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If one were to relocate to Missouri, what would be the best area to live in around Springfield? Branson is about an hour away so that's out.
Are there particular areas of Springfield that are nicer than others? What are the names of the subdivisions that are best? I don't have children in school, but I'd like to be in a district that values education. Which ones have you heard that are best?
How are holidays celebrated around there? Do many people decorate for Halloween, Fall, Christmas, etc? Does the city have special events during the year? Which are your favorites if you have one?
What are your winters and springs like? I can see the weather averages, but what is it really like? Is it cloudy much in the summer?
Which is the most popular sport around there? Which teams do you guys root for?
Is it a very religious area? Many Republicans? Democrats?
What the general atmosphere around there? Are people more negative or positive in general? Any vegan restaurants? Vegetarian? Yoga studios?
Thank you all so much for any information you can provide.
How far away would you accept? You've mentioned Branson is too far so I'll consider that. Like, maybe the immediately nearby towns?
I went to Central High School and loved it. Can't say for the lower grades. I've heard good things about Parkview High School as well, which I almost went to. People I talk to tend to prefer the south side because the houses are less run down and there's a lot of business down there, but I live on the north side and if you don't mind houses being a bit run down, the rent is cheap.
My favorite small town is Nixa. Very good schools for all grades I've heard. Has a suburban feel to it. It's just to the south of Springfield, not far at all.
People sometimes decorate, sometimes not. Neighborhoods where there are bigger houses tend to decorate more, I presume because they have more to decorate with.
Winters- cold, but rarely gets below 0. Snows a couple times, just an inch usually. Though last winter I think it got to 10 below and we got 5 or so inches, that was December. They'll often shut down the schools if it snows even a little, or at least they do in the small towns. Summers- hot and humid, though not as extreme as in, say, Louisiana. You'll sweat for sure. The sun is often out. I roast if I don't wear sunscreen.
I don't follow sports but I hear a lot about baseball and basketball.
Religion? Yeah, there's a church on every corner. If you're Christian, your denomination is probably here somewhere. It's Republican leaning but I don't think it's as extreme as people say it is, feels more purple to me. DSA even has a chapter here, though they have like 12 members.
There's probably vegan or vegetarian food to be found, though I haven't sought it out. There's a lot of restaurants. I know there are a few yoga studios, some of them the hot yoga variety.
Note that this is all from my own experience and someone else may differ.
Hello there. My husband and I have lived here for two and a half years now. I'll help the best I can with your questions.
The best part of the city to live in is the southeastern part. It has good schools and a lower crime rate relative to the other three zones. The best elementary schools include Sequiota (I subbed there as an aide for several months in 2016) and David Harrison. Pershing is a good middle school. Kickapoo is a highly rated high school and has been for a number of years now.
The holidays are celebrated in about standard American fashion with a decent number decorating. There are lots of events, especially downtown and at Nathanael Greene Park. The Route 66 festival, Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, and Teddy Bear picnic are ones my husband and I like to go to.
Weather here is pretty moderate, seasonally. We've had a TON of rain this August, though.
The most popular sport is football. The Chiefs have a big following. Springfield also fields a minor league baseball team called the Cardinals. Basketball happens to be my favorite sport, but football and baseball seem bigger around here.
The area is pretty religious and is the HQ of the Assemblies of God denomination, to which about one-fifth of the city belongs per stats I looked at the other day. I'm a Missouri Synod Lutheran while my husband is not theistic (met him at a time when I wasn't in the faith). You'll be able to find about every kind of Christian sect here. There's also a Universalist church. Not sure about other religions.
Politically, the area is about 60 to 65% Republican. The Democrat wing is very active downtown, though, and it's not unusual to see minor protests around the city from time to time, which I had to get used to because I never saw such things when I lived in Joplin from 2001 to 2016 (Joplin is about 70-80% Republican and only about one-third the size of Springfield).
The atmosphere varies based on the subdivisions. I mentioned the southeast positively. Its opposite, the northwestern part, has a lot of tension and crime in some residential spots, although it also has a lot of the interesting and historic downtown places. The southwest and northeast are ok.
