Born and raised Kansan, Clarisa has lived in both tiny towns and cities during their time here in the Sunflower State. As a busy mother of one crazy kid, two cats, and two geckos, they write whenever there is spare time.
We know that there’s plenty of reasons for Kansans to be happy where they live.
Creditdonkey.com did a study about just how happy Kansans are and where we’re the happiest. Some of the things taken into account were number of restaurants, divorce rates, crime rate, and income comparisons. However, they did only check up on cities with more than 5,000 people, just to keep it a little easier. After all, they’d never find the happiest small town, because they’re all probably a bit happier than bigger cities. Do you live in one of the happiest cities in Kansas?
Here in Leawood, the odds of being a victim of violent crime are 1 in almost 2,000. That's a decent number, considering they have a population of over 34,000. It's divorce rate is the second lowest in their study, too.
Great Bend is a stellar location for almost 16,000 people to live in. It's got a restaurant for every 400 or so residents, and it takes an average of 13 minutes to get to work. In addition to these benefits, housing is on the affordable side, compared to the average income of around 43.5k a year.
Though it's sort of a suburb of Wichita, it's definitely a separate community in terms of statistics. It's only gathered a population of almost 8,000, but that doesn't make it any less nice. Violent crime odds are pretty low, at 1 in just over 2,000.
Considering it's population of almost 24,000, Derby is the largest suburb of Wichita. Its residents don't spend too much on housing, or take too long to get to work.
Sitting at almost 27,000 residents, Garden City is a pretty decent place to live, actually. Divorce rates are low, and the time it takes folks to get to work is around 14 minutes. Plus, with a pool as big as the one at Lee Richardson Zoo, it's no wonder they're happy!
In Liberal, both divorce rates and housing costs are decently low. The average income is around 46k, which isn't too bad when housing is affordable and your drive to work is under 20 minutes. Out of around 20,000 residents, there's a restaurant for every 527 people. Not too shabby!
In McPherson, you've got a restaurant for every 367 residents, which is a good amount for their population of just over 13,000. Houses are very affordable compared to the median income of around 55k a year. In addition to these benefits, the divorce rate is also pretty low.
Sitting at a population of over 27,000, Dodge City is great for affordable housing and short commutes to work. Divorce rates and restaurants are also in good ranges, which can only get better as this list goes on.
Many might think that residents of a town with so much tourism wouldn't be so happy, but they are. It's 6,500 or so residents have a restaurant for every 356 people, and the housing is also affordable compared to their median income of around 54k. At the #2 spot for Kansas, they've got the best numbers for restaurants and housing.
Roughly 6,000 people live in this little town, which scored best in divorce rates and drive time. Also, they did well in household costs and income, which means that overall, Ulysses is the winner of the happiest cities competition. Why don't you come by and see why, sometime?
