Sparta? (Springfield, Nixa, Ozark: sale, 2009, credit)

[Hawkeye845]

I will be retiring in Feb. and moving to SW Mo. I will be in Sparta Thanksgiving weekend to look at a new house and, hopefully, leave an offer on it. I was wondering a little about the area. Are there any Masonic Lodges in the area? Are there any Auctioneers in the area? Any small cafes for morning coffee? I am mainly interested in Sparta because it is about the same size I live in now. Being a former councilperson in the community I live in, I can identify with growing pains of smaller towns. My wife and I are real anxious to move here and hopefully someone will reply and provide answers for me. I have always been involved in community activities. I served 16 yrs on the volunteer fire dept., served on the community betterment board of directors, helped build a new ballfield for baseball and softball at the school, providing lighting on the softball and a new concession stand with restrooms, all with volunteer labor and mostly all donated money. I would like to find an auctioneer to tell me about licensure laws and possibly use some help. Thank You Hawk

[Lake Junkie]

Hawk...sounds like you will be a great addition to ANY community!

Welcome...to Missouri and to this great forum.

Sparta is one of my favorite areas. Yes, there is a nice cafe where the locals hang out...breakfasts are great!

Someone else will have to answer the Masonic Lodge question...but the auctioneers here are plentiful. I think I'd be careful about who you hook up with, but I like Duane Gerken in Branson or Kelly Auction Service in Norwood.

Also stick your head in & say hello to Ben at the Missouri Stove & Chimney. He's good people.

Good luck with your move...keep us posted!

[Hawkeye845]

Thank You for your reply. I was not trying to toot my own horn. Simply giving a little background. I really appreciate your response. Again THANK YOU Hawk

[mrsgenealogy]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye845

Thank You for your reply. I was not trying to toot my own horn. Simply giving a little background. I really appreciate your response. Again THANK YOU Hawk

Don't worry, you didn't "come across" that way, Hawk! I'm excited to hear YOUR excitement! We moved to the area just a year ago so I can't tell you much but I do know of a couple of FSBOs you might not know about. Since you're new and might not know how to send a Direct Message, I'll send you one (here at the forum) and if you'll write me back, maybe I can point you in the right direction!

I join Lake Junkie (a.k.a. "L J") in welcoming you to the forum! You've found a great place so be sure to come back often!

MrsG

[skeating]

HAWK; Hopefully you didn't sign on the dotted line for Sparta. Check out Highlandville. Two small cafes in area. Volunteer Fire Department, great location to reach Springfield or Branson within 15 minutes. You can do your shopping within 7-8 minutes in Nixa , Ozark. Beautiful country and good and easy access to main highways.

Check out Highlandville and all the properties available there. Alot of new homes and homes with acreage, homes with large outbuildings(some even heated) great for auctioneers.

Some great antique/flea market shops within a mile of each other on Highway 160. This would be right up your alley

SLPK

[Lake Junkie]

When someone asks about a particular area, it seems unfair to bash that area and just push your own. There's nothing wrong with Sparta! I think you might want to examine your own motives, skeating...if I remember correctly you're trying to move OUT of Highlandville...

[skeating]

Moving out of Highlandville only due to serious health of husband. Highlandville was chosen by us after looking at property for seven years in the Springfield/Branson area. Not town bashing, just informing individuals after many years of research. We have always lived in Missouri. We have been around the Ozarks over fifty years. Serious health causes move back to big city. Love Highlandville. Looked at Sparta and numerous other small towns thru the years while in the area. It took seven years to find this property and location. No one ever talked about Highlandville when we were looking, this is a small town area and people like to talk about their towns, that is all we were doing... Everyone should have an opportunity to know about townships that have existed for years... There is alot of growth in this area in a positive direction and it is centrally located, people should know this when they are moving in from out of town..

No town bashing here just stating facts that will be of interest to newbies...

[sparta06]

Sparta is a great area. It's a nice small town thats growing with new houses and businesses being built each year. My family has lived in the Sparta/Bruner/Ava area all their lives and none of us would think of moving. Sparta has two cafes, a Chinese restaurant, a Pizza restaurant, and a Subway while I've heard rumors of a Sonic coming soon. For the size of Sparta, it offers a variety of businesses and will soon offer more services for the citizens. A new City Park is currently in the works and is expected to open sometime before Summer of 2009. The school system is great. The district just recently received the honor of Accredited with Distinction in Performance for the third straight year. The district is currently exploring expansion options with either a new highschool or some type of expansion planned for 2009. I would recommed the Sparta area to anyone.

[mrsgenealogy]

WOW! Thanks for the info, Sparta! You make a great Sparta ambassador!!!

I heard about the park and had heard the schools were good...just probably always in Ozark's shadow, huh?

My husband and I were so amazed when we saw the Subway come in! How's the pizza and the Chinese food? I think we're gonna have to start coming in to town to support those businesses!

[spycountry]

My husband and I moved to the state of Missouri in 1994. We 1st fell in love with Nixa, our family was living there. We had 10 ac and a brick home in 4ac of trees. I loved it. There was not much around there then but a D.Q. by the old high school. It had a bank, hardware store and market that still had food in wooden containers. I thought I had moved to Mayberry!.Soon there was a big bang and Nixa went crazy! people, stores, cars everywhere. Spoiled the reason we moved to Nixa from sourthen Calif. So we looked in the newpaper and met a man who was saleing land. No house just 65 ac of farm land. In Sparta. Let me tell you, the people around here still wave at you, even if they don't know who you are.One very cold snowed in Christmas eve, a man showed up on own drive headed for the house, at 12am? It was a big John Deere, he came down dig us out of the snow and went away. Heard it was Santa just helping everyone. Never found out who it was. A show of kindness for one's felllow man. Our drive is almost a 1/4 mile long.If you get in trouble, there's a good old boy to pull you out. Sparta is growing. New post office, subway and some coffee shops. Breakfasts are great and cheep. Place where you can go and kick back. here's theres a man in town who will tell you what is needed and will fix something on your car, not wanting to be paid. Just plain good folks. HICKS? no I don't think so. The country life is 110 times better then any big city, and I have lived in them all. Theres hills and hollows are all over, trees, ponds we even have a cave on our land. Sparta is a sweet town where people help people. I am right on the line of Ozark and Sparta. 3 miles from Highway 14. main road. and 5 miles to Sparta town or 7 miles to Ozark. Both good, we like Ozark. But it's building so fast too. So, I still live near on old country chruchs, fields of cows, hay and wildflowers. Berry picking, apple picking. and no one who is telling you what you can or can not do. One day we will sale the 5 ac up front on the country road. all flat good grass field. I have no idea what the market is going for on land out here. HELP NEEDED. You have to buy at the least 3ac and one time. for us, that would leave 2 left and you can not build on less then 3 acs. very good deep wells here. Ours when as deep as a football field. glad I didn't have to dig it by hand HA!
If you want a home town, a Mayberry. grow garens, sit under willow trees, walk knee high in a field of wildflower and skip stones accross the pond. You would love this small town. I great place for kids to grow up. Everybody's thoughts differ. You would have to see the beauty with your own eyes. I would never go back to Ca. Even if I do miss the beach. I would miss so much more if I did. and its not worth it. It is dark out here too. I love laying outside and watching shooting stars ,there is so many without the city lights.
Well, guess thats it, I just wanted some one to know stars the good, and very town is going to have some bad. It's not alot in this town. SO IF ANYONE KNOWS THE RATES FOR SPARTA land BASED ON COMPS ON ROAD FRONTAGE. LET ME KNOW. Take care, never give up your dreams, one day you will wake up and it's too late.
Happy from Sparta spycountry