U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Missouri > Springfield - Branson area
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 11-04-2013, 06:56 AM
 
536 posts, read 888,391 times
Reputation: 388

Advertisements

Hi folks,

I got a new book on Best places to retire. Although I hadn't considered it at first, I read about Branson, and it sounded wonderful. I was a bit taken aback though when I saw on City Data that the crime rate is so high? Is Branson not a safe place to live? Is the crime rate high because of tourist season?

What is the cost of living like? Has anyone moved there from some place else and noticed a different in cost of living?

I heard the people are friendly, and that's what I am looking for. A friendly area, with nice farm land. I like a sense of community. I am on the conservative side and Christian. Looking for an area with people who have like values, and are welcoming.

My interests are to do some light farming, in that I mean mostly crops. Probably less than 5ac. Either to build or buy a house on land.

During Tourist season does Branson get very crowded? Are there little towns on the outskirts that would be nice to live in?

What are the winters like? I am in Northern KY, and it's icy and cold here in winter. I love hot weather, nice falls and springs, and milder winters.

I plan to make some trips to look around.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 11-04-2013, 09:11 AM
 
536 posts, read 888,391 times
Reputation: 388
I'm also looking outside of the Springfield area, Ozark, Nixa.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-11-2013, 08:27 PM
 
1,472 posts, read 2,276,177 times
Reputation: 1174
Ok I'm thinking weather may be about the same as where you are. Ground is rocky and hilly. What I have seen down there I always felt safe.

If I was going to Retire from KY and really wanted Missouri I would consider Warsaw. I'm Retired and live close to Lebanon which is nice where I am if you like Trout Fishing a medium Hills. We have Tourist Season here and the place is dead in Winter. I raise some Garden in Raised Beds, Rabbits and Chickens.

Warsaw I have a Cabin there, better Farm Ground, Smaller Town but being in middle of two Large Lakes Summer it too is a Tourist Town.

brushrunner
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-11-2013, 09:03 PM
 
912 posts, read 2,047,625 times
Reputation: 1487
[quote=tamaralj;32083480]Hi folks,

I was a bit taken aback though when I saw on City Data that the crime rate is so high? Is Branson not a safe place to live? Is the crime rate high because of tourist season?

Yes. The "population" of Branson increases maybe 10 fold at times during the season. This rather skews the crime rate. It is not a place I would be afraid to live.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tamaralj View Post
What is the cost of living like? Has anyone moved there from some place else and noticed a different in cost of living?


Branson and Branson West can be a moderately expensive place to live due to housing costs. But just a few miles away in any direction it becomes as reasonable as pretty much anywhere in the country.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tamaralj View Post
I heard the people are friendly, and that's what I am looking for. A friendly area, with nice farm land. I like a sense of community. I am on the conservative side and Christian. Looking for an area with people who have like values, and are welcoming.


You may have lost me at the "nice farm land". It kind of varies - some places the soil is rocky, others have rocky dirt, and quite a bit has dirty rocks. That said, there is quite decent farmland to be had here and there. It also depends a great deal on what you are trying to grow. We don't have many wheat fields in Stone or Taney County, Mo.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tamaralj View Post
My interests are to do some light farming, in that I mean mostly crops. Probably less than 5ac. Either to build or buy a house on land.


Less than five acres we call a "yard". Unless you are in a platted subdivision you will need at least five acres to get a septic permit. Some counties may require more - I do not actually know of any though. Houses with acreages continue to be available at very attractive prices, so shop around before you decide to build; you should be able to get far more for your money with an existing house.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tamaralj View Post
During Tourist season does Branson get very crowded? Are there little towns on the outskirts that would be nice to live in?


Yes and sort of. Branson is built around Table Rock Lake. There are many small towns near by, but the roads are limited by the bridges across the lake. This means all tourist season traffic is carried on a very few roads. And pretty much all the nearby communities are affected or are involved in the tourist business.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tamaralj View Post
What are the winters like? I am in Northern KY, and it's icy and cold here in winter. I love hot weather, nice falls and springs, and milder winters.


It is likely to be significantly warmer than northern Ken., but there are the occasional cold snaps. Like tonight - expected to drop to 20 deg. f.! And Branson seems to attract more than its share of really, really heavy snowfalls, but that is my subjective observation from here in Springfield. We can accommodate you on the other three seasons, though. Uhmmm, you don't mind the occasional thunderstorm, do you?

Quote:
Originally Posted by tamaralj View Post
I plan to make some trips to look around.


Smart move. REALLY smart.

