Dci park at 2nd and Main was where the Wolcott building used to be. It was a 7 story office building. It was torn down in 1988. The fire you are referring to may be the Isham's furniture building fire in 1992. That was located where Ave A park is now on the SW corner of A and Main
Ah, Hutch! Haven't been back there in a long time. I used to go to the state fair. One year, we parked at Donovan's (I think it was around 25th or 27th Street) across the street from the fairgrounds. I think Garth Brooks was playing at the arena that year (probably was 1988 or so). I could hear him rehearsing as I walked past the building. LOL I grew up in Great Bend. I remember the Hutch Mall as the place to be. Sad not much there these days. I'm surprised it's still open. The Cosmosphere was fun as a kid too. :)
They just demo'd the Wendy's by me and there's supposed to be a brand new one going in, very interesting to hear about this. Hutch is a unique, beautiful city, a neat vibe/aesthetic. Coming from a huge metro city, KS is amazing, Main St towns are the best.
If you really want me to, understand that I will not go inside of it due to there being no way in that building. Not sure when I'll get around to it, but I will see about filming that sometime. I was going to awhile ago, but got busy.
Yes, Hutchinson is an overall safe place to live and even raise a family. However, there are parts of town to avoid living in just like there are in any community. We do have meth heads and druggies around town, but they are on the low and you'll hardly notice them unless you specifically go around looking for them. Hutchinson definitely has it's ups and downs. The downside is there are not as much places to shop around here as there should be for a community this size. A lot has to do with the corrupt city council here who is hellbent on trying to frame Hutchinson as a retirement community. The major upside here is that it's a very laid-back nice place to live. It's affordable here and has plenty of year around events down on Main St. to larger scale events such as the Kansas State Fair and the NJCAA basketball tournaments in March. Are people nice? Yes. People here are overall friendly, but just as any other community, there are unpleasant people around here. It all depends on what type of crowd you associate with. I've been in Hutchinson since 2011, so I know this city very well. A strong piece of advice I'll give you, is to avoid the people around Hutchinson who do nothing other than talk nothing but trash on the community nonstop. You'll hear them go on and on with exaggerated stories and negative talk. I found these types of people to be in almost every city or town across this country that I've been to, so it's not just exclusive to here, but just be on the look out so you know who/what to avoid when it comes to forming your own opinion.
@@RealKansasMan thank you for a quick reply and honest answer. How are the jobs? Also does the town have plans for growth? Are the schools good? Lastly, how is the weather year round and tornadoes?
@@marlonlicup10 The job market is anything from decent, depending on what you're looking for, to iffy if you're looking for a wide variety of high end jobs. There are higher end jobs here, but not anywhere near as much as other communities/cites such as Wichita, Maize, Derby and the such. For me, the jobs here are decent for the size of community but not as good as I personally would like it to be. Despite that, there are good paying stable jobs around here, specifically in manufacturing and education. It all depends on what you are looking for and what is suitable for you. Depending on what type of schooling you're seeking, whether for you or your kids, the educational opportunities are pretty decent here. The public school system, (Hutchinson, Buhler, Nickerson school districts), are all pretty decent. Have not heard too many complaints from anyone here on the public school system. (And yes, Hutchinson has three school districts within and outside of city limits). As for the higher education, The Hutchinson Community College is very decent and on the list as one of the top rated colleges in this country. Obviously not the highest ranking, but offers a ton of programs and degrees to choose from. If you are seeking a place to settle and be laid-back to raise a family, Hutchinson is the perfect place. If you are looking for something more on the upscale end with tons of things to do and a bustling lifestyle, then Hutchinson is definitely not the place. Assuming you're not from Kansas, the weather year around varies depending on the season, but is overall on the mild side compared to other parts of the state. Hutchinson is located in what people call a "valley", so the more severe weather during the winter and summer months tends to avoid us. However, we do get the occasional bad storm. As for tornadic weather, it's incredibly rare to see a tornado around here, despite being in a tornado alley state. This has a lot to do with the "valley" Hutchinson is located in. During the winter months, it varies between warm/mild and cold winters to brutally cold and snowy winters. Just depends on the winter, if that makes any sense. Winters here are overall very mild. We get snow and the occasional ice storm, but nowhere near as much as other places do. Oh, and the summers can be stupidly hot and dry. Just this summer, we averaged temps over 100 constantly on a weekly basis, but on average the temps range from low 90's to 100's during the summers. It seems all of the rain pours all at once during the spring and early June, and then the rest of the summer is very dry, LOL. However, this was the driest/hottest summer we've had in a very long time, but on the flip side, we are experiencing the coolest September we've had in many years. Hope these answers help you in your decision.
@@RealKansasMan yes thank you very much! Hutchinson can definitely be a place for us to move and settle down. Summers in the 100's though I dont like! I'm in Colorado Springs right now and prices here got ridiculous passed few years. Feels like California.
