Looking for opinions on Relocating to the Ozarks (Springfield, Nixa: crime rate, houses)

[Crackerjack]

Oh yeah, can't forget that!

[blueclaw47]

my best suggestion would be do not move here if you want to keep in touch with reality,the towns are dominated by holly rollers, and outsiders are condidered foriegners

[huntman58]

Originally Posted by blueclaw47

my best suggestion would be do not move here if you want to keep in touch with reality,the towns are dominated by holly rollers, and outsiders are condidered foriegners

This sounds good to me. I am religious man. Have lived to long with reality here in calif, with the killings and all the other assorted bad guys. Some thing like this is just what I am looking for. As for other people well leave me alone and I will live you alone. If you think and live the red neck life we just may get alone any way so why can I not move yet? O ya got to get the green back first that first that right

[INTN]

This thread is real helpful.

My situation is I was orignally a FL girl. Been in E. TN for 3.5 years and know it is not for me and my family. I am not a church goer nor do I have any family here. People actually call me a yankee (I am from Florida). I find the people rude for the most part. I have been through STL and to OK City on a few occassions and find mid-westerns are nice people.

I am considering a move to the Springfield/Nixa area. We would take a trip and check it out of course first. But I am scared it might be a lot like where I am at now. Is there anyone that can compare the two.

[Aleostax]

I realize this is a little late, but someone asked about Poplar Bluff, so I thought I would give you a run down since I've been here for about 7 years.

Poplar Bluff is the hub of the surrounding areas. What I mean by that is that when one mentions going to town, they almost always mean PB regardless if it's a 20 minute trip or a 40 minute trip.

Resturants:
Ruby Tuesdays, Pasta House, Applebees, Ryans, several Mexican and Asian chains as well.

Fast Food:
Taco Bell, KFC, Arby's, Sonic, A&W, Long John Silvers, McDonalds, Hardees, Wendy's, BK, and some locals.

Shopping:
Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Office Depot, Walgreens, K-Mart, Big Lots, Hastings, are readily available. I only visit Walmart at 2am but then again I hate traffic.

Bigger chains like Best Buy, Sams, and Circuit City are 90 minutes to the NE in Cape Girardeau. You can find the nearest Mall there as well, although outlet malls are only an hour East.

Traffic:
Traffic as a whole is not bad, especially with the new bypass they put in.
The main strip is 35mph.

Economy:
We have an abnormal amount of banks in the area, and the town is experiencing increased growth do to Hwy 67 being widened. Strip malls are being revamped and some new ones built. 30k is good pay around the area, and housing is decent. The growth seems steady and is impacting traffic slightly.

Medical:
Two hospitals, and several medical clinics.
We've seen additional Medical clinics and facilities built in recent years.

Education:
The school outlook is decent. Private schools are available and public school seems decent although I don't have any personal experience. School sports play a big part in the community. We are expecting one of our own to enter the NBA in the next few years.

The community college here is cheap and effective as a stepping stone to a larger college. Most students get their basics out of the way here at TRCC and then transfer to SEMO, Columbia, Rolla, STL, or Springfield. I believe they are to begin offering 4 year programs at TRCC so the transfer rate may decline in the future.

Technology:
Internet is available via DSL, Wireless, Cable, or copper. Top end speeds are typically 3mb down and 1mb up.

Religion:
Churches are available for Catholics, Methodists, LDS, JW, Baptists, Church of God, Assembly of God and Non-Denominational. I am not aware of any Jewish or Muslim buildings. There are pockets of Christian fundamentalists in the surrounding areas, but overall it doesn't encroach on the average citizen much. E.g. There was a small 10 person demonstration at the movie theater, during the showing of The Divinci Code.

Entertainment:
Showplace 8 Movie Theater, Bowling, Billards, local bands, Showtime Video rentals, Water Park, Motor Speedway, Gentlemans Clubb, and the Coliseum. The coliseum provides fitness facilities, Music concerts, Wrestling matches, and other public events.

Boating, ATV, hiking, and hunting are just a short trip away.

[huntman58]

wow Aleostax great info thanks . also INTN I would most likly think that any smaller town in any state is going to be for the most part the same . you may want to look to a bigger area . I can tell you some of the thing you taked about you will finsd any were big or small . some do not like any new comers when others open up to them and so on . good luck finding what you want but in your shoes I would look to bigger only .

[kittenfears]

Hi everyone. How is the job market around springfield? I am an independent distributor for Mckee Foods in Arkansas But I want to relocate to Springfield next spring or summer. I have a young daughter and a grandma who will be going with me, so I am looking forward to the good schools and medical facilities for them. I am a little concerned about finding a good job. I have a great work history so I am sure I can find "a job" but finding a good job is something else. What do you guys think?????

