Moving to Springfield, MO and now I'm getting scared! (Kansas City: homes, job market)

[lone sailor]

Originally Posted by stagn41

I have lived in Springfield since January of 07 and have to agree with a lot of what gonefishing has to say, especially about the theft. My son had his motorcycle and truck stolen and I have had thousands of dollars worth of tools stolen. I have had so much stolen that I have gotten paranoid about it. I keep everything double locked and am constantly worrying about something getting stolen. I think it is related to the high meth problem in Springfield. On the bright side though, I think the police do a great job trying to deal with the high crime rate in this area. My son got his truck back only because KY3 did a story on him and showed his truck on TV. He eventually got his motorcycle back but it was ruined. The police arrested one of the thieves that stole from me and is being prosecuted. Another thief that stole from me was caught just this week. I'm glad the police nailed him but I have been told it takes a long time to get these characters prosecuted because the courts are so back logged.
There are a lot of churches in Springfield, but for all the churches there doesn't seem to be that many dedicated Christians.
Gonefishing is right about the traffic. At certain times of the day traffic is horrible and it seems accidents are pretty common.
Since I haven't lived in very many places I don't know what other cities similar in size are like. Overall I love living in Springfield, but the drugs and theft in Springfield has really been a big disappointment.

This entire post makes me laugh, except for the fact that low life thieves stole yours and you son's property. Traffic is a cake walk in the booming metropolis of Springfield(150k) compared to "real" big cities. The only people I ever hear complain about the traffic is those that live south of Hwy 60 and commute on 65 everyday. They are already working on that project and things will flow much smoother when it is finished. Other than that, it ain't nothin'. As for the ever popular drug argument, they are in every single town across the country. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it will never be gone 100%. You can either keep dealing with it, or move to a better neighborhood. After all you are in control of your own housing destiny.

[Rj1977]

Springfield has a lot to offer that doesn't involve Alcohol! The Springfield Cardinals is a great way a family can spend their time. There are many beautiful parks, pools, bowling alleys, skating rinks, and movie theaters. In the summer one park in particular plays movies where you can take your family and sit in lawn chairs or on blankets and watch the movie in the park. It's very nice and FREE! Springfield 8 offers free matinees in the Spring time. There are several work out facilities that offer sports or different activities. There are art galleries, the discovery center, the nature center, the zoo. We have the Fair in the summer which is always fun. The fairgrounds also usually has something going on all the time. The Shrine Mosque has many concerts and the circus. JQH arena has sporting events and concerts going on all the time as well as Juanita K Hammons has many plays from broadway. This town can be very fun. You would have to be really boring to not be able to find something to do in this town without involving alcohol!

[Ciaerin]

Originally Posted by Rj1977

Springfield has a lot to offer that doesn't involve Alcohol! The Springfield Cardinals is a great way a family can spend their time. There are many beautiful parks, pools, bowling alleys, skating rinks, and movie theaters. In the summer one park in particular plays movies where you can take your family and sit in lawn chairs or on blankets and watch the movie in the park. It's very nice and FREE! Springfield 8 offers free matinees in the Spring time. There are several work out facilities that offer sports or different activities. There are art galleries, the discovery center, the nature center, the zoo. We have the Fair in the summer which is always fun. The fairgrounds also usually has something going on all the time. The Shrine Mosque has many concerts and the circus. JQH arena has sporting events and concerts going on all the time as well as Juanita K Hammons has many plays from broadway. This town can be very fun. You would have to be really boring to not be able to find something to do in this town without involving alcohol!

And lets not forget that we have the Springfield Cardinals... Triple A of the St. Louis Cardinals. Lots of great ventures as you have pointed out.

[spfdsara]

I've lived in 9 different states in my life... spanning from the west coast to the east coast and even a small stint in Hawaii for a year. Springfield, Mo has them all beat and there's no place I'd rather raise my family! We have everything here. I will admit that the night life in the big cities offers much more, so maybe for a single person looking to constantly hit the "party" scene, elsewhere might be a good choice.. but I often feel that many people don't realize how truly blessed they are to live in the Ozarks! Looking through this post, it's good to see that many do realize this!

