Goddard, Maize and Valley Center (Wichita, Sterling: low crime, homes, employment)

[Unsworth]

I was wondering if Goddard, Maize and Valley Center are good areas to live in. We are interested in moving to the area but don't want to live right in Wichita but would like access to medical care if it was necessary. How is the medical care in the Wichita area? Do they have good hospitals? I am retired so employment is not an issue. I do like bicycling. Do they have good trails where you can avoid traffic?

[vb_guy]

My family lives in Valley Center. All three are quiet communities with low crime. VC will be a little less expensive, but there aren't as many new neighborhoods there. It is definitely a rural community, so it's further from retail and hospitals. There's only one grocery store in town, and the restaurant options are lacking. Wichita would be your go-to for all that. Also, I wouldn't say VC has bike trails (at least not in how I'm interpreting it), but you could easily ride a bike in town and not worry about traffic.

When outsiders think of Maize, most of the time they're really thinking about NW Wichita. Maize proper is small and lacking in amenities. But one of the largest retail centers in Wichita is five minutes away. That said, most of the new builds are in the Wichita city limits, but the area really feels more like a traditional suburb. Goddard is a similar community that's a little further from Wichita, but both are relatively close to retail (10 minutes or so from a major retail center), and there is a new hospital that opened several years ago that's between Maize and Goddard.

Ultimately, if you're choosing between the three, either Maize or Goddard would be my recommendation. Valley Center is great if you want that small town charm with big city amenities, but it lacks in options and distance compared to the other two.

[Unsworth]

Originally Posted by vb_guy

My family lives in Valley Center. All three are quiet communities with low crime. VC will be a little less expensive, but there aren't as many new neighborhoods there. It is definitely a rural community, so it's further from retail and hospitals. There's only one grocery store in town, and the restaurant options are lacking. Wichita would be your go-to for all that. Also, I wouldn't say VC has bike trails (at least not in how I'm interpreting it), but you could easily ride a bike in town and not worry about traffic.

When outsiders think of Maize, most of the time they're really thinking about NW Wichita. Maize proper is small and lacking in amenities. But one of the largest retail centers in Wichita is five minutes away. That said, most of the new builds are in the Wichita city limits, but the area really feels more like a traditional suburb. Goddard is a similar community that's a little further from Wichita, but both are relatively close to retail (10 minutes or so from a major retail center), and there is a new hospital that opened several years ago that's between Maize and Goddard.

Ultimately, if you're choosing between the three, either Maize or Goddard would be my recommendation. Valley Center is great if you want that small town charm with big city amenities, but it lacks in options and distance compared to the other two.

Thanks for the information. It sounds like we could handle all three areas. I am used to driving 10-15 minutes to get to services where I we live now. Kansas seems attractive to me. My grandfather was from Sterling. The winter in Kansas is not as severe, I think, as where we live right now. Maybe it is just different. If anyone reads this I would also be curious to know what the humidity is like in the summer. I have a feeling it is not as bad as Florida and Texas.

[Unsworth]

VB Guy,

I forgot to mention. We don't care about restaurants. We actually like to grow food at home as much as we can. Another question I forgot to ask is how is the soil in Kansas for growing gardens and fruit trees? Does it vary a lot from place to place? If anybody reads this I would appreciate any thoughts you have. Thanks.

[Amplifyd]

I'm a hospital employ from Goddard that currently lives in NW Wichita (south maize).
All three are low crime with nice homes and a suburb feel to them.

Goddard has both new an old homes and its own large Walmart. There are few trails to bike on in the area. A lot of people simply bike on the back roads leading to the country and I've never heard of anyone getting hit because there is little traffic. Primary care physicians are mostly on Wichita which is only 10 min from Goddard but there are close clinics. St Theresa hospital is about 8 min from Goddard and provides a wide range of services but if something serious were to occur you'd be transferred to one of the TWO level one trauma centers in downtown/east Wichita (about 20 min from Goddard). The soil is fine and will grow whatever you want because Goddard is basically built on farmland.

Maize overs more shopping close by and has arguably some of the more expensive Holmes unless you go further north. Just like Goddard there is little if any crime and you could feel safe being outside at 2 in the morning. The rest in terms of biking and soil is the same as Goddard.

Valley center has been covered pretty well by the above post so I'll leave it at that.

In general the humidity here isn't nearly as bad as Florida. I would say the wind is more troublesome then the humidity. The high speed winds make hot days hotter and cold days colder. In Kansas you experience all of the seasons: beautiful falls and springs in the high 70s, hot summers with 100 degree weather, and cold winters with temps dropping in the teens with chamces for snow. Though we got lucky this winter with the snow

Any other questions or if I missed something just let me know. Ps sorry if this was long

[Unsworth]

Originally Posted by Amplifyd

I'm a hospital employ from Goddard that currently lives in NW Wichita (south maize).
All three are low crime with nice homes and a suburb feel to them.

Goddard has both new an old homes and its own large Walmart. There are few trails to bike on in the area. A lot of people simply bike on the back roads leading to the country and I've never heard of anyone getting hit because there is little traffic. Primary care physicians are mostly on Wichita which is only 10 min from Goddard but there are close clinics. St Theresa hospital is about 8 min from Goddard and provides a wide range of services but if something serious were to occur you'd be transferred to one of the TWO level one trauma centers in downtown/east Wichita (about 20 min from Goddard). The soil is fine and will grow whatever you want because Goddard is basically built on farmland.

Maize overs more shopping close by and has arguably some of the more expensive Holmes unless you go further north. Just like Goddard there is little if any crime and you could feel safe being outside at 2 in the morning. The rest in terms of biking and soil is the same as Goddard.

Valley center has been covered pretty well by the above post so I'll leave it at that.

In general the humidity here isn't nearly as bad as Florida. I would say the wind is more troublesome then the humidity. The high speed winds make hot days hotter and cold days colder. In Kansas you experience all of the seasons: beautiful falls and springs in the high 70s, hot summers with 100 degree weather, and cold winters with temps dropping in the teens with chamces for snow. Though we got lucky this winter with the snow

Any other questions or if I missed something just let me know. Ps sorry if this was long

Thanks for your reply. Good information.