Considering moving to Southeastern Missouri (Cape Girardeau, Sikeston: employment, college, tornado)

[usn]

We are considering moving from Hampton Roads, Virginia to the Midwest, notably Southeast Missouri, Western Kentucky and Western Tennessee (I’ll explain later). We are seeking input from any wannabe realtors, genuine realtors, gypsies, nomads, mountain people or anyone with knowledge of these areas.
My wife and I (mid 40's) are both retired military, hence the USN (go Navy), children grown and moved out, and we are sick of the traffic, high taxes, rude people and hurricanes. Originally we come from Iowa and Wisconsin, we still have family in both places and that is why we have chosen these areas (close but not too close if you know what we mean). Being retired sailors we are tired of the ocean and hurricanes but still love the water, we also love the big rolling hills in these areas. So with that said I will list some of our wants and don’t wants in order of precedence and let you experts convince us which area would be best suited for us. One last thing, we have retirements but will still need to work for spending $$$.
Wants:
Lakefront property with or without a house, acreage (2 and up), moderate winter climate, friendly people, relatively close to civilization but not a big city, reasonable taxes/cost of living.
Don’ts:
Tornado alley, crime, traffic, not too far out in the boonies, not too cold in the winter (wife can’t handle the cold).
We appreciate any advice or recommendation that you can give us and hope to see some of you some day.

[lone sailor]

If you're truly looking for something without the cold, you're likely going to have to travel further south, shippy. We might also need to know what type of work you're looking for to better suit yours and your brides employment needs.

[ajf131]

One thing to note about Southeast Missouri if you are considering moving to the Mississippi Delta area is that culturally it is more Southern than Midwestern...I'm talking about pretty much around Poplar Bluff and Sikeston. You might not experience a huge cultural difference from Hampton Roads in this area. Kentucky and TEnnessee are Southern states, and Southeast Missouri leans more Southern than Midwestern.

[MoNative34]

Originally Posted by ajf131

One thing to note about Southeast Missouri if you are considering moving to the Mississippi Delta area is that culturally it is more Southern than Midwestern...I'm talking about pretty much around Poplar Bluff and Sikeston.

The Mississippi Delta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is located in the state of Mississippi, ajf.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

I've heard the Mississippi delta described as Southeast Missouri, Western Kentucky and Tennessee, and Northeastern Arkansas all the way down to the ocean. That's what my History teacher said anyway.

http://www.nps.gov/history/delta/maps/map_compcon.htm
River Towns 1. Ste. Genevieve, Missouri 2. Cairo, Illinois 3. Memphis, Tennessee 4. Hickman, Kentucky 5. Helena, Arkansas 6. Vicksburg, Mississippi 7. New Orleans, Louisiana

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by MoNative34

The Mississippi Delta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is located in the state of Mississippi, ajf.

The delta area, monative. The Missouri Bootheel is part of the Delta region.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

I've heard the Mississippi delta described as Southeast Missouri, Western Kentucky and Tennessee, and Northeastern Arkansas all the way down to the ocean. That's what my History teacher said anyway.

Comprehensive Concept Map - Lower Mississippi Delta Region - National Park Service
River Towns 1. Ste. Genevieve, Missouri 2. Cairo, Illinois 3. Memphis, Tennessee 4. Hickman, Kentucky 5. Helena, Arkansas 6. Vicksburg, Mississippi 7. New Orleans, Louisiana

I don't agree with Ste. Genevieve. Ste. Genieve is about 100 miles too far north to be classified as part of that region and doesn't have the culture. I would not begin including any town in the Mississippi delta until at least south of Cape Girardeau where the Ohio flows into it and the Mississippi doubles in width and volume. The Cotton Belt starts roughly around here.

[stepka]

SE MO begins where the cotton does--just slightly south of Cape Girardeau. It is very, very flat there, unless you go west to Dexter or so and you can live on Crowley's Ridge. It has a lot of mosquitoes. Choose your river towns carefully--some, even the smaller ones, can be pretty rough. The most popular sport is fishing for catfish. If I were you, I'd check it out first--not everyone is happy there, but the people are very nice. If I were to move back, I'd move to Cape Girardeau--it's a college town, but you may have other preferences.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Obviously Cape isn't flat (cardiac hill, anyone?), but the area south of it is.

Poplar Bluff is kinda right on the edge of Ozarks. seems like the town is both flat and hilly.