Why you should be careful before moving anywhere (Ozark: living, stores)

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by ShadowCaver

Heck, if enough peeps parade around ob's front porch, there might be a piece of property become vacant in 'the middle of everywhere' if he might skattle out of the area... well, depends on how taken he might be with some of the fellas though.

LOL! I think he is on the wrong side of the state for me, alas........

[todd00]

Originally Posted by ozarksboy

Amen, folks who want to move to Missouri. Listen to Todd who has found Missouri not to his liking. Chances are you won't like it either, so "be very sure before you jump ship" and come here.

actually i wasnt referring to myself disliking missouri. i was just making a joke with the missourah, missouree, misery statement. though if one makes a move before being entirely sure its possible one might end up in a state of misery.

there are some very pretty parts of the state for sure. its much more scenic than iowa, and the neighboring states. thats where im stuck now...think of being surrounded by corn fields. i dislike heat alot so someplace with cooler summers would suit me better anyway.

[ozarksboy]

Originally Posted by todd00

actually i wasnt referring to myself disliking missouri. i was just making a joke with the missourah, missouree, misery statement. though if one makes a move before being entirely sure its possible one might end up in a state of misery.

Sorry I misunderstood, Todd.

Looks like folks on this thread misunderstood what I had to say, too. I'm not inhospitable to folks who want to be Missourians, contrary to what has been said. I have no patience with those who move here and then complain that they don't have a nice big park full of people nearby, or that the stores aren't quaint enough, or they don't have a big shopping mall nearby. That's why I always encourage them to think and do research, and it's why I try to discourage them from moving here.

I don't agree with the folks who believe everyone should be welcomed and encouraged to move here. Then when you read that they've moved here and lost their job, or they've moved here and had such severe culture shock or they've moved here and they don't like the schools or the hospital or the blah-blah-blah, then the response of the Pollyannas is "hang in there." If everyone would just think and look into all aspects of life here, then maybe they'd just stay put and bloom where they were planted in their own states instead of coming here to insult a great state.

[ozarksboy]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

Perhaps in your part of my paradise that might be correct? Where I am from from its still Missouri..... perhaps I should just shut up to keep them out? But then again, you be from the "other side"

I don't understand why you yammer on and encourage outsiders to move here. The more non-Missourians move in, the quicker we become like every other place. I'll bet that if you ever do get back here, it won't take long and you'll be wanting to bar the door, too.

Because of the university and some of the major employers, Rolla is a different small town. It is filled with non-Missourians who came here to teach at the university or came along with spouses who teach at the university; others came here to work at Brewer Science or the hospital or one of the government offices. They're not real interested in Missouri or Rolla. Weekends, they high-tail it to St. Louis or Springfield to spend their money because there isn't a "decent" mall in town.

Understand, though, that I like living here. I moved here from SW Mo in 1984 for a job, and I don't anticipate leaving.

I just get tired of the complaints I hear the non-Missourians who live here uttering in restaurants or grocery stores or in the paper. I wish they'd shop in local stores, even the chain stores, instead of going off to the city for "serious shopping." Money spent in Rolla, St. James and Newburg helps the business owners stay afloat and helps employ local people. The sophisticates hate Wal-Mart, but I think it's better to spend money at the Rolla Wal-Mart than at the Galleria or the Battlefield Mall; after all, Wal-Mart does employ more than 100 people (maybe a couple hundred, I don't know) and collects sales taxes that go to the city, county and school district. Money spent at the Galleria or the Battlefield Mall helps fund those municipalities and schools.

But I'm just an old hillbilly boy who picks the banjo and doesn't have all his teeth any more. They tell me I'm ignorant and don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe that's true.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by ozarksboy

But I'm just an old hillbilly boy who picks the banjo and doesn't have all his teeth any more. They tell me I'm ignorant and don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe that's true.

Hardly! Perhaps that's what you'd like us to think but it's anything but the reality.

OB, I can well understand your disdain for those who move ignorantly then gripe incessantly about the lack of the very things they left behind. I can also very much appreciate your distress at the changes time and an influx of people from other places have wrought on your Ozarks. I share that same pain and concern regarding my home town which is part-and-parcel of why I haven't lived in or near it since 1975. The outsiders won. I hope that's not the Ozark's fate.

Since I will be joining you in Missouri, specifically in the Ozarks, in a very few months, coming from the worst of places, California, let me say that the last time I was in a mall was almost five months ago. I was in-and-out in about 15 minutes having found what I sought -- a good pair of suspenders. Prior to that it had been at least five years since I'd set foot in one and that, too, was to procure a specific item. By the way, we live in the heart of a city of whose population is rapidly approaching a half million and there are at least four malls within an easy walk or drive of us, not to mention three Trader Joe's with three more within 15 miles. What could be worse than that unless you wish to count a Whole Foods Market and a Natural Foods Co-Op.

Thankfully neither my wife nor I are shoppers and we much prefer to patronize close-in, local businesses. Most of the rest of our shopping, when needed, is done on the Internet and we enjoy small, mom-and-pop, local restaurants rather than fast food and chains.

I know you realize that painting all of us with the same broad brush is not really "fair" and I just wanted you to know that I share your concerns, enjoy your sense of humor, value your advice and your knowledge of the area, admire your writing abilities and appreciate your sharing. Ultimately, I hope you win.

Having said all that, I will still push back on occasion.

Have a marvelous weekend.

[Nu2pomona]

Originally Posted by ozarksboy

I'm not inhospitable to folks who want to be Missourians, contrary to what has been said.

Yes, you are. You use ridicule and sarcasm to put down anyone who posts anythings that you view as critical to Missouri. Your very use of the term "outsiders" reveals more than you know.

