"We don't want a Wal-Mart because they run small businesses out of businesses!" 

I have a few tenants that work at the local Walmarts and whatnot.The local government is pretty pro-active about getting rid of the blight.  

My prior locations that I had drawn out were all near Wal-Marts (I know, very typical), and or shopping malls.

A good school district will cause demand for housing for a long while.More nuanced... there are aspects like- Is there a key piece of info like a new Amazon distribution center opening or a Walmart opening?

the best hoods are close to subways/trains/ public transportations/ large strip malls (think home depot/walmart).

Was once a more prominent place when agriculture and oil/gas industries employed more rural folks, there were more family farms etc but  just like the countless other hundreds of small towns in KS it is likely dying a slow death.If you want to invest in KS - I think being an out of stater you'd have better luck sticking to larger population centers such as Garden City, Dodge City, El Dorado, Lawrence, Manhattan, Wichita area, Hutchinson, etc etc - I'm not a big fan of Wal Mart - but find places with a Dillons Grocery Store (part of the Kroger family) or Wal Mart in town - those are your larger population centers here that will be a bit more sustainable and have more opportunity than a dying rural town with no industry.Same thing would likely apply in Nebraska, OK and I'd assume other plains states - if you can find a Wal Mart and a large major chain Grocery store in town, they've done most of the market study for you already proving there is something sustainable there.  

There is a town not to far away but figure just the nearest Wal-Mart is like 30 minutes away. 

Think about WalMart.  

Corporate real estate management, like the RE department for Wal-Mart might be an option, but the good jobs require college and experience, otherwise it's simply clerical.Don't forget to look at government, the largest RE owner in the country must have management too.

He also should've asked her if Walmart or Target is preying on an unsuspecting business owner when they will only buy their product at enough of a discount to provide a good price for their customers with room for some profit for their own employees.