Rolla area? (Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield: 2009, mortgages, home)

[thimbleful]

I'm considering a move up to Rolla in the next few months, assuming this job with the hospital works out well. I have family in Waynesville & have been living here a while after a move from California, and I STILL don't know what there is to do in the area. So I figured, hey; why not ask the people who probably know? The one time I drove around Rolla was a Sunday, and I learned the hard way that EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays. Unfortunately, I didn't learn much of anything else about Rolla.

So! I'm single, 23, female, and I know that I can go to either Springfield or St. Louis or Columbia/Jeff City for shopping as my only option for malls. Other than that, I'm pretty much clueless on what there would be for me to do in the area. I've read a few threads here and heard a lot about caving, camping, hiking, etc. Unfortunately, I'm a girl. Not the "I'm a girl, and girls can't do those things because ewwww" girls, but the "I'm a girl and I'll use it as an excuse if I can get away with it" girl. Which shows how high on my priority outdoorsy fun has become. Especially when I'm doing it by myself. Though I wouldn't mind hiking, probably.

Anyone have any good recommendations on churches, or... Well, anything? Bars and nightclubs aren't my favorite places, but I like to know which to go to go on the days I'm going stir-crazy and need to be around people.

[ozarksboy]

Go read this post, this'n, which I wrote on a rare day when I wasn't totally negative about liberals from California moving to Missouri, making the Ozarks less Ozarkian much more rapidly.

[thimbleful]

Oh, no! We left California to get away from the liberals (and high cost of living). Don't tell me they've all decided to follow us here! ;(

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by thimbleful

Oh, no! We left California to get away from the liberals (and high cost of living). Don't tell me they've all decided to follow us here! ;(

Nope! The liberals like it just the way it is and want to make it more permissive and more expensive to assuage all that guilt they must have been born with because of things that took place well over a century ago. The people with plenty of money like the shopping, their McMansions in their gated communities and the weather so they stay put and tolerate the little peolple. Those who didn't have fortunes but wanted to live the California Dream probably over-extended themselves and are checking out the homeless shelters since they were upside down in their mortgages. They don't have the means to leave.

That leave people like you and my wife and me. You're young and have plenty of years ahead of you for adventures. We're retired, have the means to move and are shopping for a modest home in SW Missouri because Ozarksboy dsoesn't want a Califoreigner living next door to him.

Best of luck to you!

[ozarksboy]

Not so fast, Curmudgeon! There are plenty of liberals here living in McMansions up around the Lake of the Ozarks and down at Table Rock Lake. There are gated communities in St. Louis County. And take a look at this link: Springfield News-Leader. Gives me the creeps. Just another example of how the Ozarks region is becoming less Ozarkian.

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by thimbleful

Oh, no! We left California to get away from the liberals (and high cost of living). Don't tell me they've all decided to follow us here! ;(

McCain won Missouri by only ~6,000 votes. It is a swing state. Plenty of liberals here, along with plenty of conservatives, moderates, and everything else. Rural Missouri (including Rolla) tends to be more conservative, while St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia are more liberal.

I personally like the balance of political viewpoints in the state. It keeps things from getting too far out of hand in either direction. Although being assaulted with national campaign ads every election season is really annoying.

As a former resident of Rolla (4 years), I have to ask...why Rolla? If you are more of a "city person" but still want to be in a generally conservative area...choose Springfield. Much more in the way of shopping and places to eat, along with a wide variety of churches. Springfield a much better city to be 23 and single in. I think Rolla is a fine little town and has a lot to offer, but I'm also big into the outdoors. I'm about your age, and would not want to live there again unless I was married and in the "settling down" mode of life. Then, it would be a great place to live.

Springfield has several hospitals if you are looking for work in the medical field. It is also about an hour from Waynesville.

[ShadowCaver]

Just a friendly mod note - keep this thread on-topic, pertaining to the OP's main issues... not get down path of discussions related to politics, etc., there are more than enough other threads containing that rubbish. Thanks.

[thimbleful]

I actually pretty much already have a job in Rolla, which is one reason I'm staying in the area. I had originally planned on branching out to either Columbia or Springfield, but as my current car is dead and my savings depleted, I don't have too much leeway in where I want to go in life at the moment. I'll be borrowing my parents' truck in order to even get to this job. In a couple years I might be in a better position to move, but for now I'll have to settle for what I can get.

Though I don't mind the small town -- we've always been more of a small-town family -- it feels very stifling when you have no friends... So I suppose first on my list is to meet new people. It's odd after having too many around to keep track of, to having none locally.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by ozarksboy

Not so fast, Curmudgeon! There are plenty of liberals here living in McMansions up around the Lake of the Ozarks and down at Table Rock Lake. There are gated communities in St. Louis County. And take a look at this link: Springfield News-Leader. Gives me the creeps. Just another example of how the Ozarks region is becoming less Ozarkian.

Dang, OB. You let Springfield beat you in hosting that parade?

Thimbleful, I hope you like the outdoors because there are lakes, rivers, streams, forests, you name it, in the Ozarks. Smaller towns and cities may not have the amenities you're used to but they have a lot of other valuable things to offer.

[thimbleful]

I do like the outdoors... I'm just not very *active* with them. I don't canoe, I don't really hike, I definitely don't cave or swim (I can, however, float!), and I can't stand fishing. I'm convinced those fish are staring at me and thinking horrible thoughts. But I do like going out to a pretty place and just enjoying the view. :] I used to drive down the coast or sit at the beach in California all the time. I'll have to find new favorite places around here, though.