Hill Country (TX) or Ozarks (MO/AR) (best, better, place)
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For those that have visited both, which is your preference? I hear a lot of people wanting to retire in one place or the other but it seems like they want to be IN the Ozarks but NEAR the Hill Country.
They are similar in a lot of ways considering the geography... mostly an eroded plateau or range of sharp hills. The climate is a little different. The locals seem different and there is a different history. The actual boundaries seem a bit amorphous. I think the Ozarks are a larger area between the Missouri River in the north to the Arkansas River in the south. They trickle into Oklahoma a bit. The Ouachita Mountains south of the Arkansas River are different enough from the Ozarks to be excluded. The St. Francois mountains in eastern Missouri are generally included. Both have rivers and impounded lakes. The Hill Country seems to be encroached upon by major cities more than the Ozarks. Wikipedia has generalized maps.
I’d chose the Hill County because it’s close to the cities I’m Texas I like. The Ozarks are better if you want steep mountains and forest hiking.
They are a lot alike other than Blue's comment about the Ozarks being more verdant. The Hill country seems drier and more scraggly for lack of a better word (maybe "more western" would be a better way to say it).
As far as the actual scenic look. Winter and Spring... go to the Hill country.
Summer is a wash.
But in the fall the Ozarks are stunning while the Hill Country looks like it does all of the rest of the year.
And IMO I think the part west of San Antonio along the Frio river is the best stretch of hill country as far as scenery goes. There are other pretty spots (Wimberly area, some around Austin) but that Frio river area seems to have a more "mountainous" feel to it.
The average annual rainfall is close to 50" in many areas of the Ozarks. Parts of the Hill Country only around 35" plus hotter temps. I would like convenience of being closer to Austin but from just a nature standpoint Ozarks are better. I also like Ouachita mountains around Hot Springs. That area averages around 60" of rain per year so even wetter (and humid).
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