Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Missouri
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Thread summary:

Mexican family moving out of Los Angeles to location in Midwest, seeking advice on areas to relocate, enjoy fishing, outdoors, wanting to move away from illegal Mexicans

Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 08-23-2008, 08:22 AM
 
Location: Missouri
3,645 posts, read 4,924,773 times
Reputation: 768

Advertisements

OK, I am finishing up a job here in Tehran for my wife's father. I am returning to our home in the LA, CA area the first part of September this year. My wife's father is buying our home and I am wanting to move my family out of CA. My wife says she would like to move to the midwest and not the northern parts because we have bothe decided that we would rather not have to deal with lots of ice and snow. We are looking at the state of Arkansas and Missouri as places to move. Neither one of us has that much knowledge about either state, but I am and have been researching, as has my wife. I have to tell all of you that I am of mexican descent, though not from illegals. We are moving to get away from the illegals and the destructiveness of their invasion, so we really don't want to live where there are illegals that are noticeable, if you get my drift. we want to be around Americans, no matter their race or ethnicity, just plain Americans. I love to fish and was kind of looking at the southwest area of your state because of the lakes and such. How is that area? We would probably rent for a while until we would finally decide on a place to buy, maybe something with a couple of acres for our kids to enjoy, just not sure is all. We are also looking into the northwest area of Arkansas for the same reasons, fishing and the rural living they can provide. I hope that some of you can direct me in the right direction.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-23-2008, 06:38 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
2,142 posts, read 4,449,437 times
Reputation: 1581
Missouri has probably taken a harder stance toward illegal immigration than nearly any other state, so my only slight concern would be that you would maybe occasionally encounter someone who takes a look at you and thinks, Oh lovely, another illegal. As soon as they get to know you a little, they'll know you're absolutely legal, law-abiding, are conversant in English, and desire to obtain a better life for you, your wife and family.

Springfield, Missouri is reputed to have the most changeable weather of any major city in the United States. In that regard it couldn't be more different than the weather along the southern CA coast, you know, "Areas of morning low clouds and fog, then sunny" for like 200 consecutive days! The Springfield area had a nasty ice storm two winters ago, but in more normal years you have a little snow in the winter and the temperatures usually stay above 15 degrees, with highs in the upper 30s and low 40s. Four very distinct seasons.

Do spend time looking through the Springfield-Branson forum threads here! I think you and your family are going to be very happy with southwest Missouri. I don't know as much about northwest Arkansas except it too should be quite scenic. In both places, you don't make as much money, but the cost of living just clobbers almost anywhere in California. I think you're going to find most of the people friendly and down-to-earth too. Please let us know how it goes, and how else we can specifically assist you!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-23-2008, 07:48 PM
 
Location: SW MO
1,238 posts, read 4,469,458 times
Reputation: 1020
I'm a bit confused-you are of Hispanic descent, yet don't want to live around Hispanics? Or just illegal ones? SW MO and NW Arkansas both have a fairly large population of Hispanics because of the large chicken and turkey production industries. Carthage is probably 20% Hispanics-Mexican, Guatamalan, El Salvadoran,etc. Many are hired by Butterball. I'm sure that some are illegal, but who knows how many? I suspect that anywhere there are Hispanic populations, there will be illegals.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-23-2008, 08:44 PM
 
Location: SW Missouri
15,852 posts, read 35,120,143 times
Reputation: 22695
Quote:
Originally Posted by northbayeric View Post
Missouri has probably taken a harder stance toward illegal immigration than nearly any other state, so my only slight concern would be that you would maybe occasionally encounter someone who takes a look at you and thinks, Oh lovely, another illegal. As soon as they get to know you a little, they'll know you're absolutely legal, law-abiding, are conversant in English, and desire to obtain a better life for you, your wife and family.

Springfield, Missouri is reputed to have the most changeable weather of any major city in the United States. In that regard it couldn't be more different than the weather along the southern CA coast, you know, "Areas of morning low clouds and fog, then sunny" for like 200 consecutive days! The Springfield area had a nasty ice storm two winters ago, but in more normal years you have a little snow in the winter and the temperatures usually stay above 15 degrees, with highs in the upper 30s and low 40s. Four very distinct seasons.

Do spend time looking through the Springfield-Branson forum threads here! I think you and your family are going to be very happy with southwest Missouri. I don't know as much about northwest Arkansas except it too should be quite scenic. In both places, you don't make as much money, but the cost of living just clobbers almost anywhere in California. I think you're going to find most of the people friendly and down-to-earth too. Please let us know how it goes, and how else we can specifically assist you!
Don't forget the NASTY tornado that tore through the area on Super Tuesday this year (February 5 - 6). Amazing that we would have a storm like that so early in the year.

Missouri has it's fair share of severe weather, but who doesn't??? If you have never lived here before, I suggest that you spend some time here during the first couple of weeks of January (usually when we have the ice storm), and the middle of July when it is in the 90s with 90 percent humidity. Make sure you get some chigger bites while you're here and at least a couple of ticks. If you are still wanting to move here after that you will be most welcome!

