SoCal to Missouri (Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield: house, neighborhood, construction)

[maknithpn]

Don't forget Kimberling City near Branson and on Table Rock Lake.

[INeedWater]

Originally Posted by maknithpn

Don't forget Kimberling City near Branson and on Table Rock Lake.

Do you know this area well? We are looking at Kimberling City pretty closely online, but of course it's hard to tell the feel of an area online. It looks like it's pretty accessible to Wal-Mart in Branson West and and SDC, etc.

Any other comments on this area?

Thanks!

[Lake Junkie]

You may have already found some of these sites, but just in case:

Kimberling City, Missouri - kimberlingcity.com

Table Rock Lake - Our Lake is Your Lake - Table Rock Lake Missouri

Missouri's Hwy-13.com for Kimberling City and Table Rock Lake

...and of course a great place to look...Kimberling City, Missouri (MO) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

When you look at some of the stats...you need to know that they are for WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS only! Looking at county-wide stats will give you a better glimpse of the area:

Stone County, Missouri detailed profile - houses, real estate, agriculture, wages, work, ancestries, and more

Anyway, hope that helps.

[skeating]

INeedWater; your i.d. indicates you want to live by water, is this correct? Are you retired or will you be working daily in the area? Do you want waterfront property, lakeview or just want to be near water?

Before giving you info for the area the answer to these questions will help in giving you the right response for locality.

[mrschilicook]

I know where you live but it's been a few years since I was there.

This area is very different but beautiful in it's own way. It's not a foodie area like many of the areas around/in bigger cities like Rancho C. But there are lots of restaurants...some great, some not so great. The downtown area of Springfield is being rehabbed (lofts, antique stores, restaurants, clubs, etc) and has some great new restaurants (Nonna's Italian for example).

Spgfld. is a sprawling city about the same size as Rancho C. but was built around the railroad so it's history is very different.

If I remember correctly Rancho C. is/was a pretty affluent area.in general. Springfield is a less diverse city with a wide range of income levels. It's not considered an city of affluence but there are certainly areas that are affluent.

There is shopping but not high end like Nordstorms, Neiman Marcus, Bloomies, etc. They have the basics...Macy's (using a lower cost model), Dillards, Sears, and Penny's plus many of the normal mall stores in often a smaller scale shop (Sephora, Victoria's Secret, etc.). But if you have the craving for high end shopping there is the occasional trip to St. Louis or Kansas City.

You may find that you will like the southern part of the city (Springfield) better as it's newer and lots of new restaurants are opening up. But if you should really come look before you make up your mind as to what it is or isn't. Some people love it here, some don't as you can tell by the postings.

Where one lives is often what one makes of it.

[Tnim]

We are from San Diego (carlsbad) and moved here 3 years ago. We love it. We have young children and live in NIxa. Great schools, great community! Highly recommend this area.

[midlakes]

I've read some very good responses here. We moved from the Central Coast to Branson area 4 years ago. Originally from Covina-San Dimas area. I know Cucamonga very well. It took about 18 months to feel settled in here because it doesn't have that widespread "cosmopolitan" air like California. Right from the start, though, we all felt very welcome and excited to experience the open spaces between towns. I agree that Nixa is a lovely growing little town for families. It's about 20 minutes into Springfield. I don't care for Springfield much, but I do like it more rural (Central Coast). If I do go to Springfield, it's fun once in awhile, like going to the "Big City" for shopping. You definitely won't miss the SMOG, but the humidity takes getting used to. I'd rather drive to Springfield than live too close. There's hardly any traffic from Branson area 60 miles to Springfield, so you'd appreciate commuting if necessary. This place is growing at a very nice pace, and I think most amenities you're used to are on their way to this area. Get into the housing while it's still great. We have large house on several acres, yet within 15 miles of all I need. Coming from Cali, I would not want to be any further north than Branson/Nixa area!!

[mommybet]

Springfield/Branson ... Great area for music, fishing, outdoors etc... I'm from SF ori and miss the artsy/theatre/cultural type of activities... Most people here don't commute and complain about the traffic...lol... Nothing compared to California, north and south... Laid back ... Experience the seasons without being too drastic... Lots of construction going on... Unbelievable home prices can't even compare with California... If you enjoy playing "Tourist" great area... I agree with the posting that Ozark (Suburb of Springfield) is close to "All"... Welcome to "Home"...

[Cali BassMan]

Originally Posted by Mfamilyof5

I really like the city i live in because of how much stuff they have here. There is an awesome mall and every restaurant you can ever want to eat at. Lots of shopping and what i like most about it is how clean it looks. So I am looking for some place that looks the same. .

Mfamily,
As a fellow Californian, please allow me to play Devil's Advocate. After reading your post, I really don't think your going to find what your looking for in SW Missouri. The big city is Springfield, and from a cali point of view it's not all that. There is a mall and alot of restraunts but nothing compared to what your use to, To a city person rural missouri might not look clean, with gravel roads and farm equipment all around.
Before making a move of this magnitude you MUST spend some time in the area, to see if it's really what you want....
Alot of folks have made the move only to regret it, and then really struggle to figure out away back......
Me, I love the place, but I shop at Walmart not the mall..........

[Fedora]

I would assume you have long since made your way wherever you were going. However, having spent nearly 20 years in SoCal (Oceanside) with in-laws in Claremont, yes --- I am familiar with Rancho C! I've spent the last 8 months in Springfield, MO, as I'm now living/working full-time in my RV and my son and his family live in St. Louis and I have a friend in Springfield.

Springfield is lovely --- it's a very nice place with great people. The Southern hospitality is wonderful and there's so much of historic value here. I grew up in Michigan, but never spent any time in Missouri. I must say this has surpassed my expectations.

Would love to learn where you ended up.