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Kansas Towns Offer Free Land To Attract Homeowners
Marquette One Of Nearly Dozen Communities Offering Free Land
http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/money/2946018/detail.html


UPDATED: 11:45 a.m. EST March 24, 2004
MARQUETTE, Kan. -- Who said you can't get something for nothing? Some Kansas 
towns are giving away thousands of dollars worth of land.

It's called homesteading. With more than half of all Kansas counties losing 
population, some towns, like Marquette, are hoping people make a move on the 
offer.

"I thought it was kind of a joke when I heard about it," Jennifer Kreihbiel 
said.

Kreihbiel's family has a new home built on a lot that they got for free.

"Twenty-one families have taken lots already. We have 69 lots we're going to 
give away," Marquette Mayor Steve Piper said.

It is an idea from long ago. It's an idea that Marquette wants to build on to 
help cement its future. City leaders did the math and realized that with only 
125 kids and tight state funding, they could lose their school.

"School's the most important part of the town, its backbone. Without it, 
you're just pretty much going to die eventually," Piper said.

Piper said that the city thought it would be lucky it had one or two new 
homes within a year. Piper said that the city has eight or nine homes within 
six months.

Homes are on about one-third of an acre. The lots are worth $8,000 to 
$10,000, city officials said.

"I don't have too many words. It still doesn't seem truly real yet," 
Kriehbiel said.

"They just really like the town. Once you get here, you will too," Piper said.

With the lots come the streets, water and sewer financed by the town. 
Marquette is one of nearly a dozen Kansas communities offering homesteading 
deals.

# More Information:
# Atwood, Kan. (785) 626-3017
# McDonald, Kan. (785) 538-2222
# Marquette, Kan. (785) 546-2205
# Minneapolis, Kan. (785) 392-2176
For information on Ellsworth, Kanopolis, Holyrood and Wilson, call (785) 
472-4136, or go to their Web site.