Moving to the area: (Springfield, Joplin: low income, extended stay, apartments)

[shebacca]

Hi, everyone. I am currently located in NE Florida and my small family is going to be moving to the area in May and I have a few questions/concerns.

First of all, we are a young family and I am Hispanic although my children look as white as can be, but I noticed whenever we visited that outside of the Mexican restaurants there seems to be little diversity.
IE I don't think I saw any black people at all and the only Hispanic people I saw were @ the Mex joints. I know that just because there isn't diversity that doesn't necessarily mean there is racism, so I am curious about the aspect of racism in the community. My daughter will start school there next fall and I am just a little scared she will pick up other people's attitudes about complicated issues or worse feel criticism because of the way that I look.

Second, my husband and I are going to be having a little role reversal as I have been at home and only working part time if at all and going to school full time. When we move there he is going to only work part time if at all and I hope to work full time while taking graduate classes part time at MSU. What are the job prospects like for people with bachelor's level education in behavioral sciences/social services sector? I would like to have a job in order before we move and I will obviously have to obtain a job of some sort within the first month or two but I'd prefer it be within my field of study.

Third, obviously as someone from the DEEP south I am more than a little apprehensive about the weather. How frequent are ice storms and blizzards? Does it snow every day in the winter? How often do you lose electricity due to weather? I was there visiting this year when all of the flooding happened around that area and I'm also curious if that kind of weather is the norm in the Spring?

Thanks
Shebacca

[pams73]

I'd be curious to hear where all you went when you visited here......while Springfield is pretty darn "white" as compared to a lot of other places, but we do have a fair amount of diversity here. I see quite a few people that aren't white every day....heck, I have both blacks and hispanics living up the road from me. You might run into a couple backwoods Bubbas who are racist, but it would be very rare. I can't remember the last time I heard an ethnic slur, and I have a lot of friends who are in inter-racial relationships. So, I don't think your kids (or you and hubby) will have any problems.

I can't speak to the job market, since I'm not in that field......and it probably depends on what type of work you are looking for specifically. Do you want to work for a hospital? For the city/county? etc.....

I came here from the South (although not quite as deep as you, I'm from TN originally). You will find the summers a lot more tolerable here. Yes, it gets hot and humid, but not nearly as bad as FL, and not for as long a period of time. Winters are hit-and-miss. It does not snow every day, and good winter storms are fairly rare. I've been here 10 years (off and on), and I've seen two "big" ice storms......and only one of those was really bad. I've only lost power once because of the ice/snow, and that was during the REALLY bad one that we had a few years ago. I'm sure someone else could tell you exactly how much snow we get here, but I can say it's not a lot. The flooding this spring was kind of bad, but that also doesn't happen all that often. We had a bigger flood a few years ago, but those are the only two times I can remember it being that bad. We do sometimes get minor flooding around town, more of the "streets here don't seem to be built for letting water run off correctly" variety.

[aragx6]

^OP, this would be the sort of opinion I'd worry most about with you down there, even though the area is about 10% minority. I'm sure you'd be fine, but whether you'd feel welcomed is another story.

[christina0001]

I moved to the area about 4 years ago from NJ and I completely agree, it is very white here! Being white I cannot really speak from experience, but I have brought up the whiteness to people and I haven't come across anyone who seemed openly racist.

I don't think you will have too much trouble finding a job. I know mental health agencies and children's services agencies routinely hire folks with your credentials. I would be surprised if you score an interview without having a local address and without being here to interview. I would also expect the starting pay to be pretty low. My advice to you would be to apply at every human services agency you come across, and go to the highest bidder, even if it isn't as much as you'd like. That will give you time and opportunity to build up local references and network with other human services agencies, which will lead to a more desireable job and higher pay.

The winter weather isn't that bad. I've only been here for 4 years like I said, but it seems like there's been 2-4 bad storms each winter. The ice is worse than anything. Every year I miss a day or two of work because of the ice. The snow really isn't that bad, although this past winter we got a major snow storm. I am told that was highly unusual though.

Best of luck!

[show me boy]

shebacca, you might want to check out usajobs for government positions. There happens to be an opening now for a social worker in the Branson area. Most government positions take a long time to get into, meaning you could apply today and not get through the hiring process for weeks or even months. If you know you're moving to the area soon, you might want to start the government job process now and look for temporary work too.

