10 Reasons to be Thankful You Live in Wichita Falls

Of course the weather in Wichita Falls is forever changing, but 70 degrees in November? We'll take it!

Wichita Falls and surrounding areas boast some of the most colorful and beautiful sunsets you will ever see. Here's proof.

"A healthy downtown is the heart of a city." - Wichita Falls Downtown Development.

Downtown Wichita Falls is rich with history and culture. City-wide events like the St. Patrick's Day Downtown Street Festival, Zombie Crawl, Cajun Fest and more draw big crowds downtown, while unique shopping opportunities, great food, live music and local art keep them coming back. And of course we can't forget to mention the most unique part of downtown Wichita Falls - the infamous World's Littlest Skyscraper!

With the amazing downtown development organization dedicated to the revitalization of downtown Wichita Falls, the heart of our city is only going to get healthier from here.

Wichita Falls has an incredible selection of local, one-of-a-kind restaurants and unique stores for your eating and shopping pleasure.

Whether you're in the mood for amazing BBQ, a mouth watering cheese burger or a good 'ole fashion chicken fried steak, Wichita Falls has the cure for what ails you!

Wichita Falls is also home to a variety of eclectic tastes when it comes to shopping. With a plethora of niche boutiques, antiquing, specialty shopping and new stores popping up all over town, you can effectively shop til you drop.

Not only is Wichita Falls a beautiful and fun place to live, it's also safe. Wichita Falls has less than half of the violent crimes annually* than our neighboring city to the north, Lawton.

Wichita Falls Police Sgt. Harold McClure says, “The City saw a 9 percent reduction in felony crimes from 2013 to 2014 and we are currently on track to see that trend continue for 2015.”

*Source: neighborhoodscout.com

"Wichita Falls has a small town feel, but it’s big when it comes to quality of life," says Ann Arnold-Ogden, Community Marketing Director for the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce. "There are 37 public parks here, more than several other cities our size (and larger!) including Abilene, Tyler, Waco and Round Rock," Ann continues. And how about that 18-mile long (and growing) city-wide Circle Trail?

Parks and trails not your thing? No worries, Wichita Falls also has two community theatres, a symphony orchestra, ballet company, thriving art community, world class university and junior college, hockey, indoor football, and the addition of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame coming soon to Big Blue downtown - just to name a few.

Fairs and festivals, performing arts, sports, parades, concerts, and many events geared toward kids and families, Wichita Falls has it all. The comprehensive city-wide event calendar at ChooseWichitaFalls.com should be your first stop when planning your family outings.

Named one of the top ten least-expensive cities to live in, Wichita Falls boasts a cost of living that is nearly 14 percent below the national average.

“Every year, our community is recognized for our desirable cost of living," says Wichita Falls Mayor Glenn Barham. "Our area businesses have a high quality of service delivered at a low price. We have affordable housing, low unemployment and great amenities, like our parks. Wichita Falls delivers more bang for less buck,” Mayor Barham continued.

The lack of bumper-to-bumper traffic in Wichita Falls is a beautiful thing that many residents may take for granted. The fact that you don't have to leave your house an hour or more before work and/or school starts is something to be very thankful for. You can get pretty much anywhere in Wichita Falls in 7 minutes or less.

What is a city without its people? Here in Wichita Falls we have no shortage of friendly, smiling faces.

"We consistently receive compliments from visitors and convention delegates about how friendly the people in Wichita Falls are," says Lindsay Greer, Director of the Wichita Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau. "For us, that certainly helps us do our jobs and makes people want to return." She continued.