Springfield Bound - Your Opinions (Kansas City, Columbia: houses, neighborhoods, to buy)

[formadmirer]

I'm moving to Springfield. Usually when I move to a new area I am excited. This time I am unsure, so I'm asking here for your help and opinions.

First, some quick background on me so you'll know where I'm coming from -
I currently live in the South - the DEEP South (Southeastern Alabama). I am not from this area but have lived here 10+ years for work reasons. Born in New York and raised near Philly, it took me years to overcome the 'culture shock' after moving here.

I have visited Springfield 4 times now in the last year. Each time was for about a week while house hunting. Here are a few of my observations, and while I don't necessarily see them as being good or bad, I would like your opinions on them.

Both Northern & Southern Cultures - One of the things I liked was that it seemed that Springfield had a mix of both Northern and Southern lifestyles. This was particularly noticeable to me when talking with people. While most people I encountered had no discernable accent, a few had a distinct southern accent. This co-existence I found to be a refreshing change from my current situation.

Cool Kids - While no longer a young adult by any stretch of the imagination, I still pride myself in thinking like one. The majority of the 'kids' I saw (15 to early 20's) were well behaved, decent, fun-loving, energetic, non-threatening, and a pleasure to be around. Yet they also had a coolness about them that the kids of this age group in my current area lack. I have to say that I enjoyed being around them, and if I were still this age Springfield looks like a place I would like to be.

Religion and Conservatism - I saw a lot of churches, and a few MEGA churches. So I would assume the area to be highly religious and conservative. From those of you who live in Springfield, what are your views on the area in regard to these two points?

Cable Monopoly - I own and manage an Internet shopping site and have since '96. Our current town is a quite small town that sits in the Southeast corner of Alabama with a population of around 60,000. For our business we utilize commercial high-speed Internet provided to us by our local cable company. Our package includes 768 up/768 down full open service (no ports blocked) and 12 Internet-routable dedicated IP addresses for $99 per month.
In preparation for moving to Springfield I contacted the local cable company - MediaCom - to ask for comparative rates. I was shocked at what I found. The largest package they could offer was with 5 dedicated IPs at a price of around $260 per month! And when I asked how I could get the 12 total IPs I needed they said I would have to subscribe to the same package 3 times! Are you kidding me?
That's almost $800 per month for what I am now paying $99.
But then the real shocker came. Because MediaCom was so absurdly overpriced I decided to check the competition. Those of you who live in Springfield already know what I found - there is none! That's right, MediaCom is the ONLY cable company in Springfield.
Even in the dinky town I live in now, I have a choice of three cable companies. In my front yard I have peds (cable hookup boxes) for Comcast (the nations largest cable company), Time Warner (another of the nations largest), and Graceba (a small local cable company), all of which offer commercial high-speed Internet at around the same price.
I can't believe that a city the size of Springfield has but one cable company, and that you are forced to pay their exorbitant fees if you want service. What a monopoly for MediaCom - what a ripoff for the residents of Springfield!

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I arrived back home yesterday after my fourth trip there. All in all I like Springfield, and I feel comfortable and 'at-home' while I'm there.
Let me know your opinions on these observations and if any more come to my mind over the next couple of days I'll post them as well...

[johninvegas]

Well, I live in Las Vegas right now, a population of somewhere around 1.5 to 2 million and we only have one cable company so I don't know how unusual it is to only have one cable company. I know only enough about computers to be able to do my job on one, but would it be possible for you to do your work via satellite? Or via dsl?

Henkelphoto

[formadmirer]

Thanks for the reply. Wow, that suprises me about Vegas. Everywhere I've lived since the early 80s, with one exception, has had multiple cable providers allowing you to choose the company you want service from. This way you can compare channel lineups, pay-per-view options, high speed Internet service features and pricing, and choose service from the company that best suits your needs.

The only city I lived in that did not have mutliple providers was Tampa, and at the time of my moving from the area there was quite a bit of stink in the papers about how the city was getting kick-backs for awarding the cable co monopoly rights to operate in the area without competition. That was supposed to result in at least one other company being brought into the area to break up the monopoly. Since I moved from the area I don't know what, if anything, ever happened with that.