There is a difference between stating a fact and complaining. If I say it's raining today, you interpret that as a complaint about the weather when I am simply stating a fact.

When I posted that my neighbors were, like us, from another area you said I had surrounded myself with outsiders so I would "feel at home." They were here before we were and until we moved here we had no idea who they were or where they originated nor did we care. They are wonderful people.

When I mentioned that the local (read that carefully - I didn't say Springfield, St. Louis or Kansas City) shops were run by folks who had also immigrated here, you inferred that we patronized those shops for that reason. It simply isn't so. Only after paying many visits to and spending dollars in those shops did we learn the origins of their owners.

I am a 67 year old who chose to retire here. I happily pay my property taxes and sales taxes to the community in which we live but use few of the services those taxes provide. We maintain our own road, pay for our own trash hauling and have no kids in local schools. We pay to use the library, and other fascilities that are free to city residents because we are outside the city limits.

I love it here. I grow my own veggies, wave at the train, volunteer in my community, participate in local events, and patronize local merchants. In almost two years we've been to Springfield (to shop) twice and only because our camera couldn't be serviced here. Since my daughter and son-in-law live in Willard we could enhance the trip with a visit.

I have every right to be here. It doesn't matter if I came here two years ago or two hundred years ago. I think this is a glorious, if not perfect, place to live. I am tired of seeing you use your words as sticks and stones like a bully on a playground. Just because you're old doesn't mean you've grown up.

[ozarksboy]

Originally Posted by Nu2pomona

I have every right to be here. It doesn't matter if I came here two years ago or two hundred years ago. .... I am tired of seeing you use your words as sticks and stones like a bully on a playground. Just because you're old doesn't mean you've grown up.

Boy, howdy, you really told this old Missouri hillbilly off! I'll bet you feel as happy right now as you did that day in the story you shared when you decided not to offer any help to those good ole boys at the store with the broke-down computer and then laughed to yourself a couple days later when you went back and saw the computer was still torn apart. I don't know which can make a person happier, self-righteous indignation or smugness.

Sure, you can complain about the rain, the snow, the ice as much as you want. I'm complaining about the rain myself; it's keeping me out of the garden on the weekends.

It's when you start portraying "locals" as lazier and trashier than folks were back at your real home that gets my goat. You can claim that's a fact if you like, but it's a judgment. And it was you who differentiated yourself first from the "locals," not me. If you see yourself as different from Missourians, why knock me for talking about "outsiders."

Yes, I agree, you're free to live anywhere you want. You can even move to Rolla and live near me. In fact, you'd fit in well here in Rolla. Most of the city is made up of people who come from elsewhere, and they like to complain about us "locals." These folks never liked it when I pushed them back, either.

If you like living in Missouri, that's great and I'm glad to hear it. I'm glad to hear that you like most everything about our state. I'm thrilled that you were fortunate enough to settle in a place where there are so many other non-Missourians living and operating businesses. It makes it nice for you.

I'm on your side, Nu2Pomona. I don't know why you didn't like your home state enough to retire there. I guess we're just lucky to have you in Missouri. Complain about the weather, complain about the rocky soil, all you want. It's just when you start complaining about Missouri people that I get defensive--and become offensive.

Or maybe I'm just too thin-skinned. Here's an idea: Instead of complaining about trashy "locals," lazy workmen and Ozarks time to city-data, just copy that posting and send it as a letter to the editor of your local paper. Maybe you can start a town-wide campaign and get things changed around there.

Thanks for writing. I know you feel better after having vented.

Ozarks Boy

[todd00]

ozark boy seems to be complaining about one group that moves to missouri, the yuppie types. do they still use that word for them? i have a few others that are more appropriate. but many or most of that kind, whether it be professor boring and family or some business types, came due to that being the best offer they got at the time. not that they will stay for life if something better pops up.

others that choose to retire there or move back are in a different group. sometimes its true, the grass looks greener some place else, till you get there. so being smart and making sure its the right step is only logical. just as all outsiders are not alike, same can be said for locals. some are friendly some are not, etc. i think its better to judge individually. i dont think missouri will ever become like colorado or the nw pacific states, having ex-californians beating the door to get in.

in my own area [iowa], it was a few yrs in this hell hole before locals working at the walmart would even speak to me beyond a grunt. and still they arent what youd call friendly. so some of what outsiders see maybe like that, and they form opinions based on what they experience. to me i felt offended, if i can manage a smile and a hello, certainly they can too. yes id like to move, but situational factors have kept me from doing so thus far. and since i cant draw well, making my own money is out too. just joking.

ozarkboy, maybe you can play up how lovely the neighboring states are, and how much more they have to offer a transplant. you know, like how beautiful that kansas wheat field is, how pretty that stormy kansas sky looks, and what a great place topeka is to live. ahh nebraska, another utopia, you can boast about. you can become the ambassador of transplant relocation. exciting isnt it.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by ozarksboy

I don't understand why you yammer on and encourage outsiders to move here. The more non-Missourians move in, the quicker we become like every other place. I'll bet that if you ever do get back here, it won't take long and you'll be wanting to bar the door, too.

But I'm just an old hillbilly boy who picks the banjo and doesn't have all his teeth any more. They tell me I'm ignorant and don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe that's true.

Ah, but see, where I want to be, they wont be coming in droves. There is not even a clothing store in the entire county, so it wont even be a blip on the out-of-staters radar
Which makes it perfect, ya know? I am sure you have noticed that I dont talk much about WHERE in Missouri I wanna be, and I am gonna keep it that way......

[Cali BassMan]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

? I am sure you have noticed that I dont talk much about WHERE in Missouri I wanna be, and I am gonna keep it that way......

Ahhh I think I know... Starts with a B, Big town near by is PB, County of B.....