Fort Wayne or Kansas City

[kmvibe]

I'm possibly relocating to either Kansas City or Fort Wayne, Ind. I've never been to either. If we have any members from or just familiar with those cities, what's the pros and cons of each. I'm just looking for opinions.Thanks,Kenny

[michaelgt]

I think it depends if you want to be associated with building cars or trucks!

[ab2cmiller]

I live in Fort Wayne. One thing you will hear over and over from those that live here is "It's a great place to raise a family". Fort Wayne is large enough that there is plenty of things to do (shopping, sporting events, attractions, etc.) but it still has that small town feel to it.Shopping: Glenbrook Mall (2nd largest Mall in the state). Jefferson Pointe Mall (Large Open Air Mall on Southwest side)Sports: Minor League Hockey (Komets), Baseball (Tin Caps) and Basketball (Mad Ants). Fort Wayne was named America's #1 minor sports league city, according to a 2007 issue of Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. Fort Wayne has placed near the top as a best golf town in Golf Digest magazine's "Best Golf Towns in America" rankings. Attractions: Fort Wayne Childrens Zoo - CHILD Magazine includes it among their “Ten Best Zoos for Kids.” War Memorial Coliseum seats 13,000 and hosts numerous concerts and events. Fort Wayne also has a Philharmonic that is very strong especially for the size of our city. Science Central Museum primarily geared for the kids.Cost of Living: Fort Wayne has an extremely low cost of living, primarily because the housing is generally considered very affordable. Here is a link that compares the cost of living between Fort Wayne and Kansas City. http://www.bestplaces.net/col/...38000 Other: Most of the schools around Fort Wayne are pretty good, but you would definitely want to do some checking before buying a house. Very strong Public Library System which ranked in the top 10 in the nation for the sixth year for cities of it's size.I think Fort Wayne is great and has a lot going for it, but I'm sure most people from Kansas City would say that their city is great too. The only con that I can think of, especially as it compares to Kansas City, is the fact that Kansas City can offer even more as it relates to shopping, sporting events and attractions. Although we are only about 2 hours from Indianapolis and a little over 3 hours from Chicago and Detroit.If you have a family with younger kids, I think you would love Fort Wayne. If you are without kids, you may have more fun in a bigger city.

[jake75]

'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I comeI'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I comeThey got a crazy way of loving thereAnd I'm gonna get me some.I'll be standing on the cornerOn the corner of Twelfth Street and VineI'm gonna be standing on the cornerOn the corner of Twelfth Street and VineWith my Kansas City babyAnd a bottle of Kansas City wine.Well I might take a trainI might take a plane, but if I have to walkI'm gonna get there just the sameI'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I comeThey got a crazy way of loving thereAnd I'm gonna get me some.I'm gonna pack my clothesLeave at the break of dawnI'm gonna pack my clothesEverybody will be sleepingNobody will know where I've goneCause if I stay in townI know I'm gonna die.Gotta find a friendly cityAnd that's the reason why,I'm going to Kansas CityKansas City here I comeThey got a crazy way of loving thereAnd I'm gonna get me some.

[jake75]

I did a little bit of playing around on that cost comparison site. I think in some cases the housing cost comparisons are not apples to apples, not comparing similar houses, but perhaps comparing average home prices. If a city has a lot of small houses in less desirable neighborhoods the low housing price number might be misleading. I don't know much about either city but based on what little I know I would favor Ft. Wayne. Maybe because it is closer to my backyard - and also close to Chicago - a great place to visit.

[scherry2]

Kenny,Come to Ft. Wayne. like the above post Ft. Wayne has alot to give. I work at the Ft. Wayne GM plant (hourly). I came here from Wisconsin in 1986. its a great City. I live in a small town 6 miles from the plant called Roanoke. the GM plant is about 10/15 miles south of Fort Wayne.here are a few links http://www.discoverroanoke.org/ Roanokehttp://www.fortwayne.com/ Fort Waynehttp://www.wane.com/ local newshttp://www.local2209.org/ UAW local 2209. check out the forums pageIM me if you need some info or post on 2209's forum. I'm assembler9692 there.the addresss for the GM plant is:12200 Lafayette Center Rd Roanoke, IN 46783 google map it and you can get an Idea where its at if this link doesn't work http://maps.google.com/maps?hl...83%20

[kmvibe]

Fort Wayne looks very promising. I'm still going to do some more research, but you guys have helped us out tremendously. Thank you!Kenny