mansfield area (Springfield, West Plains, Ozark: fit in, to rent, how much)

[CountryLuvinWoman1]

Can anyone tell me about Mansfield? We are hoping to relocate as most on here are lol..
My husband is a construction worker. He has done it for years. He worked 7 years with a company here. They built about 80 homes a year, he was foreman. He also worked for another company building homes and remodels for 6 years. As well as he has and is working on his own. So we are wondering what kind of jobs are available in that field around that area..or is there a demand for someone if they still wanted to be on their own? He is 36 years old and has worked 4 jobs total since he was 12 years old and even that job was full time. So he isn't one to go from job to job. So he is reliable and honest..That said on to the next part of my question.
What is the area like? There are 6 of us. We are def country type people. We now live in the country and are surrounded by woods..We are a very close family. We do everything together..our youngest is 5 and oldest is 17. We pretty much just enjoy all outdoor activities. We are big time animal lovers..as well.
WE are hoping to find a place to rent til we decide if the area is a place we want to stay in. But when we are ready are hoping to get a place with quite a bit of land.
So that said lol..is mansfield a nice small town safe place to live? CAn anyone give me any info on it..
Thank you so much. I know i've rambled enough..

[northbound74]

Culturally, you'll like it fine. Outdoors, animals... great fishing. Many of the locals are rural-minded and generally friendly.
There's a lot of people with livestock and horses there. Ava, 15 min. away, is the headquarters for the Missouri Fox Trotting Association, which has events a couple of times a year. It's in the Ozarks, so there's plenty of hills and trees. Since that area is kind of far away from things, affordable land is plentiful. Last I looked, there was no problem finding several acres for a very reasonable price.

Mansfield's a small town out by itself, but on a main highway, so it's an easy trip to a place like Springfield (45 min. away) for jobs. West Plains, a decent sized small town, is of an equal distance in the other direction. Springfield's much bigger, and is likely to have more jobs of any kind, though.
There's been some growth in the area, even in the rural parts, due to people moving there from places like California, and so some new houses have been built in the last few years. With the economy like it is, I don't know how much of that is going on now, but it has been a trend.

[OA 5599]

As said above, you should like Mansfield just fine. Its pretty rural, and very scenic (especially south of town). The town is small, around 1500 people, and I'm sure its very safe. It is also where the Little House on the Prairie books were written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (there is a museum/gift shop just west of town on old US 60). You should have no problem finding a home in the country with plenty of acreage, including hills, ponds, and forests. There is also good fishing and canoeing on the Gasconade and North Fork rivers, and on Bryant Creek, none of which are too far from Mansfield.

As far as jobs in the construction industry, Springfield is currently experiencing a lot of growth, and its about a 45 minute drive as said above. If your husband is willing to commute, the Springfield area will be the best bet for a job. West Plains is more like an hour in the other direction, and is much smaller (only around 12,000 people), and growing much slower than Springfield, so finding a job there will be harder. Mansfield will likely stay about the same population for the foreseeable future, I wouldn't worry about it growing much. If your husband is able to find a good job in the Springfield area you may also want to look into Seymour, Diggins, or Fordland, which are closer to Springfield on US 60, but are still small country towns (Diggins and Fordland are less than 500 people I think).

[GraniteStater]

Mansfield is located on the Ozark Plateau, and is a mixture of forested land and ranches. Jobs are not particularly plentiful in that area, and population growth is rather small in Wright County. The commute to Springfield is rather long, but if you desire country living in may be worth it. The Springfield/Branson corridor is where the "majority" of the growth is occuring in SW Missouri, and where a lot of newer housing construction is also happening.

[CountryLuvinWoman1]

Thank you all so much. You have been so helpful. My mom was born in Missouri and grew up there til she was a teen. So I could very well have some distant relatives still living there, not sure, I need to ask. Her grandma was mandy box (not sure if anyone ever heard of her). I am so excited to be moving. We are such nature buffs. I could spend weeks at a time not ever stepping off my property as long as I have beauty to look at. I"ve been to so many places and hands down i'd take a land full of nature (trees, deer, flowers, ect,) over the ocean anyday. We are such simple easy to please people and hope that there are more like us where we are going.
I want to be in a place where people wave as they drive by or smile if they see you out and about. We are that kind of people. I admit i can be grouchy but i save all that for my husband when he makes me mad lol..All joking aside. We just want to feel welcome and safe.
My next question is I don't go to church as often as I should but I do go. The kind of church I go to is a Baptist. People go there from all walks of life. We have those that strictly wear dresses, some wear jeans and a ncie shirt, we even have some that come in lookin like they just left from work lol..but what i'm getting at is our church is one that we just want you there. Are there any churches in mansfield like that? And my next question is if we miss a sunday are we going to be beat over the head with a bible and shunned?
I have alot of questions hope ya all don't mind lol
About the school there, do they have sports? Last year we coached little league baseball for our youngest and really enjoyed that and hope to do it again.
We have two teens (girls) one is a full fledge tomboy and can out fish any man..she loves horses, 4-wheelers ect. my other loves some of those things but not to the degree..she is one of those that doesn't mind getting dirty but also loves to get all dressed up. So I know in the aspect of those things there will be plenty for them to do. But outside of that what are there for teens to do? My prissier daughter is worried about what the other kids are like. Can anyone shed any light on this for me to tell her? ARe the kids there pretty friendly and welcome new teens to the area? I know i'm worrying but i can't help it lol. I want all of us to love it and be happy.
My last quiestion for this post anyhow lol..about dogs? What are the laws on dogs does anyone know? ARe there breed restrictions? Any info on dog laws would be helpful.
Thank you all so much for your time.

[northbound74]

I seriously doubt that there's dog restrictions of any kind there.
A lot of the kids are "country", but there's a wide variety of tastes and personalities there, according to my wife, who grew up in the general area. The school does have sports, and their baseball team has been quite good. If you go to their website, you'll see they won the state championship in 95-96.
There are lots of Baptist churches in that area, and most of them I would suspect are pretty laid back, and would fit in to what you've described. It's in the so-called "Bible Belt", but contrary to what people in other parts of the country seem to believe, not everyone goes to church, and most that do probably wouldn't bother you too much for missing a service from time to time. Of course, a lot of that might depend on the congregation.

[CountryLuvinWoman1]

The reason I asked about the dog restrictions is I am a very small inhome breeder. My website is www.jalynshihtzu.com u can go there and u will see just how small we are lol..I just want to make sure that won't create any problems.
Mansfield is sounding more and more like it will be the place for us. My only concern will be Jay's commute to work. Hopefully he can still work on his own and we can make it that way. Or if anything he can find a crew close that needs someone. Cause I don't like the idea of him having to drive almost an hour to work everday. After awhile that will get old for him and us.
That said I look forward to meeting the people of mansfield and hope to be there really soon. From what we read it just seemed like this town is so us..and talking to all of you has confirmed that this town may very well be just the place for us. Thank you all so much. I'm sure i'll have questions along the way. Hope you all don't mind.

[northbound74]

I'm certain you won't run into any dog-breeding restrictions if you live in the country. From what I've seen of Mansfield, I'd be surprised if there were many restrictions even in town. There's several dog breeders in the area. Of course, check the local government websites for more information.

[CountryLuvinWoman1]

Now you got me worried I"m gonna run into a pack of wild dogs lol..

[CountryLuvinWoman1]

Well we have decided to come to mansfield this week-end to have a look around. I am so excited. I am def. taking my camera. My mom has told me so many fond stories of her growing up there. I can't wait to see it with my own eyes. So Mansfield Missouri..here we come..lol