Your Idea of the Best Small Town

Windy, What a lot of valuable info - just the sort someone "from away" needs. You wouldn't perchance work for the Chamber of Commerce; if not they are missing out!

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Definitely some excellent points. But perhaps small towns can hold on especially if they have a college or are close to a major city- but far enough out not to be swallowed up! But still as you said predicting for 10-15 years (my timeline) is tough. My reason for considering this now are because housing prices have leveled or dropped off some, we have outside income for the foreseeable future, and good quality places seem to appreciate at a higher rate. If we buy a small place and rent it out in the interrim then by the time we move off farm it will be paid for. I think having a home paid for is the most comfortable feeling!

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Money magazine's top 10 small towns to live for 2007....................
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2007/

Who knows what the future will bring, but it's a starting point.


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Highway K-96 ---as long as you don't take the bypass around Hutchinson will go through South Hutchinson and right past the auction facilities.

Don't turn at the construction but keep going straight. The livestock stock auction is just about a block past the only bank with a bright LED billboard and will be on the opposite side of the street just past a propane dealer and Prairie Vista Vet Clinic. Hutchinson Commission sets a fair distance off of the street as the parking area is in front of the facilities. The Morton Salt billboard sets in the corner of the parking lot. The K-State Extension office on the left is the last corner you can turn onto to get to the sale. You miss that corner and you'll go over the river.

I really don't think you'll have a problem seeing where it is. I haven't seen any delays at the construction site and traffic generally moves along at the allowed 30 mph unless someone has to make a turn. You should go past the McDonalds store and straight ahead.

Welcome to South Hutchinson. Just cross the river to go into Hutchinson proper.

Thank You Windy. Just Printed it out .

Fredericksburg, TX; Groene, TX (pronounced 'green' & I probably didn't spell it right)

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No I don't work for the Chamber. Hey, the more people come the wider the tax base and the less I might have to pay in the future. lol. At least that is what the futurists seem to think. I like the city pretty well as it is.

I should also mention that you may see that Hutchinson is on or was designated as a super fund clean up site. The city stepped forward to clean up an old industrial site that was leaking pollution southward out of the far east side of the city.

To do this they are installing a large reverse osmosis water filtration system which the contaminated water will be put through. The contaminated water will then be piped to wells drilled specifically for injection deep into the earth. Specifically the Arbuckle layer which is sometimes an oil producing layer and often is contaminated with salt water. The purified water will be blended with unpurified water from other wells in order to give it back some taste, etc. However all of this has increased water bills somewhat and will even more when the plant (under construction) comes on line.

I think Hutchinson may still be served by one small airline, but most opt to go to Wichita for their flights, some to Oklahoma City because of cheaper fares, and some to Kansas City because of lower fares.

I failed to mention that we do have an art gallery which some would deem important. There is an annual concert series for which one can purchase single passes or yearly passes to each performance. Many are in Stringer Fine Art Center on the college campus. Hutchinson also has a municipal band that gives some free summer performances in the parks.

There is also a museum geared for children called the Kansas Kids Museum. I haven't been there for awhile to see how the construction and improvements are going, but am headed there this afternoon with my grandson and daughter. The construction is to build an old time western town storefronts, etc.

There are several car shows each year held at the fairground and other locations. Hutch Fest is a week or 10 day event that ends on the Fourth of July with a giant fireworks display.

A private enterprise operates a flea market at the state fairground either monthly or bimonthly. There are several consignment auctions that are frequent in the area for those seeking to sell or to seek bargains.

Oh, I almost forget to mention that we have a YMCA open for membership. It has swimming, etc. It is celebrating its 131 anniversary in Hutchinson and currently has annual memberships available at $1.31. Elmdale Center offers activities geared toward those over 50. Weight machines and other fitness equipment as well as having card games and pool tables.

Hutch has a Boys and Girls Club as well as a Big Brother and Big Sisters program.

I THINK that United Way annually raises and disperses over $1 million.
Should I also mention that we have First Call for Help for those with immediate needs and New Beginnings which is a homeless and beyond shelter.

Hutchinson has a fair amount of antique shops.
Hutchinson has a fairly active downtown business district.
Hutchinson has a restored theater which is used for special events and to show one performance movies in to keep the theater used.
A second semi-restored theater houses the Community Theatre works.
Hutchinson has several parks some of which have just a couple of benches to those with several ball diamonds, soccer fields, etc. and Carey Park with golf course, Salt City Splash, Bud Detter Field, the zoo, water features, play equipment, fishing, and even wild goose feeding.

In the other post I mentioned medical facilities. We do have a cancer treatment center, a heart surgery center, dialysis facilities, etc. A recent feather in our cap for heart health---a recent procedure was done locally which was only the third it had been done in the United States and only the seventh time in the world. Not bad eh?

The hospital carries the not for profit designation. Unlike many though any profit that is made is entirely put back into the facilities. The hospital has only private rooms except for the pediatric section which has semi-private.

Sales tax is collected both on goods (food & clothing included) and services and is just a fraction over 7%.

There is one time sales tax on vehicles and property taxes annually until you sell or trade the vehicle.

I can't really say what night life is like other than bars where trouble can occur and the aforementioned concerts.

One always thinks of many things they wished they had written just after posting. Those of us that are exposed to Hutchinson every day tend to forget what all it really does have and offer.

Hi,
I would call Livingston sunny, but then I used to live in Seattle

We live in Bozeman, which is about 20 miles west of Livingston. Most people in Livingston go to Bozeman for heavy duty shopping --it has HD, Lowes, Costco, Staples, ... So, the Livingston folks get the small town atmosphere, but still have good access to a fairly large city. Livingston has all the basics -- good grocery, hardware, book stores, coffee!... lots of good places to eat and a very nice feel.
Its just north of the Paradise Valley, which is just outstanding (I think).

