The aircraft capital of the United States, Wichita, KA is taking off again
Wichita, KS Economic Outlook is improving even with all the aerospace layoffs there. Wichita is 79.4% White, 9.1% Black, and 22% of jobs are in manufacturing, with median wages above $18.45 per hour or an average of $39.5 hours per week exceeds 45,000 per year annual revenue – High Wage Manufacturing Jobs. Most of which are aviation related, 56% are totally aviation only.
Even with the layoffs and more to come, things are looking better than most manufacturing cities. 46% of employers thought they could lay off more people next year, but the indication is that 54% will not. That’s better than most of the manufacturing related cities we travel to like Stanton PA, Allentown PA, Manchester NH, Tulsa OK, etc. With similar MSA characteristics in terms of manufacturing. Last year he fired 64% of employers. Retail trade is up a bit, mainly due to newer stores such as Walmart, Grocery and Pet Retail Companies. Overall, without that, we saw a 3% decline in retail last year, probably again layoffs in the aviation manufacturing sectors.
The downtown area is getting another update, one area is similar to OKC Brick Town, often simply called Brick City by travelers, even AAA in their magazine calls it that.
Brick Town http://www.bricktownokc.com/
and has attracted residents and tourists, especially on weekends, to shop around, hang out and spend. Nashville-like bars open for kids and outdoor eating places as well. A River Walk project, a scaled-down version of the one in San Antonio, is also scheduled.
[http://thesanantonioriverwalk.com/riverwal…ry/History4.asp]
Hopefully, those projects will keep the center from deteriorating further. The Wichita Ambassadors are sponsoring a project to alert their commercial and retail businesses that they must keep their downtown area clear of debris to attract more commerce. They have published a small brochure “Whose job is it? The details on how to keep our city safe and attractive” The brochure cites, awning repair, graffiti problems, dumpsters, bus stops, etc. It’s a problem as there are low-income areas throughout the center of the city, especially in the south.
http://www.wichita.gov
We are pleased to report that Wichita KS is taking off again thanks to the teamwork of the entire community.