PCS to Fort Leavenworth KS

[tkopel]

My Hubby and I will be PCSing ("moving" for you non-military folk!) to Fort Leavenworth KS at the end of July. Anyone have any experience with the area? We are west-coast natives who have been living in Puerto Rico the past three years, so this part of the world is completely foreign to us! (Oh no, not SNOW!) Looking for advice on neighborhoods to look into, ones to avoid, good restaurants, attractions not to be missed, recreational activities. Basically anything you think would be helpful.
Thanks all!

 

[bhoferp]

Ouch! This is going to be quite the transition. About the only thing in Leavenworth is the fort, the VA medical center, and a prison. It is a small historical town--they do have a Walmart LOL! You might want to look for housing in Platte City, MO--lots of fairly new subdivisions and an excellent school district if you have kids, but an even smaller town. Platte City is about 15-20 minutes from the fort. Of course, if you don't mind a longer commute (remember it snows in the winter), you could look anywhere on the Kansas side of the area south of I-70. I don't know a lot about Leavenworth, but I do go there every other week, and would be glad to answer any questions I can. I've been to Puerto Rico, and other than the weather, I prefer to live here. You can live really well in this area on not that much money.

 

[Happyrick]

Been there done that. Leavenworth is really a suburb of Kansas City, about 30 minutes away so there is plenty to do and see. Lansing is a nice community south of Leavenworth that many of us chose for the schools, the shorter commute to KC and it's only 15 minutes to the gate. The Plaza in KC is a place to visit and it may remind you of lots of outdoor shopping and restaurant hot spots in LA. July will be hot, yes it will snow in the winter but it can be a great place that some of us never left. Enjoy!

 

[BuysToys]

I grew up in the opposite corner of the state, so can't tell you much about that specific area. What I do recommend, though, is to take advantage of how inexpensive it is to do short weekend or three-day trips for activities. There are a ton of rodeos, county fairs, you have the state fairs, see if you can go out with someone to harvest wheat for a day, see a cattle round up (might not be as popular in that corner). A lot of my daily experiences awe people in the NE!

 

[martyb]

After you get all settled in, some weekend when you need a change of scenery, take a drive to Excelsior Springs, MO & spend a weekend at this place: The Elms Hotel and Spa - The Elms - Hotels in Kansas City

 

[tkopel]

Thanks for the replies so far. We are hoping to live as close to base as possible (if we don't get on-base housing). We don't have kids so schools are not an issue. I would love to live as close to base as possible so I could ride my bike to work (which is what I am fortunate enough to do now). I have heard that the area is not really bike friendly, and obviously the weather would limit my biking months (I'm not that hard-core to ride in the snow). I am excited about exploring the area, and we do love to backpack and camp. Not big into hunting. My husband is a car nut, any good car shows or clubs in the area? Definitely the cost of living is much nicer than in PR, but I will be losing my COLA so it kinda evens out.

 

[bhoferp]

Hopefully, you can get on-base housing if you want to ride to work. The area that is within bike riding distance of the fort isn't that great (as in, I've seen cops with their guns drawn on a "suspect" in the middle of the day). Lansing and Platte City are probably the closest "nice" areas. Think you would like the camping and trails at Weston Bend State Park. There is an old-time hardware store in downtown Leavenworth and the Corner Pharmacy has an old-fashioned soda fountain with delicious malts. The Kansas City area has plenty of entertainment and places to explore. Glad you are excited.