As for operating the business via satellite, it is not a possibility. Satellite providers do not allow the operation of web, mail and other servers via their service. We maintain 7 webservers and 1 email server along with our own firewall and other equipment. A hard line is required for our system to operate. DSL typically is not a good choice either, since it is only available within a close proximity to the telephone company central switches.
We first started with a T1 line at about $1200 per month in the late 90s. As cable broadband became more reliable we eventually switched and have been on it now for about 6 years.

However, even if you discount the basis of my complaint that there is only one available cable company in the area, it still doesn't change the fact that to get the same level of service we are now paying less than $100 a month for here we will have to pay nearly $800 per month for it in Springfield. Not to mention that the reviews I have read online about MediaCom's service (or lack thereof) seem to leave a lot to be desired...

[razzy]

I am a born and bred Missourian who grew up near Columbia and lived in St Louis for 7 years before moving here 8 years ago. I'll try to reply here...

Originally Posted by formadmirer

Both Northern & Southern Cultures - One of the things I liked was that it seemed that Springfield had a mix of both Northern and Southern lifestyles. This was particularly noticeable to me when talking with people. While most people I encountered had no discernable accent, a few had a distinct southern accent. This co-existence I found to be a refreshing change from my current situation.

Yeah, this isnt quite the deep South, but the culture is definitely more Southern than Northern, with a little bit of Western (perhaps even Texas) culture thrown in. Missouri in general is a melting pot of cultures. The state borders Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky, while also bordering Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa. Then it shares most of its eastern border with Illinois, and the southwestern portion borders Oklahoma, which I consider an extension of the northern Texas plains culture.

There have been a lot of people moving in here from all over. Many seem to come from places like Chicago and California. This brings a variety of cultures and accents here. But the native tongue seems to have a twinge of a southern accent, although not like Mississippi or Alabama.

Cool Kids - While no longer a young adult by any stretch of the imagination, I still pride myself in thinking like one. The majority of the 'kids' I saw (15 to early 20's) were well behaved, decent, fun-loving, energetic, non-threatening, and a pleasure to be around. Yet they also had a coolness about them that the kids of this age group in my current area lack. I have to say that I enjoyed being around them, and if I were still this age Springfield looks like a place I would like to be.

Well, "cool" is a pretty general and subjective term. What do you mean by cool? The way they dressed? Their mannerisms?

That said, I am in my mid-30's and most of the kids I have interacted with (playing basketball with or whatever) do seem to be pretty well mannered and friendly. There are a fair share of hoodlums here, to be sure, mostly on the north side of town.

Religion and Conservatism - I saw a lot of churches, and a few MEGA churches. So I would assume the area to be highly religious and conservative. From those of you who live in Springfield, what are your views on the area in regard to these two points?

Yep, the area is very religious and conservative. Evangelism and Christian activism rules here. There are three or four bible colleges in the area, and a couple of large liberal colleges (Drury and Missouri State U) here. Many mega-churches, to be sure. I'm not religious, so I dont go to church. But people will try to get me to go to their church. I politely turn them down. Greene County is becoming more liberal/democratic as the city grows larger and people move in from more liberal areas, but the surrounding rural counties are very much conservative and Republican.

Even though I dont care for some of the fundamentalist thinking and Christian activism, I can handle it and not let it bother me too much and stil enjoy living here.

Cable - There has been quite a bit of grumbling about Mediacom being the only cable company in town. They seem to raise their rates every year. I think the basic cable package (70 or so channels) costs 40 or 50 bucks now, and the internet service is another 40 on top of that. I can live with those prices, but if some other cable company would come to town and create some competition, that can only be a good thing for us.

Hope this helps! Springfield is a good place to live, particularly if you want to raise kids here. Its the right size, and there really aren't any areas of town that I'm afraid to drive through, especially not after living in St Louis. I think you'd like it here.

[lacyelet]

let me tell ya, I've lived in Springfield since 3rd grade. Im 23 now and married, we're still sticking around here. It's got what you need for the most part. The mall is lacking, but other than that...

Its true what you said about churches, there sure are a lot of them, this is the "bible belt"

I feel safe here, I'd raise my kids here. I think its crazy the difference in safety that I feel if I just go up to St Louis or Kansas City. Springfield is the better pick id say.

