Note to Editors: Adapted from the Kansas Profile radio series, this column profiles a different Kansan, Kansas community or Kansas-based company every Wednesday, as a regular feature of the K-State Research and Extension News  lineup. A photo of Ron Wilson is available at  http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/sty/RonWilson.htm.

Released: February 21, 2007

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

“It’s time to move.” That simple sentiment has caused lots of people to migrate.  Throughout history, it has caused pioneers to engage in long and dangerous quests, driven by the desire to find something better for their children. Today we’ll meet some modern-day pioneers who chose to make such a move, driven by that same motivation. They didn’t have to cross a wilderness, but they did have to cross cultures. This is the story of how they are making their new home in rural Kansas.

Esther and Daniel Avila are natives of Mexico who have found their way to rural Kansas.  Esther is a native of Mazatlan and Daniel is originally from Guadalajara. They married and moved to California, where Daniel became a locksmith and Esther found work in an international manufacturing business.

Esther and Daniel were living in LA. After their two daughters were born, they became interested in a better living environment for their girls. It was that classic sentiment: It’s time to move.

Daniel had a cousin in Dodge City, so they decided to try living in Kansas. It was a culture shock, but they made the move. They settled in the southwest Kansas town of Offerle, which is between Dodge City and Great Bend.

Daniel established his own locksmith business, called Avila Locksmith. His shop is in the town of Kinsley, but his business is largely mobile.

Esther ended up buying and operating the café in Offerle. The café is now known as Offerle Tacos. As you might guess, and as is evident from the name, Mexican food is a specialty.  But Esther says, “We try to have something for everyone. Each day we have a special, such as meat loaf, chicken alfredo, or fried chicken. And we serve breakfast all day.” It’s a wonderful example of a friendly small town café. Esther’s helper, Melissa Butler, greets many customers by first name. Offerle is a community of 213 people. Now that’s rural.

So what are Esther’s impressions after coming halfway across the country to rural Kansas? Esther notes the kindliness and friendliness of the people. For example, Esther and her family were out driving in a van, looking for a house after they first arrived. She says, “In LA, if you see a bunch of people crammed into a van, you think something bad is going on. But here people were waving at us.”

They went to look at a house in Kinsley, but couldn’t find the address. After driving around town, Esther finally stopped at a store and went in to ask for help. The proprietor, a woman, looked at the address and said, “Oh, I know this lady. Let me close up the shop and I’ll take you there.” That probably wouldn’t happen in LA.

The traffic is another difference between Kansas and California. In Offerle, Esther was taking her daughter to school and then driving 30 miles to another school where she could take an English as a second language class. When someone commented that she was spending a lot of time driving, Esther said, “Well, it’s not like California where you might be stuck in traffic for two to three hours.”

Another marked difference between California and Kansas is in housing values. Esther says that a house which cost $14,000 in Kansas might go for $400,000, depending on the location, in California.

Esther’s two daughters and her seven year old niece who lives with them have adjusted to Kansas well. Esther says, “We are really, really happy with the schools here. There are smaller classes and more personal attention. There is more respect for elders, and the people here really take care of the kids.” She says, “We have so nice people here. Everybody helps one to another.”

“It’s time to move.” Through the centuries, that sentiment has driven people to seek a new life in a new place. We commend Esther and Daniel Avila for making a difference for their family by bringing them to a new home in rural Kansas. Let’s make sure that our communities continue to be clean, safe, welcoming places for people to live. It’s a move we need to make.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus in Manhattan.

For more information:
The Huck Boyd Institute is at 785-532-7690 or rwilson@ksu.edu

K-State Research and Extension