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I am thinking about moving my family to the Grove/Grand Lake area and have some questions. I have never been to Oklahoma in my life however after some research I feel like this just might be where we would like to continue to raise our children. Is there another area around Grand Lake that anyone would recomend? Our children are 8,7, 7 months and would attend public school and daycare. My husband works in a call center setting, is there any employer like that in the area? Also what are taxes like, is there a yearly vechile tax and how much state tax is taken from pay? We are thinking about renting for atleast the first year, is there a lack of residential non lake homes for rent? Since this is a smaller area, are local people receptive to having non-OK residents move into the area? Also is most of the area church attending and close knit? I feel like I am playing 20 questions here. I am looking to make a career change, I have been photographing landscape, weather, families, and weddings off and on for years more or less as a hobby (some publications) and I would like to give up my health care career (atleast reduce to part-time or PRN) to do this, are there local photographers in the area? I am not looking for a job but to set up my own business instead. Any information would really be appreciated and pictures of the area, out of peak season, would be loved.
Richard, I have no firsthand info to give you, but a few of your questions may be answered on the site above. It'll show you the crime rate, churches, etc.
The people did seem friendly and welcoming there, but I couldn't tell you what they're like to people who actually move there. I would hope quite welcoming because there seem to be a few people from across the country who've relocated there so it should make them less "close knit" then other communities.
It's too bad you don't want to stay in the healthcare industry. It's my understanding that they just put up a new hospital there. Kurt is the only member that I can think of who presently lives in Grove.
Your post caught my attention because that is our fave spot, too so I'm curious as to answers to your other questions.
It's in a beautiful area at the foothills of the Ozarks and Grand Lake is very nice. We especially enjoyed the seabirds and all the pelicans when we were there.
I did read about the new hospital which had me thinking I might not mind remaining in that field, I also found out that they have a small mental health care office which I have most of my experience in. Are there any mountain views at all? We currently live in the blue ridge mountains and well there is a mountain out every window in my house. But I won't miss such mountainous terraine, I prefer hilly and a view of them in the distance would just be a bonus. I found a few great rentals browsing around but it is hard since I don't know the area well. Anyone have any input about storms and needing a storm shelter, I know that is silly but we don't have much bad weather in this area. We are trying to plan a trip for March so that we can check out other areas like Bernice, Langley, and Disney to make sure that is out.
We don't have bad weather here. We have fun weather. The lack of storms, thunder, lightning, tornado warnings, snow falls would be so boring I don't think I could stand it. I guess that is why we don't call it paradise.......just Oklahoma........
Yes, you'll have a view of the edge of the Ozarks around Grove. I'd say it's more "hilly" then "mountainous" though. Just beautiful green hills with beautiful autumn colors. We missed the full autumn colors and just caught a glimpse of some of them turning.
Are you familiar with the Black Hills at all? If so, I can give you a more accurate comparison if you let me know how the BH compare to the Blue Ridge Mountains. I've seen pics of your area and it's beautiful. It's just confusing because you call the Blue Ridge "mountains" and we call our Black HIlls "hills" and in reality, it's more the other way around. I guess I'll just say that the Ozarks seem to be VERY tall hills. The scenery is very nice though.
Since your husband is looking for a call center job, Tulsa would probably be a better bet for that.
Also, check out the other thread about "Grove". I think I started that just before we went there and there is a new member who lives in Grove and would be happy to answer any questions.
Yes, you'll have a view of the edge of the Ozarks around Grove. I'd say it's more "hilly" then "mountainous" though. Just beautiful green hills with beautiful autumn colors. We missed the full autumn colors and just caught a glimpse of some of them turning.
Are you familiar with the Black Hills at all? If so, I can give you a more accurate comparison if you let me know how the BH compare to the Blue Ridge Mountains. I've seen pics of your area and it's beautiful. It's just confusing because you call the Blue Ridge "mountains" and we call our Black HIlls "hills" and in reality, it's more the other way around. I guess I'll just say that the Ozarks seem to be VERY tall hills. The scenery is very nice though.
Since your husband is looking for a call center job, Tulsa would probably be a better bet for that.
Also, check out the other thread about "Grove". I think I started that just before we went there and there is a new member who lives in Grove and would be happy to answer any questions.
