Rolla questions (neighborhood, live, children)

[Sweetlady71]

I tell ya what....ya guys have all been so great....im getten homesick already for MO and I dont even live there yet.....lol, all the times passen thru, loved it, i fell in love with it after my first trip to Branson. I knew the people to be friendly, and life alot like i had growen up in rural woods of OK and here also in TN.
I was getten to the point that I didnt care where the job would be(gosh forbid some crappy huge city...lol) but with jobs way they are, I knew we had to be gratefull for the job and let the rest follow, but I wont lie, if the job happens where we would also feel at home and be happy, thats a bonus, thats why we kept focusing on certain areas and hoping for the best.
We had looked at Rolla area before and knew it would be a good fit for us, and since we wasnt the type who would be tryen to change the people or the scenery to make it look and sound like another new york thing, we would be welcomed. Being country bumpkins ourselves gives us the appreciation for a small town and all its charm. we could care less about starbucks and dillards, we want to live the way we always have....with sweet tea in the icebox...rockers on the porch.....and a smile and wave for all, and vice versa.
And all the outdoor stuff to do is soooooo what we crave, just this weekend we took advantage of the warm weather and spent the day down in the cherokee forest and had a blast, and only out a tank of gas and some dogs on the firepit, to us.....thats living....just enjoyen what nature gave us plenty of.
Everyone has given us such good insight....thank you all. the school info was very helpfull, I know every school is going to have its ups and downs, heck...i grew up where "throw'n down" after school was ok, thou now i teach the kids that you have to talk it out, and do te right thing, ect, im glad to hear the schools sound like a bunch of good kids, being military brats as well as country bumpkins, our kids have always fit into each school they attend, and they was raised right, so even if some little brat wanted to try and sell drugs to them, i know they will not only say no, but turn them in(heck, their daddy was a cop for 20 yrs, they had right and wrong drilled into them....lol)
i cant wait to hit up the auctions and stuff....omg...brings back memories!!! i recall friday night auctions and good greasy burgers off the grill being sold and bargain to be had....those wa good times!!!
I cant wait till we know for sure about job, out of the current places we have options right now, Rolla I think will be what I hope for most.
will check back in now and then to say hi, feel free to DM us anytime....and if all goes well....will look forward to meeting everyone soon!!!

[Silvermouse]

Originally Posted by sweetasslady71

i cant wait to hit up the auctions and stuff....omg...brings back memories!!!

Here is that Ad Tracker paper Ozarksboy was talking about. Be sure and check out the community calendar. Ad Tracker - Advertisement Paper Serving Central Missouri!

Oh - and the Sawmill restaurant had a fire a few weeks ago. Don't know if they're bringing the restaurant back, but there was some construction going on there the other day. Here is the link to Cookin' From Scratch shadowcaver also mentioned: Cookin' From Scratch - Lunch & Dinner Menu

Personally, I love Oklahoma people!

[midwesterner7]

When looking for housing, don't forget to ask about utilities. They are really high in Rolla.

[ShadowCaver]

Originally Posted by midwesterner7

When looking for housing, don't forget to ask about utilities. They are really high in Rolla.

Hence yet another good reason to be out in the country...

As stated before in other post, the electric co-operatives are top notch in that area.

[Silvermouse]

Originally Posted by ShadowCaver

Hence yet another good reason to be out in the country...

As stated before in other post, the electric co-operatives are top notch in that area.

We do have great service, although I think we're due for a raise in rates come April. Things are going up all over, me thinks.

[jtur88]

Originally Posted by Sweetlady71

we like to buy our beef by the side....any recommendations for that area that sells good beef, as well as hog. !

There's a rural meat-cutter and processor somewhere south of Rolla, maybe ten miles out---I forgot just where. We used to go there when we lived in Salem.

We found the second-hand thrift-shop a bit disappointing in Rolla, but still better than the one in Salem. There is a great sale-barn just west of Salem, where you can get terriffic junk. We furnished our whole house there, and they delivered. For the most part, from Salem, there was very little in Rolla that provided an incentive for us to go there.

