Planning a move to the area--where to look?? (Springfield, Nixa: renting, Home Depot)

[elliekay]

My husband is taking a job in Branson, but my initial research shows that Springfield might be a better place for us to settle. Any suggestions on where exactly we should look? We will be renting due to the potentially temporary nature of his work. It looks like Ozark is a good halfway point, but we don't want to be in a rural area. How far of a drive is it to Branson if we settle in S. Springfield? Is there typically a lot of traffic on 65?
I've got a lot of questions, huh?! I appreciate any insight anyone can provide.

Thanks much!

[8 SNAKE]

"Rural" is a very relative term, so it would be helpful if you gave some info about the type of area you are looking for and what you consider rural to mean.

In any event, Ozark is not rural by most standards. For the most part, Ozark and Nixa feel like extended parts of Springfield and it's often difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. There are places within both Ozark and Nixa where one can feel "rural" but still be within minutes of town, subdivisions on postage stamp sized lots that feel like every other part of suburbia in America and everything in between.

If you decide that Branson isn't quite right for you, it sounds like Ozark and Nixa would be good options. Your husband will enjoy the shorter commute to Branson than he'd have from Springfield and I don't think you'd give up much by living in either place.

[elliekay]

Thanks much--Here's a woman's definition of "rural": I don't want to have to drive an hour to get to the closest Target. It sounds like Ozark or Nixa will be perfect. Thanks again!

[8 SNAKE]

Originally Posted by elliekay

Thanks much--Here's a woman's definition of "rural": I don't want to have to drive an hour to get to the closest Target. It sounds like Ozark or Nixa will be perfect. Thanks again!

You can get to Target in less than thirty minutes from either place.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by 8 SNAKE

You can get to Target in less than thirty minutes from either place.

I can get to Target in 30 minutes from our decidedly rural home on the lake and to Branson in the same amount of time.

Admittedly, it's 18 miles to the nearest grocery store, however.

[Arrby]

There actually IS a Target in Branson.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Arrby

There actually IS a Target in Branson.

Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, nearby Lowe's, T.J. Maxx, Pet Co., Michaels, factory outlets and much, much more!

[Lake Junkie]

Originally Posted by elliekay

My husband is taking a job in Branson, but my initial research shows that Springfield might be a better place for us to settle. Any suggestions on where exactly we should look? We will be renting due to the potentially temporary nature of his work. It looks like Ozark is a good halfway point, but we don't want to be in a rural area. How far of a drive is it to Branson if we settle in S. Springfield? Is there typically a lot of traffic on 65?
I've got a lot of questions, huh?! I appreciate any insight anyone can provide.

Thanks much!

Q: If you're just renting, why not live in the same community as the job? What is it about Springfield that makes you think it would be a better place to settle? There are so many misconceptions about the area as a whole that I'd be interested in more detail...if you're up for it...I just think that giving up an hour to an hour and a half of every day's free time to drive to the job might not be worth it if you can find what you're looking for closer.

It's not that much traffic, but it's one of the hilliest stretches of highway in the nation.

(Is hilliest a word?)

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Lake Junkie

It's not that much traffic, but it's one of the hilliest stretches of highway in the nation.

(Is hilliest a word?)

Well, it is now!

[GeekOfTheOzarks]

Originally Posted by Lake Junkie

Q: If you're just renting, why not live in the same community as the job? What is it about Springfield that makes you think it would be a better place to settle? There are so many misconceptions about the area as a whole that I'd be interested in more detail...if you're up for it...I just think that giving up an hour to an hour and a half of every day's free time to drive to the job might not be worth it if you can find what you're looking for closer.

It's not that much traffic, but it's one of the hilliest stretches of highway in the nation.

(Is hilliest a word?)

hilliest -- I think you got it just right! I like Branson and thought about making that drive when I first moved to the area but after a few trips to Branson decided against it. Making that trip twice a day would be very hard on the vehicle, not to mention time-consuming and expensive (burn a lot of gas on those hills).