tell me about northern mo (Kansas City, Columbia: house, find a job, buying)

[mo wannabe]

Hi everyone. My family and I are planning a move to Mo this summer. Gotta get the kids out of the city.(phx) We are originaly from Oh and Iowa. We need 40+ acres to run cattle. We have 3 kids, 15,11,and 1. We like the Cameron and Chillicothe area. We're going to check out Kirksville area this weekend. We need jobs of course. Me hairdresser, hubby is a jack of all trades, construction mostly. Just trying to get all the info I can. Any advice out there? It's such a big deal to move my family across country, I don't want to blow it ya know? No going back.

[MoNative34]

Northern Missouri is one of the state's best kept secrets. Some land is expensive and some is less expensive. It seems to depend more on what's going on in agriculture that determines the price more so than demand from out of staters (which is what's happening in southern MO.)

Cameron and Chilicothe are both relatively prosperous towns that seem busy. Cameron is less than an hour from the northern burbs of Kansas City. If your husband is willing to drive, the construction salaries are higher and there is a lot more building going on there.

I say this to everyone. I know people are excited for a new chapter in life, but it never hurts to have a job lined up before the move.

I think both of you will be able to find something since you both have skills. It may take time, so be patient.

Welcome to the forum!

[mo wannabe]

Thanks! I will be flying back here(phx) once a month to work for a while. He may get into something else work wise (he's 47).....We found a place near Cameron we love. Do you know anything about Kirksville area? Just trying to narrow it down.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by mo wannabe

Thanks! I will be flying back here(phx) once a month to work for a while. He may get into something else work wise (he's 47).....We found a place near Cameron we love. Do you know anything about Kirksville area? Just trying to narrow it down.

Kirksville and Maryville are the two college towns in northern MO. These two towns will have more activities and cultural events compared to a town like Cameron. Cameron is more strategically located near I-35, and you can get to the KC metro area more easily.

[ajf131]

If you are originally from Ohio and Iowa, Missouri should really not be anything you aren't used to, especially Northern Missouri, which is part of the Central Till plains that occupy all of Iowa and pretty much the Western half of Ohio. Very similar in appearance, feel, and culture. Probably a bit more conservative than Iowa and Ohio since it's further south in the Midwest.

[Norge13]

We were much like you, looking over the course of the last 15 months to find a place to move in MO. We took 3 long and rather extensive trips through the state, looking at all regions and spending time in at least 50 towns. We looked at each of the places you seem to be considering, and very closely considered Cameron and Kirksville. We loved Cameron, particularly that it would allow us to get our "big city fix" relatively painlessly. We found it to be a cute little downtown, bustling for its size, some "youthfulness" and (dare I say) granola-ish elements around, which made it more attractive to us personally. Still a pretty typical, small Midwestern town, though. We nearly bought a small farm nearby in a place called Weatherby, but the agent was unresponsive, so we moved on. All for the best as it turned out. We also negotiated on a place in New Cambria, near Macon, which is S of Kirksville. Again, it didn't work out, but again, all for the best in the long run. We might have liked Kirksville the best of all the little towns we considered, as it was a neat, little college town and appeared to be a fun place. We understood that there is some underlying conflict (not unusual for small college towns in more rural locations) between the college folks and the generation-spanning, long-time resident, working farm folks regarding, among other cultural differences, the pace of change. Regardless, however, what ruled it out for us was the distance to a big city. In the end, we wanted a country farm, but the ability to take advantage of the things a big city offers on random Saturday afternoons when the urge strikes. So, we ended up buying a 37-acre farm in Mid Missouri. We're in Saline County, located near the towns of Marshall, Glasgow, and Boonville. Columbia is a 45 minute drive, and we're 1.5 hours from KC. So, clearly, we think very highly of Mid Missouri, and we particularly love Columbia. That said, we probably would have been happy to varying degrees in Cameron or Kirksville. Cameron's big draw, as stated above, is the I-35/commute to KC angle. Kirksville is farther away from a "real city," but is probably the nicest town, and Truman State will probably ensure the economy remains relatively stable. It has a youthful vibe due to all the students. We liked Chillicothe least of the 3, it seeming a bit flatter (we prefer more rolling topography), but we didn't spend as much time there as in the other towns, so I'll allow others to speak to it. I'd be happy to talk in more detail about our decision-making process, if you're interested or have questions. The most important thing, as I'm sure you know, is to spend as much time in a place as possible to get a feel if it's right for you before making the jump. It took us several trips over several months to settle on our final decision.

Happy hunting!

[JOhnHaley]

Originally Posted by mo wannabe

Hi everyone. My family and I are planning a move to Mo this summer. Gotta get the kids out of the city.(phx) We are originaly from Oh and Iowa. We need 40+ acres to run cattle. We have 3 kids, 15,11,and 1. We like the Cameron and Chillicothe area. We're going to check out Kirksville area this weekend. We need jobs of course. Me hairdresser, hubby is a jack of all trades, construction mostly. Just trying to get all the info I can. Any advice out there? It's such a big deal to move my family across country, I don't want to blow it ya know? No going back.

I can give you great advice with everything you need in Cameron, Chillicothe, Lawson really all of NOrthwest Missouri. I've lived here all my life and love it! I can help you find a job as well. Cameron and Chillilcothe are both fantastic towns, I love them both. I would highly recommend them over Kirksville. Lots to do and many, many friendly people who welcome new people to the communities! Great schools and athtletic opportunites. Many jobs around also. I think you will love it. What did u find at Cameron that you liked? I live 15 miles from there in Maysville.

[mo wannabe]

Wow to the last 2 posts! Isn't it funny how things just work out sometimes?? We found an old farmhouse in Jameson that needs alot of TLC but we really like it. Still have to sell our house 1st.....I don't know why I'm drawn to the Cameron area. I do know about the tumor stuff.
Seems to be alot of disagreement on the cause, number of, ect.
What's your take?

[misplaced1]

Good luck with whatever choice you make. I love Northern Missouri, we lived in Bethany for 2 years. We were able to get around to see St. Joe, Cameron, some of KC, King City, Albany, Princeton, and tons of other places. I really enjoyed just about everything.