Where to live near Branson (Springfield, Hollister: apartment complexes, lease, condo)

[Junk Bond]

Originally Posted by NanaD

In other words, stay where you are ?

In other words look carefully at your options and then make an informed decision. The Ozarks is a great place to live if you don't have to work. If you are going to be depending on your SDC hourly paychecks to put food on the table I would think seriously about other options.
If I had two or three monkeys telling me, back before I came here, half of what 20years and myself have said in this thread I could have saved myself many years of hurt. It might be for you it might not. Come and enjoy the Ozarks but make sure you've got means other than what you'll make locally. For all the people who would say "Oh come on down, it's paradise you'll never want to leave!" I seriously doubt those people have slung any hash down at "Starvin Marvins" or screamed "Fried Okra!" out at SDC all day. And may God bless them because those jobs stink. I know.
Just be sure the Ozarks is for you and you can be happy here. Now you have options.

[Lake Junkie]

NanaD, of course you do have to consider wages when you move anywhere, along with cost of living. Many people investigate thoroughly before they move...I didn't. I just knew in my heart I could make it AND HAVE.

I do think this thread, along with several others lately, has degenerated into a gripe-fest for a very few folks that appear to have an axe to grind. In reading through your posts I haven't gotten whether you need to make a "good" living or whether you're retiring and just want some income and something to do...I personally have made a decent living in SW MO for the past 15 years by going into some form of sales. I'm a long way from retirement!

Consider everyone's point of view...I encourage you to keep in mind that these types of forums attract a variety of people, some who wear rose-colored glasses ...and some who have nothing better to do than complain.

Don't make your decisions based on what you see, hear or read on the internet. My humble advice.

[nevadacrazy]

Well said Junkie. We've been here 2 weeks and absolutely love it. I was fortunate that I didn't have to look for a job but I must say that the people here are wonderful. You will not find a place with more friendly, helpful people. Maybe the complainers are just having a bad day...or week....month???

[NanaD]

Thank you for all the opinions. We'll be coming to check in out in a little more depth this next week. You all have been a great help. I wanted the bad points, along with the good.We will make the right decision, God is in control, and He never lets us down.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by NanaD

Thank you for all the opinions. We'll be coming to check in out in a little more depth this next week. You all have been a great help. I wanted the bad points, along with the good.We will make the right decision, God is in control, and He never lets us down.

The most important thing about getting a good job in Branson is getting to know the *right* people. You must ABSOLUTELY go to the right churches and make a point of meeting people who can benefit you. Of course, you need to have something to offer them (other than being capable and conscientious and having a good work ethic). None of the "good jobs" are advertised, and if they are, it's only because it is required by law. Most of the upper level management jobs go to out-of-towners, especially in new franchise businesses (the new Hilton for example). If you want a j-o-b (at $8 an hour) there are hundreds to be had for asking, but if you want more, you have to break into the political network.

Never underestimate yourself. Just because you don't have any experience in a particular field, don't discount it. For instance, working as a "TECH" at a music show. I got a job running a spotlight for a show once, and I didn't have any experience. But it was a tough job and they knew I could handle it, so they were happy to train me. Keeping this in mind at SDC, you might want to check out an apprentice craftsman position (if one is available). Try to avoid jobs that would keep you outside during the summer (100 degrees and 99 percent humidity). Stay away from concessions like it was the plague unless you want to work on a lemonade stand in 100 degree heat and fight off bees and yellow jackets all summer! LOL Think .... "air conditioning".... when applying for a job there. IMHO the Entertainment department is the best place to work on the park. And no, you don't have to be an entertainer to get a job in that department.

best of luck

20yrs

[NanaD]

Well, we got home yesterday, after spending last week in Branson. I still want to move, but my husband is having doubts. We looked at some properties around the area, we found some we liked, but the price is a little more than we wanted to pay at this time in our life. Does anyone know if the altitude is lower there, than Oklahoma, because I know I felt better, and breathed easier there. My husband thinks its all in my head. I know OK has a higher point than MO, but I was curious about the majority of OK. Thanks 20yrs for your info, I would love to be working around music, I love it, my dad has passed away, but he was an awesome singer, I told him he should have tried it down there.

