Emporia is getting some national press, and it’s something tourism officials hope to capitalize on.
The city was listed by Outdoor Life magazine as one of the top towns for hunters and anglers to live. Out of 200 towns, Emporia came in at No. 115, one of only three Kansas towns to make the list.
“Some of us live in these spots,” wrote Andrew McKean, hunting editor for Outdoor Life in the article, “Paradise Found.” “But many more hunters and fishermen are looking to sink their roots in a new hometown, to raise a family where campsites outnumber condos or to retire to a place where it’s as easy to catch a bass as it is to catch a commercial flight.”
McKean expanded on Emporia’s selection during a phone call with The Gazette.
“Emporia impressed all of us,” McKean said. “It showed through in the scores, really the diversity of hunting and fishing opportunities there and the proximity of public land with the number of national wildlife refuges.”
In the story for its April issue, the magazine staff looked at more than just outdoor activities.
“We started by combing through every population center in the United States with more than 4,000 people,” wrote John Snow in the magazine. “We gathered comprehensive data on the overall quality of life the towns offered.”
Those factors included:
- the local economy
- unemployment
- taxes
- the daily commute
- crime rate
- housing prices
- household income
From there the magazine gathered data on the types of activities that appeal to outdoor enthusiasts — opportunities for hunting and fishing, trophy quality, access to public land and state gun laws.
Dodge City in western Kansas, at No. 108, was the only Kansas town to rate higher than Emporia. Junction City was ranked No. 147.
Emporia’s inclusion on the list didn’t surprise Betty Senn, director of Emporia’s Convention & Visitors Bureau, but she wonders whether those who live here take it for granted.
“I truly believe that we as Kansans don’t realize what wonderful natural resources we have as a state to market ourselves as a tourist destination,” she said.
“If you’re looking for a theme park,” she said, “the Flint Hills is not something you’re going to enjoy.”
McKean believes readers of Outdoor Life will appreciate all that’s available around Emporia.
“Emporia and the Flint Hills and the surrounding area has wonderful wildlife habitat,” McKean said. “There’s the hardwoods to the east, the tallgrass prairie in the west and big river ecosystems all coming to a confluence, a conversion. You’ve got upland birds like quail and wild turkey and big game white tail and all of the fishing.
“It really surprised us the diversity of warm-water fishing in reservoirs as well as big rivers and smaller streams.”
Using those natural resources to draw in tourists can lead to permanent residents, Senn said.
“The more opportunity we have to attract people here, the more they’ll want to live and work here and bring business here,” Senn explained.
“There’s a direct link between employment and unemployment to tourism.”
- The April 2008 edition of Outdoor Life is on newsstands now. The story also is online at www.outdoorlife.com.
Absolute (anonymous) says...
Emporia should be promoting this if it really is a strength of ours to the entire state of Kansas.
What are the plans of the Emporia's visitors Bureau to capatilize on this?
March 26, 2008 at 12:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )