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Posted
by Hillbilly_jim
November 24, 2009 at 11:14 a.m.
Sweet Home Lawrence
My brother and his two girls, 4 and 20 months, are moving from southern KS, and looking at possibly moving to Lawrence. Although I can think of plenty of reasons, pro and con, to move to Lawrence, I would like your input on the pros and cons of Lawrence, and why you feel someone should / shouldn't move to this great town. And what it has to offer that you love so much. Show some Lawrence pride!!!!
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Comments
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woodenfleaeater (anonymous) says…
I like all the chain resaturants and anti-american retail stores. I'm not mentioning any names.
garyr (anonymous) says…
Freestate.
BigPrune (anonymous) says…
He might be able to buy a house $50-$60,000 lower than last year. If he can get financing since I saw a report that said 1 in 8 qualify, he might be able to get a steal.
1029 (anonymous) says…
Maybe you should have a job lined up, and then look at housing and cost-of-living before you decide where to move.
That's what your bro should be thinking of when he is considering where to move: Where is the best opportunity for wages to exceed cost of living, and thereby increase life chances for his daughters. (assuming schools in the area are adequate, of course)
People should never relocate just because they want to leave their current town/city. You don't want to get somewhere and get tied down with a mortgage or a lease and then have to settle for whatever job you can find just so you can get by. Sure it will be nice/convenient/comforting to have family in the area, but ten, fifteen, twenty years down the road you and your children will be so much better off if your number one priority in relocation was finding a situation where wages exceed cost of living as much as possible.
RoeDapple (anonymous) says…
hillbilly_jim,
Home is what you make it. If your brother has a positive attitude he will make it here or anywhere. Does he have employment lined up or a business to bring into the community? Will he moving away from family? I assume you will have at least some time to show him around, but Lawrence is destination friendly. The smaller towns in Douglas county offer a more rural setting if he is interested, with Lawrence, Topeka and the entire Kansas City complex for shopping or employment opportunities. As you say, there is good and bad things about here or anywhere he may choose to live.
Of course he would have to put up with all of us...
;-)
tomatogrower (anonymous) says…
It's expensive, but for a family it's great. There are parades, Parks and Recs activities, museums. Every spring break the Natural History museum puts on great science exhibit (unless Topeka's budget cuts end that). The concerts in the park are great family fun. The parks are great and the schools are great, as long as you make sure your kids are involved in the many activities at school, and don't let them run around with the wrong people. Of course, that's true for even little schools. And my neighborhood is an old fashion neighborhood. We know each other and watch out for each other. I wouldn't live anywhere else. Yes, we are having some of the problems that have been part of any large city, but it's an interesting, fun place to live.
AnnaUndercover (Anna Undercover) says…
@hillbilly_jim's brother
It's a really interesting community. I can't speak to the quality of the local schools, but here's a list of my observations.
-There are a wide variety of churches.
-With KU here, there are a lot of interesting speakers who come to town.
-With the notable exception of Cafe Beautiful, there are only a small handful of interesting restaurants.
-There are inexpensive opportunities for your girls to have great extra curricular activities. (Horseback riding is as low as $20/person for a group lesson. I can recommend a barn if you PM me). There is at least one Girl Scout troop I know of, and the Roger Hill Volunteer Center has opportunities for everyone to give back!
-KU games!
-Great parks.
-The nearby lakes are good places for parents-only and family fun. Good for romantic walks and family picnics. I had a great time camping at one of them this summer. So pretty, and inexpensive fun!
-There are two movie theaters, and you always have Netflix and popcorn from a store for cheaper movie entertainment. :)
denak (anonymous) says…
hillbilly_jim,
The Cons: Unless he has a really good job, forget about buying a house.....especially if he is a single parent. 2) Game day traffic is horrible. It is better to stay at home on game day which is not always possible with 2 little girls. 3) Not the best place for teens. There isn't a lot for them to do. With two babies, that might not be a consideration now but something to think about. 4) There is talk of closing schools again which means he should stay away from the east side because those are the schools that will be closed and the schools that remain open (probably New York and Cordley and Prairie Park) will have to pick up the slack which means when he kiddos start school, they may be in bigger classrooms.
The Pros: Other than the fact that some schools may be closing, this school system is good especially if his children develop any kind of "special needs."
2) It is kid-friendly. There are all kinds of things to do with kids under 12 in this town especially at the library.
3) If he is "low" to "moderate" income, the Head Start here is a really good program for his children.
4) Also a tie in to one is that KU is here which means, again, if his chidren have any special needs, now or in the future, there are a huge amount of resources that he can take advantage of in order to get his kids help if they need it.
5) At least for me, this has always been a low-crime town. Obviously, there is crime here but I have lived here since 1995, and I have never been a victim of a crime nor has anyone in my family. I feel very safe here.
That is all I have. Hope your brother likes it here.
Dena