thinking of moving to Missouri (Kansas City, St. Louis: for sale, apartments, to rent)

[theresnoplacelikehome]

I live in Washington state in a small apartment and my wages have really been diminishing in the past few years and the rent in the Pacific Northwest keeps going up. I have been researching and researching trying to think of where home could be. My daughter lives in the Pacific Northwest and I do not want to move away, but I am just finding it more and more difficult to stay.

I am really thinking about Missouri, even though there is the threat of high humidity, bugs, hurricanes, etc., at least it may be cleaner.

I am living in a building where they do not even sweep the halls or the alley and the city does nothing about it.

I can only afford about $400 a month. I'm really not asking for a lot, just a decent place to live where they maintain property.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Hurricanes? You mean tornadoes?

What size city do you want? In a lot of areas $400/month is certainly doable. Around here it'll get you a decent 1 BR, maybe even a 2 BR.

[theresnoplacelikehome]

Maybe over 80,000. I was thinking about Kansas City, but it seems like the crime rate is pretty high there. I was thinking about Springfield.

Is the weather tolerable?? Can you walk outside on a really hot day - is the humidity really that bad?

This would not deter my decision to move because I actually cannot stay in the Northwest with the rising cost of rents and the poor conditions of some of these neighborhoods.

If you are on a lower income bracket, are the neighborhoods in some Missouri towns clean or does the city take care of cleaning it up?

Thank you for your response. I really appreciate any and all help!! - in other words HELP!

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Springfield would probably work. From my understanding it is fairly safe, and $400/month would be possible.

The weather for me is tolerable, though I've grown up in it. The humidity can be bad, but you learn to get used to it. In summer you'll need to carry water around with you if you are outside.

[linicx]

Having lived in MO and OK, I can tell you the $400 isn't near as much of a problem as slum landlords who do not care for their property. Then the next issue is a job. Many of the areas in these two states are minimum wage. And there are some areas where $400 will only get you a mobile home to rent. Rent increases as you move out of the county and into the city limits. I personally think Greene County and Jasper County are pricey. Read the local papers like Springfield Leader and Joplin Globe to get a feel for the area.

[theresnoplacelikehome]

Thank you for your reply. I do medical transcription on-line, so fornunately my job is mobile as long as I can hook up to Comcast.

How do you feel just about the general quality of life in that area? I know it woulld probably be culture shock for me and obviously being away from the ocean, but frankly I would just like to be in a neighborhood, where, even if your economic status is not top of the line, you are still treated with respect. Thank you.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

If you want a real big city, you might be able to get an apartment in St. Louis for $400/month, but generally the area won't be the best (unless you get a deal or a really small apartment). Although I think the Tudor Lofts in Downtown West (or whatever it's called) start at $450/month.

If you're curious about Springfield, you can go to Google Maps and type in Springfield, MO, then click on and drag that little orange person on the left side of the screen. It won't tell you much about Springfield, but if you're curious, you can just look around. Street View shows you what the place looks like from the streets.

Here's Springfield Craigslist
craigslist: springfield, MO classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events
searching for $300-$400 apartments, I got 44 results.
Also try the Springfield News-Leader classifieds
http://marketplace.news-leader.com/

This place in Springfield is cute, but I don't have any experience with the management or the building.
http://springfield.craigslist.org/apa/915218849.html
Street View of it
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...60822897791136

Hope that helps.

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by theresnoplacelikehome

Thank you for your reply. I do medical transcription on-line, so fornunately my job is mobile as long as I can hook up to Comcast.

How do you feel just about the general quality of life in that area? I know it woulld probably be culture shock for me and obviously being away from the ocean, but frankly I would just like to be in a neighborhood, where, even if your economic status is not top of the line, you are still treated with respect. Thank you.

I think Springfield would be your best bet. Cost of living is lower than St. Louis or Kansas City...I'd imagine you should be able to find something for $400/month without too much of a problem, but again, check on Craigslist or the local papers to be sure.

The quality of life in Springfield is generally pretty good. The low cost of living opens up a lot of doors if you have the ability to bring your current work with you. The people are generally pretty friendly, traffic isn't bad, and the pace of life will be a lot slower than what you are currently used to.

If you live in a decent neighborhood things will be clean. If you live in a lower income neighborhood (north Springfield), you'll have to deal with neighbors with things like old cars in their yards, couches on the front porch, etc..

Depending on where you live in the Pacific Northwest, you might actually like the Springfield weather a lot better. If you are on the rainy side of the Cascades you'll be happy to know its sunny pretty often in Missouri. Yearly rainfall is around 40" a year, but it occurs more in scattered storms...you don't get weeks on end of gloom and drizzle like you would in Seattle or Portland.

As far as bugs go, don't walk through tall grass in the summer and you'll avoid ticks and chiggars....either stay on the sidewalk or wear long pants and bug replant. Besides that, there can be mosquitos during the summer, but they aren't as bad in MO as a lot of places. I think MO is unfairly given a "buggy" reputation - its really not bad at all...especially compared to Texas where I live now, where giant cockroaches and fire ants are everywhere...the rest of the South also tends to be like that.

[Northwoods Voyager]

Just an example of what you can find right here in City-Data:....www.city-data.com/city/Cuba-Missouri.html...

Just go to the CD home page and type in a city in Missouri or a zip code and you will find a ton of information. Can scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out some other remarks of interest. Using Cuba as an example near the middle of the state. Major highway, I-44 and State Highway 19 intersects at Cuba. Rolla, MO is also an interesting city near the middle of the state.

Get a map and throw a dart at it. lol... I'm just joking!! Do you like hills? Flat land? Total rural? Water around? Lakes, rivers, streams? Around here you will most likely find posts from many of us south of the Missouri River. North of the river and towards Iowa the land is a little more flat. Don't be afraid of the K.C. area. It is a great city and has much to offer.

Wish you luck in your search and decision. Welcome to Missouri when you make it here.

[sunshineann]

I have lived in Missouri for the past 6 years. Although im in the process of moving out of Missouri, I would say either Springfield or maybe Columbia might work for you. They have the big hospitals which might work for your line of work as well. I am working on my schooling for Medical Transcription online as well. Kansas City would be a no go for me, IMO. Good Luck on your move.