There are, by actual count, over a gazillion retirees living in and around Branson. But I personally cannot see it unless maybe you are seriously into lake activities. Look up toward or in the Nixa and Ozark areas. They are just 20 minutes or so from Branson and yet can easily access shopping, medical services, and other metropolitan amenities in Springfield. I do believe that somewhere in Southwest Mo., Northwest Ark. is the community you are seeking.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-17-2013, 01:43 PM
 
1 posts, read 7,438 times
Reputation: 13
I live in forsyth, just 15 minutes from Branson. I csme here from Little Rock which is over-run with crime now and love the Branson area. We never go to the shows but there are plenty of nice restaurants, beautiful countryside, lots of people our age, most coming from a strong work ethic and conservative ideas. Home prices seem very good to me. I think it's a great place to retire.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-21-2013, 10:27 AM
 
Location: SW Missouri
15,856 posts, read 33,814,921 times
Reputation: 22643
Quote:
Originally Posted by tamaralj View Post
[font=Century Gothic]

I heard the people are friendly, and that's what I am looking for. A friendly area, with nice farm land. I like a sense of community. I am on the conservative side and Christian. Looking for an area with people who have like values, and are welcoming.
Addressing the issue of farm land. We are in the Ozarks. It is believed that the Ozark Mountains is the oldest mountain range in North America and was once higher than the Rocky Mountains but over the eons has worn down to the "rolling hills" you see today.

Because of this, the soil is often very rocky. VERY ROCKY. Did I mention the soil can be rocky? I live in Stone County and you cannot get a shovel 3 inches into the ground because of the rocks. Also, when you dig a hole that is 1 foot by 1 foot (which takes all day, with a pick and shovel), you are likely to have about a 1/2 a cup of dirt out of that hole, and all the rest is rock.

Did I mention it can be rocky?

If looking for farmland for traditional farming methods, it would be best to go a little more west or northwest to Christian, County, Barry County or Lawrence County. There is a reason that Stone and Taney County is not big on farm land. First of all is the rocks and second the land is not very flat. It's hard to farm in hollers.

The other alternative is using raised beds for gardening (which is what I do). You cannot till the soil using a standard garden tiller and even plows are not effective.

As for the other questions, the other posters have answered them as well or better than I.

20yrsinBranson
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-21-2013, 10:36 AM
 
3,436 posts, read 5,483,880 times
Reputation: 5463
Yup, there is a reason cattle pastures in the Ozarks aren't turned into grain fields.

If it wasn't for the rocks ,many would be.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-21-2013, 01:10 PM
 
3,436 posts, read 5,483,880 times
Reputation: 5463
Traveling MO , it appears not much for actual farmland below I-70

( the extreme SE section.........boot heel ......would be the exception)

Seems to be some prosperous farms near Marshal ( just above I-70 )
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-12-2018, 11:08 AM
 
1 posts, read 4,100 times
Reputation: 23
Since the original post is now almost 5 years old, I am assuming that you decided whether or not to relocate to the Branson MO area. We moved to Barry County MO a few years ago and really like it here. We live about half-way between Springfield and Joplin and an hour northwest of Branson. There is crime in Branson and there is more crime than the city wants tourists to know about. We were surprised to hear from people that live there that crime has been around for a long time, although I have never felt unsafe there. Just like anywhere else, you have to be aware of your surroundings. The crime rate percentage shows higher because it is based on crime/population, e.g. the percentage for 4 robberies in a city with a 20,000 population will be higher than 4 robberies in a city of 30,000. We have 6 or 7 years before we reach full retirement age and even though we only live about an hour away from Branson, we are thinking about moving closer because we love it there. There are a lot of places where retirees can work to supplement their social security. We are considering Kimberling City because it is not as crowded during tourist season as Branson and we were told that there wasn't a lot of crime there. If you move to Branson or plan on going to Branson a lot, learn the side roads or you will have to deal with the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 76 Strip during tourist season, which is usually when Silver Dollar City is open. If you are looking for farmland, surrounding counties (other than Stone) are your best bet. SW MO and Northern AR do get some pretty wicked storms though, so you may want to look for a home with a storm shelter or a safe room. The water table is high, so if you do find a home with a basement, try to go see the house after a hard rain. Also be careful about where you buy because there are areas that are subject to flooding.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-31-2018, 04:26 PM
 
2 posts, read 4,133 times
Reputation: 10
We're retired and live in Southern California and are thinking of locating to a town such as Branson, which seems to be the kind of place we'd like to be. My wife came from Southern Illinois and has family in the area. Climate-wise, the area sounds good. Strange question: What's it like for mosquitos in the Branson area? We've both lived near waterways and they can be really bothersome. Here, they spray so there's not a problem. Perhaps we've been spoiled.
Rate this post positively Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Missouri > Springfield - Branson area
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2023, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top