California to Springfield Questions (St. Louis, Columbia: rent, movers, loan)

[mcginnis12878]

P.S. I love your area! My husband got offered a job in Branson at the same as what he is making here! WOO HOO!

[reteacher]

I was born and raised in San Diego and moved to West Plains, MO in 1990, following my family who moved here in 1974. I, too, originally experienced great culture shock and found myself missing simple things like the beautiful San Diego weather, the ocean, the availability of a vast array of shopping choices, etc. But, after giving it a couple of years, I found myself greatly attached to the the Ozarks. I don't miss the rude, angry people from California. I don't miss the traffic congestion. I don't miss the smog. I don't miss the gang controlled junior high and high schools. I don't miss the greed of most people I've encountered in California.

Also, I have found that the people here that you believe are so uneducated, generally want you to think that. Many are actually far smarter than you think. They don't trust people from California and prefer to let you believe they are dumb. That way, when they do business with you, they usually have the advantage.

There is a tremendous amount of poverty in the rural areas in MO, but I believe it is due to the prevailing "good ol' boy" network that endeavors to keep the small towns from growing by keeping out new business and industry. This attitude means few, if any, jobs for kids when they graduate from high school, so they either leave to find a future elsewhere or stay and live off of the welfare system. As the "good ol' boy" networks die off, new blood takes over the area and things sometimes change, if the town survives that long.

If San Diego was like it was when I was growing up, I wouldn't hesitate to go back. But the reasons not to go back now far out-weigh the reasons to go back. I prefer southern MO to southern California any day of the week.

[mcginnis12878]

I actually have found that Missourians are far smarter than Californians plus the schools are better! Hmmm who has more smarts the one who pays 1million for a 2 bd condo or the person who pays 50K for same 2 bd condo in Missouri? I think that everyone I have met in the missouri area with the exception of a few realtors (NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU ALL WERE TALKING ABOUT!) are wonderful people and very friendly. I have missed that!

[still looking 62]

I have been looking into relocating elsewhere and trying to get info on places that would suit us. I didn't know much about the State of Missouri, but after reading this thread, it seems a good option to check into. People sound friendly and welcoming, which is is good thing. My issue is that I do not drive, so was wondering if Springfield, St. Joseph or Columbia would be good options for me for public transportation? Thanks.

[KCWKEN]

Hey Still Lookin62...

Sorry to say, public trasportation Columbia (as in most towns in Missouri outside of St. Louis or KC) is spotty at best. Actually in most towns with population under 30,000 in Mo. there is NO public transportation AT ALL and you'd be lucky to find taxi services. In Columbia, we do have a bus system, but the hours are very restrictive with services during the week ending at around 6:30 PM and 10:00 on the weekends. Even during their business hours, the busses here are notoriously behind schedule, and it could take you an hour or more to get from one side of town to the other if they are not on the same bus route. This would normally take 10-15 minutes by car.

Missouri in general has a very car-centered transportation system. St. Louis has a small and limited light rail system, and okay bus system. KC has no trains and I don't know what the bus system is like there.

If you plan to move to small-town or even outer-ring-suburban areas in Missouri and you don't drive, be prepared to be a home-body...

Ken

[KCWKEN]

Originally Posted by gripster2

My family and I are considering a move from Southern California to Springfield Missouri. We have friends there that love it. My concerns are the following:
How difficult is it to adapt to the cold winters?
How about the humidity in the summer?
Was it a culture shock?
Fear of tornados?
We have kids in Boy Scouts and soccer. Are there ample opportunities for the kids to be involved in these activities?
I am currently a very involved parent and have found good schools in Strafford and Rogersville so looking in these areas.
How hard is it to fit in when you are the new kid on the block?
Thank you for any information you are able to give me.

Re: Weather... Southern MO around Springfield will not have overly "cold" winters... maybe compared to Southern California or Florida... but compared to Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Boston etc. Southern MO winters are not bad at all. Generally summer here lingers into late September, peak fall colors are usually late October (fall in the Ozarks is truly spectacular, rivaling anything you've seen or heard about in New England). November to late December is usually cool, not "cold" (40's-50's) and rainy. Our typical first snowfall is usually sometime AFTER Christmas. January and February can have some knarly days, but it's pretty rare for snow to linger more than a few days on the ground. Usually we get a couple big snow storms that dump a few inches of snow, then a week or so later the winds change and we'll have a day or two of 40-50 degree weather that melts it all off. By early March spring is beginning (e.g. this week the daffodils are already up here in Columbia, MO, and crocuses are starting to bloom in rock gardens around town). By the end of the month, the redbud trees will be in bloom and by April you'll have a full blown and glorious Spring, complete with magnolias, dogwoods, lilacs, daffodils, and tulips in nearly every lawn and park in nearly every town. Summers here are probably our least attractive season. Missouri tends to heat up in mid June and by the 4th of July, it's common for us to have 90 degree highs and muggy warm humid nights. The upside is that if you're lucky (or wise) enough to choose to live in the country or small town area, summer nights are also full of singing crickets, bullfrogs, lightening bugs (a.k.a. fireflies), whippoorwills and even a yipping coyote or two.

