We're going to Missouri (Kansas City, St. Louis: house, earthquake, taxes)

[l1corinth13]

My husband wanted me to ask you guys about the Perryville area.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by l1corinth13

GraniteStater what area are you referring to that it freezes regularly?

The Northwoods (UP of Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and northern Minnesota) mostly have high temperatures below freezing throughout a large part of the winter. That means the snow stays on the ground and doesn't melt off. Therefore, you can enjoy plenty of winter outdoor recreation on trails without dealing with muddy sloppy conditions that are common in the South.

[Floorist]

Originally Posted by l1corinth13

Tyrryztoll

Thanks for all that info. Yes my husband noticed that as well to go from a very high paying wage to taking a pay cut would be a sacrifice. We have a large family but preparing for a move is really teaching us to budget and look at our wants versus our needs.

We are on the coast, so very used to hurricanes and storms.

Gun laws and Homeschool regulations were two of our biggest deciding factors in relocation so Missouri suits those just fine.

Region wise, I want close proximity to the woods and am not really interested in flat plains we see enough of that here in Texas My husband, only has a preference in that he would like enough acreage to get his deer stamps and shoot his guns without disturbing neighbors.

Yes wages are lower in Missouri. But it costs much less to live here. Groceries, utilities, houses, are all cheaper. We just bought a nice older 2 br home, with all real hardwood floors for $40,000. Ready to move in. Large rooms, quiet neighborhood, attached garage on an acre in town.

[l1corinth13]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

The Northwoods (UP of Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and northern Minnesota) mostly have high temperatures below freezing throughout a large part of the winter. That means the snow stays on the ground and doesn't melt off. Therefore, you can enjoy plenty of winter outdoor recreation on trails without dealing with muddy sloppy conditions that are common in the South.

We plan on heading that way on our road trip, I saw a couple ski resorts and my husband wanted to take the kiddos.

[l1corinth13]

Originally Posted by Floorist

Yes wages are lower in Missouri. But it costs much less to live here. Groceries, utilities, houses, are all cheaper. We just bought a nice older 2 br home, with all real hardwood floors for $40,000. Ready to move in. Large rooms, quiet neighborhood, attached garage on an acre in town.

That sounds awesome. I expect we will see that when we visit, My husband wants to check out the grocery stores and local places. I am considering contacting a realtor to see what kind of properties we could be looking at but that may be premature because the actual move will not be until this time next year.

[Wytchcat]

Originally Posted by l1corinth13

Wythchat how are you doing with your diagnosis? Can you heal from those tick borne diseases? I hate ticks they give me the heebie jeebies we get them A LOT out here on our property and I worry about my kids getting sick. I suspect my husband contracted lyme one year because he got the bullseye rash after getting bit. He didn't get treatment though just shot himself up with cow penicillin. It was a very strange to me for him to do lol and I don't know if it helped. If the kids or I get sick we will seek medical treatment from a professional.

I was in and out of regular doctor visits for an unrelated health issue but had odd off season flu symptoms so requested a tick panel (blood tests) as part of one visit.

As such, I was lucky to catch it early and it responded to a round of antibiotics. I'm lucky, in that I haven't taken antibiotics over the previous 20 yrs so I get good efficacy from them.

I have indoor/outdoor pets so ticks are a DAILY thing here pretty much year round. Tick checks of pets and people are a morning/evening ritual. You don't necessarily get the bullseye for the non Lymes diseases, so if you encounter a bite watch it and then watch for flu symptoms with in 3-10 days.

On acreage, keep grass/brush and low branches cut back, get guineas (loud but SOOO much fun to watch) and other fowl (ducks like em too... and great eggs for baking) and keep pets topical treatments up to date.

Don't live in fear.. just live aware and you'll be fine.

[Roselvr]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

Visiting in December might be a bit iffy weather-wise. If you aren't into big cities you might check out smaller ones like Rolla or maybe the Lake Ozark area. Jefferson City and Columbia might be worthwhile as well, and they're bigger so there'll be more jobs.

And of course there's Springfield and Joplin which are middling-sized cities by Missouri standards.

Originally Posted by Wytchcat

Jobs are a real issue in the more rural areas.

Yes you can get an wage slave job (Casey's, Dollar General, etc) but if you need to support a mortgage of some type you may need to consider some of the larger towns/cities for a commute.

Don't discount West Plains or Rolla in that list.

Ticks.. UGH.. don't start me. I tested positive for Erlichiosis and Rocky Mtn Spotted this summer. DEET works for hiking camping, if living on acreage get guineas ASAP.

Coming from Texas shouldn't be a huge shock for your system but you will be surprised at the lack of diversity in rural areas. Just something to consider. Most else should be right in line.

What's Rolla like? My grandfathers 3 brothers went there from Hungary in the late 1800's.

[l1corinth13]

Originally Posted by Wytchcat

I was in and out of regular doctor visits for an unrelated health issue but had odd off season flu symptoms so requested a tick panel (blood tests) as part of one visit.

As such, I was lucky to catch it early and it responded to a round of antibiotics. I'm lucky, in that I haven't taken antibiotics over the previous 20 yrs so I get good efficacy from them.

I have indoor/outdoor pets so ticks are a DAILY thing here pretty much year round. Tick checks of pets and people are a morning/evening ritual. You don't necessarily get the bullseye for the non Lymes diseases, so if you encounter a bite watch it and then watch for flu symptoms with in 3-10 days.

On acreage, keep grass/brush and low branches cut back, get guineas (loud but SOOO much fun to watch) and other fowl (ducks like em too... and great eggs for baking) and keep pets topical treatments up to date.

Don't live in fear.. just live aware and you'll be fine.

Thank you for the advice, yes we absolutely LOVE guineas we have guineas and peafowl on our property right now. both are VERY loud but we like our yard birds.

I don't take antibiotics either so if I needed something for a serious issue they should be effective for my family. I wish they were not such a big problem there, I am okay with snakes, spiders, etc but ugh just something about ticks freaks me out.

[l1corinth13]

Originally Posted by Roselvr

What's Rolla like? My grandfathers 3 brothers went there from Hungary in the late 1800's.

I am curious to know this as well.

[OneDawg]

Well you won't have BIG quakes like in Alaska today
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2018...entral-alaska/