The area's dining highlight is to drive out to the "Vichy Y" for burgers and fries.

[ozarksboy]

Originally Posted by jtur88

There's a rural meat-cutter and processor somewhere south of Rolla, maybe ten miles out---I forgot just where. We used to go there when we lived in Salem.

We found the second-hand thrift-shop a bit disappointing in Rolla, but still better than the one in Salem. There is a great sale-barn just west of Salem, where you can get terriffic junk. We furnished our whole house there, and they delivered. For the most part, from Salem, there was very little in Rolla that provided an incentive for us to go there.

The area's dining highlight is to drive out to the "Vichy Y" for burgers and fries.

How long has it been since you were in Rolla? If that rural meat processor is who I think it is, he's been out of the business for some time. Vichy Y, too, is closed most of the time.

[midwesterner7]

To the OP: Don't know if you're still considering moving to Rolla or not. You really should visit there. We applied for several positions in different towns in MO in the past few months and drove out there three weeks ago for some interviews and to check things out. Had an appointment in Rolla, got there the day before, took a look around and were so concerned about the run-down neighborhoods we saw that we cancelled the appointment and moved on to the next opportunity. You really have to visit and see for yourself. You can get a real good feeling just by driving around the whole town for a couple of hours and then going in the Wal-Mart and taking a look at the shoppers that are probably residents. This observation was made in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday.

[ozarksboy]

Originally Posted by midwesterner7

Had an appointment in Rolla, got there the day before, took a look around and were so concerned about the run-down neighborhoods we saw that we cancelled the appointment and moved on to the next opportunity. You really have to visit and see for yourself. You can get a real good feeling just by driving around the whole town for a couple of hours and then going in the Wal-Mart and taking a look at the shoppers that are probably residents.

You did the right thing by visiting and finding out Rolla wasn't up to your standards, and I commend you for your research. Too many don't do that.

I'm a transplant to Rolla, just as you would have been had you chosen to move here. I've only been here since 1984, but I guess that's long enough to have blinded me to the shoddiness of the town that you saw during your visit. The town elders, the natives and those who have really lived here a long time tell us newbies that Rolla has more going for it than most other outstate Missouri communities. Apparently they are wrong. Doesn't matter to me, though: I only know I have nothing to complain about; Rolla offers all I need.

As far as Wal-Mart goes, I've never noticed whether the shoppers are upscale or poor-scale. The only thing about Wal-Mart shoppers that irritates me is those guys who walk around with their saggin' pants down around their butt cracks and their caps on sideways. Fortunately, you don't see many of them and they usually are there really late at night, past my bedtime. Plus, that fashion is an important part of their culture, so I respect their reasons for looking that way.

By the way, while you were driving through the run-down neighborhoods, did you see that old guy who sits out on his front porch and plays a banjo? He has lived here a long time, but he isn't from around here. I've heard that he's from Georgia. He's quite a character. Some say he's that retarded boy from Deliverance, all grown up. I don't think that's true. That boy could perform well on the banjo. This old hillbilly in Rolla can't.

I hope you find a place more to your liking. In Missouri, I would think that would be St. Louis or Kansas City. Maybe Springfield, although I hear it's pretty run-down, too, except for the southeast part of town. Jefferson City has quite a few run-down areas. Columbia is pretty prosperous, so you might investigate there.

[MoNative34]

Originally Posted by ozarksboy

By the way, while you were driving through the run-down neighborhoods, did you see that old guy who sits out on his front porch and plays a banjo? He has lived here a long time, but he isn't from around here. I've heard that he's from Georgia. He's quite a character. Some say he's that retarded boy from Deliverance, all grown up. I don't think that's true. That boy could perform well on the banjo. This old hillbilly in Rolla can't.

Have you ever been to Camp Zoe down on Hwy 19? Last time I went there was a lot of banjo music and jam sessions going on everywhere. I even saw a banjo and mondolin players standing waist deep in Sinking Creek jamming...

If you go down there, try to keep an open mind though.....