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I am in the process of deciding where to live in MO and want to stay out of the Tornado Alley so we chose the Ozarks and are thinking about Camdenton. I have two young children so school districts are very important to me and I will need to either find employment or be in a location that will provide ample opportunity for a start up business.
What are your recommendations for areas to investigate further and your reason why you think it is the best place for a family to live?
Thanks and have a great day,
BG
I currently live in tornado alley & just left the Springfield, Mo area from a weekend trip. All I can say is that I wanted to pack up & move there as soon as I returned to TX & I love TX. Missouri is truely Gods country & my grandkids had a blast with all of the activities. May I add that Tiny's BBQ beat all TX has ever offered me. Pack now & go...you won't regret it. Jobs are a dime a dozen.
Hi...we moved from the SF Bay Area about a year ago. If your looking for a slower pace, lower cost of living, and rural settings this is a very nice area.
We had been coming out here for several years and liked the area but wasn't so sure about the rural enviroment. It's also part of the bible belt and we weren't sure about that. Our biggest worries were about giving up "city" stuff....like Costco, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Nordstroms, Williams-Sonoma, and other types of conveniences. However, after being here, those worries were replaced with new discoveries...like boating on the lake & games at Hammond Field where the Springfield Cardinals play during the season.
Jobs, like anywhere, depend on what you do, but because the Springfield/Branson area has WAY less people than either So Cal or No Cal there are less choices.
The areas are growing quite a bit. We ended up in a small village between Branson and Springfield and we love it. 15-20 minutes to Springfield, about the same to Branson. We get the best of the country and are still close to the city.
Tornadoes? Yep I worried about them too. But your actually more likely to be impacted by an earthquake in CA than be hit by a tornado in this area. They can have them but it's not like Oklahoma City where you WILL have one.
We've been coming here for about 20 years and haven't seen one yet although we did see the result of one in Nixa several years ago.
Having said all of this, we also lived in St. Louis several years ago. If you really want big city someplace near St. Louis would probably work for you. There are lots of small towns in the area which are nice yet close to city...Festus, Eureka, Pacific, Fenton, Washington, Union, etc...are close enough to still enjoy the city yet far enough away to get into the "county".
Hi all...I'm new to this and I was just reading through all of the posts on here. I noticed very little has been posted about Central Missouri and I would like to throw out some information about this area...just in case anyone might be interested.
I have lived in several areas in Central Missouri and I work in and out of 10 counties in the area. It's a beautiful place to live and a nice place to raise a family. I know that sounds cheesy but it's true. The weather, like someone else mentioned, has all 4 seasons, the humidity is sometimes a bit unbearable but all in all it's not that bad.
As for small town living, I'm all for it. I live in a town west of Jefferson City called California, population 4005 and I wouldn't trade it. We don't have a Wal-Mart here and we don't have bigname grocery stores, but what we do have is the "small town" America personalities. When you go to the local cafe for dinner, you're not walking into a room full of strangers...nearly everyone will take the time to at least say hello! When you drive through town, people wave, not because it's the nice thing to do, but because they know you! And, when you attend school functions, you sit with the parents of the kid your child spends the night with on weekends!
I moved to this town in 1995 when I married a man from here. At the time, he was the only person I knew....since, we've divorced and I opted to stay because I had built so many friendships and relationships, I couldn't see living anywhere else.
The school is wonderful...it's not so large that you feel out of touch but it's not so small that you fear your child isn't getting a good education.
Jefferson City is only a 25 min. drive, Lake of the Ozarks is only a 40 min. drive and Columbia is about 45 min. away...so you have all of the "big city" amenities at your fingertips, but you get the quality and serenity of small town living...where you know if you forget to lock the front door when you go bed...there's nothing to worry about!
For those of you wondering about tornado's in the Ozarks... here is a National Weather Service report on the lastest outbreak - has some very detailed maps of counties also
I am in the process of deciding where to live in MO and want to stay out of the Tornado Alley so we chose the Ozarks and are thinking about Camdenton. I have two young children so school districts are very important to me and I will need to either find employment or be in a location that will provide ample opportunity for a start up business.
What are your recommendations for areas to investigate further and your reason why you think it is the best place for a family to live?
Thanks and have a great day,
BG
We moved to Ridgedale, Mo a couple years ago. We love it here. It is about 10 miles so. of Branson, about 6 miles S. of Hollister. Wonderful schools here, good teachers, smaller classroom sizes and newer construction. NO GANGS!! At least not yet, one never knows.
The Branson area is growing like a wildfire! There are ample opportinities for anyone who wants to work, and if you have what it takes to start your own businsess, the field is wide open. In a few years, there will be a new airport going in south of Branson, and that will also open up some career, business opportunities.
The Branson area is a bit congested during summer tourist peaks, but locals find ways around that are not known to the visitors. Those tourist bring millions of dollars into the area, and many business opportunities as well. Many of the areas in the Ozarks do not have good paying jobs, it is the tourisn that brings the abundance of jobs, and a living wage. I would strongly encourage you to think about making a living, and do some studying on it before you make any long term commitments.
