Known locally as "The Little Apple,'' further distinguishing itself from its Big Apple sibling nearly 1,400 miles to the east, Manhattan, Kansas sits at the confluence of the Kansas River and the Big Blue River in the eastern half of the state. Home to Kansas State University and its 20,000 students and more than 10,000 faculty and staff, Manhattan is deeply influenced by the school's culture and its economic effects to the tune of about $1.31 billion. The purple-and-white color scheme of the Wildcats is evident all over the city, perhaps most noticeably in Aggieville, a six-block area consisting of shops, restaurants and bars that cater to the college-age crowd and game-day football fans. The olive drab of the U.S. Army is also a large presence in Manhattan, with more than 60,000 military and civilian employees at work at Fort Riley. about 25 miles outside the city. “It’s a very work-based driven location for people to move to,” says Sarah Beebe, a city resident and a real estate agent with eXp Realty. Downtown offers two distinct shopping districts with a mix of stores, restaurants and community events.
Manhattan, Kansas is referred to as "The Little Apple".
Downtown Manhattan is an exciting entertainment district with museums, restaurants & shopping.
The city of Manhattan sits at the confluence of the Kansas and Big Blue rivers.
Locals head to Aggieville in Manhattan for bars, restaurants, shopping, and events.
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Grand Mere, Northview and West Campus
Median home prices run about $100,000 below the national median of around $415,000 and typically sell two weeks faster than the national average of 44 days. Owing to the city's military and collegiate connections, its population runs more than 10 years younger than national averages.
Popular neighborhoods include Grand Mere, Northview and West Campus. Grand Mere, to the northwest of the city, is a golf course community with larger homes on land up to about an acre. Northview homes, on the north side of town, sell for prices below the regional norms while still connected to shopping, dining and recreational spots. West Campus, as the name suggests, has a deep connection to Kansas State and is one of the first choices for students and university workers.
Contemporary one and two story homes are scattered throughout Manhattan.
Beautiful cottage-style homes with brick walkways are found near downtown Manhattan.
Recently built modern architectural homes are popping up in northwestern Manhattan.
Manhattan is filled with split-level homes with landscaped yards are popular in Blue Hills.
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State parks and golf courses
While K-State college football and basketball are big draws during their respective seasons, participatory options range from the sedate to the extreme. Tuttle Creek State Park is a good place to start, home to Kansas's second largest lake and 1,200 acres that include spots for camping, hiking, golf, equestrian and fishing. Zip lining through the tree canopies of Flint Hills attracts the thrill-seekers to Wildwood Adventure Park. Colbert Hills Golf Course is one of the country's top-ranked public courses, developed by a former PGA Tour player.
Sunset Zoo houses over 300 animals from more than 100 different species and offers summer camps, classes and events throughout the year.
K-State college football & basketball are big draws in Manhattan, Kansas.
At Wildwood in Manhattan, visitors can fly down a 7 zipline course with a 40 foot freefall.
Locals in Manhattan enjoy wildlife and a day outside with the family at the Sunset Zoo.
Students, friends and pros are golfing at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan.
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Aggieville and downtown
Manhattan has two primary shopping districts — “We have Aggieville which is located across from the university and has a lot of local bars and restaurants. During the day and evening, it's very much family dining; after dark, it turns into a college bar scene,” says Beebe. Breweries are particularly popular throughout the city, with many of them in Aggieville. “Then we have our downtown district. They have eating, shopping, art, shows and a theater. It also includes our mall.” The Manhattan Town Center is the shopping hub of Manhattan, home to 50 shops and entertainment spots, including Dillard’s, JCPenney and the AMC Dine-In Manhattan 13 IMAX movie theater. The food scene here tends to be more casual, with burger joints and bars lining the downtown streets.
Nico's Little Italy in Aggieville boasts traditional Italian favorites in Manhattan.
The AMC in Manhattan offers a dine-in experience for movie watchers.
Residents in Manhattan head to Manhattan Town Center Mall for a wide range of stores.
The downtown Manhattan streets are lined with burger joints & bars like Tallgrass Tap House.
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Highly rated schools and a major university
Most K-12 students are zoned for the Manhattan-Ogden Unified School District, while some in the northwestern outskirts of the city attend Riley County Unified Schools. Manhattan-Ogden ranks as the No. 6 best school district in Kansas, scoring an A on Niche and offering a catalog of highly rated schools.
Kansas State University is home to 20,000 students. Founded in 1863, K-State is the oldest public institution in Kansas. With over 200 majors, 45 of them doctoral, this public university is an R1-Doctorial University, indicating high performance in research and development.
Students in Manhattan love attending Amanda Arnold Elementary School.
Anthony Middle School in Manhattan gives students resources to become information seekers.
Manhattan High School has top-notch sports teams and classes in Manhattan, Kansas.
Kansas State University brings many students to Manhattan to study.
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Travel in Manhattan
The Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency (aTa Bus) provides public transportation throughout Manhattan and Riley County. Manhattan also has a bike-share program through Green Apple Bikes (GAB), available at GAB stations throughout the city. Cyclists can take the bike lanes, which are mainly concentrated downtown and around the K-State campus. The Manhattan Regional Airport connects to major airline hubs and offers a handful of additional nonstop destinations, some seasonally. For a broader selection of flights and destinations, the Kansas City International Airport is 130 miles east.
Weather averages and crime statistics
Manhattan experiences the four seasons, with warm summers and generally mild winters. Clear, blue skies are the norm, with Manhattan averaging 218 sunny days per year compared to the U.S. average of 205. However, severe weather can be a concern as Manhattan is part of Tornado Alley. In general, reports of violent crime and property crime in Riley County, of which Manhattan is the county seat, run above the national average but slightly below the state average.
The Festival of Lights
The winter holiday season brings another New York state of mind connection to Manhattan. A season's worth of cheer kicks off with the lighting of a city Christmas tree and a festival surrounding the event. Then, on New Year's Eve, revelers in Aggieville watch the Little Apple Drop as midnight approaches. “They claim it’s the tallest lighted tree in Kansas every year,'' Beebe says "They do a big opening festival to kick it off, and there's lights and music all the way through New Year's.”
Written By
Stephanie Davison
Photography Contributed By
Brooke Wasson
Video By
David Strayer
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Laura Ebert,
an experienced agent in this area.
On average, homes in Manhattan, KS sell after 29 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Manhattan, KS over the last 12 months is $288,000, up 11% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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