Help me find an inexpensive, rural MO town (Kansas City, Springfield: apartment, rental)

[Lisa_from_Debary]

My Mother lives in Osceola Missouri, they like it alot and its pretty remote compared to what I am used to. The housing prices are very reasonable.

The Wal-Mart is 25 miles away which would be a HUGE adjustment for me.

[2beamissourian]

Originally Posted by tenn or ozark bound

Do you know if there are organization activities in Ava? What kind? Are there reasonable grocery stores, hardware stores, etc? We are looking for 40+ acres and found some possibilities in the area around Ava.

We went for the weekend .. to look around and see if we liked the area..

they have a farmers market at the square on the weekends ..
The Walmart just went up when we were there .. that was the lead talk from the towns people - "Did you see our Walmart" - I couldn't break there heart but everyone has one of them now lol

I don't believe I went into a grocery store .. or hardware .. The town did have things like Auto Parts, fast food, sit down restaurants, small family own stores, tanning places.......... The local paper had the Local news - not just the bad stuff but .. if X son got his first Turkey it was in the paper - I loved that!!!!

Part of the town seemed busy and part of it seemed to stand still....... I think the Churches in the area promote lots of events for socializing.

There is a horse thingy there .. yea I just said thingy ..yikes ... I cant think what it was called but it looked very clean and nice ..

I fell in love with this area ..and I want to move in that direction but we will have to move where the job takes my hubby. Looks like closer to Springfield.

Good Luck!

[tenn or ozark bound]

Thanks, Deborah for the information.

[Carlidin]

I would like to recommend the area around New Franklin, Boonville, Fayette. Close to Columbia (big city) but small, historical towns. Friendly with access to shopping, dining, entertainment. Close to the Lake of the Ozarks too. About 1.5 to 2 hours from St. Louis and Kansas City. Easy access to lots of things to see and do. I would be happy to help you in any way I can. I have lived in New Franklin all my life and would not trade for anything. It's a small tree lined safe community. We have had many older people retire here lately as they seem to love the small town and are welcomed here. Boonville is a great town also with lots of history and a casino. email me if you want additional informaiton. I am a new realtor so can send you samples of home listing so you can see what home prices run. Taxes and cost of living is low compared to the larger cities. Give me a call if you would prefer to talk one to one. My cell phone number is 660 888-3173.

[ccowgirl]

Jamesport is very rural. It is exactly 2 hours from KC, and it is an Amish and farming community. It is very nice and quaint and during the summer because of the Amish connection is a bit of a tourist destination. Population around 2500, and it is 15-20mi. from Chillicothe (pop. 10,000) which is the Livingston Co. seat and is big enough that you can get anything that you need without going to "the city". Jamesport is a quiet town that doesn't change very fast and with decent roads in and out of it... Good property value as well.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by ccowgirl

Jamesport is very rural. It is exactly 2 hours from KC, and it is an Amish and farming community. It is very nice and quaint and during the summer because of the Amish connection is a bit of a tourist destination. Population around 2500, and it is 15-20mi. from Chillicothe (pop. 10,000) which is the Livingston Co. seat and is big enough that you can get anything that you need without going to "the city". Jamesport is a quiet town that doesn't change very fast and with decent roads in and out of it... Good property value as well.

Their is a reason why the property value is so low in Daviess and Livingston counties. Their are few non-farm jobs there that pay good wages. Both counties have higher poverty rates as well with about 15% of the population living below the poverty line. The governor of Missouri has not done a very good job with economic development in northern Missouri AT ALL. Northern Missouri has lost a lot of non-farm employment the past several years. Income levels have not grown very much and persons living below poverty in many counties in northern Missouri has increased compared with levels a few years ago.

[GraniteStater]

Boonville is a fairly small town with decent real estate prices. Its location close to I-70 makes it convenient to travel to Columbia or Kansas City. It is in Cooper County Missouri.

[CaboolBound]

Try looking into Texas County. Me and hubby are moving to Cabool in 6 weeks. We bought a 1600 sq. ft., 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 3 tier deck with pool and 5 acres for $65,000. Property taxes a year are $273. We are about an hour east of Springfield but we have a grocery store, bank, churches, YMCA and other stores in town which is about 15 minutes away from our home. This is a beautiful area. We love it. We didn't run into anyone that was rude. Everyone was so friendly.
Good Luck and God Bless,
Kim and Jim

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Jim_Kim

Try looking into Texas County. Me and hubby are moving to Cabool in 6 weeks. We bought a 1600 sq. ft., 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 3 tier deck with pool and 5 acres for $65,000. Property taxes a year are $273. We are about an hour east of Springfield but we have a grocery store, bank, churches, YMCA and other stores in town which is about 15 minutes away from our home. This is a beautiful area. We love it. We didn't run into anyone that was rude. Everyone was so friendly.
Good Luck and God Bless,
Kim and Jim

Texas County may have cheap prices, but if you are looking for a good job it is probably not the best place to go. Non-farm employment has decreased the past few years and average incomes are stagnant. It is a good place to retire if you do not need to find a job. Many rural counties in southern and southeast Missouri have been hurting for jobs for awhile now.

[Hondax]

I have now lived in the Sedalia area for 15 years.
Sedalia is a great town in the 20,000 pop range and is a growing town which you need for future services and stability. Missouri is one of the cheapest states to live in and you will find your grocery bill is low as well. We have some of the cheapest gas prices and lots of E85(85% ethanol) which is selling for 2.40gal as opposed to 3.05gal for leaded. Kansas City style BBQ.....yummmmmmmm?

Attractions: Short, mild winters with little snow. Wonderful springs and fall. Summer is our tough season as it will get to 100 now and then with frequent 90's. But like the winter, summer is short lived usually 3 months long with breaks in between. Even though we get tornadic activity we are outside of "Tornado Alley" which does lessen storm severity. Did I mention the BBQ? Sedalia is the State Fair City which brings lots of show and exhibits throughout the year. KC is 1 1/2 hours West, Jefferson City and Columbia is an hour East, and Springfield and Branson are two hours South. Apple and peach orchards to the North.

Your folks should have little trouble finding a home in their price range. If it wasn't for the fact that my entire family lives in Florida I would be happy as a skunk in a green grape patch to make this my home. Oh I almost forgot,we have some mighty fine BBQ places in Missouri.