Wichita, Kansas, the "Air Capital of the World", is the closest major city to McConnell AFB. Wichita has about 386,000 people, and is in Sedgwick County, which has a population of about 504,000 people. Other nearby small communities include Derby (23,000), Haysville (11,000), Mulvane (6,000), and Andover (12,000).

It is about 7 miles from downtown Wichita to McConnell; this takes about 13 minutes to commute, although travel times can vary. The commute from Derby is about 12 minutes; from Mulvane 21 minutes; from Haysville 16 minutes. The average commute in Sedgwick County is about 18 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Wichita area ranges from $400 to $600 per month, with a median of $500 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Wichita is about $115,000, compared to $125,000 for Kansas.

Short Description of the Area: Wichita is the largest city in Kansas and one of the fifty largest cities in the USA. Overall, Wichita is in many ways a picture of idealized America. Sedgwick County is in the southeast of central Kansas, fairly close to the physical center of the USA. Sedgwick County generally is in a region of gently rolling plains - Wichita slopes a bit to accommodate the Arkansas River and the Little Arkansas River.

Climate and Weather: The area has a humid, warm climate, with some extremes. Wichita has winter temperatures of the low 40s to low 20s and summer temperatures in the range of the low 90s to high 60s. The area has highly variable weather, with dry, cold winters and hot, humid summers. Springs are wet; summers are hot and steadily humid until fall. Falls see a drop in rain. Winters are usually dry, with some snow and steady wind; blizzards are not usually a major concern. Thunderstorms are somewhat frequent from spring to fall; tornadoes are an annual threat - learn basic lightning and tornado safety. Weather and temperatures here can get extreme, with record winter lows of -16 and record summer highs of 114.

Random Trivia:

Longtime cartoon character Dennis the Menace lives in Wichita, although there are no particular monuments to him in town.

The Original Pizza Hut is on the WSU campus, in a brick, um, hut, and can be visited and toured.