[Junk Bond]

Originally Posted by NanaD

Well, we got home yesterday, after spending last week in Branson. I still want to move, but my husband is having doubts. We looked at some properties around the area, we found some we liked, but the price is a little more than we wanted to pay at this time in our life. Does anyone know if the altitude is lower there, than Oklahoma, because I know I felt better, and breathed easier there. My husband thinks its all in my head. I know OK has a higher point than MO, but I was curious about the majority of OK. Thanks 20yrs for your info, I would love to be working around music, I love it, my dad has passed away, but he was an awesome singer, I told him he should have tried it down there.

ou

I'm not sure about the relative altitude of those places. I am also unsure of whether you said you could breathe better in Missouri or Oklahoma. I had a hard time with respiratory problems during my 11 years in the Ozarks. The main problem is the ragweed along with a host of nasty pollens. My body kind of got used to it however if I took a Spring or Fall cold it almost warranted a trip to the emergency room. I noticed that when I went out to the rockies my sinuses cleared up considerably. Also, where exactly did you look for real estate? I am not sure of your price range but anything relatively close to Branson is going to be steep. There are some communities a little ways out that are much more reasonable. Of course that might be a problem if you were wanting to work at SDC like you hinted earlier in the thread. That's why I cautioned you to make sure the books balanced well before you committed to it. It's no fun living anywhere when your expenses are biting you in the behind. If you did a little more reearch and altered your plans a bit it probably is still doable.

[NanaD]

When we left OK, my allergies, itchy eyes where bothering me, while we where in MO they seemed better. As soon as we got home they started up again, heavier feeling in my chest and the itchy eyes, but like I said earlier, maybe its all in my head.LOL. We are definately taking our time with real estate, I liked the Kimberling City area this trip. But there are a lot more areas we haven't looked at.

[Bob002]

Originally Posted by Lake Junkie

NanaD, of course you do have to consider wages when you move anywhere, along with cost of living. Many people investigate thoroughly before they move...I didn't. I just knew in my heart I could make it AND HAVE.

I do think this thread, along with several others lately, has degenerated into a gripe-fest for a very few folks that appear to have an axe to grind. In reading through your posts I haven't gotten whether you need to make a "good" living or whether you're retiring and just want some income and something to do...I personally have made a decent living in SW MO for the past 15 years by going into some form of sales. I'm a long way from retirement!

Consider everyone's point of view...I encourage you to keep in mind that these types of forums attract a variety of people, some who wear rose-colored glasses ...and some who have nothing better to do than complain.

Don't make your decisions based on what you see, hear or read on the internet. My humble advice.

What LJ said is fairly true. I've been here almost 15 years myself, and while there are a lot of jobs in the area, there really aren't any careers. The cost of living is horrible here compared to a lot of other areas; it IS when compared to a town with a similar population. It also depends on WHERE you want to live, whether you want waterview, waterfront, etc.

There are options, of course (Springfield, Ozark, Nixa) but the rising cost of gas makes that a harder pill to swallow. I used to complain driving to Springfield when gas was $1.50. At $4 I can only imagine.

If I were moving here *now*, I don't know that I would. I like the somewhat small town atmosphere and the fact I feel "safe" at night. I'm not nearly as concerned as I would be if I lived in a larger area, even Springfield I would probably not feel as "safe".

[Lake Junkie]

Please correct me if I'm wrong......but in my experience the areas that have the lowest cost of living also have the least opportunity for making a living. It's not an exact correlation, but in the areas I've lived, if wages were a lot higher, so was everything else! Where can you find an area that has lower cost of living and higher wages?

The Tri-Lakes/Branson area has never pretended to be a center of commerce. It is primarily a vacation destination, therefore the available jobs are either related to vacationing, or to providing for the needs of the support personnel, like banking, medical, insurance, etc.

It's also a retirement destination for a more mature demographic......many of the people I work with on a daily basis are retiring here because they've spent 20 years vacationing here and love it.

My hunch, Bob, is that you are not of the mature demographic......and do not see the area through a lens similar to mine...
//www.city-data.com/forum/misso...-missouri.html

To each his/her own...whatayasay?