Springfield Bound - Your Opinions (Mexico, Nevada: cul-de-sac, fit in, power lines)

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by razzy

Springfield also has restaraunts that serve Indian food, as well as tons of Chinese and otherwise Asian restaurants, and Mexican restaurants. For a city this size, there is an abundance of restaurants to choose from. And in Branson, 40 miles south, you'll find a whole bunch more.

You can still buy a nice, if not fancy, 3 bedroom, 2 bath home around here for $100-120k.

Not bad for restaurants actually. For a nice steak dinner with a bit of a flair, I like Flame on Walnut St. downtown.
There's a good Indian restaurant on Battlefield west past Campbell...trying to think of the complete name...something "India".
There's a good drive-thru Chinese restaurant also on Battlefield , Cashew Station.
There's a good Thai restaurant in what used to be a private home at National and Walnut St.
Mexican food is trickier. Mexican Villa restaurants in my opinion are barfy. Terrible food.
The best Mexican food I've had in Springfield, and it is authentic, is Acambaro at Sunshine and S. Glenstone.

[Ozarks21]

In response to a couple of the posts above:

In the north v. south debate, is it really snobbery to expect that your neighbor not park in the yard and leave junk strewn around? I don't mean to imply that it is that way all over the north side, but if you randomly pick a house on the north side versus the south side, pride of ownership will most likely be better reflected in the south. That effects property values, and for me it was a financial decision to move south - despite the higher housing prices.

As for Acambaro being the best Mexican food in town and Mexican Villa being horrible, I agree completely. I just ate at Acambaro today (at least a couple times a month). The fajitas are the best anywhere.

I'm picky about steaks. The best is if you buy your meat at Harter House and grill it the right way yourself. That aside, Bijan's is the best food in the city, period. There are many fine places, but all are second to Bijan's.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by Ozarks21

...is it really snobbery to expect that your neighbor not park in the yard and leave junk strewn around? I don't mean to imply that it is that way all over the north side, but if you randomly pick a house on the north side versus the south side, pride of ownership will most likely be better reflected in the south. That effects property values, and for me it was a financial decision to move south - despite the higher housing prices.

In Texas we have this same divide between areas with "pride of ownership" and areas where people have junkyards instead of landscaping.

Is there a balance to be found between the two? Yes, I think so. The problem I find with a lot of the "pride of ownership" neighborhoods is that they are often enforced by CCR's and other deed restrictions, and this causes yet another problem --- conformity and lack of self-expression!

So how can we encourage people not to trash their yards without imposing rules on everyone that make a neighborhood look like a fancy prison? I cannot stand the "gated community" (which I think is an oxymoron) mentality, where people want to live with like-minded neighbors in an area with only one type of architecture, one type of landscaping, no garage doors allowed to be open, no cars on the street overnight, etc. These are proliferating and they're largely generic, very conservative, anti-creative and Republican.

I'm a radical independent who cherishes that which is strange and expressive. I don't want EITHER of the types of neighborhoods described above. I want freedom of expression, mixed architecture, mixed races, yard art, couches on front porches, and permission to park my car on the street overnight. These are, not coincidentally, the most coveted types of neighborhoods in the nation. Why? Because they are the places where creative people who RESPECT THEIR NEIGHBORS congregate and create, without imposition of top-down regulation, an area that is attractive, quirky, unique and very desirable.

So I have to ask ---- does Springfield have anything other than WT trailer-park types and gated communities? Is there a creative area where people are free to do what they want, that isn't overrun with jerks who insist on putting their trashed-out cars on cinder blocks on the front lawn?

[Ozarks21]

My alternative is to move a few miles out of town on 3-5 acres in an area of well-kept homes. As soon as I am able to make it happen that is what I'll do. I cannot stand the 1/4 acre lots of houses looking too similar (even if they are very nice homes). I will not live where people trash the place. And I'm not even too sure about the "quirky" creative types - but that's probably just the conservative republican in me. Ultimately I hope to have a few hundred acres to do with as I please.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

In Texas we have this same divide between areas with "pride of ownership" and areas where people have junkyards instead of landscaping.

