Hi everybody,

I have been reading a bit in the forum, but realized, that the posts about Ft. Riley are a bit older...

We are supposed to move there this summer and to be honest, I have mixed feelings about that. We had total different preferences and it was a "shock" when we found out the next place will be in Kansas. After a couple of very rough days (oh, I so did not want to go there!) I now started to look around more in the area. How is it like, what is there to do...  also I'm looking for spouses who lived there/live there/are going to move there to exchange information/concernes/good thins...

So I'm really looking forward to talk to you guys....

Nadine

DH and I are at Fort Riley - we arrived this last July. I was the same as you, I did NOT want to move to KS and was prepared for the worst. I had heard tons of bad things about the area (nothing to do, it's boring) so that didn't help. We had about a year and a half between when he got orders and when we finally moved so I kept hoping for his duty station to change but it did not Honestly, I really do not mind it here. There are people who hate it but I have enjoyed our time here so far!

First, I expected KS to be flat, corn fields, which it is in some parts but not around Fort Riley. I enjoy the rolling hills and all the greenery around. In terms of things to do, it definitely isn't as exciting as a big city, or even a suburb. Manhattan has some shopping but not a whole lot. K State in Manhattan makes it a pretty big college town. We haven't ventured out to Topeka or KS City but they have more to offer in terms of entertainment - but they are a drive. This summer, we had a good time running on the trail by the river here, biking, and bringing the dog down to the river to play. Milford Lake is close; it is pretty large and Fort Riley has an area out there where people can rent boats/jetskis/etc. Apparently this area is really good for hunting and fishing too, if you're into that.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

I've been at Riley since this summer, and at first I HATED it. I was so homesick that anything different just made me that much more ready to leave. Other than my DH's company (don't even get me started ugh!) it's actually not that bad.
I will tell you if you live off post try your hardest not to live in the Bluffs apts in Junction City. Not only does managment do their best to rip you off, but the drama around here is awful. I've called the cops on two different neighbors and I'm not the only one. Manhattan has bigger, nicer places for the same price range.
The hardest thing about living here is that everything is so far apart. Even on post it can take 20 minutes to get from one place to another.
But there are a ton of places to do outdoorsy stuff, a lot of them on post. The Long Horn Steakhouse in Manhattan is awesome, great food, never once had bad service. And there's pretty decent shopping there, too. I'm not really a mall rat but they have all the basic stores you'd expect. If you're crafty there's a Hobby Lobby.
Aggieville is the college bar town. I've been a few times, but it's not really my scene. If you like to go out on the town, I'd start there, though. Junction City has a lot of bars and other things, but I wouldn't shop in any of the stores close to post. They are way overpriced and dirty looking.
The main thing is to get a group of friends, because in a small rural areas like Riley, they'll keep you entertained. Oh, and there are so many zoos (I love zoos!). The Manhattan one is small of course, but it's a cute afternoon date. There's one in Wichita and Topeka too, haven't been there, but if I'm still here this spring I'll be making the trip to both of them.

Looks like we are heading to Fort Riley by April 2012! Like most I've not been looking forward to this station, but we all know what we signed up for in this life. LOL Thankfully none of these moves are forever - yet anyway.
It was great to see a couple other ladies post information. I think we'll focus our off-post housing search on the Manhattan area. I like the idea of being close to the college (since my daughter will hopefully be attending there this summer). Plus I always find that volunteering in a community close to post helps to get me out and meeting new people. So I hope there are plenty of opportunities for that.
Basically, I think that a place is mostly what we choose to make of it. And I choose to go into it looking for the newest adventure. Plus I can hope that there is a great group of ladies associated with the FRG and maybe develop a friendship through that venue as well. If I'm lucky maybe I'll meet one of you ladies while we are there!

I've been here since July 2010 and like everyone else... when I first heard "Kansas"... I wasnt happy. Since I've been here I've seen people do nothing but complain left and right about living here, but its really not that bad. We've been to the zoo in Topeka a number of times since we have children. The zoo is in a giant park so even if you dont want to pay to go into the zoo theres a ton of free stuff to do outside. Topeka has a real mall... the one in Manhattan is tiny. Tiny isnt bad tho, when I need something from JCP or Sears... its easy to get in and get out without the trouble you'd have at a large crowded mall. I live on post and wouldnt have it any other way... like mentioned before, sometimes just getting from one part of post to another can take some time. We've also been to Kansas City a number of times ( I like taking people to the airport), and we even spent a day at Worlds of Fun which was tons of fun. I could go on forever...

I 've been here since Sep 2009, yes we still here. Everybody said, when we got here, you can not get out so easy. lol. I was little shocked when I got here from Ft. Lewis. but now, I am fine . People are nice and quiet ( well nothing here anyway hahah). If we are going to move out here, I will be missing all my friends I made here. yes, I admit I hate Kansas winter and strong dusty wind and ticks!
Yes, Manhattan is very small town which they have Kansas State University, all purple color. Mall , it is not "real" mall to me.
We are going to move out different housing because our current housing are going to tear down soon. They have a new housing area and still contracting new housing too.