Which Is Better? Joplin Or Springfield (Washington, Carthage: tornado, work, hospitals)

[eeyorefan5]

Maybe back up & think of what area you are trying to compare. SF metro, Chicago? If you mean large metro areas, there is simply no comparison for activities, cultural differences, etc. It depends on what your priorities truly are ~ lower housing costs than either of those markets (and many others), more relaxed lifestyle, sacrificing the convenience of at your door public transportation? You simply cannot compare what you will find in a million plus metro area to somewhere with a population of 50-80K.

[xTheGeneralx]

I grew up in Webb City which is just north of Joplin and have returned many times while in the Army 27 years; I still have family living in Webb and friends from around the area. Since I have lived in numerous places around the world and currently in the Seattle area, I'll give you some advice on Southern Missouri. Both cities have little in the way of diversity, but to some like myself, diversity in and of itself might be considered way over-rated; we're all from the same human family of brothers and sisters and all are made up of different shades of skin color. Some folks just can't get over that fact. In Southern Missouri it's more of a matter of the "haves" and "have nots." Predjudice raises it's ugly head almost everywhere we live. The more diversity one has, the more seperation which occurs by virtue of our cultural differences. Anyway...both areas are great to live, but extremely difficult to make a decent living. I guarantee everyone out there that you'll find a FAR greater percentage of nice people living in Southern Missouri then you'll ever find anywhere else. People that will give you their shirts off their backs and go out of their way in selfless service to others. Some are pretty nosey in smaller towns, but that's to be expected and really more interesting then living in a large city and not knowing who your neighbors are and most could care less. People will actually stop and talk without any reservations, even if you're a stranger. I drive my wife crazy up here by interacting with folks I don't know in stores and such and it's funny how people respond to me. Folks are disingenuous in larger developed areas like Seattle; it's just another fact. Growing up in MO I learned excellent values that have assisted me throughout my entire life. What I mean is--I learned ethical and moral values that helped me to develop an excellent character. Again, the job success rate, unless your a relative or friend of someone who owns or runs a company is way lower than living abroad. I seriously doubt that I would have ever been as successful. I've retired as an Army officer and now run a national company. The Joplin area is pretty boring compared to Springfield, stores or no stores; just more stuff to do. We rarely traveled to Kansas City or St Louis. To me both of those cities aren't very good. Now...Seattle is a pretty decent place to be close to and visit; again, just more stuff to do without much stupidity. If your considering making a living, I would not pick either place to live, but if your considering retiring, I would pick Nixa or Ozark or even better yet, Fayetteville, AR. Both have low taxes and quite alot of stuff going on for retirees. When I was younger, finding a good golf course was impossible. Joplin still doesn't have any good golf courses (although it's fun going back and scoring under par); Springfield is much better. Branson has a couple of great ones in their area (or around Ozark). The crime rate in Springfield is much higher than where I live; almost 3-4 times higher. Homes seem to be a little cheaper in the Joplin area than in Springfield, but both are pretty low. I could sell my home here and build a mansion in Ozark. Your property in Missouri is half as expensive as here. The weather here sucks at best. It's overcast most of the time and rains or drizzles almost every day (tough to get outdoors and have fun). I figure we had about 3-4 weeks or clear days last year and about the same so far this year. Our summers in the Seattle area are almost non-existent. The traffic...well, the traffic here sucks big time. I thought driving in Japan was tough, but it's much better than here. WA State is run by a bunch of liberals that can't get their heads out of their rear ends and I rate infrastructure planning, especially for roads about a 2 out of 100. So...Missouri's roadways are a bit easier to get around on. Let me explain... If I want to go East to the Mountains or North to Canada for a weekend trip, we will be bumper-to-bumper for hours on a Friday night. If it's raining, you can forget it! You would think that folks living in an area where it rains 80% of the time could drive in wet weather, but not these folks! Nope, I get around in LA much better than here! That's right! I've lived here about 10 years and beginning to absolutely hate it! I would rather live in Eastern Kansas. By the way, did I mention how much everything costs here? Gas is 50 cents higher a gallon, homes are twice the cost, taxes are incredibly high, and from my last visit, food is way less expensive in the grocery stores in Missouri. But...I drive on like any good soldier. Try paying 125,000 for a four year degree (3 girls). On my last check, U of Ark is about 6,400. a year for in-state. I do have a great job, but I work at it pretty hard. There's not much time for golf nowadays. When I retire, I hope... no, I PRAY that I end up in either the Springfield or Fayetteville area; I might even consider Belle Vista, but I would never consider Joplin--it's the cheapest place to live, but I don't want to live too close to relatives! Believe me, I've lived it! Oh, I forgot--Joplin is right in the middle of "Tornado Alley!"

