Kansans often forget that one of our state's greatest assets is the quality of life it provides its residents.
Sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to give us a fresh look at what our state has to offer.
An Associated Press story published in Thursday's Journal-World offered that opportunity through the stories of some new Kansas residents who responded to incentives offered by Ellsworth, and some other Kansas towns, to attract new residents. The Juarez family of Vallejo, Calif., was lured to visit Ellsworth by the city's offer of free land on which to build a house.
What they found in Ellsworth was a place that felt like home. Although they decided not to go through the process required to obtain free land, they took advantage of another incentive offered by Ellsworth, a down-payment grant of up to $3,000 toward the purchase of an existing home in the city, located in the geographic center of Kansas. So far, 18 families have taken advantage of the offer.
It's a good deal for Ellsworth, because each child the incentives bring in - 25 so far - increases state aid to their schools by about $6,000. It's good for business and for the city's tax base.
And it's a good deal for people like the Juarezes, who could afford a far nicer home, on a far larger lot, in a far safer area than the home they left in Vallejo. Madecadel Juarez, who was working as hotel maintenance man in California now has a job as a civil engineer, the profession he was trained for before coming to the United States.
For the Juarez family, Ellsworth, Kansas, is the American dream.
Various efforts have been launched to try to sell Kansas as a potential tourist destination or a great place to locate a new business, but we shouldn't overlook the fact that perhaps the biggest attraction Kansas has to offer is that it is a safe and pleasant place to live and raise a family. We have good schools and a strong work ethic. We respect people who work hard and want to succeed.
Arguably those assets also should attract businesses who can fully appreciate entrepreneurs and workers who want to live in Kansas. With the increase in electronic communications, it becomes easier and easier to operate a business away from major population centers, especially in a place that can supply or attract a motivated, well-trained workforce.
While it's true that, over the last several decades, many people have found reasons to move away from small towns in Kansas, there obviously are people who see those towns as the perfect place to make their new home.
It's just a reminder of how much good schools, good people and good opportunities mean to Kansas and to those who would like to live here.
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