[4eyes]

I read a few of the responses & just had to tell you: You may want to look in areas other than Camdenton. We live near the town of Lake Ozark/Four Seasons which is in Camden County. We moved here 13 yrs. from St. Louis & absolutely love it. Camdenton School District is very good. Sure, we get a lot of tourists around here during the summer months, but it's NOTHING like the Orlando, FL area. (I know, because that's where we Winter.) Traffic around here is not bad at all, unless you enjoy getting into the thick of things on holiday weekends, i.e. Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day... Even then, it's much better than driving I-70 through St. Louis on ANY day. The nearby City of Osage Beach has been growing like crazy the past few years, so as far as shopping goes: we've got a huge Factory Outlet Mall, Super Target, two Wal Mart Super Centers, Marshalls, Lowes, Home Depot, Petco, a 24 hour Hy Vee grocery store & three Paul's Supermarkets. If you require more than that, you can hop in the car & drive 45 minutes to Jefferson City, 1 hr. to Columbia or 2 hrs. to St. Louis. Home prices around the Lake vary quite a bit. Of course, you'll pay a lot more for a home located on the water. If you purchase 2nd tier property with a Lake view, Lake access & boat dock, you can count on paying less & if you purchase off the water, much less. Example: We're 2nd tier w/a boat slip; a home identical to ours with 75' of lake frontage & a boat dock sold recently for $299,000. Ours would most likely bring only $230,000. New homes on interior lots w/o boat docks are considerably less $160 - $200,000

Bottom line: This is a great place to live & raise a family. Lake Regional Hospital is one of the best; the Camden County Police are wonderful, as are the neighbors; the tax base isn't bad either. We've traveled quite a bit in our motor home & wherever we go, we wonder, "Would we want to move here?" But each time we come back home...it's just that: home.

[jjs]

I thought this was an excellent thread. I'm a staunch Ozarker/Ozarkian...whatever for 40 years in my mind but 25 (with a few inbetween gone) here.

To move to the Ozarks or not... I just had this discussion with my girlfriend in San Antonio. She wants them to retire here because it is cheap. WRONG! After going through it all and real estate. They are staying in S.A. Does that tell ya' something? Don't ever move here just because you think it's cheap. It's not.

I read, in the last year, that 4 out of 5 people that move here...leave within 4 years, I think it was.

The weather is terrible for severe thunderstorms which produce tornado's. It ruins half my lake weekends (I'm not a daredevil). I grew up in the south with tornados but I read these are a higher point value than those usually are, (I kept wondering why these were so severe).

To build a house or dig a well, foundation anything can be a HUGE amout of money as most of the Ozarks are rock. The more rock you run into the higher the bill. And you never know, for sure, til you start digging. Oh and just go read the garden forum on the Ozarks

Ticks and chiggers are a scourge. They 'use' to say they were here to keep the tourists out of the woods A big tick is one thing but there are also 'seed ticks' which are the size of a pin point and it took me a couple of years to develop the talent of telling when they were scrambling up my leg.

If we don't clean the swing before sitting in it, if it's been empty for a few days, chiggers are even on it. In the gazebo, on a stump you want to sit on or anything. Tea tree oil does do the trick though.

My grown sons say the Ozarks have turned into the new Bible Belt. I saw where they call it the 'buckle'. I'll leave that there

My point is, my friend decided that sure things were less expensive here if you wanted to live with the inconviences but she didn't.

No shopping, no food! Now I'm not talking about in the city of Springfield, I don't live there. Our liquor stores don't even carry Grey Goose. I can't find anything other than knick knacks, at Walmart! We have had two good resturants in 16 years and they went out of business cause apparently most went to McDonalds or Hardee's etc. So that is the crowd you have to look forward to.

I've lived in 13 states. My personal opinion is MO Ozarks are too crowded for the services or lifestyle. I can live primitive or I can live urban. But this inbeteween crap is a killer. Lots of people and no advantages.



That was great A..........

Huntman...I think you'd like it here We do. I will say there's not many manners here but maybe you are used to that.

[huntman58]

Well every thing I read here and other places and from spending time in there just tells me to pick up and move! I wish I could today but it is going to be a bit first. But like when I get hitched it will be hay bales for sitting and mason jars for drinking so I believe it is the life we want don’t you? The manners part I would believe there is more there then here. I have always loved small town America but I also know to it is not for many as a lot of people are too used to having every thing close by. Do not want to deal with dial up internet or the bugs. Well calif has bugs. They eat you house up. They grow all year and yes we have ticks too. But no lightning bugs what a shame nothing like a warm summer eve with a cold drink and listening to the cricks and seeing lightning bug dance on the warm air of the night.