Topeka: the vibe
Videos from people who went, played right here, with what viewers said underneath. Not part of the score.
The verdict
Mixed · 55Commenters are split: longtime residents like Topeka's lakes, history and affordable homes, but many warn of crime, decay and blocks that swing from restored to derelict.
- affordable homes
- lake and outdoors
- history and architecture
- friendly locals
- easy to get around
- good schools for families
- crime
- uneven blocks and abandoned houses
- decline since the 1980s
- high taxes
- homelessness policy
- Quality of life depends heavily on which neighborhood you pick.
- Crime is real but manageable for law-abiding residents, per a lifelong local.
- Lake Shawnee and outdoor spaces are a major draw.
- Housing is cheap, though taxes are seen as high.
- Many feel the city has declined from its earlier charm.
Read from 8 videos, 36 comments and 0 posts on 2026-11-08; the summary is written by a language model and can misread sarcasm.
TOPEKA: Just HOW BAD Is It? What We Saw In The Kansas Capital City
Joe & Nic's Road Trip · 304K views · 2022
What viewers said
“Topeka is a really strange city. It truly depends on what block you're on - literally one block will be large, beautiful renovated century homes, and the next block over it can be bad - like abandoned and burned-out houses bad. It's a very ”
♥ 158 likes
“The man in the mural is John Brown, a nationally prominent abolitionist during the years leading up to the Civil War. He was hanged in 1859 after a failed attempt to incite a slave insurrection at Harper's Ferry. Kansas was a free state and”
♥ 79 likes
“I grew up in Topeka, and have vivid memories of the 1966 tornado that tore half the dome off of that Capitol building. I recently learned the secret of those 100 year-old wood framed houses you are admiring. Kansas always had few trees - so”
♥ 210 likes
“I'm a Topekan now and have lived here my whole life. I'm 53 years old. Overall I'd say I really like living here. We have a lot of crime, however if your a normal everyday law abiding citizen you don't get mixed up in all that nonsense. Be ”
♥ 43 likes
“i live by lake Shawnee in Topeka . People complain about every city. The lake is really nice and quiet..”
♥ 8 likes
“Every video of yours I watch, I'm always thinking to myself like ooh I wanna live in that town”
♥ 1 likes
“The reason there is asphalt over the brick is the cost of maintaining a brick street is so much higher. (25:15) Inside the capitol, the elevator is operated by a person, that’s why there is a chair inside and it was not in operation. The ca”
♥ 22 likes
“It's crazy that I've lived here my entire life and didn't know about half of the things covered in this video! It's nice to see more of my town, I've never had much chance to go exploring.”
♥ 42 likes
“So nice to reminisce. Spent my college years in Kansas and have only fond memories of the area, terrain, and people. Very underrated state like so many "fly over" states in the eyes of elitists along the east and west coasts. Nice video, Sp”
♥ 53 likes
“It's just nice to see that someone has something nice to say about my Kansas state! Love your positive comments!👍God bless!”
♥ 6 likes
Found with a YouTube search for the city and “digital nomad”, fetched 2026-11-08; titles, descriptions and comments belong to their authors and link to the originals.