Your culture shock coming from CA will be in 1. lack of minorities in most rural areas... we are a very "white" state outside our major metro areas and even in the cities, areas tend to be divided along racial lines. CA in my experience is fairly integrated and diverse... we in Mo. haven't gotten there yet. 2. you will be shocked at how much more genuinely friendly and open people are here than on either of the coasts... you are still likely to get "honeyed" by the local waitress, chatted up in line at the supermarket, and have your neighbors come by just to say "hi" when you move in. 3. From CA to rural (especially Southwestern) MO, you will find yourself in the heart of Conservative, Republican, Bible Belt territory... WAY different from California.

Tornados: I'm 42 years old, and I grew up here and have spent most of my life in Mo. I've never actually seen a tornado. They do happen here, but you're less likely to get hit by a tornado in MO than to have your life and property affected by an earthquake, fire, mudslide or riot in California.

Scouts and Soccer: Yes to both. Soccer is more common in larger towns, especially towns with larger Catholic populations or Catholic high schools nearby. There are Scout troops in nearly every school district in the state. There are some nifty scout preserves and camps in Missouri. Camp Thunderbird, S/F, and Hahn are all very nice. There are a lot of opporutnities for hiking, hunting, fishing, rafting, canoeing, spelunking and other outdoor activities in Missouri.

"New Kid on the Block": This is a tricky one... if your son is a fairly average suburban white kid, he should have no trouble making friends. In larger towns it's probably not much different than it would be changing schools in California, but, in smaller towns or rural areas, he'll probably be a "curiosity" and will likely be fairly popular, just because he's somebody "new" in town and everyone will want to get to know him. It could be a different story if you are a minority or mixed race family, or if your son is "different" (e.g. politically outspoken, dresses "goth" or "punk", or is into piercings and tatoos etc.) In that case, you might have some issues in smaller towns or rural areas. But if you're kid is into scouts, and you're an involved parent, my guess is he, and you, will be more than accepted, but welcomed with genuine hospitality in most towns in Missouri.

Good luck on your move,

Ken

[gripster2]

Thanks for your imput. My husband is in Springfield now. He has driven all over and keeps going back to Ozark, it is his favorite place so far. He has looked at homes and talked to alot of people. People have been so nice, friendly, and informative. The schools in Ozark are rated very high and everyone raves about them. He called a scout leader and talked to him for quite a long time and is actually going to lunch with him tomorrow. He also talked to a policeman in Ozark who enlightened him on the meth problems we have heard about. He said they have about 2 arrests per year at the high school for meth, which is not bad. He said because you can no longer buy the ingredients over the counter the only way to get it is to bring it in from Mexico which makes it harder to make so they do not have as many people making it as before, mainly they have to deal with the addicts from when it was so readily available. (My brother is a cop in Idaho and says the same thing). My husband was going walleye fishing today with a friend of his who moved there 2 years ago. Our house is up for sale, the market here has really not cooled here like they say, it is mostly media hype causing all the slowdown talk. I found it interesting about Garth's house and the radon and water issues. We will definitely look out for those issues. Sperlings best places rates the water there pretty high. I am still concerned about the cold weather, it is (only) supposed to be 94* here today which is unusually hot and should set some records. Sunny California weather I will definitely miss. By the way my kids are all blonde hair and blue-eyed so we would fit in no problem. I was there a few weeks ago and was shocked how white it was, but that was a good thing. I am the minority in California which is so sad. Hopefully I will not offend anyone by that but it is a reality and the big reason that more people are leaving California then coming since 1994. Most of us are looking for what once was, and Missouri still seems to have it.

[still looking 62]

Thanks for the informative post. You saved me alot of time in my search efforts. Always lived in a big city so never learnt to drive as it wasn't essential at that time.
Added to your reputation points for responding.

[G4inMO]

I am new to this site, but have enjoyed all what everyone has responded to the original Gripster2 on moving from California to Springfield. I too moved from California almost 2 years ago. Our family was looking to move from California and ended chosing the Springfield area after friends had moved here almost 10 years ago. We have adjusted well to the Ozarks and feel we have made the right move for our family. I actually know Gripster2. Our husbands went fishing on Sunday and had a great time. I can hardly wait for them to sell and move to start enjoying what we have been. I can say we survived the Ice Storm of 2007. It was definately a change from California's winters, but as everyone has said, we haven't had a winter like this in 20 years. Guess we will have to wait until 2027 to see if it holds true. Thanks again for helping our friends get information they need.

[MoMark]

Good post Ken. Isn't it funny you've lived here all your life and never seen a tornado and my first afternoon in Missouri in June of 05 I spotted a tornado forming about 1 mile away from me outside Stockton?!!!! It never dropped, but it spun around up and down in the clouds and we watched it until it dissipated.
I guess that was my "Welcome to Missouri"!