Should I move to Missouri? (St. Louis, Springfield: houses, college, tornado)

[mjb62676]

I would recommend the Lake of the Ozarks or Springfield areas and nowhere else. The weather isn't particularly desirable, to say the least, and there are lots of other nice areas that are just as cheap, if not cheaper.

As for tornadoes, I lived in KS and MO for 31 years and NEVER saw one.

[classactsonly]

troy is a good city. tornados seems to go around that town. I was born and raised there. But Mo. also has a high personal property tax that hits you right at christmas time. I prefered living in Illinois right over the river in Belleville, Fairview Heights area. Yes south mo. gets alot of storms and tornados. St. Charles county is also notorious for tornados.

[aragx6]

I lived in St. Charles County my whole life and don't think it has any more tornadoes than any other suburban or rural place in Missouri. It's just built up, so if one hits it can do a lot of damage.

Also, my mom always pays her personal property tax when she gets her IRS refund check- I think they charge her a small late fee, but to her it's worth it.

[stepka]

For that matter, Columbia does pretty well at not getting tornadoes. And St. Louis. But the weather is definitely getting worse, and I will always try to live in a house with a basement. I will personally attest that SE MO gets some pretty bad weather--in the summer of 2006, we hit the basement 6 times, though never actually got a tornado. Maybe I'm just getting jumpy in my old age. MO is a great state to live in and I've been to places that get worse humidity. I went to Maryland once and thought I'd die. Our worst problem is probably ticks, but we have a relatively low incidence of lyme disease.

[befigard]

I have lived here 2 years and havne't seen a tornado come within 20 miles of us. My neighbor been here all her life...and has NEVER seen a tornado come anywhere near our homes.........I guess I just got lucky when I bought this place..................now to get it sold so I can move to Oregon...to be near family for my upcoming surgeries.

[YouPacked?]

try getting some info on Lebanon, Missouri.

[ckaaron1]

I've posted many times about this area, and I think you can search my earlier postings. We have lived in the lake area for 7 years now, and there is alot to like here - and it is beautiful.

Try looking into the Osage Beach, MO and Lake Ozark, MO areas. Both are small cities, with Osage Beach being more established.

The weather is rarely severe here thanks to the terrain, the trees, and the lake. Tornadoes appreciate wide areas, which don't exist here, other than on the water itself - very rare.

It would be great to be retired out here, as most seem to be, the property tax is not too severe and helps to offset the cost of the miles and miles of lake roads. Plenty to do, especially if you like the water, or fishing - boating etc.

We lived in the route HH (Horseshoe Bend Parkway) are of Lake Ozark for 4 years and loved it, although we did find a better location (quieter), and have lived down route KK for 3 years now. We enjoy fewer tourists (and drunk tourists) on this end, and we are very near the hospital (5 minutes drive) for any incidents that might arise.

If you searched in Osage Beach, and asked about the KK area - that would put you in the best neck of the woods for what I've seen out here. I was driving home construction supply deliveries for over a year out here before I found the place - love it out here on KK!

If you wanted to visit some and check around, I would suggest Tan-Tar-A Resort (google for their website), as it's right here on KK and a beautiful place (area) to see.

At any rate, I hope this is helpful and have a happy and safe trip!

[stepka]

I found this on LiveScience | Science, Technology, Health & Environmental News

Tornado Alley---Tornadoes can occur almost anywhere in the world, but the United States is the country with the highest frequency of tornadoes. Each year there are about 1,200 tornadoes in the United States, causing about 65 fatalities and 1,500 injuries nationwide.

Twisters strike predominantly along Tornado Alley – a flat stretch of land from west Texas to North Dakota. The region is ideal for tornadoes, as dry polar air from Canada meets warm moist tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas gets hit the most, with an average of about 110 tornadoes a year. But every state in the union has recorded at least one tornado in its past. In fact, Florida has the most tornadoes per area, but they are typically weaker.

In southern states like Arkansas and Missouri, the peak of tornado season is March through May, while in the northern states, like Iowa and Illinois, more tornadoes occur in the late spring and summer.

Tornado Trivia
Some 800 tornadoes strike the United States every year. They ...

... create Earth's fastest winds, sometimes exceeding 300 mph.

... usually travel to the northeast.

... occur most frequently in the U.S. between 4 and 6 p.m.

... average 5 to 10 minutes on the ground.

... can stand still or move forward at 70 mph.

... can be up to a mile wide at ground level.

See, we're not even in Tornado Alley, and we rate #7 in frequency of tornadoes and frequency of "killer tornadoes". That said I always live in a house with a basement. I am both horrified and fascinated by them and I would love to see one, but I've lived here all of my life and haven't seen one yet, though I've been terrified by the possibility several times. I think they just add a bit of exciting spice to life and you're going to have stuff no matter where you go. If it's not tornadoes, it's earthquakes, if not EQ it's floods, no wait, MO has all those. Never mind. Hey, do check out the tornado videos on the link from above though--exciting!

[Nexxie]

When I had to move here from Ft. Lauderdale Fl. to Missouri I was terrified of tornadoes. I put a large storm shelter in accessible through my laundry room so I wouldnt have to "go outside" during any kind of storm to run for cover. Call me nuts, but I then had a concrete person come out and pour concrete all around the shelter and the ground for added security. I also bought one of the storm radios that will go off if a tornado is in the area. I sleep like a baby....
I lived through many hurricanes in Florida including Hurricane Andrew and know the devastation. (imagine holding onto a refrigerator door handle for dear life as your home is being ripped apart.) It's not really the hurricanes themselves that cause the extensive damage but the tornadoes that come from them.

[misplaced1]

Tornado's scare the heck out of me! My family used to drive me nuts because if the alarm went off I would be the only one to wake up and then I had to fight and argue to get them into the basement. One husband and two teen boys, talk about stubborn. I guess those more used to the sirens and such might be less freaked out by it all.

I've been through a total loss house fire and to see your belongings and home you thought a safe place totally destroyed is a tough thing to do, not to mention if you did have to fear for your life as in a Tornado. I was lucky in the fire, I heard it burning in the walls and attic and everyone was awake so we were all safe and got out ok.