There are restaurants for just about every palate and diet imaginable, and most make accommodations.
Kerguelen is correct about Nixa. If you don't want to live in Springfield proper, Nixa is very close by and is a pretty nice suburb.
How far away would you accept? You've mentioned Branson is too far so I'll consider that. Like, maybe the immediately nearby towns?
I went to Central High School and loved it. Can't say for the lower grades. I've heard good things about Parkview High School as well, which I almost went to. People I talk to tend to prefer the south side because the houses are less run down and there's a lot of business down there, but I live on the north side and if you don't mind houses being a bit run down, the rent is cheap.
My favorite small town is Nixa. Very good schools for all grades I've heard. Has a suburban feel to it. It's just to the south of Springfield, not far at all.
People sometimes decorate, sometimes not. Neighborhoods where there are bigger houses tend to decorate more, I presume because they have more to decorate with.
Winters- cold, but rarely gets below 0. Snows a couple times, just an inch usually. Though last winter I think it got to 10 below and we got 5 or so inches, that was December. They'll often shut down the schools if it snows even a little, or at least they do in the small towns. Summers- hot and humid, though not as extreme as in, say, Louisiana. You'll sweat for sure. The sun is often out. I roast if I don't wear sunscreen.
I don't follow sports but I hear a lot about baseball and basketball.
Religion? Yeah, there's a church on every corner. If you're Christian, your denomination is probably here somewhere. It's Republican leaning but I don't think it's as extreme as people say it is, feels more purple to me. DSA even has a chapter here, though they have like 12 members.
There's probably vegan or vegetarian food to be found, though I haven't sought it out. There's a lot of restaurants. I know there are a few yoga studios, some of them the hot yoga variety.
Note that this is all from my own experience and someone else may differ.
I suppose 20 miles is as far as I'd want to drive. I'm okay with suburban or rural. 500K max budget.
Thank you for answering my questions. You have been really helpful.
20 miles outside of Springfield would put you about the Nixa-Republic area, which I believe is around 10 to 15 miles from the city.
500K can get you some CRAZY houses here. The kind of budget I'm used to is more like $500 a month for rent, so, yeah you can make it pretty much anywhere.
20 miles outside of Springfield would put you about the Nixa-Republic area, which I believe is around 10 to 15 miles from the city.
500K can get you some CRAZY houses here. The kind of budget I'm used to is more like $500 a month for rent, so, yeah you can make it pretty much anywhere.
Thank you, everyone, for the wonderful assistance. Are there favorite neighborhoods you like best? What are the volunteer opportunities like around there? How about dog rescues?
Best high school areas? Any funky restaurants or theaters around? How is the art scene? What is summer and autumn like in terms of activities? All ages or any age is cool. Any vegan food around or craft beers?
What is the golf scene like? Is there a lot of segregation? I'm cool with all so, I'm okay with an integrated town or place. Really like exploring different cultures too, so we tend to travel a lot.
Are there any ethnic clubs like German, Spanish, Japanese, etc?
Obviously, I'm a Democrat, but my best friends have always been Republican so it's not an issue as I tend to be moderate and the people I choose to associate with tend to be moderate as well, whether they be Democrat or Republican.
Thank you, everyone, for the wonderful assistance. Are there favorite neighborhoods you like best? What are the volunteer opportunities like around there? How about dog rescues?
Best high school areas? Any funky restaurants or theaters around? How is the art scene? What is summer and autumn like in terms of activities? All ages or any age is cool. Any vegan food around or craft beers?
What is the golf scene like? Is there a lot of segregation? I'm cool with all so, I'm okay with an integrated town or place. Really like exploring different cultures too, so we tend to travel a lot.
Are there any ethnic clubs like German, Spanish, Japanese, etc?
Obviously, I'm a Democrat, but my best friends have always been Republican so it's not an issue as I tend to be moderate and the people I choose to associate with tend to be moderate as well, whether they be Democrat or Republican.
Thanks again for the replies.