[AGreatDay]

With reading these articles from the start to the replies given, I must agree to the sense of battering your given to the area is strong, and somewhat biased in your research. Seems your searching for the negatives with great intent and maybe this should be your answer to your move: DON'T
The area is Beautiful, with Great people, and Mid range weather..

[saxon75]

Mr. Stewart

I love what you had to say but I can match your dare and say the people of MS pulled together very strongly after Katrina. But you are right the last time I visited Springfield I did hear about how the area came together as a "family" to help each other out.

[Ozarksossi]

Wow! I thought I was hard on Springfield! I only really have 2 complaints. First of all, none of my research adequately prepared me for the Evangelical Christian influence which, for a Ch'an Buddhist like myself, is quite formidable, very assertive and "in your face". My other issue with Springfield is its extreme lack of ethnic diversity. Otherwise Springfield has moderate Summers and with the exception of occassional "ice storms" pleasant Winters. (I love snow). The cost of living as well as wages are amongst the lowest in the nation. Taxes are also reasonable. There is a strong "hill billy" flavor but every region has its local culture and for that I am grateful! The ay I summarize Springfield in conversations with friends is "Springfield has EVERYTHING you need but may not offer a lot of what you want. If you are from a large, secular, urban area and are accustomed to the fine arts, diverse ethnic cultures, luxury cars and a progressive population....you will find some pockets of it if you look really hard but overall Springfield will probably be a big disappointment.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Ozarksossi

Wow! I thought I was hard on Springfield! I only really have 2 complaints. First of all, none of my research adequately prepared me for the Evangelical Christian influence which, for a Ch'an Buddhist like myself, is quite formidable, very assertive and "in your face". My other issue with Springfield is its extreme lack of ethnic diversity. Otherwise Springfield has moderate Summers and with the exception of occassional "ice storms" pleasant Winters. (I love snow). The cost of living as well as wages are amongst the lowest in the nation. Taxes are also reasonable. There is a strong "hill billy" flavor but every region has its local culture and for that I am grateful! The ay I summarize Springfield in conversations with friends is "Springfield has EVERYTHING you need but may not offer a lot of what you want. If you are from a large, secular, urban area and are accustomed to the fine arts, diverse ethnic cultures, luxury cars and a progressive population....you will find some pockets of it if you look really hard but overall Springfield will probably be a big disappointment.

Coming from perhaps the most ethnically diverse city in the country, Sacramento, CA, with tons of places to go and things to see and do, all within a two or so hour drive, with ethnic restaurants everywhere and with its own art and entertainment "in-house," to include AAA baseball and an NBA team, we're perfectly content here in the Ozarks. True, we can't hop in the car and handily get to Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada, plus real casinos on the lake's south shore, Napa Valley Wine Country, San Francisco and the Bay Area or the scenic and quaint Gold Country. But what we can do is enjoy the peace, serenity and scenery of the Ozarks and a large, beautiful lake.

Not only is life far less frenetic, it's markably less costly, less crowded and safer with a lovely mix of southern and mid-western hospitality and values. The only question I have about our move here is, "What took us so long?" Oh, yeah! Not a great employment atmosphere so we waited to make the move until we both retired.

[BethP]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

... Napa Valley Wine Country...

Have you visited Missouri wine country yet? We have several wineries around the Rolla/St. James area, and the Hermann area has several, too. And I'm pretty sure there are other pockets of "wine country" in the state, as well. I'm not a wine connoisseur myself, but I've had friends spend an enjoyable weekend touring wineries.

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Not only is life far less frenetic, it's markably less costly, less crowded and safer with a lovely mix of southern and mid-western hospitality and values. The only question I have about our move here is, "What took us so long?" Oh, yeah! Not a great employment atmosphere so we waited to make the move until we both retired.

And now that you're retired, you won't have to worry about work getting in the way of your fun!

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by BethP

Have you visited Missouri wine country yet? We have several wineries around the Rolla/St. James area, and the Hermann area has several, too. And I'm pretty sure there are other pockets of "wine country" in the state, as well. I'm not a wine connoisseur myself, but I've had friends spend an enjoyable weekend touring wineries.

And now that you're retired, you won't have to worry about work getting in the way of your fun!

Not yet. On the agenda. And ya got the rest right on all counts!