Blessings! Jim

[Gwynyvyr]

Well...I moved...first to Shreveport, La...but a job opportunity lured me into Texas this past February..
Shreveport had some lovely areas, but so much of the town is over-run with crime that it's not safe.
Texas is going pretty good.
I was here for Ike...
I gotta admit, the attitude was something else indeed.
As the evacuation commenced, neighbors helped neighbors board up houses...we even had a *Hurricane Party* on our block--apparently a tradition here!
I stayed put through Ike...I wasn't about to miss my first hurricane living on the Gulf!
My neighborhood didn't get hit too bad and my residence had minimal damage.
The day after, in my neighborhood, everyone that had stayed went out and helped neighbors clean tree branches and debris.
People shared bbq grills and charcoal, flashlights and candles...whatever you had extra.
We even had a *powers on* party about a week later, lol!
(Texans throw parties for everything, it seems!)
Yeah, we had some looters in town, but the cops took care of that. We had a curfew for a week and that seemed to help.
I know I am only here for about the next year, but I am making the most of it while I am here.

[DocGSD]

I'm not trying to be a turd, but I dont agree with most of what you said about Joplin. It is a progressive community with plenty of values. I came from NYC with NO values. Maybe Joplin was bad when you lived around here but I think its great. I own rental property in Joplin, Springfield, and Ozark. I think that Joplin is slightly more expensive than the other two. Twin Hills, Briarbrook, Loma Linda golf courses are fine places to play. I would prefer Joplin 10 times to NW Arkansas. I would say that you point a false text to Joplin today. I hear that it has changed a lot in the past 10 years. The growth in the area just in my last 4 has been large.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by DocGSD

The growth in the area just in my last 4 has been large.

What would you say are the primary growth drivers in the Joplin, MO area currently? Is it indirectly benefiting from the huge growth levels of nearby NW Arkansas?

[Gwynyvyr]

Originally Posted by DocGSD

I'm not trying to be a turd, but I dont agree with most of what you said about Joplin. It is a progressive community with plenty of values. I came from NYC with NO values. Maybe Joplin was bad when you lived around here but I think its great. I own rental property in Joplin, Springfield, and Ozark. I think that Joplin is slightly more expensive than the other two. Twin Hills, Briarbrook, Loma Linda golf courses are fine places to play. I would prefer Joplin 10 times to NW Arkansas. I would say that you point a false text to Joplin today. I hear that it has changed a lot in the past 10 years. The growth in the area just in my last 4 has been large.