Is there a balance to be found between the two? Yes, I think so. The problem I find with a lot of the "pride of ownership" neighborhoods is that they are often enforced by CCR's and other deed restrictions, and this causes yet another problem --- conformity and lack of self-expression!

So how can we encourage people not to trash their yards without imposing rules on everyone that make a neighborhood look like a fancy prison? I cannot stand the "gated community" (which I think is an oxymoron) mentality, where people want to live with like-minded neighbors in an area with only one type of architecture, one type of landscaping, no garage doors allowed to be open, no cars on the street overnight, etc. These are proliferating and they're largely generic, very conservative, anti-creative and Republican.

I'm a radical independent who cherishes that which is strange and expressive. I don't want EITHER of the types of neighborhoods described above. I want freedom of expression, mixed architecture, mixed races, yard art, couches on front porches, and permission to park my car on the street overnight. These are, not coincidentally, the most coveted types of neighborhoods in the nation. Why? Because they are the places where creative people who RESPECT THEIR NEIGHBORS congregate and create, without imposition of top-down regulation, an area that is attractive, quirky, unique and very desirable.

So I have to ask ---- does Springfield have anything other than WT trailer-park types and gated communities? Is there a creative area where people are free to do what they want, that isn't overrun with jerks who insist on putting their trashed-out cars on cinder blocks on the front lawn?

Ozark is right about a lot of the older north side of Springfield south of I-44 and north of St. Louis St. particularly. Commercial St. is a pit and pretty much that area and then up to Kearney isn't where I'd want to live. The houses are old, typical 1910-1930's contruction, dilapidated, rundown, just tacky.
There's a great old neighborhood along Kimbrough down to Sunshine with very elegant older homes and a lot of gentrification, so south of MSU.
I live north of town on 4.3 acres in an area of mostly upscale homes dotted with not so upscale homes here and there, but the area is mostly beautiful with open hay fields and forested areas and there are horses and cows everywhere.
I generally agree south Springfield is the nicest and then east of 65 going out toward Strafford, etc.

[leeeoooooo]

Originally Posted by MoMark

I generally agree south Springfield is the nicest and then east of 65 going out toward Strafford, etc.

Yes, that's the realtor's answer, because those are the areas that were most recently developed--the 'newer' parts of town.

But City of Springfield, aware of the disproportionate development to the south, has (as part of its 2020 vision) plans to try to develop in all directions equally. Can't just say "develop everywhere at once," so they're focusing on one cardinal direction at a time. The east side was first, and now that they think they have it able to develop well on its own, it's our turn.

They're in the midst of a great overhaul of the westside bypass (160), widening it to four lanes, much of it divided, with streetlights and well-overdue repaving. New development is already starting to go in (fast food mostly, so far, but a nice motel near the airport, and some new gas stations as well), and there are a lot of changes along the west end of Kearney and Division.

There are a few unkempt places in our neighborhood, but certainly not the majority. Springfield has a strictly-enforced ordinance against parking you car anywhere except the street or driveway, and they don't like the car to stick our beyond the front of the house. Trash cans should be kept around back as well. At least it's not like a co-worker on the south side who cannot leave her trash can out at the curb overnight or for more than one day -- we can still take the trash out the night before, because they guy comes early, when he comes -- sometimes he's a day late because of the phenomenal growth they are experiencing, especially because they charge much less than WCA, who's buying up every other garbage hauler in town.

The "creative types" tend to congregate around downtown, though there are plenty of less commercially successful creative types out this way as well. It is hard to paint any area of this town with a broad brush. I know people from around Commercial Street that will give you an argument on the "dump" label, too. That's the reputation, but the reality is a bit different and certainly more complicated (there has been redevelopment there over the past few years, and some trendy shops now call it home).

We bought our place cheap. I'm counting on the value to go up considerably in the next few years.

[deeptrance]

Do any of you natives have predictions about the future of Springfield, such as:
- how much growth can it sustain?
- will it develop in ways that make it appealing?
- what types of industries are growing the most there?
- what is the demographic makeup of newcomers looking like so far?
- will the university expand and play a larger role in local culture?

