Is Columbia or Springfield area best for us? (Kansas City, St. Louis: fit in, for rent)

[movingagain2012]

Hi all! I have lived in Memphis, TN, NW Arkansas, and am currently in NW Missouri (near Liberty) and my family wants me to relocate closer to them. The problem is that they are only an hour west of St. Louis along the I-70 route and everything is 30 or 40 minutes away via I-70. I like the amenities of a city to visit, but am a country girl at heart. The area there is cool to visit, but is just not 'me'. I am about 3.5 hours away from them now, and Columbia is only 1 hour while Springfield is still about the same as now (about 3.5 or a little less). I have thought about moving closer to them but I am tired of moving so much and want somewhere we can 'bloom' for awhile.

Here's what I'm looking for:
* A homeschool-friendly area (many groups and support systems)
* An area with many Christians
* Beautiful (part of the reason I was in NW AR was those cool mountains!)
* Affordable (like being able to rent a small house on a little land for around $650 or below); currently we're in a rural area that's only $385 a month for a 2 BR duplex type home but kind of far from things - it's 30 minutes from a Walmart for example.
* A more conservative area - our family leans more Republican and Independent
* I hate sports (I know!) and it seems everywhere I look around the KC area for example everyone is SOOO into sports that I just don't fit in
* Some health food stores and farmer's markets (into natural foods and living)
* Relatively safe for a single mom with two little kids
* Somewhere we could eventually find a nearby town to start a hobby farm with a vegetable garden, chickens, raise dogs, goats, etc.
* Natural doctors (chiropractors, naturopaths) available and midwives as well?

I realize this is a laundry list, but I need the expert of opinions of Missourians to help me figure out where we 'fit' best. Being from Memphis, crime is lower almost anywhere, but I still don't want to feel afraid like I did sometimes. I wanted to move out west because I *hate* humidity with a passion, but right now I need to rebuild finances and stay close to family. I don't think any areas of Missouri are less humid than others, but I could be wrong.

Please help me if you can to decide between the Columbia area or the Springfield area. I only have a little while to plan where we will end up and any help is GREATLY appreciated!!

[northbound74]

Springfield. I mean, you pretty much described it perfectly in your list of things you want.
The best scenery is to the south or east. Housing is cheap, and sometimes rural homes with a few acres come up for rent. I've even seen landlords advertise they'll let you have a few animals on land like that. When you go to buy, there is no shortage of very affordable houses on a few acres around there. Many surrounding towns of as little as 3k people have their own Wal-Mart.
Springfield is up on a plateau and it seems slightly less humid than the surrounding area believe it or not. The difference is minimal, but often noticeable.
Versus Columbia, Springfield is going to be a bit more conservative and possibly more affordable especially in the surrounding rural areas.
The sports program at Mizzou is on a higher tier than Missouri State, so Columbia will be a bit more sports-focused.
Springfield is a bit of a sports town, but not nearly as in-your-face about it like the big-league cities of Kansas City or St. Louis. .
There are a few areas I wouldn't live in around Springfield, but it has nothing remotely like Kansas City or Memphis in terms of really bad areas.
Columbia seems nice and probably would not be a horrible choice, but going on what you posted, Springfield would be hard to beat.

[attrapereves]

Columbia doesn't really fit in some of the categories you've mentioned. It's a college town, so there is definitely a more liberal culture here. Sports, especially Mizzou sports are really big here. However, Columbia is pretty affordable, but you definitely aren't going to find a 2br for less than $400/month here.

Have you considered some of the smaller towns outside of Columbia? They might better fit your criteria.

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by movingagain2012

Hi all! I have lived in Memphis, TN, NW Arkansas, and am currently in NW Missouri (near Liberty) and my family wants me to relocate closer to them. The problem is that they are only an hour west of St. Louis along the I-70 route and everything is 30 or 40 minutes away via I-70. I like the amenities of a city to visit, but am a country girl at heart. The area there is cool to visit, but is just not 'me'. I am about 3.5 hours away from them now, and Columbia is only 1 hour while Springfield is still about the same as now (about 3.5 or a little less). I have thought about moving closer to them but I am tired of moving so much and want somewhere we can 'bloom' for awhile.

Here's what I'm looking for:
* A homeschool-friendly area (many groups and support systems)
* An area with many Christians
* Beautiful (part of the reason I was in NW AR was those cool mountains!)
* Affordable (like being able to rent a small house on a little land for around $650 or below); currently we're in a rural area that's only $385 a month for a 2 BR duplex type home but kind of far from things - it's 30 minutes from a Walmart for example.
* A more conservative area - our family leans more Republican and Independent
* I hate sports (I know!) and it seems everywhere I look around the KC area for example everyone is SOOO into sports that I just don't fit in
* Some health food stores and farmer's markets (into natural foods and living)
* Relatively safe for a single mom with two little kids
* Somewhere we could eventually find a nearby town to start a hobby farm with a vegetable garden, chickens, raise dogs, goats, etc.
* Natural doctors (chiropractors, naturopaths) available and midwives as well?

