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Find a Job in the Best Places to Live in Kansas

By Kathleen Walder, Monster Contributor

Kansas is everything that makes the United States feel like home. It’s truly the heart of America, located in the middle of the country, halfway between California and New York. It’s got something to interest everyone. You can experience nature, visit the state’s historical sites, and soak up arts and culture in Kansas.

If you like an urban atmosphere, you’ll find some of the best places to live in Kansas have theatre, dining, arts, and community activities. There are also plenty of places for outdoor activities like camping, boating, and hunting outside the city. Or see the state we all think of from the Wizard of Oz, filled with farmland that produces crops and processes food including wheat, corn, and cattle.

Here are a few other great reasons to live in Kansas:

Kansas is known as one of the friendliest states in the country. You’ve got a range of living styles in the various Kansas locations from the rural farm country to larger urban neighborhoods. Let’s take a look at the cities that top our list of the best places to live in Kansas:

Wichita

Wichita is the largest city actually in Kansas. Kansas City would have that honor, but half of it is on the other side of the river in Missouri. A couple hundred farms are located in Wichita, and downtown has lots of urban life including restaurants, live theaters, museums, and art galleries. There are 12 golf courses and 140 parks, green spaces, and recreation areas for outdoorsy types in Wichita.

Wichita became a pioneer in the aviation industry in 1916 when Clyde Cessna decided the city was the ideal place to manufacture his planes. Since then, Wichita has grown to be called The Air Capital of the World. It is home to some of the best-known aviation names including Textron, Beechcraft/Cessna, Airub, Bombadier, Spirit Aerosystems, and Learjet.

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Overland Park

Consistently ranked as one of the top cities to live in in the U.S., Overland Park is the second-largest city in Kansas, and has a population of nearly 200,000. Families find Overland Park to be one of the best places to live in Kansas because of its schools. Located in the Blue Valley Unified School District, Overland Park schools are .

It’s an easy commute to Kansas City, but there are plenty of companies to work for in Overland Park in professional, scientific, and technical services; healthcare; finance; and insurance. Top employers include HCA Midwest Health, United Health Group, and T-Mobile.

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Kansas City

Kansas City is a two-state town divided by the Kansas River. When you live in this town with a split personality, you’ll frequently be asked whether you live in KCMO (Kansas City, Missouri) or KCK (Kansas City, Kansas). You may then find yourself in a discussion about the best places to live in Kansas City. Here’s your cheat sheet—Downtown Kansas City is on the Missouri side where the city was originally settled. Most suburbs are across the river in Kansas. Regardless of the side you’re on, the city is known for great barbeque, jazz music, and an affordable cost of living.

Because of its central location in the U.S., Kansas City is an ideal place for intermodal transportation, warehousing, manufacturing, and distribution. Some of the best companies to work for in Kansas City include major employers Hallmark, H&R Block, and Commerce Bank.

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Olathe

Olathe is the county seat of Johnson County and is known for its excellent 51 public schools. It’s considered a bedroom community within commuting distance to Kansas City. Properties are spacious with homes surrounded by evergreen trees and lots of space to grow gardens and let kids play. Green spaces attract ballooning enthusiasts, and its two public lakes are perfect for sailboarding.

The city has several commercial and industrial parks that are home to Honeywell, ALDI, Garmin, and Farmers Insurance Group.

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Topeka

As the capital of Kansas, Topeka is a dense suburban area with nearly 126,000 residents. Homes are moderately priced. Art is a big deal in Topeka with multiple art galleries, the Mulvane Art Museum, the Community Arts Center in the NOTO Arts District, and the annual Aaron Douglass Art Fair. As a permanent homage to the Topeka art scene, murals are everywhere in the city, including the huge Great Mural Wall of Topeka. It’s located on a former water reservoir and has paintings by local professional artists.

The State of Topeka employs 6,000 in government positions. Significant industries in Topeka include printing and publishing, flour mills, food processing, and iron foundries. Large employers in the city include BlueCross/BlueShield of Kansas, Goodyear, Frito-Lay, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

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Choose the Best Place to Live in Kansas and Monster Will Find You the Best Job

If you like what you’ve read about the best places to live in Kansas, wait until you see the jobs. Monster is the place to find your fit in Kansas. You can start by completing a Monster profile to put yourself in front of Kansas recruiters and hiring managers. Your profile preferences will let us know what job postings to send you, along with career advice to get you on the road to Kansas.