Gary

Somewhere I read that communities with Startbucks are a good indicator of growth & prosperity. I've never been in one myself but maybe I should be using Birkenstock stores! I'm going to check more sunshine data and also use Crafty's link on Livingston. Continuose cloud cover in the winter is one of the things we DO NOT miss about SE Michigan, brings on the SAD for me, so unfortunately the wonderful NW coast is out.

Crafty, that is a great link, easy to navigate for lots of info.

Thanks Tricky G, will check those out.

Windy, the Chamber of C needs you - such enthusiasm about where you live, that's great!

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Goat milk soap & Wool products
www.littlemeadowsfarm.net
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I like Wilksboro,NC...lot`s of culture mostly of a musical nature.Still plenty of country.Decent weather(the foothill`s of the blue ridge).And your already in NC.

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"You can only come to the morning through the shadows."~J.R.R.Tolkien

Hey, did I mention that Hutchinson has a Starbucks coffee shop?

Most every day during the winter we will have some bright sunshine, but not always. I remember a few years ago when we had 20 gloomy days in a row and about half of the town was grumpy.

A better indicator might be to look at charts which show solar panel output during the winter months. Or solar water heating capabilities.

Along similar lines if you are of a mind for wind generation outside of a city our wind average is around 11 mph. I have never been able to find out at what height that is measured as it seems high.
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A number of years ago I looked at moving elsewhere. My main concern was cost of living and above all else the weather. I liked stats on Asheville, N.C. for the weather until I came to the annual snowfall. I don't like to shovel snow and that area as best I can remember received 15 inches per year. Cost of living would also no doubt be higher there I believe as well.

Bottom line, I stayed put simply because I didn't find weather elsewhere that I cared for as well as here. I tolerate heat pretty well as long as the humidity is faily low so the cold is more of a factor. A nice long growing season is a plus and I seem to recall that we have 200 days here.

I once read a clip in Readers Digest about someone that went to the local video rental store in a small town to get a particular movie, and it was already rented out. The clerk asked, "Would you like me to call the Smith's and see if you can watch it with them?" I always thought that would be a nice little town to live in.

I'd vote for looking for a college town. I grew up in a small college town in SC (altho haven't been back in 30 yrs). Also went to college in a small college town in WA, which isn't what you're looking for at college age, but has a lot of attributes you appreciate later in life. So, can't recommend any particular college town as I don't know what they're like now, but I think that would be a pretty useful way to find some pretty good candidates quickly.

--sgl

Hi 4inTN, thanks for the thought. One of the things I've taken notice of are the differences in state taxes. For instance it seems that TN doesn't have any but do have a higher sales tax. Is that right, and if so, how do you like that scheme? It would seem to me not a bad idea for those of us already on a voluntary simplicity way of life.

And about college towns - they do seem to stand up pretty well to the test of time. Our alma mater in MI is doing well and the town has grown over the last 20 years inspite of nearby Detroit's problems. Anybody want to nominate their college town as a good retiree place?

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Windy, you have a great sense of humour. By the way, you haven't mentioned Hutchinson's space center... LOL

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Goat milk soap & Wool products
www.littlemeadowsfarm.net
http://littlemeadowsfarms.blogspot.com/

Yup, fourth url listed. http://www.cosmo.org/visitorinfo/whyhutch.php

But now that you ask I'll elaborate. The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Discovery center is one of the top space museums in the US.

It does a lot of restoration and a branch facility (Space Works) does mock ups for movies. Most of you have seen the work done by KCSDC in the movie Apollo 13. The space cabins show was done locally. It helps in knowing exactly how to make a replica when you have the actual module that was flown in the museum. It just came back from a tour and will be housed permanently here in good ol' Hutchinson, KS.

KCSDC restored the Liberty Bell 7 module when it was retrieved from the bottom of the ocean. The restoration laboratory was set up in view of the public so that they could watch the action.

Currently KCSDC has a Corvette on a loan display that was used by Alan Bean the fourth man to walk on the moon. Since astronauts were not allowed to accept gifts General Motors provided a $1 a year leasing program to Bean and fellow crewmen.

An SR-71 Blackbird supersonic spy plane hangs from the ceiling in the lobby.
A very interesting plane. http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/sr-71/

For quite a number of years the curator of the museum combed through lists of space items at all of the US space facilities and often found a gem to add to the collection. He also acquired a rather large number of Soviet space artifacts. Once such item the Soviets gave to the museum should be considered priceless. After giving the KCSDC the item they began searching their own items only to find theirs was in storage or lost to the point of calling it missing. A similar item was launched from a Russian spacecraft and now orbits the moon.

Many space camps during the summer for most ages including adults.

One where the community works together...

Check out Charlevoix, MI.

If you like your "small towns" a bit bigger ... try Traverse City, MI!

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

But you have to like lake effect weather...I'll pass. Actually very lovely areas but overcast skies for weeks on end are tough. For retirement if that kind of weather is okay then I would think the NW coast would be great since there would be culture and mass trans...what a combo! Just have to like a region that asks you "to be exposed to art"! LOL.

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Goat milk soap & Wool products
www.littlemeadowsfarm.net
http://littlemeadowsfarms.blogspot.com/

Well if I had to live in a town it would be the one where me and my wife would make the population just enough to be called a town and then I would sleep on the side of the bed thats fartherest from TOWN HALL. :baby04:

Two small towns that don't have what you want but I like Warsaw,Mo. and Gainesville,Mo. Just a couple really nice towns.

big rockpile

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