From California to Kansas – there is a reason for that!
California has a well-developed infrastructure, education and entertainment industry. The west world is well presented and established in this popular state, yet many people are leaving it. And many choose Kansas for their new home.
California has the Golden Gate Bridge, the Arroyo Seco Parkway, and The Four Level Interchange as some of the engineering masterpieces aimed towards reliving California of its heavy traffic.
Los Angeles is heaven when it comes to spending quality free time. All parks, sports teams, and entertainment venues provide unique opportunities to both locals and tourists. The city also takes pride in a fine plethora of parks, enhanced by their view towards the Pacific Ocean.
Taking into account the fine weather, the great outdoor spaces, and the close proximity of a beach and an ocean, then one might understand why the people of L.A. love to spend time outside.
Los Angeles has a serious theatrical presence that can rival that on Broadway. Famous venues around town include Pantages Theater Hollywood, Royce Hall, and Dolby Theatre that host Broadway top-grossers and world-famous plays.
And with all this being said, we will have to accept that California has its faults, not that is not just the San Andreas Fault System.
Faults of the system in California
Like every huge city, Los Angeles has many shortcomings. Traffic and parking issues are common, but other issues are more specific.
Frequent earthquakes is one we all know of and have heard about for certainty. However, that is not all. The crime rate is also high, and has been rising since 2020 even more. The neighborhoods of Los Angeles are spread far away. Housing is expensive, food is expensive, and to list all, we have to just say that everything is more expensive in California.
The labor market is bloated, and people may often show attitudes due to fierce competition. The overall attitude and vibe in California often deviates from some common norms, to put it that way.
Hence, many choose the highway that leads to the somewhere else, away from California.
Hello Kansas!
Most of us imagine endless fields of corn, sunflower, and wheat when we hear Kansas. But The Jayhawker State is more!
Kansas is a land-clad state located in the heart of the US. Its capital is Topeka and its largest city is Wichita, with a population of 120.000 and nearly 400.000 respectively. The state itself has a population of about 3 million people.
Kansas Economy
More than 90% of Kansas’s land is devoted to agriculture. The state fields nearly 60.000 farms that produce a lot of crops, but predominantly wheat. This, in turn, makes Kansas a significant addition to the Corn Belt.
Aerospace tech made its way into Kansas in the last decade or so, including Spirit AeroSystems, Bombardier Aerospace (LearJet), and Textron Aviation. Other industrial outputs are transportation equipment, commercial and private aircraft, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel, petroleum, and mining.
The largest employers in Kansas are Koch Co., Koch Industries, Koch Chemical Technology Group, Dillons. The most valuable companies in the state are Seaboard Corp., Cerner Corp., and Evergy Inc. with revenue between $5 and $7 billion.
Major companies headquartered in Kansas include Garmin (Olathe), YRC Worldwide (Overland Park), Payless Shoes (Topeka), and Koch Industries (Wichita), and Coleman (headquarters in Wichita).
Education in Kansas
Kansas is home to some fine universities like the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Baker University. Notable private universities include Friends University and Southwestern College.
The Kansas State Board of Education governs the primary and secondary education in the state. To graduate, students must earn at least 21 credits in English language arts, history and government, science, mathematics, physical education, fine arts, and electives and take an assessment in most of the mentioned.
Infrastructure and transportation
Kansas is served by two Interstate highways with one beltway, two spur routes, and three bypasses, with over 874 miles (1,407 km) in all. The first section of Interstate in the nation was opened on Interstate 70 (I-70) just west of Topeka on November 14, 1956.
Free time in Kansas!
Kansas has a lot of options to spend your free time – from walks amongst the pastoral fields to high-speed auto racing.
Two major auto racing facilities are located in Kansas. The Kansas Speedway located in Kansas City hosts races of the NASCAR, IndyCar, and ARCA circuits. Also, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) holds drag racing events at Heartland Park Topeka. The Sports Car Club of America has its national headquarters in Topeka.
Professional sports aren’t very well-developed in Kansas. Besides soccer, there are no other teams playing in their respective major leagues, so the popularity of Sporting Kansas City. This allows college sports to shine, with teams like Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats, and Wichita State Shockers having their opportunities to shine.
Parks and outdoors
Kansas is rich in history, so there’s a plethora of historic sites and trails in the parks, scattered across the state. If you’re a keen historic buff, then head to the Santa Fe Trail, Fort Scott National Historic Site, and Fort Larned National Historic Site. If you prefer to spend your time in nature, then head to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
Urban parks are also well-represented. The Zoo and the Botanical Gardens in Wichita are probably the most recognizable. If you want to spend quality time outside (the climate in Wichita allows a lot of hanging-out outside), then head to the Arkansas River Trail, the Sedgwick park, or Harrison Park. All three provide perfect conditions for hiking, jogging, and biking. Avid bikers also gravitate towards the Air Capital Memorial Park, Redbud Trail, and West Side Trail at Cheney State Park.
Los Angeles Vs. Wichita
Wichita is a calm place with rather cheap housing, but the huge labor market and the endless opportunities in several high-profile industries, as well as the higher income, are far more appealing.