Moving to Springfield area from Northern MN...nervous... (Rolla, Ozark: for sale, buying a house)

[Lake Junkie]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

You will also probably not need the snowblower as the average snowfall for Springfield is in the 15-20 inch range.

Average for the entire winter...right?

Since I've moved south I've lost touch with how much snow falls in Springfield each year, but that sounds like a lot more than I remember...

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Lake Junkie

Average for the entire winter...right?

Since I've moved south I've lost touch with how much snow falls in Springfield each year, but that sounds like a lot more than I remember...

I don't have the stats in front of me, but I think Springfield averages 15 inches of snow each winter.

[mongazid]

Down here in ozark county we havent had any measureable snow in the last 3 years.
But that ice storm last winter was a pain in the A$$. I have family in Duluth and Superior.
We usually go for a visit north in the summer and they come here for a visit in the winter. Works out good. But 2 years ago they came down in the first of Sept. for a wedding and they about died from the heat. (it was kinda funny) They were completly zapped of energy and had that look like somebody just shot their dog if they had to be outside for more than 10 mins.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by mongazid

Down here in ozark county we havent had any measureable snow in the last 3 years.
But that ice storm last winter was a pain in the A$$. I have family in Duluth and Superior.
We usually go for a visit north in the summer and they come here for a visit in the winter. Works out good. But 2 years ago they came down in the first of Sept. for a wedding and they about died from the heat. (it was kinda funny) They were completly zapped of energy and had that look like somebody just shot their dog if they had to be outside for more than 10 mins.

It is a heatwave here if the temperature is above 80-85F. We already had two days in the 90s in April so I'm hoping the summer stays mild with lows in the 40s and 50s.
I have always wanted to visit Duluth. The setting along Lake Superior has to be spectacular. The cool wind off the lake in summer has to feel refreshing.

[Mollym313]

I have lived in SW corner of MO (Joplin) since 1989 and (knock on wood) I have never seen a tornado. However, they have been close. The best suggestion, as others have posted...have a plan. If you have a good emergency plan than that decreases your risk a great deal. The hardest thing for me to get used to when I first moved here was the thunder storms. For some reason the thunder seems so much louder and the rain seems torrential in comparison to where I was from. But as others have said...take precautions and a weather radio is good to have. I live in a house with a basement now so I don't even think twice about it.
My mom hates the creepy crawleys too and she and my step-dad are avid hunters (Bow and Rifle) but as was mentioned snakes don't get in tree stands, however people do fall out of them (Ha!). I rarely see snakes but I do see a lot of them ugly possums. As with any new experience, it just takes some getting used to and as you can see from the posts...we MO people are eager to help

[lierarytype]

Hi upnorthmn,

I moved to Spfd. area 5 yrs. ago from Pacific NW. Your concerns were similar to mine and well founded. The spiders are everywhere and dangerous so it is important to get regular treatments for your house.

Many folks adjust to life better here in the smaller towns surrounding Spfd. They are much more friendly. Spfd. is cliquish to the extreme and anything but welcoming to newcomers. Nixa, Ozark, Rogersville and Fair Grove are friendlier for sure. I've found the only way to make friends in Spfd. is to gather with folks who have moved from other parts of the country.

Hope your move goes smoothly. All the best to you and your family.

[upnorthmn]

Ok, so we made it to Springfield and spent 3 days there. Got in on Thursday night and woke up Friday morning to the hotel alarms going off because there was a tornadoe coming! What are the odds of this on the very first day in town! We did get some searching in and found some great homes in the Nixa and Ozark areas. Another home we found that we liked was in Ozark, but in a different school district. We found out while we were down there that they schools don't have open enrollment? That is much different than here, and I just assumed that is was that way everywhere else! All in all, we had a good experience down there and I am looking forward to making the move. Still my personal biggest questions are about the hunting and fishing. The whole time I was in MO I didn't see a deer or a turkey. I figured I would have. And I'm curious what lake is the closest, and the best fishing to Springfield? These are huge items to me...and I need to get them in order. Thanks to everyone for their feedback, this forum has been so helpful to me and my family!

[Silvermouse]

Originally Posted by upnorthmn

.. Still my personal biggest questions are about the hunting and fishing. The whole time I was in MO I didn't see a deer or a turkey. I figured I would have.

We see both on our land fairly often, but we live in the boonies, far away from any town or interstate. I suspect you will have a hard time finding a place to hunt unless you go to one of the national forests.

[8 SNAKE]

Originally Posted by upnorthmn

Still my personal biggest questions are about the hunting and fishing. The whole time I was in MO I didn't see a deer or a turkey. I figured I would have. And I'm curious what lake is the closest, and the best fishing to Springfield? These are huge items to me...and I need to get them in order. Thanks to everyone for their feedback, this forum has been so helpful to me and my family!

Go to the Nature Center. You'll see a LOT of deer. Can't shoot them, but you'll see as many as you want.

I live in Nixa and see turkey almost every day, so they are definitely out there. I also had a buck destroy a tree that I planted in my yard last fall. I promise that deer and turkey are down here.

Springfield Lake is the closest, but I've never really spent much time fishing on it. Otherwise, you have Stockton and Pomme de Terre to the north and Tablerock and Taneycomo to the south. You also have several rivers in the area to fish (James, Finley, etc).

[Lake Junkie]

You'll see lots of wildlife & fishies down here...off the interstate, of course!

And yes, the further you get to the boonies the more you'll see...fishing is awesome on Lake Taneycomo, Bull Shoals Lake (they're catching walleye at the top of the lake) and Table Rock Lake. I've heard Table Rock is a tough lake to fish, but there's a good fishing report on the local radio station every morning at 7:15 that seems to have good advice on where they're biting and what lures/bait to use.

And the cool thing is, it's still not far to civilization just in case...