About Manhattan

Manhattan was founded by accident in 1855 by members of the Cincinnati Company and small groups of local settlers after the steamboat Hartford ran aground in the Kansas River about a mile up stream from the mouth of the Big Blue River. The first post office was established in 1856, and the city was incorporated February 14, 1857.

Today about 37,000 people live in Manhattan, officially nicknamed "The Little Apple" in 1977. The city, very near the geographic center of the United States, is located in the picturesque Flint Hills, named for their bands of chert or flint. Gravel from these flinty bands convinced many early settlers that the land was not suitable for cultivation, but some pioneers built farms in the sheltered valleys where water was available year-round and where their cattle could graze on the grassy uplands. Much of the Flint Hills region is still largely untouched by the plow and is the last large preserve of native tall grass prairie in the United States.

On-Campus Housing

More than 5,000 students call the K-State campus home, a number that continues to grow every year. K-State's Housing and Dining Services offers three dining centers, nine residence halls and three apartment neighborhoods that provide many opportunities to meet new friends and be part of a dynamic and supportive community

Contracts are issued to students upon receipt of a an application and a $30 non-refundable housing application fee.

Connect with K-State's Housing and Dining Services to learn more about on-campus living.

Off-Campus Housing

You can find apartments around town to suit your living needs. Rent College Pads and ApartmentList.com are great off campus housing resources that are specifically geared towards college housing in the Manhattan area.

Also, check out ads in the Manhattan Mercury and the Kansas State Collegian.

Off-Campus Housing Support maintains a bulletin board that lists available rental units and other housing options. You may also check with this office for a list of larger apartment complexes, property management companies, and real estate companies that have rental properties.

Off-campus apartments range from one-room studio apartments to four-bedroom apartments. Houses and mobile homes also vary in size and number of rooms. Individual rooms may also be rented.

Some apartments and houses are unfurnished, and others are furnished. Some may offer either option with a price differential.

The most common restrictions are: no pets, no smoking, no water beds, and a maximum number of occupants per unit. Some complexes do not allow subleasing.

Leases are almost always for 12 months, though a few are written for 10 or 11. Common contract periods are June 1 to May 31, and August 1 to July 31.

Leases should be in writing. If the owner/manager offers you an oral lease, pick up a sample lease and modify it to meet your needs and those of the owner/manager. Once you have modified a lease, the signatures of the owner/manager and all renters are necessary for the lease to be valid.

You should carefully check the rental unit and its contents. Do an inventory with the owner/manager within five days after moving in. Make needed repairs a part of the lease.

Find out about the owner/manager's track record for prompt repairs and fair deposit return. Ask present or former renters, K-State's Consumer and Tenant Affairs, or the Manhattan Department of Human Resources.

The amount of the deposit cannot be more than 1, 1½, or 2 months rent. The amount is usually dependent on whether the apartment or house is unfurnished or furnished, and whether pets are allowed.

The following University and city offices provide information such as sample leases, sample roommate agreements, inventory checklists and tenant's rights handbooks. Staff in these offices may interpret leases, mediate landlord/tenant or roommate disputes, interpret the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, and inspect for code violations.

Code Inspection Officer
City Hall
11th and Poyntz
537-0056

Consumer and Tenant Affairs
Office of Student Activities and Services
K-State Union
532-6541

Department of Human Resources
City Hall
11th and Poyntz
537-0056

Student Legal Services
Office of Student Activities and Services
K-State Union
532-6541

For more housing information contact:

Consumer and Tenant Affairs
Office of Student Activities and Services
Kansas State University
809 K-State Union
Manhattan, KS 66506-2800
785-532-6541
FAX 785-432-7292

Department of Housing and Dining Services
Residence Halls
Kansas State University
104 Pittman Building
Manhattan, KS 66506-4601
(785) 532-6453

Department of Housing and Dining Services
Family Housing - Jardine
Kansas State University
Frith Community Center
600 Jardine Terrace
Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 539-2097

A helpful publication, Tenant's Handbook of Rights and Responsibilities, is available in the K-State Union Copy Center.

Travel to Manhattan

Kansas City International Airport (MCI) is approximately 130 miles east of Manhattan. US Air Express provides daily service from MCI to Manhattan Municipal Airport, which is approximately 10 miles from Kansas State University. For fare information, contact US Air Express, 1-800-428-4322.

KCI Roadrunner Express provides daily ground transportation from MCI to Manhattan. For fare and reservation information call KCI Roadrunner at 1-800-826-8294.

Manhattan Municipal Airport is located just four miles west of the city on Highway K-18. Scheduled daily flights are available to and from Kansas City and Wichita. Scheduled bus service is provided by Greyhound. Van service to and from Kansas City International Airport is also available.

Transportation Around Manhattan

Neither Kansas State University nor the city of Manhattan has public bus service. Riley County offers ATA bus service. Local taxi service is available.

Shopping in Manhattan is excellent. The Manhattan Town Center is an enclosed regional mall in the heart of downtown Manhattan. Other major shopping areas include Aggieville, which is just south east of the KSU campus; Manhattan Mainstreet down town; the Westloop and Village Plaza centers on Manhattan's west side; and the Towne East and WalMart centers on the east side of town.

Books and supplies can be purchased at local book stores in Manhattan.

Unified School District #383 serves the Manhattan area. The district operates eight elementary schools in Manhattan and one in the nearby city of Ogden. Two middle schools, one high school, and one technical college, all located in Manhattan, serve the entire district. A measure of the quality of the school system is the fact that 70 percent of its high school graduates go on to college.

The school district offers special education programs in the following areas: educable mentally handicapped, severely handicapped, trainable mentally handicapped, emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, hearing impaired, gifted, physically handicapped, and visually impaired.

Be prepared for both hot and cold weather. In the summer the average daytime temperature ranges from 85°F to 95°F. Winter temperatures usually stay below freezing. Snow and ice is expected from November through March.

Kansas has a typical continental climate with rather large changes in temperature between winter (January) and summer (July) and between daytime and nighttime. There are four distinct seasons of approximately equal length. Weather in the spring and fall is moderate and comfortable. In winter typical daily temperatures range from -15 C (4 F) to 11 C (51 F). Typical summer temperatures range from 16 C (61 F) to 37 C (99 F).

April through September is the period of greatest rainfall. Seventy-five percent of the annual precipitation occurs during that period. During the rest of the year precipitation is light and is frequently in the form of snow from December to March. The snow cover seldom lasts more than a few days. Mean annual precipitation in Manhattan is 835 mm (33 inches).

Students dress casually for classes. Bring clothing appropriate for the seasons.

There are several banks near the K-State campus. If you plan on opening an account for immediate use, please remember that bank checks or bank drafts usually take 10 days to clear. Travelers checks can provide immediate funds.

A student health fee is included in every on-campus student's tuition charge. This provides basic health care at Lafene Health Center.

Please note that your student health fee does NOT cover the cost of surgery or hospitalization. It is therefore strongly recommended that you make arrangements to cover such emergencies should they occur for you and your family.

All Kansas State University students may elect to have access to health care at Lafene Health Center provided for their non-student spouse. Non-student spouses are eligible for care at Lafene to include available services, with exception of University Counseling Services, simply by paying the Spouse Health Fee each semester. Lafene Health Center provides services only to students and their fee-paid spouse; children cannot be seen in this facility. Contact Lafene Health Center at (785-532-7759) for more information.