[kapie9969]

I would like to hear opinions on the good and bad of living in each state. What would make you pick one over the other.

[Rock Climber]

It depends on the area of each state you are considering, and what you are looking for.

Southern MO and northern AR are going to be very similar in landscape and culture.

Northern MO and Southern AR are going to be very different from each other.

Missouri has larger big cities with pro sports, while Arkansas has none. Suburban living in the larger metros of each state is probably very similar, with the same stores, same quality of homes, etc.

There are probably differing tax codes regarding property taxes and state income taxes.

[sub]

It really just depends on what you're looking for.
In the rural Ozarks, the difference is minimal at best.
Missouri has 2 large cities the likes of which Arkansas simply doesn't have.
Missouri politics seem a little more laissez-faire, but not drastically so. Their infrastructure is a bit better.
Missouri leans midwestern. Arkansas is decidely southern. There are numerous threads that try to address the differences there, ultimately chalking it up to personal preference and opinion.
For the most part, we're splitting hairs.
Cost of living is very similar. Economic opportunities can be found in either state. The weather is similar along the border and gets to be more profoundly different by the time we start comparing northern MO to southern AR. Again, just depends on what you like.
I've spent the majority of my life in one or the other, finding Missouri to be more to my liking, but that decision comes down mostly to very personal preferences and experiences... in addition to the politics, infrastructure, and me wanting to gravitate towards big cities and the cultural amenities they offer.

[T. DarcyJones]

Originally Posted by sub

It really just depends on what you're looking for.
In the rural Ozarks, the difference is minimal at best.
Missouri has 2 large cities the likes of which Arkansas simply doesn't have.
Missouri politics seem a little more laissez-faire, but not drastically so. Their infrastructure is a bit better.
Missouri leans midwestern. Arkansas is decidely southern. There are numerous threads that try to address the differences there, ultimately chalking it up to personal preference and opinion.
For the most part, we're splitting hairs.
Cost of living is very similar. Economic opportunities can be found in either state. The weather is similar along the border and gets to be more profoundly different by the time we start comparing northern MO to southern AR. Again, just depends on what you like.
I've spent the majority of my life in one or the other, finding Missouri to be more to my liking, but that decision comes down mostly to very personal preferences and experiences... in addition to the politics, infrastructure, and me wanting to gravitate towards big cities and the cultural amenities they offer.

Informative and eloquent.....

[nmnita]

As Rock Climber said: it depends more on what part of each state and what you are looking for. NWA and So MO are almost identical, but I give the edge in scenery to NWA and the tax break slightly to MO.

If large metro areas is what you are looking for, of course MO has the edge. If you are looking for the mixture of rural and urban within a few miles Ar is probably closer to reality even with only 1 real metro city. NWA is close to exactly what you find near metro areas in MO>

MO you will not hear southern accents: AR, you will hear some.

Medial care is probably about the same.

With the exception of no Trader Joes my constant complaint) shopping is similar.

Politically, right now, AR is a bit more conservative.

I do think the people in Ar are a little friendlier.

MO has the edge in sports if you are a fan. We are and we do miss not having any pro teams locally.

Still, for us, AR has a slight edge. This is based on living in NWA, not any other part of the state as I am not all that familiar with the rest of the state.