What are some of the negatives in Springfield area? (Kansas City: spring break, houses)

[coldinsheboygan]

I currently am looking at the Springfield region to possibly relocate. I currently live in Sheboygan Wi - the weather is quite nasty -long cold windy springs -shorter summers - deep freeze winters.
We have visited springfield branson region twice and will be returning in two weeks. So far we really liked what we saw and experienced.

What are some of the negatives of the Springfield area?

[da jammer]

Originally Posted by coldinsheboygan

What are some of the negatives of the Springfield area?

Well it's a long way from the beach. Hardly any movie stars live here. The Rams play way up in Saint Looooie. There isn't a single In-'N-Out Burger joint here (southern Cali people will understand that one). It seems to be really tough to find a truly kick butt pizza anywhere around here IMHO. They need a big time tree trimming program in place by next winter. There seems to be few if any Indian reservations nearby to gamble away your life savings.....and last but not least this place is full of great people that are extremely nice and polite and are a pleasure to come in contact with. Hope this helps.

[coldinsheboygan]

Thanks for the reply. So far it does not sound so negative. I don't need a beach, I do yearn for good pizza now and then and I don't gamble.
When I did visit there I flet very comfortable with the people.

How is the weather? When do they start planting gardens in this region and when or how long before the first frost?

[da jammer]

hey if I can make the trip out here from southern California you can too. I would...really really like to find a good pizza around this place though!! Weather? Trust me, where you are now this place is nothin' but mild in comparison. Not sure about the gardening angle but hopefully someone else will chime in. Hope you decide to make the move and join the good folks out here in SW MO.

[coldinsheboygan]

Thanks for the nice reply. We are staying at the Chateau on the Lake (table rock) they had a spring break special. We hope to do some fishing, visit bass pro, and take a closer look at the area. Polk county looks quite nice.
I will read other threads to learn more about the gardening.
PIZZA- I used to live in NJ, and was used to the best pizza, Wi does not come close to what I was used to. In NJ there are a lot of Italians that imigrated over the years and started up great pizza joints.

[G4inMO]

I too am somewhat new to the area. Like Da Jammer, I am a transplant from CA. My family and I love it here and we too miss In & Out. We live just outside of Springfield. Everyone here has welcomed us and love how everyone is so friendly. Moving here was the best thing for us.

As for pizza, have you ever tried Papa Murphys? It is a take and bake at home pizza. They have a spinach-chicken one that is different, but great. Sometimes we just get the basic (kids like cheese) and add our likings at home.

As for the planting (April - June). I planted a late garden last year. Had fun and everything took off. I had zucchini coming out of my ears. I actually canned for the first time, making relish out of zucchini. I will be planting in the next couple of weeks. This year we will have more variety.

If you make the move, you'll enjoy it!

[Ozarks21]

Pizza - depends on what you like. Arris, Imos, and Ebbot's Field all have great pizza and each is different from the other. The Pappa Murphy's take home is one of my favorites too. And you can't beat the price.

Negatives - We're pretty conservative, so some will not like that. Air travel is expensive and more difficult from here as compared to a major metro.

Now I'm drawing a blank. Must be a pretty good place.

[MoMark]

The only negative I can think of that constantly recurs and captures my attention is the fact that in Springfield there are very few right-turn lanes, so anyone slowing down to make a right turn slows the whole right lane down, often to a stop. As a result, people tend to all congregate in the left lane and if they drive the limit, fine, but many drive as slow in that lane as they would in the right lane and that drives me NUTS!!!
Even when I come home from Springfield using Highway 13 going north, my turn-off on the WW highway has no turn-off lane. The way the highway is set up is that you make a right turn directly off the right lane of the highway where everyone is driving at 70mph. It's nuts.
So, I get onto the shoulder to slow down and make my right turn to avoid being smashed to bits from behind when making my turn. I imagine I could get a ticket for it, but I'd rather be alive than dead in a car wreck caused by inadequate infrastructure.
Overall, I love this area.

[RancidBeans]

The main negative: unpredictability of severe weather.
It can be nice, sunny, warm one hour... golfball sized hail the next. Thankfully, severe weather is rather infrequent. A tornado tore through my subdivision and completely demolished many houses just 2 streets down from mine. My house only suffered cosmetic damage, but it was definitely very frightening. However, that was 4yrs ago and the last time I had a close call with a tornado before that was 1982 or 83. Overall, the odds are pretty good you'll never be affected by one.

There are quite a few closed-minded "backwards" people in the area which bothers me, but even then they are friendly.

People are always complaining about how bad Springfield Drivers are. This is true to some degree, I do notice there are a lot of discourteous, aggressive, impatient drivers who can't be troubled to use their blinkers, tailgate, weave in and out of traffic, and drive while on the phone. There are also the overly patient drivers who drive 10 below the limit and hold up traffic. Many people on James River also don't seem to know that on a highway, the left lane is for passing, not leisurely cruising. However, I don't think Springfield drivers are any worse than other similar sized towns.

As for pizza, I've tried many different places, and strange as it may sound, I prefer the pizza at Casey's General Store!

[johninvegas]

Although I haven't lived in Springfield for some time, I'll give you my list of negatives:

First, it will be warmer than you are used to in the summer. Yes, it's a wet heat. Then there are the insect: ticks, fleas, chiggers and mosquitos. Due to the mosquitos, there is a possibility of West Nile Virus. I know that many communities do a very good job of mosquito eradication so this may or may not be a problem where you decide to live, but if you are down at the lakes, be sure to use DEET repellant.

I have allergies and in Missouri in the spring, I have a very hard time, however, the area that you are now in probably is the same in this respect.

Culture is different in the Ozarks. Yes there are art museums, but do not expect to see anything like the Field Museum or the Art Institute of Chicago. The Nelson in Kansas City is very good, however. If you are used to world class opera or symphony, you won't find it in Springfield, although there are very good theatre and music groups. What you will find is a wonderful mix of Southern/Scottish/Irish/Americana entertainment.

In the older areas of Springfield, the city streets are quite narrow and in some areas, sidewalks are few.

The people are conservative and the city is not terrible multicultural, although I'm told that there is now a large influx of hispanic into the area. In the 70s and 80s we had a large group of asians move in (some great asian restaurants in town!).

I think you'll find that salaries are low in Springfield as a rule, at least compared to either the east or west, although it might be the same as in Wisconsin

Actually, when I look at my list, it's quite short compared to the one I could give you about the other places I've lived recently, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Las Vegas. Heck, maybe I'll move back myself!

Jerry