Wichita might not be the first place you associate with flight, but maybe it should be. Did you know, for example, that more than a third of general aviation aircraft produced in the world is manufactured in Wichita? It’s true.
Wichita should probably also be on your list if you’re looking for a bit of deliciousness. There’s no shortage of tasty treat purveyors, including the Nifty Nut House, a candy and snack shop that’s been around since 1937, Cero’s Candies, which began operating in 1885, and Churn & Burn, where you can get coffee for yourself and ice cream for the kids.
And, if you’re looking for a place to live that’s not too crowded, Wichita might be for you.
The area has grown recently but not too much. Between July 2015 and July 2016, the metro area went from 643,016 to 644,672 residents, a 0.26 percent rise, according to the latest census data. During that time, the population of Sedgwick County, where Wichita is located, grew slightly more quickly; it went from 510,360 to 511,995, a 0.32 percent increase. (The metro area is larger than the county, and its population is bigger.)
That’s not to say Wichita is lonely. In fact, over the longer term, Sedgwick County attracted 18,486 domestic movers from 2011 to 2015, according to another census study that covers those years.
Where, you’re probably asking, are all those people moving from?
That same census study gives us a pretty good idea. They’re nearly evenly split between origins elsewhere in Kansas (9,158) and those in the rest of the U.S. (9,328). And, it turns out, many of the out-of-staters are coming from California. One curious trend: 103 people moved to Wichita, KS from Wichita County, TX over the five-year period.
Below are rankings for the top five counties of origin for movers to Sedgwick County:
Movers outside of Kansas:
- Los Angeles County, CA
- Oklahoma County, OK (Oklahoma City)
- El Paso County, CO (Colorado Springs)
- Jackson County, MO (Kansas City)
- Orange County, CA
Movers from Kansas:
- Butler County
- Harvey County
- Johnson County
- Cowley County
- Sumner County
Above are the top places inside Kansas that people moved to Sedgwick County from over the five-year period 2011-2015. Numbers represent the number of movers from that place during the period.
Sources:
Visit Wichita: https://www.visitwichita.com/media/story-ideas/ and https://www.visitwichita.com/things-to-do/family-fun/
U.S. Census Bureau