When I was a kid, we never referred to the Ozarks as 'mountains' but described them as hills with really deep and steep hollers. [A 'holler' is either a deep or not so deep hollow.]
My husband is not gonna do Tulsa, maybe Joplin, maybe. We are really small town people and that is why we are leaving this area, it is just gotten to large. Even the smaller areas just can't escape the BS anymore. I know there is tourism in the area and I am more then okay with that. I feel more comfortable in a area with a better hospital just in case since I have children. I did look westward like out in Wyonoka (sp?) but it kind of looks like a dessert out there. Anyone live more of a "green" life is this area. I cloth diaper my youngest, try to buy local fresh food, and recycle. I saw some pictures of Ozarks and they are gorgeous. I am not familiar with BH.
I've been in your area and know what you are used to. I live on Monkey Island (Grand Lake) near Grove. You would probably prefer Grove over Bernice (a slow place in the road). Langley has a medical clinic staffed mainly by a PA, 3-4 restaurants, fast food drive-in and a nice grocery. And I supose a school. It is even further south of Joplin. The new hospital in Grove is due to open next year, supposedly with state-of-the-art everything. Schools are very good. There are day care centers. The population swells in the summer with weekenders. The area has a lot of retirees from Dallas, Kansas City and St. Louis. The community is very friendly and nobody is an "outsider" here. I still have my cell phone number with a different area code and when I have to give it to a retailer, no one bats an eye. No yearly vehicle tax, but you will pay about $100/year (depending on year of vehicle) for your license plate. You must register your vehicle(s) within 30 days of becoming employed. State income tax is 5.5% plus there is a local tax, bringing the rate up to about 8.5%. Finding a rental really should be no problem in Grove. There is one professional photographer in Grove that I know of. The month of March will be very windy in Oklahoma. We moved here last May from central Oklahoma (after 30 years). A tornado shelter was high on our list of priorities. However, after having lived in Oklahoma 50 years I have never seen a tornado, although one did pass over the town we lived in about 25 years ago and took out several houses. There was an F5 tornado that went through Oklahoma City and Moore in 1999 (I think) which did millions of dollars of damage and took several lives. This is a very rare occurrence and the warning system in Oklahoma is fantastic. We watched that tornado on TV as it was happening. If I can answer any questions e-mail me at [email]neaton46@yahoo.com[/email]
I lived in Grove many years. It is the only progressive town on the Lake. New HS, library and Jr. College, medical building and hospital expansion. There are more hotels and restraurants in Grove than any where else on the lake. If you live in Bernice your kids will either go to Grove or Langley schools. Grove hospital has life-flight services, too. Air-lift patients go to Joplin (I wouldn't) or Tulsa or Fayetteville, Ark. But it is perfeectly able to transport to St. Louis. The best heart center is St. Francis in Tulsa.
Joplin has 3 colleges, 1 university and a whole bunch of national stores, mall, strip malls, food and theater. If you want to get away for upscale dining or shopping you go to Tulsa. Any one who believes the area from OKC to Springfield, MO is not tornado alley hasn't lived through them. I did. If Grove is ever kissed by a tornado it will be on the extreme north side. There has never been tornado on the south side -especially if you live in the county south of Honey Creek bridge and, say, Lake Road #4. I lived on the lake on #6, saw horrific storms and flooding, but there was no tornado near there. If you are a sailor Grand Lake has a wonderful sailing club.
Grove has a pretty good school. The parents are involved, there is plenty of activity. And there is plenty of lake activity too. Taxes are reasonable - espeically in the county - rentals and home sales ae still moderately priced.
Grove is in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. You don't see the mountains. You see some pretty good size hills. If you really want to see and experience mountains, the Boston mountians are south of Fayettevill, Arkansas. There is a back road through the mountains that is as hair raising as any mountain pass I ever drove thorugh. but its beautiful in the spring when the dogwoods are in bloom. It made me think I was on the top of the Rockies.