Glad we could help!
Regarding animals, The Humane Society of Southwest Missouri is a great place to volunteer. I helped there last year and ended up adopting the most adorable and sweetest cat ever. There is a place called Castaway that does animal rescue services.
Theaters/arts/activities: we have some places downtown, including the Art Walk and historic Gillioz Theater. We just had a ton of fall festivals this last weekend. There are also a few Oktoberfests still upcoming. We have several local breweries, with Mother's being the best known (I really like their IPA). 417 Taphouse is among the numerous places where you can sample a variety of craft beer.
I know less about the golf scene, but my dad is a golfing nut and likes coming here for that and the food.
Politics/segregation: this is a pretty moderate area. I've been in three of the more conservative churches (non-denom, independent Baptist, and currently Missouri Synod Lutheran), and even they believe our president is much more in need of prayer than celebration. Though we don't have many minorities, my interactions with them have been positive. I've lived 17 years in southwestern Missouri (15 in Joplin), and unlike the five years I lived in Eastern Tennessee where slurs were bandied about, I've thankfully never personally observed any overt racism exhibited here. The only thing in the news I can remember is that when one rogue came and vandalized some properties with swastikas earlier this year, including one of a woman of color who had just moved to the city, the community came to her support to let her know that this was not the norm. Here's an article about that story, and how the residents immediately took action to let the woman know she was welcome:
If one were to relocate to Missouri, what would be the best area to live in around Springfield? Branson is about an hour away so that's out.
Are there particular areas of Springfield that are nicer than others? What are the names of the subdivisions that are best? I don't have children in school, but I'd like to be in a district that values education. Which ones have you heard that are best?
How are holidays celebrated around there? Do many people decorate for Halloween, Fall, Christmas, etc? Does the city have special events during the year? Which are your favorites if you have one?
What are your winters and springs like? I can see the weather averages, but what is it really like? Is it cloudy much in the summer?
Which is the most popular sport around there? Which teams do you guys root for?
Is it a very religious area? Many Republicans? Democrats?
What the general atmosphere around there? Are people more negative or positive in general? Any vegan restaurants? Vegetarian? Yoga studios?
Thank you all so much for any information you can provide.
Numbered based on your paragraphs.
1. Depends on what you want. You can find anything from lofts to tracts of land measured in sections, and houses ranging from shacks and trailers to huge mansions with square footage in the five digits within about a 30 mile radius of Springfield.
2. Highland Springs is generally regarded as the nicest subdivision in the area. But, bring money, lots of it. Most houses there are a million dollars plus.
3. There are lots of fireworks on Independence Day, some Halloween decorations, and lots of Christmas decorations. There are the typical parades seen in most areas.
4. Winters have average lows in the 20s, highs in the 40s, and days in the 50s and 60s for highs even in January happen every couple of weeks. There are typically a few small snows of a couple inches per year, and the snow melts in a few days. The area stays below freezing for maybe a week at a time, and lows below zero are typically a one or two night a week occurrence. In my opinion, winters are very mild as it doesn't stay below freezing for very long unlike in the upper Midwest. But those who are used to a low of 50 in the dead of winter are going to feel cold in the winter. Springs are about 6-8 weeks of transition between winter and summer, which is typical for the inland Midwest.
5. The area is relatively religious. But, people who are not religious are common and it's not much if any of an issue if you are not religious. I'm not religious, and have lived there for years, and it's been no issue. Do note, somebody who is anti-religious or easily offended by others being religious around them would certainly not be happy. Somebody who simply abstains from religion but doesn't care if others are religious has no problems. There are a number of Democrats in Springfield city limits but overall Missouri outside of St. Louis, Kansas City, and downtown Columbia is a mix of little-l libertarian and traditional Republican and vote Republican.
6. The atmosphere is generally positive as Springfield and SW MO is a growing area, it's not Detroit. But there are always areas of people who snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and areas of people who you can't beat down no matter what. There are places you can find vegan food and there are yoga studios, but they are not the norm as they are in say, San Francisco.
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