California to Springfield Questions (Kansas City, St. Louis: loan, buyers, tenant)

[KCWKEN]

Grips... don't let the winters scare you off. Honestly, they really aren't that bad here. There's nothing quite as pretty as a dusting of snow on the cedar trees in the Ozarks. This winter aside (freak ice storm)... even freezing rain can be pretty... it looks like someone dipped the trees in crystal and turns the whole countryside into a giant collidascope... I actually often wish we had a bit more snow around Christmas time. I think we average less than 50/50 on white Christmases.

I lived in Honolulu for 5 years, so have some idea about what you're leaving ... Oddly enough, after the first year or two in Hawaii, we really missed the 4 seasons and actually planned our visits home so we could come in winter and fall.

Once you've experienced Fall and Spring in Missouri, you will realize a few hot muggy summer nights and a little snow in winter are just the price of admission for the show ;-)

Ken

[northbayeric]

Originally Posted by 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.

St. Joseph would be an outstanding option with regard to public transportation! This is a concern of mine as well since my wife doesn't drive either. Check out St. Joseph's bus system website at http://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/public...rs%20Guide.pdf and route map at http://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/public...Timetables.pdf. (Warning: nearly 7 megabyte download--not recommended if you have a dial-up connection). Hopefully it is not a violation of website posting regulations to include these sites here. If the moderator needs to remove them, just put in "St. Joseph Missouri transit" as a search engine search. Fares are very reasonable and the buses can even take you right to your door if needed.

I'm not quite as familiar with Springfield's city bus system, but its site indicates that it has 14 different bus routes, which seems pretty comprehensive for a city of just over 150,000 residents. Try dialing (417) 831-8782 and find out if they are able to transport you in front of your house or to obtain further information. In St. Joseph, you pay an additional 10 cents for the bus to take you right to your house.

[kstoretire]

Originally Posted by Sorcerer68

I'm an L.A. native who also lived on the Central Coast. I lived in MO for exactly 9 months. One winter did me in. I couldn't do it. I packed my stuff and left at the end of February that year, headed straight for Florida where I thawed out. I found the Missouri summer unbearable. May and October are the only bearable months weather wise. I sweated continuously from June to September. If you live outside of town, ticks and chiggers will latch to you. Chiggers can live in your lawn, shrubs and woods and are tiny little creatures that latch onto you and burrow under your skin and cause terrible itching. Ticks will find their way into your armpits and genital areas, attaching with a cement like substance. I still have a scar from one in a private place. There are also lots of snakes.

Culture shock...like you wouldn't believe. You'll miss things you didn't realise you even liked. Most people hadn't ever heard of most of the things I liked. None of our relatives who visited from other states would come back.

It wasn't all bad. I found many people genuinely nice. The "redneck" undercurrent was a little scary. Missouri was the first place I ever heard someone use the "N" word and really mean it. Expect low levels of education, people who have never been anywhere or read anything and lots and lots of poverty. I was shocked at the lack of dental care and rampant bad personal hygene. Lots of adults spell Arkansas with a "w" on the end. Illiteracy is sadly common. I'm not saying all people are like this, there are educated, decent people as well. Meth is a terrible problem in Springfield. If you like lots and lots of white people, you'll be happy. I missed cultural diversity. Public school was surprisingly decent. There was a great sense of community. Antiques are dirt cheap. There are some beautiful old houses and a few cute storefronts. Fall is very pretty. Our neighbors were very nice and had a wonderful sense of community. Most of them had lived there all their lives and had never been further than northern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma. The Ozarks can be quite scenic and houses are cheap. Some of the small towns to the east are really cute with old fashioned town squares. West Plains has pretty houses. Houses in Southern Mo are cheap for a reason...

I woud need to agree with this post. My wife and I moved to a small Kansas town about 2 hours west of Springfield. We are both native Californians. We wanted to get "out of the rat race." But we definitley miss a lot of the things that we never thought we would miss. Diversity...there is so little in this part of the country and I miss it very much. You probably will to. While Springfield is a lot bigger than the place we moved to, there are MANY similarities with the above. I think the traits above are common to this part of the country. We have found it VERY hard to "break into" the societal circles as well (and we are VERY social people). If you have not been born and raised here, it is very difficult for people to "let you into their circle." We have talked to a couple of others from the surrounding areas who have had the same issues....We are in our early 50's and we will not retire in this kind of community. It has been a good adventure and we have learned some things about different parts of our country.

[BPD147]

Howdy Gripster
Have you relocated yet? I'm a transplanted San Diegan, moved here in '91.
You will find that 45 degrees here is like 55 degrees in SoCal. I found myself running around in a light jacket on a sunny, windless 40+ degree day here after a month or two of acclaimation. It does get cold here, it snows and occasionally ices(this winter was nasty), but all in all, the climate here is not all that severe and changes frequently enough that it can be horrible one day and beautiful the next. I found I enjoyed the seasonal changes after a 38 years of seasonal monotony in California.
Hope you join the rest of us California 'rats' that have jumped ship and moved here. There are a lot of us. It's a wonderful place!