Wow....if your situation doesn't sound like mine! I am also in California. (Northern) And I will be relocating to Missouri in May. My major gripe about CA is the cost of living! It's off the charts! That's the only reason why I am moving. It is beautiful in CA. But I just can't justify the beauty as a reason to stay here.
I digress.
I am looking for small town living so I don't mind if I need to drive 30 mins or so to a more populated area. In South central MO the towns are small which I think is a nice change to the rat race of CA.
I have done quite a bit of online searching for different areas. I have heard wonderful things about the Pulaski county area. Which is Waynesville, Crocker, Richland, Devil's Elbow, St. Robert...and a few others. (which is also the area where Ft. Leonard Wood is located) It's very scenic and there is a lot of outdoor activities. I do ATV'ing as a hobby and there are many places to do that in MO.
If you do an online search about a particular town using Wikipedia it will give you a general idea of the areas with various info. Also, each town/county has a travel/tourism center that could send you information. If you have AAA, that is another source of information.
Good luck to you!
Back in the early 70's I lived in the Richland Waynesville area... back then it was a booming place but it's no longer that way... it is a beaufiful place with lots of new and nearly new homes but that's due to retiring army people that wished to settle there. If you're retiring then it's a great place but if you're going to be looking for work then forget it. I still have friends living there and it's a very poor place to make a living unless you wish to work at the Ft. and that can also be a problem because we're always hearing rumors of the government shutting the Ft. down.
Another thing we experience was the local people are a close knit group... they don't mind you living there but they will fight hook and nail to keep you from having any say in how the schools or churches are run...
Another thing we experience was the local people are a close knit group... they don't mind you living there but they will fight hook and nail to keep you from having any say in how the schools or churches are run...
That has been my experience in virtually every small town I have lived in. On the one hand, I can't blame them, but it is frustrating when you know that a few small changes could make everything so much better.
I am originally from Missouri and think it is a really pretty state, especially from I-44 south to Arkansas. I wouldn't mind moving back there but, aside from minimum wage jobs in the tourism industry, there are not many employment opportunities unless you work in the medical field.
Location: Currently:Cleveland...can't wait to be back in Missouri! :)
24 posts, read 187,876 times
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Originally Posted by pmtow
I still have friends living there and it's a very poor place to make a living unless you wish to work at the Ft. and that can also be a problem because we're always hearing rumors of the government shutting the Ft. down.
Another thing we experience was the local people are a close knit group... they don't mind you living there but they will fight hook and nail to keep you from having any say in how the schools or churches are run...
(I am citybythebay....I couldn't retreive my old password, so I re-registered.)
Just recently I was reminded of this thread/website and the link in the email brought me back to this thread...anyhoo...I am sad to report that I ended up moving to Missouri from California but now just as of a couple weeks back I ended up moving back to my hometown Cleveland, Ohio (UGH)....and I realize now I really do miss Missouri....(it's weird how I was directed back to this website...things happen for a reason in my book)...it was/is a very helpful website...and now that I know more about Missouri and different areas it helps to read this again.... I have a very funny feeling that I will be moving back to Missouri in the near future.
The main reason I did move back to Cleveland was due to lack of jobs in MO...but I was living in Rolla (College town) and jobs are very scarce.
And the adjacent towns (St.James, St. Roberts, Waynesville, Dixon...and others tucked in there) have few jobs that pay over minimum wage and I found it difficult to break the job code.
I will do further research on other areas in MO and see what I can come up with.
As far as the people being "tight knit" in MO...I'll agree 100% with that statement...to a certain extent I don't blame them...but there has to be a give and take with some things....just my opinion on that. I respect their reasons and for the most part received the same in return.
It's still an absolutely beautiful part of this country...I got to see so many beautiful places in the Ozarks...and I have found that I really miss the rural lifestyle. Cleveland is too much hustle and bustle not to mention it's too damn cold here!...and that lake effect snow is for the birds...no pun intended!..=)
I digress...I'm just glad I was directed back to this website....thanks for reading! =)
Springfield is the only larger town but I want to be more on the East side of MO rather on the West side. Less tornadoes. By the way, you mentioned tornado alley....where is that?[/quote]
I have lived in the Kansas/Missouri area ALL MY LIFE and believe you me...you have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!!! You are not going to have to worry about a tornado around the Springfield area; especially if you have a house in a hilly area. Tornado's in air? Possibly, but highly unlikely, and you would never know it because it would be literally thousands of feet above you and may not even make the news.
I am from the Ottawa, Olathe, Spring Hill, Kansas City area and have visited and know people in the Branson, Springfield area and you are PERFECTLY SAFE there! Geeeeeeesh!
Go buy a place between Branson and Springfield. There are CHEAP home around. There are MANY places to go "outside the tourists" and you can be close to SHOPPING.
You have been in Florida too long! Go GET A LIFE IN MISSOURI AND LOVE IT!
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CA to Ozarks
There are many wonderful places in Missouri
Consider the Branson/Hollister area
