hays but it would have the amenities we want.
If you lived in Dodge City for a year and didn't hate it... you'll love Hays. Dodge city is a crime-ridden dump by comparison- and with similarly nasty weather. Remember that when I rant about the weather in Hays, I'm speaking as an Easterner who came from an area with much milder weather. The weather is about the same as Dodge City. The smell probably isn't as bad overall.
I can't say much about Quinter specifically. Been there a couple times and it seemed about like any small town out on the prairie. Small, isolated, very inexpensive. Probably a perfectly good place to be depending on what you want. And for someone in your line of work- healthcare- business will be good. Tons of old people in the region... because all the young people move away for better opportunities
Dodge is not a crime-ridden dump. It has dumpy aspects east of downtown and south of the country club, but the main differences between it and Hays are the diversity, and the fact that crimes aren't reported as often in Hays. I'm a college student. I know the college students never call the cops or report anything unless it's very, very bad or unless they have ultra rich parents and can lawyer up. Even when things are reported, they don't go anywhere within the local court system. I have a friend who had to file charges against a man for attempted murder and had visible injuries and loads of evidence and the case was shoved under the rug. We're told things like "increased law enforcement in this area (6th-8th street, which sees a lot of theft, property damage, fights, etc. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) will hurt the business at the bars, and we don't want to hurt local businesses." What happens in Dodge on the other hand is almost all on the surface. At least the Ellis County meth lab explosions tend to happen out in Ellis and Munjor rather than Hays. We also had cases of the school trying to cover up on campus issues, like when Ed Hammond and the university tried to keep the rape of a girl by a football player from Holcomb really quiet, which backfired when KSN and KAKE News picked up the story because Hays Post and other local outlets didn't remove the details in time.
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There are other towns in the area settled by the French, the Czechs, Scandinavians, Mennonites, etc. I'll never be one of the locals, but I enjoy learning about these still-intact cultural identities that you just don't find in other parts of the country.