...and so on... I'm truly intrugued by that area though I've not been to Springfield, only NEAR it. It's a beautiful area and I like the way it straddles different climate zones.

[Darren Stewart]

Deeptrance wrote: Do any of you natives have predictions about the future of Springfield, such as:
- how much growth can it sustain?
- will it develop in ways that make it appealing?
- what types of industries are growing the most there?
- what is the demographic makeup of newcomers looking like so far?
- will the university expand and play a larger role in local culture?

...and so on... I'm truly intrugued by that area though I've not been to Springfield, only NEAR it. It's a beautiful area and I like the way it straddles different climate zones.

I am not sure how that the amount of growth Springfield can sustain could be measured, I say that because as it develops the local communities surrounding Springfield are experiencing their own rate of growth and I think we will see the corridors that connect these communities together continue develop at a rapid pace. Traffic flow as discussed in past posts will be a challenge to accomodate the growth but I see the area continuing to expand at a fast pace.

I think the continued development make this area very appealing. Industries that are growing and expanding are health care and education, they are a huge force in this economy and reports on this can be found on the Springfield Chamber web site. This also lists Springfield area's top 25 employers of the area. St John's is going through a major expansion/update structurally and I see the medical community expanding rapidly. The college's in the area are also building rapidly, everyone always lists MSU and Drury, however there are several other schools in this area, Evangel, Ozarks Technical Community College, College of the Ozarks near Branson, Central Bible College and Baptist Bible College, along with Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.

Universities continue to expand and play bigger roles in the culture, a big draw back is there is not a Medical degree or Law degree offered in the area.

Make up of people coming here, not sure if anyone has tracked that, assisting people relocate here, I have seen a wide variety of folks from alot of nationalities and age brackets. This is a great place whether your in college or retiring. The geographic location enables folks to travel relatively easily to other parts of the country, and the airport continues to add flights to direct destinations not just to larger hubs. There are flights now directly to both Orlando and Las Vegas.

Hope this helps.
Darren Stewart

[deeptrance]

Darren: Great info, thanks! Even though I would be moving there as an "early retirement" type myself, I wouldn't want to be in an area that's exclusively old. I like a mix of all types of people and a vibrant community with lots going on. But it makes sense that health care is booming there, given that the Ozarks in general are one of the top destinations of retirees in recent years and that trend is expected to continue.

The traffic issues will be a problem, as they always are in any growing region. It's sad that there isn't better planning or preparation for this, but politicians are unwilling to make the gutsy decisions needed to solve these problems so... we just have to live with it no matter what boomtown we live in.

Austin has gotten fast-track approval for new freeways that are being funded as toll roads, and many of them have opened just in the past few months. Yet they only solve the problems of a minority of people who happen to live along the routes of those freeways. It's almost impossible to rebuild the major freeways that go through the center of a city because all the land surrounding them is developed, and if you shut down the freeway for a long period of construction then you create a nightmare scenario with total gridlock.

Politicians don't learn these lessons and continue to underbuild our infrastructure. Such will no doubt be the fate of the Springfield and Branson through Fayetteville region. Every town in that entire area is growing so fast, it will eventually feel like continuous city, but the roads won't be adequate. It's predictable but nobody is proactive about solving the inevitable future problems.

[red joe]

I'm a northside person and most of ya'll seem to be forgetting about Willard or Pleasant Hope. Just north of town, close to the airport and easy access to hwy44 where you can shoot into town from several places. Nixa, Rogersville, Clever and Ozark have more traffic issues to get into town. Strafford isn't too bad (at least when the hwy construction is finished)

Willard is the place to go for schools. We just built a new High School. If you're wanting to get the best return on your real estate $, I think it's the best place to go.

If you're going to be running your business from home, SBC is out here (not sure of speeds and all that technical stuff) as well as Mediacom. If you're going to have your business in town, then choose based on north/south location.

Don't get too worked up over all the churches - it will not affect your daily life and just lends itself the the general (i feel) better values here.

I have lived in may places around the country, and currently travel the eastern half for business. There are few places I like as much.

Good luck, welcome and make sure you check out the #1 voted morning radio show (by the readers of the local paper and the local glossy mag) - my wife does the morning show!