We're coming to visit! (Kansas City, Springfield: relocate, tornadoes, trip)

[christina0001]

Finally my husband and I have booked our trip to MO, to see if it is where we will relocate to next year. We have it narrowed down to MO and 1 other place; this trip is the final step for us in determining where we will move to. We will be visiting the last week of October.

We are interested in western MO; as far north as St. Joseph and as far south as Joplin. From the research we have done, the job market and pay scale for what we do is really good in the KC and Joplin metro areas (although our goal is to live in a rural or not-too-built up suburban town, commutable to the city). We have only been to Missouri once, briefly, and my husband fell in love. Now we will see if it was a passing fancy, or the real deal. lol

I don't know if Missouri will be our future home or not. But from our first experience visiting MO, and people we've met in person here in NJ from MO, and the posts I've read here, I truly believe people from MO are some of the nicest people in the country.

[MO~orphan]

Good luck with the trip and your decision. I do hope you will have some of our wonderful fall weather when you make your trip.

[johninvegas]

Howdy Christina!

I no longer live in Missouri, but I spent 16 years there and may retire back in Springfield. October is a beautiful month, one that everyone likes. If you are wondering if you will like Missouri to live in though, I would suggest to visit St. Jo in Jan/Feb and Joplin in July/August. Then you will experience the worst of weather in Missouri.

Good luck!

Henkelphoto

[Versatile]

Winters in Kansas City have been getting milder and milder as time goes by. We are now atarting to see an Armadillo or so on the extreme south of Kansas City. Can get realy cold for a week or soin Jan and Feb. It can also be 70 degrees occasionaly during the same time period or close to that. Towns in Mo seem to be cleaner than many other places i have been to.

[christina0001]

Is the weather really that bad? I can't imagine it would be that much worse than here. We've had hot, humid, rainy summers, and I went to high school in the Pocono Mountains, PA, and I am sure you don't get nearly as much snow and ice. I have been told MO gets terrific electrical storms. I like electrical storms, but they freak my husband out (don't tell him I told you though! lol). Henkel, if you know something I don't, then please share!

I think armadillos are cool looking. Hey are there picas in MO? We went to Colorado once and there were picas. They look like cute little groundhogs.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by christina0001

Is the weather really that bad? I can't imagine it would be that much worse than here. We've had hot, humid, rainy summers, and I went to high school in the Pocono Mountains, PA, and I am sure you don't get nearly as much snow and ice. I have been told MO gets terrific electrical storms. I like electrical storms, but they freak my husband out (don't tell him I told you though! lol). Henkel, if you know something I don't, then please share!

I think armadillos are cool looking. Hey are there picas in MO? We went to Colorado once and there were picas. They look like cute little groundhogs.

The weather can be bad and the storms, both summer and winter, can be amazing. Thunderstorms can be unbelievably violent. What's funny is that my cats don't react to any thunder or lightning, not even when it seems like the sky right above the house has suddenly been torn asunder and the resulting stroke of thunder is so deep and loud that the walls vibrate and the crystals on the chandelier begin to shake a bit. While my O-rings will contract, they just don't give a darn. Dogs though think the Apocalypse has begun and freak out howling while they head for under the bed and moan and whimper. We have Armadillos here now. They have migrated up from Texas and are roadkill everywhere They always seem to meet their maker while on their backs. Personally...they gross me out. They are also the only mammal besides humans who can contract and spread leprosy. Winters run mild to sub-zero freezer, sometimes in the same week. Last mid-November to about a week before Christmas was ungodly arctic, everything froze solid, ponds, pools, ...everything. Then...boom! Heatwave! This year has been pretty dry for the most part with heavy rainy period interspersed with weeks of dryness. I don't know how the fall foilage will react, but I noticed today one of my hickory trees is solid yellow while most of the Oaks have only just begun to show lightening of the green and some yellow coming in. The only weather here that scares the crap out of me are ferocious thunderstorms with tornado warnings and icestorms because then you can't drive and you worry if you'll have trees crashing down and your power cut off.

[JTSO]

We live a few miles south of Jeff city near Osage county. The amazing view gives us a good look at the storms from far off, but when they get to us they are very impressive. However I actually enjoy watching 'heat' lightning (not sure if thats the scientific name) jump from cloud to cloud. It is really beautiful. Missouri's weather jumps around constantly. Even during the extremes of summer and winter we can get some wild temperature fluctuations.

[helen1]

Armadillos are not cute when they are tearing your lawn and flowers up.

[Versatile]

I have never heard of a "Pica" in Mo.

[jamie1111]

If you want the truth, Joplin would be a much wiser descision if it is based on hospitality and nature. There are many small town surrounding the area. My family has lived there since the beginning of time, lol, so it must be a fine place to live. Joplin itself is a fairly small town and not overwhelming such as KC can be and MUCH cleaner. It is close (about an hour) from Springfield, which is where I live. I love it here and would never consider moving if my mom didn't live here either, lol, ok too much info, but SW MO is a great place to live. And the weather is usually very mild with the usual heatwaves and freezes here and there. If I can give you one piece of advice though, it would be to either buy a house with a storm shelter or have one installed as soon as you can. Our reputation for tornadoes and strong thunderstorms is true, and Joplin is close enough to Oklanhoma which preceeds its reputation in tornado alley. Usually the only time you really have to worry about that is in the Spring, tornado season here traditionally begins in March. Other than that its a really nice place to live.