[Empire920]

I just found this site and found all of the comments very interesting. I am a native Californian... spent six years here as a single person, then moved back to CA. Now that I'm married and have a young child, we are back in MO as we believe it will be a better place to raise a family. The adjustment is harder this time but mainly because of being far from family, not MO itself.

Now, for my two cents on the area. The weather... it's called four seasons. I am ready for each one to change just before it changes. It truly is so different from CA but I'm glad. I lived in the central valley where it was either so foggy you couldn't see your front bumper on the freeway or triple-digit temperatures. And we had the worst air quality in the nation! There really was not much of a fall or spring. Now, I will say, the ice storm happened three weeks after arriving (welcome back to MO!) and that was terrible. But, I never experienced anything like that in the six years I lived here before. You will honestly get used to the weather, just give it a little time (I'm having to readjust, too). And enjoy that first "firefly" sighting of summer.

I would say the thing I like the least about this area is the ultra-conservative tendency. And I say that as a white conservative who actually attended Bible college out here! I find that some people (not all) feel threatened if you question certain things so I often bite my tongue on certain issues. And, because so many people share the same mindset, you can find some "fear" of those who don't believe exactly the same way. This is, admittedly, a generalization. I would like there to be some more cultural diversity but not to the extent (as it is where we came from) that English is the second language. And, while it is ultra-conservative, I would rather raise my children around people with those kind of values than many others.

As for schools, it seems the best school is the school where the person you're talking to attends. Maybe that's a good thing. I read a lot about Ozark/Nixa but I would prefer to live in South Springfield. I don't really know very many good places to find facts as opposed to opinions. We are still renting for now until our house sells. We've been on the north side which is older but not bad. The Library Station is fantastic as is the Library Center on the south side. Libraries and parks are very nice here.

I am very happy to see great growth in the shopping, from the Battlefield Mall to the new Branson Landing. We like the ability to be in the city and drive a few miles and be in the country. We also love the many great restaurants! Thai House has always been my favorite but we also enjoy Zio's Italian, and could eat Andy's custard every day. Wish there were a few more Starbucks, though.

Things we miss: the ocean, skiing, Disneyland. Flying out of Springfield is expensive and we often find ourselves schlepping several hours to Tulsa, K.C. or St. Louis.

The cost of housing and gas is cheaper here but I'm not seeing a huge difference in other areas (groceries, utilities, etc). And the wages are atrociously low compared to CA.

I've heard there is a group that meets... a CA Connection for CA transplants. I don't have the details but if anyone knows, I'd be interested. Almost every time I tell someone where I'm from they comment on how there's so many people here from California. I just wish my family was among them!

Best of luck to you in your move. Oh, and if you don't already have movers, we saved a lot of money by using ABF U-Pack Moving. We packed it but they drove everything out here. Was perfect for us.

[gripster2]

Empire 920 thanks for your imput. I am not in Springfield yet. My husband just got back from there after 3 1/2 weeks working there. We are in Orange County, Southern California still trying to sell our house. The subprime loan problem has unfortunately kept buyers from qualifying so therefore the buyers are few. We may rent our house instead of sell, not sure at this point. My husband really got a feel for Springfield from working there, he really likes Ozark and they seem to have very good schools. I am still worried about the weather, I love the warm sunny days here. It is amazing how many people here are leaving and how many people tell us they want to but don't have the guts to do it. There really is a mass exodus here, the question is can you sell your house to get out? That is VERY interesting about a California Connections group, I would be interested if anyone knows anything about that group. I will also miss the beach, in fact we have beachfront camping reservations in Carlsbad near San Diego next week for our kids springbreak. Taking the RV to the beach for what may be our last trip there, I will have to soak in all in. Thanks everyone for all your imput, I love this website it has given me alot of valuable information as we go forward with our plans. I look forward to alot more info to come. I am glad to hear so many ex-Californians like it there as I always thought I would end up in Prescott Arizona or Boise Idaho the 2 other places we were looking until this job opportunity literally fell in our lap. I just started research just a few short months ago. When you tell people you are moving to Missouri you sure get some strange comments and people think you are crazy although most of them no absolutely nothing about it or where it is for that matter. Well life goes on and we shall see when and if we get there...................

[NOLA2SGF]

Originally Posted by Empire920

I would say the thing I like the least about this area is the ultra-conservative tendency. And I say that as a white conservative who actually attended Bible college out here! I find that some people (not all) feel threatened if you question certain things so I often bite my tongue on certain issues. And, because so many people share the same mindset, you can find some "fear" of those who don't believe exactly the same way.

Thank you for letting us know what you like least about Springfield. It sure gave me food for thought. (I am tentatively planning to move to Springfield in 2009-2010).

I lean towards being moderately conservative politically, but gee - - I don't even attend church.

