When I saw this I thought "WHAT?! Wichita is in the TOP 10 most depressing places in the nation?!" It has even been thrown in with East St. Louis and Detroit for crying out loud. Being from Wichita, this is hard for me to believe because I know personally what Wichita has to offer. BUT then again, it was all I knew for 21ish years...
I can see why Wichita would be in the top 2 worst cities
for dating because everybody knows everybody in that town! You would
almost always be dating someone you already knew, someone you know has
dated, or someone they know has dated you. This is especially true if
you were born and raised in Wichita. Take all of that and throw in nothing to do but go to bars and you've got lots of lame dating.
Tornadoes have been popping up all over the country lately so I don't think this is a valid argument. Tornadoes always suck and will always suck.
Compared to Manhattan, KS
My family and I moved to Manhattan KS in the Fall of 2011 from Wichita. I wasn't extremely excited to say the least BUT I knew that He was in control and it turned out to be a blessing. The first thing I noticed was that people *gasp* ride their bikes around town in Manhattan?! And people enjoy being outdoors there too-- i.e. they go hiking, biking, walking, enjoy fitness & run marathons quite often. This was not something we were accustomed to back home and it was rather inspiring. Manhattan was actually a breathe of fresh air compared to Wichita. "Aggieville" is a blast. It's a fun place for all ages really but if you're over the age of 25, it's not fun to hang out with underage drinkers at 1am BERP :/
My daughter had the choice of several different city parks and the city pools in Manhattan ARE AWESOME. They're all like water parks. The only water park in Wichita got closed down..... sad.
Wichita State is both me and my husband's Alma mater, but the only fun things to do at WSU are go to basketball games and volleyball games. Everything about the University is pretty lame. Not to mention the location is EXTREMELY scary. I can't even remember how many times an armed robbery was reported on 17th street (where a lot of the Greek housing is.) And sadly, if you want to go to college in Wichita you either have WSU or Butler community college to chose from, which is all the way in Andover.
UPDATE*** Friends University and Newman University are also available to attend near downtown Wichita.*** (my bad)
K-State, in Manhattan, has a beautiful campus and is actually a fun school to attend (So I have heard and experienced from some close friends.) It's like two different worlds in the same state. The summers are also awesome in Manhattan because all of the students leave and the traffic is ZERO :) This makes for a very peaceful summer with things to do as a family.
***Disclaimer-I am in no way, shape or form, a K state fan. I am just comparing the two cities***
In Wichita during the summer growing up, all I remember doing is going to the neighborhood or country club pool every. single. day. OH AND the movie theater every single evening because that's all there is to do. Wichita has an awesome zoo, but you have to admit if you're from Wichita, you can only go so many times before you have the map memorized. This to me,
IS somewhat depressing.
Also, can I just say that my allergies were horrendous in both Wichita and Manhattan!!? (A select few who know this from back home would have to agree. ;))
Compared to Atlanta
This is actually somewhat unfair. Wichita compared to Atlanta is like comparing a funeral to a birthday. We moved to Atlanta from Manhattan in the Summer of 2013. I was very sad to leave my family and close friends from Kansas but was SO READY to experience something new for a change.
The first thing I noticed about Atlanta was the traffic. HOLY MOLEY a 9 lane highway?? I thought this only existed on Mars. Everyone is traveling 15 mph over the speed limit and surprisingly not wrecking and killing themselves? Where am I? In Wichita, the person who goes over 65 on Kellogg is a dead man.
Ticket Ticket Ticket. What the heck is a carpool lane? I'll tell you what it is, it's the best darn invention on this earth. You can get to your destination in half the time if you have more than one person in your car. Brilliant.
"Oh so you take
this street West for 100 miles and you'll find your destination?" Uh no, think again. That only happens in Wichita apparently. Here in Atlanta you'll be going West to the grocery store one minute and the next your winding up a mountain headed East towards South Carolina. Let's just say Siri has been like a friend to me lately.
The second thing I noticed was that people are abnormally nice here? Like 95% are generally in a good mood. I wouldn't say people in Wichita are all mean but truthfully I'm in a better mood when the weather is lovely 10 months out of the year now too. You walk into any retailer and people actually want to help you instead of run the opposite direction. It is definitely an experience. Who knew, happy people make other people happy=a happier place to live.
The third and most amazing thing about Atlanta compared to Wichita is that
THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO HERE. You can spend the day at Stone Mountain, explore some history at one of many many many museums, head down the street to Six flags, make a day trip to LegoLand, visit the Georgia Aquarium, walk around the many different and unique parts of down town, hike up Kennesaw Mountain, go horseback riding, and you have any retailer you could ever want within 20 miles to go shopping. I read that you could eat at a different restaurant for every meal, every single day of the year for five years and still have more left that you haven't tried!! We are foodies so this is AWESOME and we love it!
We can take Brilynn to the park in December and January without being beat up by the wind and negative degree weather. I would say this is a perk of just not living in the Midwest, Wichita isn't the only city with freezing bipolar weather. You have to admit, there is something to be said about good weather and good moods being in relation to each other.
Public transportation exists here too, in Wichita it really doesn't. People who ride the bus are people you don't know in Wichita. Here, people take the bus into town for work every single day! They also have a subway downtown, the MARTA, which may sound normal to some people but in Wichita, this would save people from
A LOT OF DUI's and gas $$.
From a college student perspective there many well known Universities all around us. Kennesaw State is around the corner, and there are many colleges downtown. This is an ideal city for college students because there is so much to do, so many people to meet, and so much fun to be had!
As a parent and wife, this city is great because I can entertain my child without having to sit her in front of the TV all day. She can go outside year round, has many many great schooling options, and the churches down here are AWESOME. They also have many Parent's Night Out options here at churches and at the YMCA which enables parents to have a date night for only $5! The kids have about 4.5 hours of non stop fun. This is a win win for us I think.
Word Vomit
You have been reading me ramble about how horrible Wichita is blah blah blah BUT since it is filled with many many childhood memories for me I will always call it home. Do I want to live there again someday? Nope. BUT I do appreciate the people I love and know there. I think everyone from there needs to experience another city though, whether it be Lawrence KS, Kansas City, or Atlanta. You need to see what else is out there because it will make you grow as a person. Not everyone in Wichita is depressed because they live there but I think Wichita is stuck in the present and not really moving towards anything, which can be depressing. I am not depressed, nor was I ever depressed because of the city. You have to take what you are given and make the absolute best of it no matter where you live!
