Springfield questions.... (Nixa, Ozark, Willard: for sale, rental, sex offender)

[Memphis2springfield]

My wife and I are considering moving to the Springfield area. Can someone give me a run down on the crime.......are the school systems good.......how is the cost of living....does Springfield feel like a small town that's actually big? I know these seem off the wall. My wife and I would be moving from Memphis. We both grew up in small towns in MS and LA, and absolutely hate Memphis. The reasons?....mostly the crime and politics. Thanks for any help.

[Ittybitty24]

I don't live there, yet. I'll be moving there in two months. However, my sister lived there. We are from a town in AR with 60,000 people - plus it is a college town. My sister describes it as our hometown on steriods. I don't know if that's a good analogy?? I hear people say that it is very conservative and the crime rate is fairly low. I hope that helps, maybe someone who has lived there can answer better.

[la_missourienne]

Crime isn't that bad considering the size of Springfield. There are certain parts of town that are a bit more 'prone' to it, if you will; just don't live in them and you'll not see much.
School system is a mess. If you can, live just outside of the city so that your kids can go to a non-Springfield system; most all of them surrounding Springfield are far better, plain and simple.
Cost of living is pretty good--just know that wages are not high because cost of living is not.
Springfield is run like a small town, though I'm not so sure it 'feels' like a small town (depends on your criteria--some aspects yes, some no).
Overall, it is a nice place to live, but it's not a utopia--no place is. If you want more specific info, feel free to pv me

[psmyers74]

I live in Springfield, and the crime rate is low. If you are considering purchasing a house anywhere and if you have kids, I would recommend checking out the neighborhood on National Sex Offender Registry. The school systems are great. We currently live in the Kickapoo school district, and my son just graduated from Kickapoo. In all honesty, Springfield doesn't get as much financial support from it's voters as does Rogersville and Willard, but overall it's a great school system to live in with tons of awesome, dedicated teachers. Springfield is a small town that feels big, as you said. Summers are hot and humid, so if you look at homes for sale, consider getting one that has a neighborhood pool! (Our house is for sale, and it has a neibhorhood pool-dues are paid for the year, too!) Whatever you do, DON'T buy anything in Ashcroft Estates or anything built by Monteleone or Morelock Ross, because those houses are built very cheap these days because of lumber prices. If you are buying new, just be sure to check on how the house is built and ask for a home warranty. We have alot of really good builders in the area, but just a few not-so-good. The ones I listed are the ones that I've heard about. Sorry if anyone reads this and I have offended anyone...

[Memphis2springfield]

Thanks for the help everyone. Is it not a good idea to live in an area of Springfield that has historic homes? Does anyone know how the schools are in that area?

[Memphis2springfield]

a nice area to live in?

[psmyers74]

Rivercut is a GREAT place to live in, if you can afford it. My uncle lives out there, and they absolutely love it. Actually, I live just to the north of Rivercut, which is southwest Springfield, and it's really nice out there. My boss lives in a historic area, and those homes are gorgeous, too, and the areas seem nice. I would just be careful living too close to the MSU campus because there are alot of rental houses around there and you know how college kids can be! My guess would be that if you live in a historic area, your kids would attend either Central High or Parkview High. I'm not sure what the Jr.High or Elementary schools would be, although my youngest daughter attended Pipkin Jr. High for summer school last year and loved it. I work just down the street from Central High school. It used to have a bad reputation, but since they remodeled and such, it is probably the best high school to attend for it's outstanding academic opportunities. It is the most racially diverse school in Springfield, too. My daughter attended Parkview for a few months last year before she moved away and she seemed to like it. They have a phenominal drama program, and if you get a chance, you should see one of their performances. A couple of years ago they did 42nd street, and I felt like I was at a real broadway show! Let me know if you have any other questions. I'll be happy to help!

[sunshine girl]

Rivercut is a subdivision on a beautiful golf course. It's very hilly, and there are some spectacular homes, with prices to match.

[la_missourienne]

Yes, Rivercut is very nice, especially if you are in to golf. There are other lovely subdivisions as well not too far away (though the names escape me now). If schools are a concern, then you have a whole other problem altogether...
Historic homes I remember were right North of Chestnut Expressway, near the Drury University campus. There's even a section of them that do a special "historic homes" tour at Christmas time that is supposed to be wonderful.
There are also some on Elm Street, not far from the MSU campus. I don't recall the students bothering that neighborhood much, though; just don't look at ones too close to National. I used to live a few streets over off of Cherry and always liked my neighborhood very much--rode my bike all over the place and even walked to certain stores on Glenstone.

[Darren Stewart]

I think maybe most of the questions are answered here for you after reading the posts, and I have to agree with most of the answers that are here. Springfield and the Ozarks is a great place to live and raise a family, crime is not terrible but in my opinion of living here since 1985, (I was born here, but grew up all over in the military) I believe crime has increased lately, I think thats true of any area.

I live in Ozark, and commute to Springfield to work, I agree I think the school systems outside of Springfield have some advantages and they tend to be very proactive in planning for growth as it has been exploding in the surrounding area for awhile, with that growth there is an infusion of new tax dollars to accomodate that growth, both Nixa and Ozark and Willard all have high schools that have been built in the last 5 years or so with second high schools forecasted to be needed in the Nixa and Ozark communities in the next 9 years.

Rivercut is a great community to live in and the golf course there is great, there are alot of homes on the market right now so I believe that will put you in a good position when it comes to negotiating that price, if sellers are in the position to adjust the price. There will be some competition for buyers with the supply this high.

I of course would consider Ozark, that is where I live so I am completely biased here, and I am on the Chamber of Commerce so here comes the commercial hahaha... anyway Ozark has plans for a riverwalk type trail along the Finley we have a great small town identity and we are growing, overlooking the river connected to the trail will be a family parks and fitness center with indoor aquatic facilities. I just really enjoy our city and love it here, my daughters have been in the Ozark schools now all of their lives and we love it and the staff there.

Hope you find the Ozarks a welcome place and if I can be of any help at all feel free to ask anytime. Some statitistics your looking for can be found on chamber of commerce websites as well.