Oh what have I done??? (Ozark, Florida: live, price, moving to)

[SweetOzarksGirl]

Originally Posted by Nexxie

Oh my, what have I done....I moved to Hartville Mo from South Florida a few months ago. I am going stir crazy. There are no parks, no decent restaurants, and absolutely NOTHING to do and no shopping unless I drive a million miles....I have a 4 year old, finding it hard to meet people...Any "hartville" family things or is there ANYTHING here for kids?? Desperate..

Wow! I couldn't be more opposite. When I live in a city, I never go anywhere but home and work and consider it like being trapped. I think cities are so boring.

When I had my 5 acres in Douglas County for many years, I thought I had died and bypassed heaven and went straight to the top - PARADISE!

I swam in Bryant Creek. Most beautiful water. I met the most incredible people. If I needed a Walmart, there's one in Ava or Mountain Grove. I loved the restaurants in Mountain Grove, Ava or West Plains. I never felt the need to go to Springfield.

I felt like I had a million more opportunities and things to do in the Ozarks than I did in any city.

[SweetOzarksGirl]

Nexxie, it's good that you can return to a life that you prefer. You are obviously much happier in Florida.

I want to thank you for your original post and all the comments here because it really gave me a perspective on how there really are city folk and country folk and I got some good insight into myself.

Lots of silly bickering back and forth about putting down Missouri people and California. Funny, no one put down Florida too, since that's where the OP is from and gone back to.

Everyone's got their personal preferences and it's nice to read everyone's POV. I've lived on both coasts and in the middle too and certain places suited me at certain times of my life. They were all beautiful and perfect at the time. I've got no complaints, but I know what I like and don't like.

[dusky_beauty]

Originally Posted by Nexxie

"You consider visiting 2 countries and 24 state several"?? lol As far as the judging goes, if you read through these posts there is a whole lot of judging on the city folk going on.

I have lived in the city my whole life with the exception of rural MO temporarily. In the city, no one ever came onto my property to steal my things. You want to mention crime? HA! I could not believe on several occassions there someone came onto my property and stole things. On one occassion it was two bicycles, one a very expensive cannondale. Heck, I'd have loaned the bicycles, couldnt ride on those dirt roads anyway. On another occassion someone came on my property and stole firewood. OMG what low lifes! I couldn't believe it. My goodness, if someone needs firewood and can't afford just ask! Us city folk would lend in a hearbeat and not think twice about it. A tent was also stolen by someone who apparently dropped a $50.00 bill in the process...I thank-you for that however the tent was not worth $50.00... Us city folk, we dont nosy onto others property. We dont hunt others property either and especially without asking! We have far better things to do like WORK and take care of our families. I was terrified that someone was coming IN my house the next time....

Rules of security still apply, it only takes one bad apple to slander an entire demographic. In the city there are things you do to make your home less appealing to thieves (gated neighborhoods w. security patrols, good lighting, etc.) The country is no different.

I would guess either a.)you were away from home quite a bit and your house and yard could not be seen from the road, b.)you didn't keep a large dog as a security guard, or c.)You had a neighbor or two with a grudge. I'm betting the latter. Perhaps someone disgruntled at being told they could not hunt on your hundred plus acres?


Ya know it occurs to me that many stay at home moms that gripe about driving 30 minutes to "stuff to do" had zero problem with their spouse commuting an hour to and from his job in another part of the traffic clogged city /so that she could live in her "good neighborhood" shopping mecca. I'm not accusing anyone but if this scenario sounds too familiar you may want to take some time for self reflection.

[TUPAC_in_the_KNOW]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

Back peddling to change your story doesn't give you much credibility.
Not to mention you are being inconsistent, either you kept quiet until he expressed a negative opinion you didn't agree with and you took offense ("I didn't say anything until he said that the Idaho rockies were as ugly as Texas and couldn't compare to the views from the top of any point in Branson") at which point you felt you had to say something, which is exactly what you are accusing others here of doing BTW
or
you didn't take offense, yet you still felt it was appropriate to mock someone for having an opinion that differed from yours.
Either way you're not coming off as open minded or tolerant.

Beth's post does not validate anything you have said in any way. How does asking people to reciprocate a level of respect come across as small minded or backwards?

I hope you don't base any of your opinions of the locals on my posts, as I'm just an interested observer that happened to wander by this thread. I get a little perturbed when I witness such blatant hypocrisy as I've seen in this thread, the urge to point it out is overwhelming.

Where was I backpeddling on my story? Why don't you just log back in under your other sock and start attacking me from another angle? I simply included more details since I was being accused of slandering a very intolerant and closed minded local. Anyone who is considering moving to Springfield should read this thread and then realize that how the locals behave on an anonymous forum and how they will treat you in person are two different apples. But if you really want to know what they think......