20yrsinBranson
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-24-2008, 03:18 PM
 
Location: Missouri
3,645 posts, read 4,924,773 times
Reputation: 768
Quote:
Originally Posted by firebll31 View Post
I'm a bit confused-you are of Hispanic descent, yet don't want to live around Hispanics? Or just illegal ones? SW MO and NW Arkansas both have a fairly large population of Hispanics because of the large chicken and turkey production industries. Carthage is probably 20% Hispanics-Mexican, Guatamalan, El Salvadoran,etc. Many are hired by Butterball. I'm sure that some are illegal, but who knows how many? I suspect that anywhere there are Hispanic populations, there will be illegals.
First off, Hispanic is not a race so people are not descended from Hispanics.

I didn't mean anything about legal Latinos at all. I am just sick of illegal;s and the majority of them happen to be from latin American countries.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-24-2008, 08:04 PM
 
Location: SW MO
1,238 posts, read 4,469,458 times
Reputation: 1020
If you like the out-of-doors sports, SW MO and NW Arkansas will be great for you. Hunting, fishing, hiking, floating, biking, water sports, we have it all. The Mark Twain National Forest has lots of good trails. And if you crave a little more cultured entertainment, Tulsa, and Kansas City are not too far away. Do you have any job-specific needs? We have a low cost of living, but that also means somewhat low wages. The scenery is beautiful, lots of green areas. Clean air, and nice people. The one thing it really lacks is ocean-but that's what vacation is for!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-24-2008, 09:14 PM
 
Location: SW MO
1,640 posts, read 3,653,278 times
Reputation: 1081
Hi, APJ!

I think if I were to give you advice, it would be to not live in an area with a high population of Latinos since it might be more likely to find prejudice and sensitivity in the local population. As someone who moved here from CA and was sick of the whole illegal immigrant situation, I can sympathize with you. I am not a Latina but both of us have a slew of them in our families and tons of Latino friends so we are not prejudiced to them.

By the way, I attend church in Nixa and we have headsets for those who would like to hear the message translated into Spanish. We're pretty new there so I'm not sure what else we have but I thought I'd mention that there are other English-speaking Latinos that attend, since I assume you fall into that category. They are an integral part of the church and ministry and I don't think they experience any different treatment than others. By the way, so many people are moving to this area from CA and other places that it seems to be more open to "outsiders" than some of the smaller towns might be. I have never heard a negative word about us not being from MO, either.

I think the weather here is a wonderful balance. We get less severe winters than up north and shorter summers than down south. We do seem to get more ice but most of our weather comes and goes so quickly that it isn't as much of an inconvenience as you might think. We do get the four seasons, which we love, and we do get to see the fall foliage and new spring growth that go along with those seasons.

We moved from southern CA just two years ago and although we've been through some difficult times here, we have never regretted leaving or considered moving back. By the way, I think renting is a great idea! You never really know an area as well as when you live there...and trying to move to an ideal city/town/neighborhood without living or visiting there first is like a crapshoot. Our son and his family moved to CO in June and even though he has been in real estate for years, they decided to rent first, for the same reasons.

I hope that helps!

MrsG
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-25-2008, 10:29 AM
 
Location: Missouri
6,044 posts, read 24,085,436 times
Reputation: 5183
Arkansas and Missouri are both beautiful states, and I have found there is a fair amount of people living here who came from California, so you will not be alone. If you are not looking at living in the city (St. Louis, Kansas City, etc.) be prepared for almost no cultural diversity - it will be very different than what you are used to. I have only been here for a year, but nice towns that stick in my mind are El Dorado Springs (one of my favorite towns in MO - has the cutest town square, and an old opera house that has been turned into a movie theater), and Stockton (which is right on a lake).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-25-2008, 02:14 PM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,771 posts, read 104,672,365 times
Reputation: 49248
One thing you may want to think about: when we were trying to decide between NWA and places like Neosho, MO we were advised by people from Neosho we would be happier in NWA because so many are from other parts of the country. The smaller towns in SoWest Mo are still pretty much occupied by people who have lived in the area most of their lives (I am referring to the smaller towns, which is most of the area) thus being totally acccepted regardless of your nationality might not be as easy as in NWA. Just my thoughts. On the other hand I have always felt (certainly in the past 10 years or so) people are more accepting of others, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or any other group. I am generalizing now, but to me, if one wants to be accepted it is important to accept the customs and life style of those who already live in an area and not expect people to always fit into the life style you are leaving. Too many people want to change their new enviorment into what they have left...often I think they do this unknowingly.

Nita
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-25-2008, 08:51 PM
 
Location: Southeast Missouri
5,812 posts, read 18,823,233 times
Reputation: 3385
As far as getting away from illegals, I wouldn't move to Northwest Arkansas (just word of mouth).

The Springfield area is just beautiful. Springfield is a fairly big city (about 100k). And there are a lot of nice lakes around there. It sounds just fine. If you want a smaller town there are some in the area. Lake of the Ozarks is a nice retreat with some resorts there. It's probably a nice area to live.

What size of city are you looking for? St. Louis area may get 20 inches of snow in winter. Southern Missouri usually gets a bit less.

Hope that helps.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Missouri

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top