I would guess the only call center would be 911 or emergency services. There is a pre-K, private Christian K=6, and there is a very good nursery school. The economy is rotten all over including Grove. You should have a job before you move or enough money to tough it out for a couple of years. Car license plates are purchased at the local Tag office. Cost is calculated on the year your car was manufactured. It can be pricey at first, but the cost goes down considerably. My old classic chevy plates were $15. MO is cheaper, but you don't want to live there with kids unless you live in St. Louis because the hospitals suck. There is not other way to explain why it took 10 doctors and 9 months to finally culture for MRSA. None!!!
Grove is a bautiful area, but with kids, you really do not want to be too far removed from the hospital. You need to undestand at the first sign of a snowflake, schools are either closed, or they let out early. Some of the national stores in Grove are Lowes, Arbys, 24-hr Walmart, McDonald's, Taco Bell/KFC, Subway, Blockbuster video, Pizza Hut, Braum's Ice cream (yummy), 3 pharmacies (one is drive-thru) new movie theater, bowling, golf, camping and hiking, and locals like Capt. John's Catfish and Tomcat Corner BBQ (yummy), Best Western Motel and more, such as the Japanese Gardens and the world's largest antique museum - a re-created turn of the 20th century town on the banks of Grand Lake. It;s a few miles out of Grove. There is a hot rod musuem in the area, too.
Grand Lake is approximately 60 miles long. When the backwater is factored in, it takes about 4 hours to drive around the Grand lake.
All things considered, Grove is as good a place to raise kids as anywhere else, and better than some. There is an awesome Cardiologist (mine) and pediatrician in Grove in the new doctors building.
The worst I can say about Grove is summer bugs (hire a exterminator) and summer traffic. Once you learn how to move around Grove, you will not see 95% of it - unless you are on a main road. On weekends you learn to shop early morning or after 9pm. About bugs. Treat the year, the house and pets FOUR times yearly. Treat for chiggers, ticks, fleas, wasps, spiders, Neither you or your kids will be bothered in your house or in your yard. It is the best investment you can make. I tried to do it myself, spent a fortune and still had bugs. It did not work because an unlicensed person cannot buy the chemicals necessary to rid the house and yard of pests.
There's a big chevy dealer and four banks (I regularly banked at two), homemade candy store, lumber store, a couple of hardware stores, and a tool rental, lawn mower repair, new post office, ball fields, and 4 strip shopping malls. The BIG malls are in Tulsa and Sprinfield, MO. The mid size mall is in Joplin and Fayetteville, Ark. Eureka Springs is north of Fayetteville buiilt into the saide of the mountains like the Swiss Alps. War Eagle Mill is in the forest bed at the foot of the mountains - north of Fayetteville. The owners grind grist into flour daily. It's a neat place to visit.
Grove and the surrounding area has a lot of Civil War history, too. Grove sprawls; it's a peninsula.. So regardless of how crowded it sounds, it is not. It is accessed by three bridges and surrounded by trees and countryside. Do not get too far out if you do not want your kids riding on a school bus for two hours every day. And there are several small casinos in the area if your are inclined to go, but there are lake cruises too.
Grove is a little bit of ccountry and a little bit of city (not much). It has some awesome views of the lake from the bluffs. The white pelicans visit in the fall for about 6 weeks to feed on shad before they continue to Mexico. Grove is in the Canadian - Mexico flyway. Grove is what you make of it. I enjoyed it enough I lived there twice and I am still homesick at times..
My family and I are planning on moving to the Grove area. My husband was there this past March and LOVES it!! He loves to fish.Do you know what the best location (town) for fishing. He lives to fish for anything, but we like Walleye and Northern?My husband was hurt at his job and is now disabled with a spine injury, has a stent in his main artery of his heart and diabetes.... we're falling apart and he is only 49.We have a 13 year old girl that LOVES her school here in Iowa, but the winters are too much for my husband's health condition. We are forced to sell our home, vehicles, furniture... actually EVERYTHING due to the loss of his income of not able to work for 4 1/2 years.We are starting off fresh and want to be on or very near the lakes. We love small town living. Have been looking online and don't want to live in an old and drafty trailer surrounded by drug addicts and sex offenders.Any information anyone can provide me with employment for me would be greatly appreciate! I know the economy is bad, but I do have some skills. I have worked at The University of Iowa Hospitals for over 10 years as clerical and secretarial work as well as working in a new bank branch prior to that.Any ideas?
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