[Lake Junkie]

Wow. I just found this thread...I moved here from Sacramento 13 years ago. Born near Fresno, grew up in Santa Rosa.
When we moved to Missouri, we first moved to a little town 30 minutes out of Springfield, which was very closed to newcomers. (At least the adults!) We were dying to get out of the madness of the city...my oldest daughter was going into Jr Hi and they had installed metal detectors because of all the little urban terrorists bringing guns and knives to school. The Missouri kids were great with my kids, in 30 days they had made friends who have become friends for life. My average looking girls were suddenly transformed into hot California babes; all the girls wanted them as friends, all the guys thought they were cute.
After a year in shall-remain-nameless small town, I moved to Springfield and lived and worked and may I say you can find most of the above mentioned things...hicks and bad teeth and Arts and culture and warm wonderful people (I believe life is what you make it) and I agree we need a Trader Joe's and then I'm good to go!
I have been living in Hollister, next to Branson, for 4 years and can't imagine living anywhere else. The lakes, the scenery, the amenities that only having 7 million visitors annually can provide...I love Missouri.
The traffic is totally avoidable, by the way.
The shows are fun, the outlet shopping is great, the Landing is a gas.
The tornados seem to like the flat country in Missouri better, which is north of here.
I work with people from all over the country, I'm a REALTOR, and this has been a retirement mecca for 40+ years FOR A REASON.
I also understand the folks who only see the negative of Missouri and go back home...it's that 2 year "chickening out" period.
By the way, ticks and chiggers are an occupational hazard as I show people land around here, and that's why they make Deep Woods OFF.
Oh, and also by the way, I suggest to all the folks moving from the Golden State to be careful when you talk to realtors and FSBO's... they think you're all rich. We hear all the stories about how you paid $50K for that bungalow and are selling it for $500K. Human Nature, I guess.
Anyway, it's a wonderful state. There's not room here for me to tell you everything. C'mon out!

[kansaslady]

I moved from CA to MO in the early 90's. We chose a small town about 25 miles outside of Spfd. The "clannish" residents were friendly if we spent a lot of money, otherwise, they were not very friendly. We ended up in Johnson County, KS, where we are still living.

Weather: the worse thing I can tell you about winters in MO or KS is the ICE! That is the most dangerous/treacherous thing about our winters. The cold is not that bad, we just dress appropriately and ensure our home is well insulated. Some years are worse than others, some winters we may get only a little ice, others we have major ice storms with power outages. I will give this area an A+++ as far as treating the roadways.

We love the four seasons and that housing is so affordable (although we do pay more in JOCO, KS, than you would in Spfld, MO).

Other than the clannish people we found in that small town we first moved to....we love the people back here. They are very down to earth, courteous, friendly, and would do anything to help anyone.

Would we ever move back to CA? I seriously doubt it....too expensive, too crowded and too much crime! And a lot of people in CA put too much emphasis on material things.

There are a lot of residents who want to debate which is better: MO or KS. I say that it is all relative, it just depends on what place is best for each of us according to our preferences. We moved to JOCO, KS because of employment (my husband's line of work was more available in this area).

I think MO is a beautiful state and am seriously considering moving back after retirement in a few years.

All I can say to you is: WELCOME!!

[gripster2]

After my first trip to Springfield in early March experiencing the tail end of the ice storm I said no way am I moving there. Well I just got back yesterday after 5 days to check it out again now that it is Spring. It was a completely different place, so green, and soo pretty. All the wide open spaces filled with beautiful green scenery. Needless to say I really liked it. We also went to Lake Taneycomo which was so close and very pretty. We went to St. James Assembly of God Church so I could see for myself a large group of people to get a feel for what the people there are like and check out the Church. The church was pretty good and the people were very nice. The pastor said that a recent study was done which says that the current population in Springfield is 150,000 and it will be 1 million within the next 10 years. Pretty amazing huh? We decided we really like Ozark, not too rural and great schools and lots of transplants like us. We looked at houses in a few towns but came back to Ozark everytime. Now we just have to make a firm decision about moving there within the next week as my husbands company wants us to relocate immediately. We have still not sold the house, housing market here at complete standstill and prices have dropped drastically. If It was meant to be then it will be. Oh yeah we had a major rainstorm 7 inches in one night, we have had only 3 inches here ALL year! It was thunder, lightning and wind. I told my husband it looked fake like at universal studios! It was fun to watch. I did experience a little humidity which was not bad at all either. I am sure it gets worse and he is there until next week then he comes back here to California. Anyone have any info on Ozark? pros and cons? We do not want a track home as we have one now, we want 3-10 acres and my husband wants to get a couple mini-cows and get the kids in 4-H. It seems like there are not alot of areas to have livestock in in Ozark. Lots of Californians moving there it seems. People there asked me why on earth am I moving from California to Springfield? I asked them if they have ever been to California and then proceed with "California is not what it used to be." I also notice when you say you are from California they think you are rich by comments they make. Our friends that moved there from California 2 years ago , their 10 year old daughter told me she gets asked two questions being from california, 1- are you rich? and 2- have you been to L.A.? I found this interesting info. Again any pros or cons on Ozark please. Thanks for any info.