I realize this is a laundry list, but I need the expert of opinions of Missourians to help me figure out where we 'fit' best. Being from Memphis, crime is lower almost anywhere, but I still don't want to feel afraid like I did sometimes. I wanted to move out west because I *hate* humidity with a passion, but right now I need to rebuild finances and stay close to family. I don't think any areas of Missouri are less humid than others, but I could be wrong.

Please help me if you can to decide between the Columbia area or the Springfield area. I only have a little while to plan where we will end up and any help is GREATLY appreciated!!

Springfield.

[Justin Time]

Originally Posted by movingagain2012

. . . Here's what I'm looking for:
* An area with many Christians . . .* Affordable . . .* Relatively safe for a single mom with two little kids . . .* Natural doctors . . . any help is GREATLY appreciated!!

I went to a city comparison site and and one fore average humidity levels and found some data to help you decide.

Springfield would be slightly warmer, sunnier, cheaper, has better air and water quality, and more Christians.

Columbia is more affluent (higher salaries and education levels), with a lower population, lower crime ratings, smaller classroom sizes, larger school budget, a lower unemployment rate, and more than twice as many doctors (as Springfield).

Good luck & I hope this helps.

Annual averages for daily high and low relative humidity (%) --not much difference--
High Time Place Low Time
82.6 6 am Columbia 55.6 3 pm
81.9 6 am Springfield 53.1 3 pm

CLIMATE Springfield vs. Columbia
Rainfall (in.) 42 40.4
Snowfall (in.) 17.3 24
Precipitation Days 108 111
Sunny Days 210 192
Avg. July High 89 88
Avg. Jan. Low 22 19.2
Comfort Index 34 32 (higher=better)
UV Index 4.8 4.4
Elevation ft. 1,312 712

HEALTH
Air Quality (100=best) 78.6 73.6
Water Quality (100=best) 86 60
Superfund Sites (100=best) 62 99
Physicians per Cap. 330 734

HOMES
Median Home Cost $105,700 $167,200
Property Tax Rate $7.37 $9.77
This particular site didn't show rent, but this still shows which is cheaper.

COST OF LIVING
Overall 87 95
Grocery 97 95
Health 97 95
Housing 64 94
Utilities 84 91
Transportation 94 97

ECONOMY
Unemployment Rate 6.50% 4.90%
Recent Job Growth 3.55% 2.33%
Future Job Growth 40.60% 39.76%
Sales Taxes 6.85% 7.55%
Income Taxes 6.00% 6.00%
Income per Cap. $21,485 $23,062
Household Income $34,817 $42,002

PEOPLE
Population 159,498 108,500

EDUCATION
School Expend. $4,180 $5,263
Pupil/Teacher Ratio 18.3 15
High School Grads.83.21% 90.81%
4 yr College Grad. 15.59% 25.87%
Graduate Degrees 8.07% 22.26%

Percent Religious 52.16% 39.32%

CRIME
Violent Crime 6 6
Property Crime 10 5

[movingagain2012]

Hi all,

Thank you so much for the advice so far! I forgot to mention we will be looking for a small house or duplex that is not in the 'city' part with a little land. Like I said, I'm not a 'city' person so much but I do like being within driving distance (say, 20-30 minutes or so?) of them. So essentially, we are looking for a small home of some type in the country but close enough to either Columbia or Springfield for amenities. Any suggestions for areas around them?

Also, I have noticed that on the Springfield news online they are talking about sinkholes. Is this super-scary or something I should be concerned about?

Thanks!

[movingagain2012]

Originally Posted by northbound74

Springfield. I mean, you pretty much described it perfectly in your list of things you want.

Springfield is up on a plateau and it seems slightly less humid than the surrounding area believe it or not. The difference is minimal, but often noticeable.

There are a few areas I wouldn't live in around Springfield, but it has nothing remotely like Kansas City or Memphis in terms of really bad areas.

Hi Northbound74! Thank you so much for your answers on this, they really help!
I like what you said about Springfield having a slightly different feel humidity-wise, that might help me not melt
What are the areas around Springfield that you would suggest steering away from in our case if we chose Springfield? What about Columbia?

Thank you so much!

[movingagain2012]

Originally Posted by attrapereves

Columbia doesn't really fit in some of the categories you've mentioned. It's a college town, so there is definitely a more liberal culture here.

Have you considered some of the smaller towns outside of Columbia? They might better fit your criteria.

Thanks Attrapereves, that's good to know! Any suggestions on safer areas outside of Columbia?

Thanks so much!

[movingagain2012]

Originally Posted by MUTGR

Springfield.

Hi MUTGR! I like your one-word definitive answer...I am starting to believe this is the better place for us!

[movingagain2012]

Originally Posted by Justin Time

I went to a city comparison site and and one fore average humidity levels and found some data to help you decide.

Good luck & I hope this helps.

CRIME
Violent Crime 6 6
Property Crime 10 5

Hi Justin Time!

Thank you for getting that info. for me, it really helps! I keep running into those property crime stats for Springfield - should I be worried about everything being stolen? I mean, we don't have much but what little we do have I would like to be able to not worry too much about being vandalized or stolen.

Is crime REALLY terrible there property-wise? Are there any areas you would recommend or not recommend?

Thank you so much!