The whole mediacom thing is why I went with direct tv. Its the same thing when you go to get a phone service, at&t or at&t

good luck on your move. Im a realtor here in springfield,

Moderator cut: realtor advertising

[Ozarks21]

I've lived here since 1999 and I really like it. Most of the people I know here come from somewhere else originally. We all consider Springfield home.

As for your connectivity concerns, you may check to see what SBC offers. Also, I know the Rural Electric Cooperatives have a pretty extensive fiber optic network in this area.

[GW99]

So if a person was to look for a place to buy in Springfield,what part of town would be a nice middle class area to look at? And if you looked just on the outskirts at some of the smaller towns with your knowledge of the area where would you look? This question is for razzy or Orzarks21. Thanks.

[razzy]

GW99,

The best places to live in Springfield are generally south of Sunshine St, and even better if you are south of Battlefield Road.

There are exceptions. If you like an older, charming neighborhood, of which Springfield doesnt have very many of, check out the area just to the east, southeast, and to the south of the Missouri State University campus. That area is north of Sunshine St.

The other exception to the "stay south" rule in Springfield is the area north of Interstate 44. It is generally newer, with lots of new construction, and there are some nice areas with some scenic, hilly topography.

In the area just south of Springfield, which is unincorporated Greene county, there are many subdivisions to pick from. You really cant go wrong with any of them.

As far as "outlying areas" go, pretty much any of the surrounding towns are nice places to live. Ozark, Nixa, and Republic are the largest of those towns, all over 10,000 people, and all of them are growing rapidly. The surrounding countryside is beautiful, and ranges from fairly flat to the west, to generally hilly in most every other direction.

A personal favorite area of mine on the outskirts is along Highway M, which runs southwest out of the city of Nixa. It is hilly and heavily treed, with a few large lot subdivisions out that way, and many nice views

Also, the area just to the east of Springfield is similar to that. And there are some smaller, growing towns like Willard, Clever, Strafford, Battlefield, and Rogersville that are worth checking out also.

You just have to do what I did and drive around all day in the different areas and get a feel for what you like. But there really aren't many "bad" areas. Even most of north Springfield is decent and safe. Its just that it is older, poorer, and lacks charm, for the most part, and there isnt much shopping or restaurant choices in that part of town. Particularly on the northwest side of town. And it is an area where families have tended to move away from in recent years.

Hope this helps.

[Ozarks21]

It depends on what you mean by middle class. It also depends on what is important to you. I wanted a newer house so I moved to one of the many newer neighborhoods with small lots. I now regret it and I cannot wait to have acreage and mature trees. But I do love the house and the neighborhood is very safe and friendly.

Razzy gave you good advice. But I disagree about the older charming neighborhoods. There are a few. There is a large area of older homes in good shape with big yards and trees from Battlefield rd on the South to Sunshine on the north, Glenstone on the west and Ingram Mill Rd. on the east. Also, there are many good older neighborhoods east and southeast of MSU's campus. It's just that many of the great old neighborhoods to the north and west of downtown are run down and undesireable.

If you are looking for newer homes, I think southwest Springfield/Greene County/City of Battlefield is hard to beat. And there is a lot of new development (restaurants, banks, retail etc) in the area along Republic Rd.

Let me know if I can recommend a Realtor, a banker or any other professional services. I have friends in many fields around town.

[razzy]

Originally Posted by Ozarks21

Razzy gave you good advice. But I disagree about the older charming neighborhoods. There are a few. There is a large area of older homes in good shape with big yards and trees from Battlefield rd on the South to Sunshine on the north, Glenstone on the west and Ingram Mill Rd. on the east. Also, there are many good older neighborhoods east and southeast of MSU's campus. It's just that many of the great old neighborhoods to the north and west of downtown are run down and undesireable.

I think we are disagreeing on what "old" is. To me, old is any house or neighborhood that was built prior to WW 2. After the war, the style of housing changed to a "newer" style. The neighborhood you described (between Battlefield-Sunshine-Glenstone-Ingram Mill) is indeed a very nice neighborhood, and most of the houses were built anywhere between 30-40 years ago. But by my definition, thats not necessarily old. Note that this area is part of the area that I recommended.

And I mentioned the neighborhoods east, southeast, and south of the MSU campus. Thats the true definition of "old and charming" to me.

We do seem to agree that much of the rest of "old" Springfield (built before WW 2, my definition of old) is non-descript and lacks charm.