What's Wrong With Missouri Ozarks?!

[Curmudgeon]

Glad you love it. For most of the '70s wife farmed in the Arkansas Ozarks about 40 miles south of where we now live on the shore of Table Rock Lake. I came through the MO Ozarks a number of times on the original Route 66 during the '50s, '60s and '70s compliments of the military - both my father's service and mine and fell in love with the Ozarks region.

We bought our home here in 2009 and would have come here from Sacramento sooner but for one small problem. We both worked for the state so we had to wait until we retired. For some funny reason, California wouldn't transfer our jobs to Missouri. Go figure!

The Ozarks are a beautiful, mystical, magical region and we love it too! But don't tell anyone. They might want to move here too and too many could ruin the place. Besides, some Califoreigners would want to change it.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Glad you love it. For most of the '70s wife farmed in the Arkansas Ozarks about 40 miles south of where we now live on the shore of Table Rock Lake. I came through the MO Ozarks a number of times on the original Route 66 during the '50s, '60s and '70s compliments of the military - both my father's service and mine and fell in love with the Ozarks region.

We bought our home here in 2009 and would have come here from Sacramento sooner but for one small problem. We both worked for the state so we had to wait until we retired. For some funny reason, California wouldn't transfer our jobs to Missouri. Go figure!

The Ozarks are a beautiful, mystical, magical region and we love it too! But don't tell anyone. They might want to move here too and too many could ruin the place. Besides, some Califoreigners would want to change it.

What did the locals thing of you at first though? I last visited Table Rock, Branson area in 2013 a couple weeks before the season started and with mostly just the locals around we really stuck out being from St. Louis. It felt totally different to me coming from a lower Midwest city to an area that is fully in the upper south.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

What did the locals thing of you at first though? I last visited Table Rock, Branson area in 2013 a couple weeks before the season started and with mostly just the locals around we really stuck out being from St. Louis. It felt totally different to me coming from a lower Midwest city to an area that is fully in the upper south.

At first some of them were wary but we were patient and careful. It didn't take any time at all before we got along well with most and very well, with some. Others are almost "tribal" but that's just the way it is. We're all people and should treat one another with respect. For the most part we've found true natives to be friendly, helpful, respectful and pretty easy to get along with, even welcoming.

How about Floridians?

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

At first some of them were wary but we were patient and careful. It didn't take any time at all before we got along well with most and very well, with some. Others are almost "tribal" but that's just the way it is. We're all people and should treat one another with respect. For the most part we've found true natives to be friendly, helpful, respectful and pretty easy to get along with, even welcoming.

How about Floridians?

Eh, Florida is so so. This is my second stint. I live in SWFL. There is not a real sense of community down here though because most people are transplants. The snowbirds down here from places like KY, IN, VA, MO, WI, IL are pretty friendly, but the Yankees from the northeast can be rude at times and always in a hurry.

I hate how people in general drive down here though. Everything down here is more crowded.

If you live somewhere like southern Missouri or northern Arkansas, and came down here to Florida you simply wouldn't like it at all. Way too crowded. Even compared to St. Louis because St. Louis has more infrastructure. Down here the population exploded and they can't keep up with it.

If I did it over again I'd stay put in Missouri. The cost of everything in general is cheaper in Missouri. The jobs down here are hard to find and they pay like crap too unless you're in healthcare. Everything in Florida is service based. We don't have no oil, manufacturing or tech industry down here.

I also hate the gun laws in Florida compared to gun friendly Missouri. Down here no open carry, their ccw law is stricter where you can and can't carry, Floridians can only use a FL permit unlike MO which recognizes all permits, and most importantly we do NOT have permit less concealed carry like Missouri has. Carrying without a permit in Florida will get you arrested!

Every year pro gun bills go nowhere in Florida while in Missouri they pass year after year.

There is nothing in the works to get constitutional conceal carry in FL like MO has. I've already talked to lobbyist about it. It looks like licensed open carry is once against dead this year.

Missouri does have a larger super majority republican house and senate though compared to FL. Our republicans in Florida are moderates. Missouri are pretty far to the right.

Trump won Florida by 2 points, Trump won Missouri by nearly 19 points. That tells you something right there.

[Curmudgeon]

My wife lived in Florida for a year or so with her former husband and would never return. I never had any desire to move there. After California, both of us wanted to retire someplace with four distinct seasons, none particularly harsh and all in one place, among other considerations.

Missouri has its faults but by-and-large we're perfectly content here in SW MO on the shore of Table Rock Lake which I'm looking at as I type. We're pleased that large segments of the two coasts dismiss it as "fly-over country" and have no desire to move here.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

My wife lived in Florida for a year or so with her former husband and would never return. I never had any desire to move there. After California, both of us wanted to retire someplace with four distinct seasons, none particularly harsh and all in one place, among other considerations.

Missouri has its faults but by-and-large we're perfectly content here in SW MO on the shore of Table Rock Lake which I'm looking at as I type. We're pleased that large segments of the two coasts dismiss it as "fly-over country" and have no desire to move here.

Yea I love Table Rock. I'd love to live there but other than fishing and shooting guns, there isn't much around there for me especially for employment. I'd hate having to deal with the traffic in Branson during the summer season though. That wouldn't be fun, but traffic sucks during the winter season here in southwest Florida too.

North Florida is not as crowded, in fact many of the counties has lost population or held steady while the rest of the state continues to grow. There are very little jobs in north Florida and also the pan handle especially gets cold in the winter. You can't go to the beach or swim in the winter up there. It even gets down into the teens at night in North Florida in the winter. They basically have 4 season just minus the ice and snow and you even get fall colors in December up there.

If there was a career that offered me a job and paid good I'd move to Table Rock! Missouri has some of the best gun laws in the country too and it's in the upper south as well and deep red territory.

The weather in far southern Missouri in the winter I can tolerate too. Sure the occasional ice storm and couple snow storms but you get a lot of 70 degree days in the winter down there. I could tolerate that easily.I hate the cold but it's not overbearing down there.

[Curmudgeon]

Being 20 road miles from Branson helps and but for medical appointments we have no real need to go there since there are enough stores in Hollister to meet most of our needs. We're off the beaten path for the most part. If we have to go to Branson we know the paths less taken.