It's nice to live in a metropolitan area of more than 623,000 people where the average commute time is only 18 minutes.

That's one of the many positive aspects of Metro Wichita, which also include a range of distinct neighborhoods and affordable housing options to choose from. The median price for a newly built single-family home in 2011 was $190,000.

Money magazine has ranked Wichita among the top 10 best cities in America in which to live, and MSN Real Estate ranked Wichita first on its list of most affordable large cities. Those livability factors are among the many reasons why Wichita attracts everyone from young professionals to families to retirees.

Residents here have easy access to a variety of diverse cultural and recreation options. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy nearly three-dozen golf courses, 123 parks and greenways, 127 miles of walking trails, 26 miles of bike paths, 52 athletic fields, 11 swimming pools and 10 recreation centers. For kids (and adults), there are fun destinations such as Exploration Place, Great Plains Nature Center, Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center, the Riverside Park System, Wichita Ice Center, Wichita Public Library and the Sedgwick County Zoo, which is home to 2,500 animals and ranked among the best zoos in the United States.

That's Y

The Greater Wichita YMCA is among the largest in size and budget in the United States. The Y, which has eight full-service locations and serves more than 100,000 youngsters alone in the area, is in the midst of a campaign to build a new $23 million Central Branch, which will include a community and nutritional coaching center. That effort is part of a $40 million capital campaign the Greater Wichita YMCA has undertaken for new facilities and expansions.

Wichita's vibrant downtown offers the ideal place to dine, shop, work, play and live. About 2,000 people currently reside in the district that features a smorgasbord of restaurants, bars, nightlife, retail shops, museums, galleries and theaters.

“Our ultimate goal is for downtown Wichita to be alive 24/7,” says Jeff Fluhr, president of the Wichita Downtown Development Corp.

The city has quality schools in place, with the Wichita Public Schools system overseeing more than 90 teaching sites. There are also more than 35 private and parochial schools within the city limits, and several colleges and universities have campuses here – including Wichita State University and its nearly 15,000 students.

For shoppers, the city is home to a variety of unique retail destinations such as Old Town, Bradley Fair and NewMarket Square. Bradley Fair boasts an open-air plaza and lakeside view, while NewMarket Square bills itself as Wichita's largest outdoor shopping center.

One more positive aspect of Wichita is its abundance of sports teams, including collegiate athletics featuring the Wichita State Shockers, Friends University Falcons and Newman University Jets. Other sports teams to root for are the Wichita Wingnuts in baseball, Wichita Thunder in ice hockey, Wichita Wings in soccer  and Wichita Wild in indoor football.