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Old 02-23-2013, 03:06 PM
 
1 posts, read 6,058 times
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Hi,

My husband's job is relocating to Joplin, Mo from Plano, Tx. Can someone please give us the good, the bad and the ugly on Joplin? Our kids are grown so we don't need to worry about schools. We are just trying to decide whether to stay in DFW or move to Joplin. We did see an area called Carthage that seemed nice.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 02-23-2013, 03:44 PM
 
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So much depends upon what you need or want in a community. Frankly, Joplin is not a town people aspire to move to. That is, no one looks around at cities across the United States and picks Joplin. But many thousands of people live there happily.

Joplin is largely a blue collar town of 50,000 people or so. Living costs are low, even compared to Texas. The market area is fairly large as the nearest cities (Kansas City, Tulsa) are two hours distant. There are several small communities directly adjacent to Joplin making it appear larger than it is, plus several communities in easy commuting distance. In fact, you can choose to live in Missouri, Oklahoma, or Kansas with potentially easy commutes from any of the three states.

Joplin has a four-year state college, a surprisingly large shopping mall, most of the national big box stores, and decent infrastructure - streets, parks, etc. Outside the college, there is little or no cultural life to speak of - theater, concerts, etc. The airport has daily flights to DFW last I heard.

There are lots of outdoor activities close at hand, not least of which is Grand Lake, just down the road. The people will have more traits in common with the people you know in Plano than otherwise. Since you are from Texas I need not tell you about tornadoes - and Joplin is still recovering from a whopper.

Carthage is the county seat (Jasper). It, like Joplin and all the area towns, is a former mining town. It has some beautiful turn-of-the century neighborhoods. There are several threads on these forums concerning Carthage which would pay you to look at - just use the "search" feature.

A factor in the go-or-stay decision is that Missouri has an income tax. However, property taxes are significantly lower.

It is six hours or less to drive from Plano to Joplin. Go up, look around, stay the night, and go home. The opinions you form on your own will be worth far more than anything posted here. If you are interested in making the move, come back and ask more specific questions.
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Old 02-23-2013, 04:07 PM
 
Location: Tippecanoe County, Indiana
26,372 posts, read 46,199,122 times
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Joplin area would be a HUGE downgrade compared to Plano. I would investigate this decision and put boots on the ground in the Joplin area to actually understand the region.
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Old 02-25-2013, 02:13 AM
 
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Also not to mention SW MO is near the heart of Tornado alley. Excluding the 2011 tornado, that area of the state seems prone to wicked weather in general.

I can't imagine if Stl or KC had the frequency of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms they do down there. It would affect the economy around here. Our Sunset Hills Tornado and the Good Friday one are nothing like the Joplin one, or the huge wedge tornadoes they get down there and NE OK, Kanasas and such.

The urban heat island plays a role too and why we get less bad storms up here. I've talked with Dave Murray before about it. He's big on large cities and why many times thunderstorms weaken when they arrive, but blow up again when they hit the rural areas where there is more moisture due to the lack of pavement.
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Old 02-25-2013, 07:19 AM
 
Location: Missouri
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I travel to Joplin occasionally. I think it's a perfectly nice town, nice area. Good shopping, easy commute to Tulsa or Springfield if you fly regularly. I have seen on the news that the Joplin area has low unemployment rates as compared to the rest of the country. Of course there is still a lot of rebuilding going on since the big tornado last year. I go there for shopping at the mall, and I have a specialist (oral surgeon) who is excellent and for me, worth traveling too. There are two hospital systems (Mercy and Freeman) so plenty of healthcare options. Of course, the area will be a huge change from DFW area. I would also suggest coming up and staying in the area for several days, getting a feel for it and seeing if it suits you.
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Old 03-03-2013, 10:43 PM
 
Location: SW MO
1,238 posts, read 4,453,031 times
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I have lived in Carthage for 30 years and worked in Joplin for 22 years. I would be happy to answer any specific questions you have. Carthage is a nice town to live in. It has a beautiful courthouse, several lovely Victorian homes, upper class and middle class neighborhoods, and a few areas in need of help. We have most everything you need on a day-to-day basis and Joplin is a 20 minute drive for anything else. Are you interested in cultural events, outdoor activities, live music, or have any hobbies? A couple unique things about Carthage: we have a relatively large proportion of Hispanic residents due to the Butterball company at the edge of town. Several authentic Mexican restaurants are scattered around town. We also have a large number of artists that host shows occasionally, including the Midwest Gathering of the Artists in the fall. Every August we have approx. 60,000 Vietnamese who arrive to celebrate Marion Days for about a week. It's a good time to get authentic Vietnamese food! The 3rd Saturday in October is the Maple Leaf Festival, with the largest parade in the 4-state area, craft booths, car show and other activities. The 66 Drive-In is still in business weekends from April to Oct. It is located on a section of the original Rt. 66. The Boots Motel is another Rt 66 icon, recently restored and in business. We have several nice Bed and Breakfasts. Like any town, we have our problems and the "old money" sometimes clashes with progressive ideas, but for the most part it is a great place to live!
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Old 03-08-2013, 01:55 AM
 
Location: Plano, TX
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I grew up in Carthage, and I can say, that even after the Tornado, Joplin would be the better place to move! In extreme SW MO., Joplin has everything that you could possibly look for in a small city.
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Old 03-16-2013, 11:32 PM
 
Location: Plano, TX
770 posts, read 1,787,481 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeutschlandUberAlles View Post
Also not to mention SW MO is near the heart of Tornado alley. Excluding the 2011 tornado, that area of the state seems prone to wicked weather in general.

I can't imagine if Stl or KC had the frequency of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms they do down there. It would affect the economy around here. Our Sunset Hills Tornado and the Good Friday one are nothing like the Joplin one, or the huge wedge tornadoes they get down there and NE OK, Kanasas and such.

The urban heat island plays a role too and why we get less bad storms up here. I've talked with Dave Murray before about it. He's big on large cities and why many times thunderstorms weaken when they arrive, but blow up again when they hit the rural areas where there is more moisture due to the lack of pavement.
Yeah, tell that to the people in cities such as Nashville, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Fort Worth, and Kansas City, which are all major cities that have experienced multiple damaging tornadoes in either downtown or somewhere in the metro area since 1998.
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Old 08-28-2017, 02:50 PM
 
Location: Omaha Nebraska
2 posts, read 3,238 times
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Hello,
I currently live in Omaha, Nebraska. The property taxes and personal property taxes are extremely high. Looking to possible move to the Joplin area or Springfeild area. Middle class. Nice area. Maybe a little land but nothing big to build on. Would like to know which parts of both city's are the bad areas. Or the slums as some would put it. Don't want to be in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. So maybe just on the out skirts. Within 10-20min to get to everything. Any suggestions? Also I am looking for really good home builders in the $150-$200 range as we would retire here. If you have heard of any bad builders, I would like to know that too.....
Never lived anywhere else. I have a son that is soon to be 13. I am a hairstylist and my husband is an exceptional cabinet/furniture maker/supervisor. We will be needing jobs for several years.
Thank you
Lorie
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Old 08-30-2017, 09:10 PM
 
3,819 posts, read 3,250,256 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Newbe10 View Post
Yeah, tell that to the people in cities such as Nashville, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Fort Worth, and Kansas City, which are all major cities that have experienced multiple damaging tornadoes in either downtown or somewhere in the metro area since 1998.
Damaging, yes, BUT not the kind of tornado the Joplin one was. You can't compare the Salt Lake tornado to the Joplin monster.

Same with the Nashville one in 1998. That was a bad tornado but not the EF 5 type that Joplin had. Nowhere near as powerful.
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