[Nexxie]

Originally Posted by dusky_beauty

Rules of security still apply, it only takes one bad apple to slander an entire demographic. In the city there are things you do to make your home less appealing to thieves (gated neighborhoods w. security patrols, good lighting, etc.) The country is no different.

I would guess either a.)you were away from home quite a bit and your house and yard could not be seen from the road, b.)you didn't keep a large dog as a security guard, or c.)You had a neighbor or two with a grudge. I'm betting the latter. Perhaps someone disgruntled at being told they could not hunt on your hundred plus acres?


Ya know it occurs to me that many stay at home moms that gripe about driving 30 minutes to "stuff to do" had zero problem with their spouse commuting an hour to and from his job in another part of the traffic clogged city /so that she could live in her "good neighborhood" shopping mecca. I'm not accusing anyone but if this scenario sounds too familiar you may want to take some time for self reflection.

We have many people in the city that do not get along with neighbors. Some live for years next door to eachother and don't even know eachothers names. Most of the time they hardly even see eachother and they could practically open thier windows and shake hands. People are busy with lives, family, children, work, school, church, etc. and REAL work...If there is a feud in the city between neighbors, it is most commonly about property lines. Every little inch of property means a lot in the city. Heck it's expensive! Stealing and snooping from neighbors doesnt happen here. I lived there less then two years and on 3 seperate occassions I was stolen from. Never happened here..

As far as driving goes in the so called clogged city to commute for work is REALITY for most city folk. We have families to feed, cloth, and send to college. The reality is for most that it can not be done on a country living Wal-mart salary. The commute is a small price to pay to take care of the family. The commute for most here is 25-30 minn. Heck, it took me longer to get to the grocery store there...And don't forget a whole lot of gas to go with it. Here I just walk to the grocery store and bicycle ride to most other things. If I want anything major it's a 10 minute ride in the car. It saves on the gas which was a MAJOR expense out there.

[Curmudgeon]

Nexxie, the bottom line is, as they used to say in the early 70s, "different strokes for different folks." There's no right nor wrong about it. We all have our personal preferences and tolerances. That's all there is to it. We were "city dwellers" in a different state and were touched by crime several times over the course of 18 years. Now, two years into being "country cousins," about 18 miles from "civilization," crime and the people who commit it are but a distant memory.

I'm glad to see that you moved back to your comfort zone. It's the best thing for you. Our comfort zone happens to be in a rural setting and we, too, are content. Therein lie the alpha and omega of this entire discussion.

[Silvermouse]

Personally I love Nexxie to death and I think we should appoint her our "bad-will" ambassador. I hope she tells lots and lots of people how lousy Missouri is and how they shouldn't move there. You go girl!

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Silvermouse

Personally I love Nexxie to death and I think we should appoint her our "bad-will" ambassador. I hope she tells lots and lots of people how lousy Missouri is and how they shouldn't move there. You go girl!

There is that. Temps well above 100 for days on end, high humidity, no cooling off at night, overweight, ignorant, illiterate, toothless rednecks and hillbillies with short tempers and long rifles, no amenities, windy, curvy, hilly roads with bad drivers, single-wides with year-round rummage sales and deer carcases hung from trees to "cure" in every neighborhood, banjers, fiddles, dulcimers, basses and jugs considered an up-scale orchestra, moonshine stills in every holler, sink-holes, tornadoes, snow, hail, freezing rains, straight-line winds, furry, predatory, garden-destroying critters along with chiggers, ticks, tarantulas and brown recluse spiders, cotton-mouths and copperheads, rocky, untillable soil (what soil?) - Ozarker heaven - left- and right-coast hell!

But let's keep it to ourselves, shall we? Don't wasnt a rush of people tryin' ta settle-in an' change things.

[BethP]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

There is that. Temps well above 100 for days on end, high humidity, no cooling off at night, overweight, ignorant, illiterate, toothless rednecks and hillbillies with short tempers and long rifles, no amenities,...<many more redeeming qualities snipped for brevity>

But let's keep it to ourselves, shall we? Don't wasnt a rush of people tryin' ta settle-in an' change things.

And don't forget that the inhabitants are thieves who will never lift a finger or spend a dime to help their neighbors. And neither we nor our children (or grandchildren, for that matter) have ever or will ever attend college! Heck, we're lucky if we completed the eighth grade! Who needs college learnin' to run the still out in the back 40?!?

[dusky_beauty]

Originally Posted by BethP

Heck, we're lucky if we completed the eighth grade!

It's been workin for the Amish for a while now!