I moved from Joplin this past January.
I have friends that are still there and they say it hasn't changed much since I left.
So you own rental properties there?
I worked for folks that owned rentals...wait until you have to do a *trash out* on a property that was used as a meth lab. (Remember to call the EPA as you sometimes have to gut out all the drywall and it cannot go to the dump due to the toxic levels of chemicals in it.It has to go to a special facility that incinterates it)
Drive into the lower income neighborhoods...roll down your windows.
Smell the overwhelming stench of fermented cat pee? That's meth cooking.
Drive down to 2nd and Pearl...see the old gray mining office that's now used as a rooming house? Buy whatever you want there...drugs, hookers, etc...
Go out on 32nd street...go all the way to Flying J...that trailer park you just passed on the right? Go back and check it out...if you prefer a 10 yr old boy or girl for your bed, you can get them there.Oh, and plenty of meth, too.
Look, I worked with a couple of non-profits in Joplin, I know where the sleazy underside is and I know how very bad it is there.
So you play golf at Loma Linda...whoopee for you...get down to 5th street to the Watered Gardens mission and put in some volunteer time...listen to the people that come in there.
Go to the bridge at 7th street near the old train station...now look under that bridge...people LIVE there. Sometimes whole families...that's right, with kids.
Go down to Souls Harbor (homeless shelter on Main Street). Talk to Jan (she runs the shelter). Ask her about Joplin, ask her about the people that come through the mission. Look at the scars on her arm from where she was stabbed while serving food there.Ask her and Sister Lewis about how many people they give food and shoes and clothes to. How many prescriptions they pay for, how many times they help with rent and electricity...
Go on down to one of the rehab centers that have to deal with meth addicts and see how long the waiting lists are for people desperate to get in.
Yeah, Joplin is great...if you have plenty of money and turn a blind eye to the nastiness that pervades the entire area.

[DocGSD]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

What would you say are the primary growth drivers in the Joplin, MO area currently? Is it indirectly benefiting from the huge growth levels of nearby NW Arkansas?

The growth that I speak of has come since I came to the area in the past four years. A large shopping center that houses a few mid level chain stores, many new eats, several large companies such as AT&T, Conway Trucking, and a progressive and growing healthcare field. While you can feel a slowdown in growth over the past year, its no different than the rest of the country. Housing has expanded a great deal as well. I dont believe the econemy here is at much, if at all affected by NWAR. NWAR is nearly one hour away, putting it "out of reach" for the average persons quick journey. I believe most people still go to Springfield and KC when they go bigger.

Originally Posted by Gwynyvyr

I moved from Joplin this past January.
I have friends that are still there and they say it hasn't changed much since I left.
So you own rental properties there?
I worked for folks that owned rentals...wait until you have to do a *trash out* on a property that was used as a meth lab. (Remember to call the EPA as you sometimes have to gut out all the drywall and it cannot go to the dump due to the toxic levels of chemicals in it.It has to go to a special facility that incinterates it)
Drive into the lower income neighborhoods...roll down your windows.
Smell the overwhelming stench of fermented cat pee? That's meth cooking.
Drive down to 2nd and Pearl...see the old gray mining office that's now used as a rooming house? Buy whatever you want there...drugs, hookers, etc...
Go out on 32nd street...go all the way to Flying J...that trailer park you just passed on the right? Go back and check it out...if you prefer a 10 yr old boy or girl for your bed, you can get them there.Oh, and plenty of meth, too.
Look, I worked with a couple of non-profits in Joplin, I know where the sleazy underside is and I know how very bad it is there.
So you play golf at Loma Linda...whoopee for you...get down to 5th street to the Watered Gardens mission and put in some volunteer time...listen to the people that come in there.
Go to the bridge at 7th street near the old train station...now look under that bridge...people LIVE there. Sometimes whole families...that's right, with kids.
Go down to Souls Harbor (homeless shelter on Main Street). Talk to Jan (she runs the shelter). Ask her about Joplin, ask her about the people that come through the mission. Look at the scars on her arm from where she was stabbed while serving food there.Ask her and Sister Lewis about how many people they give food and shoes and clothes to. How many prescriptions they pay for, how many times they help with rent and electricity...
Go on down to one of the rehab centers that have to deal with meth addicts and see how long the waiting lists are for people desperate to get in.
Yeah, Joplin is great...if you have plenty of money and turn a blind eye to the nastiness that pervades the entire area.

Ok negitivity......

I hope that you arent preaching to me about how you "think" i'm blind. I'm an emergency room doctor. I see a little of everything in this community and I can tell you for a FACT that it is in no way even close to as bad as many other places in this country. While the crime rate here is a little on the high side for a place this size, it is not as bad as the picture you paint. There are homeless people in every city in this country. Some of them need help. Others choose to live that lifestyle and want to mooch off of the government. You talk like Joplin is the only place that this happens. I bet no other city in the world has this problem. I do feel for those poor little kids who suffer, I work with them. I do not feel the need to volunteer my services, as I work for these people every day. It is my passion to help the needy but it is also their responsibility to stand on their own feet when they can.