Good luck.

[Mollym313]

Originally Posted by show me boy

shebacca, you might want to check out usajobs for government positions. There happens to be an opening now for a social worker in the Branson area. Most government positions take a long time to get into, meaning you could apply today and not get through the hiring process for weeks or even months. If you know you're moving to the area soon, you might want to start the government job process now and look for temporary work too.

Good luck.

I moved to the Joplin area in 1989 and there wasn't and still isn't a very large African American community. However, with that being said...it has grown. Carthage has a large Hispanic community (an hour from Springfield). I do hear racial slurs occasionally but for the most part...people do have manners and keep those opinions to themselves. I think our society as a whole does not tolerate the "racial issues" as it once did. I am technically Hispanic (half Spanish) but have always been well assimilated in all groups. My mom and step dad are caucasion so I never felt any racial tension in school or my workplaces. I have always felt well accepted and welcome in every community that I have lived. There are those that have strong racial views but those are not people that I would befriend or associated with because I don't have room for that kind of ignorance in my life.
I agree with the weather that was mentioned before...this is a walk in the park compared to Florida. It does get hot and humid and t-storms can get pretty loud but so does Florida. Tornadoes can be scary...I lost my home in May. The key is to be prepared, have a plan. Get a weather radio and have an emergency kit. The Joplin tornado is the first (hopefully last) I had ever seen. So figure in...I have been here for over 22 years. Good luck on your move. As with any new area...it takes time to adjust and don't get discouraged.

[theschneiders]

I would appreciate some help. I am a single parent with a 15 year old who will be relocated to joplin, Mo in June. We have lived in Orlando, FL for 15 years. originally I am from NY. I am an Administrative Assistant/Secretary with 20 years experience. I was laid off in August 2010 because of the ecenomy. I worked in the same construction office for 8 years and had to lay myself off. Needless to say money is extremely hard to come by but we both feel a change is in order and we both hate the heat here. Two months after losing my job I lost the car and we could not renew the apartment lease so we moved into an extended stay motel for 8 months before getting into an income control apartment 6 months ago. Have a car now but was never able to get furniture, sold what we had so it would not have to be stored. But it is hand to mouth with money. Never enough to pay what needs to be paid. I guess like every other american in this economy right now. But how is the job market in joplin now? Are the any apartments for low income or good apartments for single parents? As two females I know that there must be a good side of town and a bad side and I would hate to move into the wrong area. Are there any extended stay type motels where we could leave while I get employment, etc? i tried to look online but have not been able to find much information out. Any and all informaiton would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to our new adventure. Sincerely, Luanne

[BethP]

Originally Posted by theschneiders

I would appreciate some help. I am a single parent with a 15 year old who will be relocated to joplin, Mo in June. ...<some of the post snipped for brevity>... But how is the job market in joplin now? Are the any apartments for low income or good apartments for single parents? As two females I know that there must be a good side of town and a bad side and I would hate to move into the wrong area. Are there any extended stay type motels where we could leave while I get employment, etc? i tried to look online but have not been able to find much information out. Any and all informaiton would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to our new adventure. Sincerely, Luanne

Luanne, is there a particular reason you've chosen Joplin as the place to relocate? I ask because right now is not a very good time to move to Joplin without a job and housing already secured. I realize you don't plan to make the move until next June, but I don't expect things to be vastly better by then. Back in May of this year, Joplin had about 1/3 of the town wiped out by a tornado, so housing is in short supply right now (from what I've read), and I can't imagine jobs being in much better shape.

Hopefully, someone with more detailed knowledge of how Joplin is coming along can stop by this thread and help out.

[pams73]

Luanne, I have to second what Beth said....I don't think it would be a good idea at all to move to Joplin without a job or housing already secured. Because of the tornado this past spring, housing is in incredibly short supply....rentals are almost non-existent. A lot of the residents in Joplin have had to move up here to Springfield or to other nearby towns. The job situation is about the same as the housing. Most businesses are still in the process of trying to rebuild, but that will take time. It's possible that there might be a job available by next summer, but I don't know how likely it would be.

I'm not trying to be a downer, just want to make sure you understand what you would be getting yourself into. Unless you have friends or family drawing you to Joplin, you might have better luck coming up to Springfield.