Why I Choose Wichita

This particular blog is literally four years in the making. I originally wrote it and made probably 25 edits but was never pleased with the end result. It was always meant to be published on Wichita’s birthday but couldn’t pin down what I exactly I wanted to say.

Given that today is Wichita’s 150th Birthday, I felt now was a good time to sit down and finally iron out my feelings.

Why I Choose Wichita

Long before this blog, I always wondered what was to become of my future. I was this college graduate with my whole life ahead of me. There was nothing tying me down to Wichita but I always made the decision to stay.

Through the past twenty years, I had opportunities to leave. While many friends moved away, I knew in my heart Wichita was always going to be home for me. It was as if I was a champion of Wichita in my circle; the one guy who would always be here. Then when I started this blog and over the years felt like Wichita had become part of my identity and what made me…. me.

I have traveled all over the United States, from coast to coast. I have been to the major cities all over the country and during those trips, I couldn’t wait to make it back.

But why did I choose Wichita? What made me stay?

I get every city has its faults and Wichita has many of them but I always chose to put my focus on the positives of Wichita. I’m not exactly the most positive guy in the world but this was one of those rare occasions my mind focused to the good:

• The People: The people I have surrounded myself with in life are the biggest draws for me. Wichita is full of your everyday blue collar folks you can count on. People who will step up in times of need and have your back on a moments notice. It’s like small town America but in a bigger (but not so big) city.
• Recreation: So many people complain about nothing to do and I’ve never felt that way. Through every stage of my life from adolescent to teenager to young adult to immature adult to father, I’ve made the most of it. Boredom was a rarity for me. I sought out things to do, kept an open mind and experienced much of what the city had to offer. It’s just like everything in life, you get out what you put in to it. There’s really a ton of things to do here. My only regret for Wichita was voting down the casino years ago.
• Travel: Being smack dab in the middle of the country has made for some easy travel. I could easily book a trip to Boston, Seattle, LA, Orlando, DC, anywhere with relative ease (until COVID came along!) As a huge sports fan, I could always drive a couple of hours to see an NFL, NBA or MLB game. I’ve been to countless Thunder, Royals, and Chiefs games and the drive has always been super easy.
• The Food: As if this wasn’t going to be one. It’s really an eclectic mix of food here. Granted there are some big dishes missing here like soup dumplings, there’s an excellent variety of it here. The sad part is so many people don’t even know that. Pro-Tip: Keep following this blog.
• Driving: Being able to get from end to end of the city in under 30 minutes is super nice. Having been to so many other cities and dealing with work commutes there, I don’t know how they do it. Wichita’s drivers are spoiled. I get it though, I used to be in the same boat and hated driving more than 15-20 minutes. Now when I hear of a new restaurant or business open up on the other side of town from me, I don’t even blink. The drive really isn’t that bad folks!
• Parking: Same goes for the parking. I’m amazed at how often I see people complain about parking. The majority of those people have very able legs and it’s rare the walk is that long. Many times the parking is also free. The parking really isn’t that bad folks!
• Quality of Life: This is probably the number one thing that keeps me here. From the affordability, reasonable housing cost, commute times as mentioned earlier, Wichita is just an easy city to live in. It may not appear that way, but I’m a simpleton who enjoys simple things. Wichita is a simple city which fits me perfectly. Now that I have a family, it’s a no-brainer for me to stay. I want my daughter to be raised here and fully experience Wichita.

I Love Wichita

When I say “I Love Wichita”, that comes from the heart. It’s not my job to say it or flaunt it, I don’t make money off of Wichita in fact I lose more money doing this, I’m not in any organizations whose job it is to promote it, it’s completely genuine and something I’ll continue to support even without this blog.

I loved Wichita growing up when my days were spent going to Joyland, Skate East, Rose Bowl East, Boston Park. Then I grew up a little and loved spending my days at Aladdin’s Castle, Northrock Theatres, Laser Quest. Then I really grew up and loved spending my days at The Cedar, Margaritas, Tanners, The Field House, Eck Stadium. Then fast forward to now and I love spending my days at restaurants, all the family activities around town and staying in this lovely city.

So let me ask you, why do you choose Wichita?