The Real District Map of Wichita

[ForestChild]

this will probably be removed, but for the hell of it, here ya go.

mapofwichita.PNG

[Djekspek]

it looks pretty cool. why you think it would be removed? cheers, DJ

[jbgibson]

Primitive tech or not, it looks to be a useful explanation, especially if as you say ground truth and mindshare say something different from the typical commercial map. Is your worry that Google would prefer folks not use their data as a basemap? Look up "open street map" for a much more freely useable dataset.

Since you note the interstate corridors as main boundaries, I wonder if the "wrong but typical" definitions just predate the interstates. Bring in the bulldozers on that scale, and start limiting traffic across the expressways, and you definitely bust up old patterns.

[Midgardsormr]

Neither the "official" districting nor this one really jive with the way I navigate Wichita. There isn't much in "Southwest Wichita" other than the airport. Sure, there are some housing developments and Pawnee Prairie Park, but if someone wants to talk about that area, they just say "near the airport." Likewise with the south east: it's dominated by McConnell, and most of the businesses and housing in that area directly support the base. Really, I think of the Interstates more as arteries and less as boundaries. The areas to either side tend to be similar to one another unless there's another feature alongside that creates a more definite division, such as the Big Ditch.

That said, I lived my first 30 years in Wichita, but I think the only neighborhoods I could identify would be Riverside, Westlink, Delano, College Hill, Oaklawn, Eastborough, and McCormick. And the only reason that last one's on there is because I bought a house there and learned way more than I ever needed to know about the neighborhood as a result.

The experience of navigating the city may be different depending on where you've lived. I spent most of my life on the west side, near 13th and Maize, before moving to Riverside. My perception of the city was always a bit different than my friend, who lived her entire life in the South High School district. Come to think of it, I may not be the best source for how to look at the city, since every time I draw a map of it, I put east at the top.

I am a bit surprised that you don't call out Haysville and Derby as strongly as you do Maize and Goddard. Actually, Goddard's far enough out that I don't think many people would confuse it with being part of the city, it's enormous school district notwithstanding.

[ForestChild]

@ Djekspek I figured it would be removed as its obviously not a fantasy or scifi type of map.

@Midgardsormr

Well when it comes to the differences of the west side, and the east side for instance, there are other differences.
I have never been one to point fingers, but the east sides economy, is much more how should i say this..... RICH

For instance when you go to the east side, you will find that Town East Mall has 2.5 times the amount of space Town West Mall has. The shops are more uppity (For instance town west mall's most expensive shop is like...Jc Penny's or Dillards, where as the town east mall has those 2, and a whole buttload of other incredibly expensive shops for the wealthy) the people who shop there are more....financially stable-looking. Less rift-raft. Go to the town west mall, and while you do have financially stable looking people, prejudices aside, you will see more "ghetto" looking people. Lower class income if you will.

Plus the Town East Mall has 2 levels to itself, where as the Town West Mall has 1 level.


Another example of the east side versus the west side would be the east sides shopping complexes have much more fancier establishments. The brickwork and mortar designs are fancier, the layouts are fancier.

The west sides closest example of anything on the east side would be New Market Square, and even that is lacking. They try to be fancy, but it just does NOT replicate the east side. And the shops tend to be less uppity.

Another observation, would be nearly 99% of cars being driven on the east side are makes from 2001-2012. very few older looking cars.

Go to the west side and only about 75% of the cars are made from 2001-2012. There are a substantial amount of older cars being driven about.


Now lets take the east side and compare it to the south side.
WOW.

major difference. low class income is infamous in the south side. gangs are more numerous. rift raft and minorities are more numerous. shopping districts are ran down. there is a higher poverty llevel. more homeless people. More people riding buses and walking the streets.

theres more cops, WAY more cops.

the stores are dirtier, the people are more homely looking.

70% of the people who shop at walmart use food stamps to buy food (im a manager at a particular walmart).

go to the east side and 5% of the people who shop at walmart use food stamps.

go to the west side and 15% of the people use food stamps.



so technically there are differences, but in the world of friendliness and prejudices, I didnt immediately open up the thread with those differences out of mutual respect.

[Gamerprinter]

Don't know much about Wichita. But as far as maps of real places, the Cartographers' Guild is focused on map design - any kind of map. Real places, fictional places, fantasy, sci-fi, post apocalyptic, any kind of map applies at the CG. While most of us are RPG mappers, that is not a requirement, some are actual GIS mappers, one of us is a National Geographic mapper. Maps of real places is fine content for the CG.

[Djekspek]

yeah, fantasy, sci-fi or real world, maps is maps... as for re-using others works in maps: Not sure if you created the base map yourself, but if not, you should check the usage license of the source you used. cheers, DJ

[Midgardsormr]

Well, I can't disagree with you in terms of economics, although it's surprising the number of the city's millionaires who live in relatively unassuming houses on the west side! My comments were aimed mostly at navigation. I've never told someone that a place was in "south-central Wichita." I'll often tell them it's near 31st and Seneca, though. Most of the people in my circle make reference to intersections more than any kind of districts. That's an entirely different story to here in Los Angeles, of course, where nobody could be expected to know more than a few of the really major streets. Instead, everyone makes reference to cities, and even then nobody really knows all of them. You sometimes have to mention two or three to get people to understand where you're talking about.