Marshfield, MO? (Springfield, Carthage, Lebanon: relocate, tornadoes, jobs)

[tigerlilly]

So I am reading this information about Marshfield. I am currently in Alaska and have been here for 3 years. I am originally from California. My family and I plan to relocate to Marshfield MO. in the summer. I was wondering, how the weather is, tornadoes and such. Also I heard that the thunder and lighting is pretty awesome, but also scary. Any and all info. on Marshfield would be great. Oh yeah, and how long is the drive to Springfield is, and if there are any other little cities around the area. Thank you.

[la_missourienne]

Marshfield is a very nice town (at least to visit, I've never lived there, but relatives have and liked it, too). I used to go to the dentist there, of all things lol. CA to AK to MO...this will be quite the change for you, my guess--think you'll like it (and though we have some beautiful scenery, don't think that competes with that of AK!)
Weather here is ok, albeit rather unpredictable. It can be 65 or -10 in December during the day, just to give you an idea, and that's within days of each other, too! It isn't that crazy all of the time, but it does happen. Humidity during the summer is my personal least favorite aspect of our climate; it can be like breathing a sauna on 95+ degree days.
As for the tornadoes--they aren't as common as you might hear (they DO happen here every year). Thunder and lightning, on the other hand, are very much so and I guess scary if you're not used to it. We have lots of weather coverage in the media, so anytime severe weather is looming, the channels are quick to let us know and keep us informed. Heed the warnings to take cover when and if it's necessary and you'll most likely be ok. Ice storms are our biggest problem, IMHO. They cause lots of destruction of nature and property, accidents and power outages for days on end (much more widespread than the typical tornado, though we have had some nasty twisters that have taken out small towns, too). In any case, the weather is just something you get used to here and 90% of the time, it's very easily liveable
Driving to Springfield from Marshfield will take you, going the speed limit (interstate-time only) about 20-25mn, depending on what part of Springfield you are going to (could take as much as 30 if you are going to the furthest western edge).
There are tons of little cities around the area and lots of posts about them here. Lots of people live out in the county(ies) while enjoying the benefit of having Springfield accessible for an hour or less by car. Nice places to live abound; check out as many options as you can before settling. P.S. I've heard Marshfield schools are really good, in case that makes any difference to you.

[Jcoon]

Marshfield has a small town atmosphere, but there is alot of residents in and around the city. The schools are good and located on the East side of town. So you must always drive through the town to get to them. Traffic can be heavy during rush hours and weekends. Most people work in Springfield which like the previous person said about a 25 minute drive. Miles about 22. Marshfield has sports programs for the children, soccer, baseball and football. Several places to eat, Mcdonalds, taco bell, Dancys, El Charro and more. There is a new Super Walmart, hardware stores, farm and home store and several smaller retail stores. Plenty of barbers and hair dresser shops. It has all the conviences with Springfield close enough to fill in the rest. Homes are more affordable with plenty on the market. If you have any specific questions I can try to answer them for you. I live in Marshfield in a nice quiet neighborhood.

[tigerlilly]

Thank you so much La missourieene and Jcoon. I do have school age children, and the one concern was that they would not be in the same school. I read that they have kinder-1st at one school, and 2-4 at another and so on. I am not sure that I like the idea of splitting up my kids, since it is a drastic move for them and they kinda lean on each other for support, (one more than the other.) I was also wondering about hunting, what kind of big game is there? Is there elk or bison? Again, thank you.

[la_missourienne]

Even though your kids would be split up, I'd just like to throw in that dividing schools like this is really good from the educational standpoint. In Lebanon (just up the road from Marshfield), they have the same system and having spent time in the schools before and after they made the switch to this system, I can vouch for it being far better for the students this way. There are less discipline probs, the future graduating class becomes much closer knit, there are more options for switching teachers (like if you should have a problem with one or something), teachers do a better job because they have more oppotunity to consult with one another, all sorts of stuff like this.
The only elk and bison I know of are protected in our state, not for hunt (I could be wrong about this and would like to know if I am). By no means does this mean there are a shortage of hunters or hunting to be done here; most people hunt deer and turkeys. For the bigger 'bucks', lots of them head to Iowa (easy drive from here). Here is the state conservation site about hunting:
http://www.mdc.mo.gov/hunt/

[mary lou]

you'll find the majority of people here that aren't originally from missouri come from california (myself included). marshfield is about a half hour drive from springfield. it's a real nice place. during tornado season, you get the warnings on tv, but they just about never actually pass through. they go more northeast. however many people have storm shelters built into their yard. weather here is quite mild, but recently we've been having an odd trend. don't know if you heard about the ice storm in january. electricity was out for 8 weeks. but that hasn't happened since '84. some other small towns around springfield are nixa, ozark, republic, willard, and rogersville. hope i've had some use to you.

mary lou

[Boof]

Here is what I know so far of Marshfield....which isn't much. LOL

My hubby & I have relocated to MO from CA. I personally hadn't ever been to MO, although DH has, many years ago.

First off, let me say that MO is just beautiful....at least the SW area. While looking for a home, our realtor took us to many different towns. We visited Republic, Marshfield, Mansfield, Carthage, Highlandville, Billings, Buffalo, Nixa, Mt. Vernon, and some others I can't think of.

In our opinion, Marshfield is a very cute, quaint, nice little town. It looks to have a healthy economy, with friendly people. The main road into town, Spur Rd. I think, can be busy at times, and the worst part is trying to cross traffic, but that's about it. It's got lots of local businesses that may keep you from having to go to Springfield very often. Although the drive to Springfield is a breeze, especially since I-44 is right there. The housing market isn't too bad, with an eclectic array of architectural styles. Anything from homes on small lots, to brick beauties on acreage.

We visited the Chamber of Commerce and got a nice welcome package to help us familiarize ourselves with the area. It was nice to have all the handy info. provided to us.

Marshfield has several Banks, and Restaurants. Of course the Super Walmart is handy too. There is a little 'satellite' Sears store that sells Appliances, Lawn & Garden equipment & other sundry items. We got lost, and had to ask for directions, and the people were very kind & friendly. It's a small town with a small population, so it's still got that small town feel. As for work, it appears that most of the jobs would be in retail or restaurants.

We ended up finding our new home in Marshfield, and hope to become more involved in the community as time goes on. Of all the areas we visited...Marshfield is our favorite. Oh, and as an aside...there is a restaurant in Buffalo that offers awesome Fried Pickles on their menu. Thank God we won't be too far away.

Hope this helps....
Boof

[deadliestformula]

No elk or bison hunting in MO that I am aware of...........Might be bear hunting on a very limited basis....but there is plenty of turkey, deer, rabbit, squirrel

[splettstoesser]

What kind of jobs are there in Marshfield? Do they have an employment agency there?

[8 SNAKE]

I believe that many residents in Marshfield commute to Springfield for employment. I don't know about employment agencies in Marshfield, but there are several in Springfield if that is of interest to you.