Yes, I own rental property here and other places. I also have a heart. If someone in one of my properties is in genuine need of help and down on their luck, I would be happy to help them. When one of them wants to buy beer and not pay the rent, we have a problem. Just because you lived here, and obviously had a bad experience does not mean that it is the pit of hell. Try growing up in New York City and looking at big problems every day. Then come here and tell me what a crap hole this area is not.

BTW, the meth problem here has gone down in great numbers over the past two years, thanks to great new laws that restrict the purchase of meds/chemicals. While Jasper County was #1 on the meth list in 2003-5, it isnt even on the top 10 list anymore. From 1 to behond 10 in one year is great.

[deckdoc]

Janice Joplin or Dusty Springfield? I guess I prefer Dusty Springfield


Oh, wrong topic I guess!

[Suzanne1945]

DocGSD, Just wanted to say hello from one GSD owner to another. We have an 8 yr. old and he is the 5th one we owned over the years. That breed is super special!

[Gwynyvyr]

Originally Posted by DocGSD

Ok negitivity......

I hope that you arent preaching to me about how you "think" i'm blind. I'm an emergency room doctor. I see a little of everything in this community and I can tell you for a FACT that it is in no way even close to as bad as many other places in this country. While the crime rate here is a little on the high side for a place this size, it is not as bad as the picture you paint. There are homeless people in every city in this country. Some of them need help. Others choose to live that lifestyle and want to mooch off of the government. You talk like Joplin is the only place that this happens. I bet no other city in the world has this problem. I do feel for those poor little kids who suffer, I work with them. I do not feel the need to volunteer my services, as I work for these people every day. It is my passion to help the needy but it is also their responsibility to stand on their own feet when they can.

Yes, I own rental property here and other places. I also have a heart. If someone in one of my properties is in genuine need of help and down on their luck, I would be happy to help them. When one of them wants to buy beer and not pay the rent, we have a problem. Just because you lived here, and obviously had a bad experience does not mean that it is the pit of hell. Try growing up in New York City and looking at big problems every day. Then come here and tell me what a crap hole this area is not.

BTW, the meth problem here has gone down in great numbers over the past two years, thanks to great new laws that restrict the purchase of meds/chemicals. While Jasper County was #1 on the meth list in 2003-5, it isnt even on the top 10 list anymore. From 1 to behond 10 in one year is great.

Glad to hear Joplin is no longer #1 in meth.
As far as other cities and towns...I have lived in some.
In Asheville, NC I started a nonprofit for the homeless. Biggest problem there was *weed*...with crack being a close runner-up. Charlottesville, Va. was about the same. When I lived in San Diego, gang violence was a huge problem. I have lived in many other cities, all sizes. Some in the States, some in Europe.
Yes, I guess I am negative about Joplin.
The crime, the meth, the fundamentalist churches that run everything, the lack of enviromental awareness, the lack of public transportation,everything just added up to a big old negative spot on the map to me!
I lived there years ago (about 18 years) for 3 years, then moved away. I came back in 2004 and it hadn't improved, as far as I could see, it actually had deteriorated.
Glad you are happy there and have found your little place in the sun.
As for me, well, currently in Texas. Went through Ike in my locale and sort of enjoyed it. After living in an area where you might get a 4 minute warning of a tornado, it was kind of refreshing to get a 4 day warning!
Lost part of a roof, my power and internet connection for a couple weeks, but did okay as I had plenty of water, charcoal for the grill and canned foods stored up. Also, terrific neighbors!
I know I am only here for about another 10 months, and although the humidity down here is absolutely deadly (seriously, it is gawdawful humidity sometimes!), I think I will miss Texas and the Gulf Coast.
I miss my friends in Joplin, but I sure don't miss the town itself!