Missouri?

I moved to Missouri 17 years ago. I came here because my grown children wanted to move to the Branson area because jobs were plentiful. When I left home (California) it was suggested that when I arrived in Mo. that I should turn my watch ahead 2 hrs, my life back 20 years and get the plates off my car asap. Words fail when you try to describe the beauty of the Ozarks. There is something very old, peaceful and breathtakingly beautiful about them. If there ever was a healing prescription for the soul, the Ozarks is it. I have to agree with the last poster with regard to being accepted by the communities. It is very hard at times to make friends at first. You are a foreigner for quite some time. If you buy property here be prepared to have it referred to as the old tennants place for ever. ie. I live in the third house on farm road 184 and the reply is oh you mean Harvey Bonds old place. lol Then be prepared to hear all of Harvey's history. We opened a business in Marshfield which did not succeed and to this day I will swear that had my last name been Day or Cantrell it would have been a different story.
The cost of living is low, overall taxes a very reasonable although there are many little taxes. Food is taxed here, I feel this to be a very fair way to collect tax because we all have to eat and it makes the rest of the taxes very reasonable. I overcame the rocky ground here with raised garden beds. Springfield had both a cement manufacturing company and a great recycling center that sells beautiful compost. Combined I have a beautiful garden every year and very bountiful.
I also agree with the poster about Greene Co. with the exception of Webster county, (their tax rate is one of the highest in the state) if you go to any of the outlying counties you can pretty much do as you wish with any property you buy. Folks here are pretty self sufficient and take care of their own, almost to the point of stubborn and prideful. Yes there are tics and chiggers but they can be controlled. There are beautiful lakes and parks which make everything more than tolerable. Would I move back to California no. Besides at this point alot of californians have moved here as well as from many other states. There is good and bad in everything it is just a matter of where your priorities lie.

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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”

I grew up in Keokuk, IA, drive about 7 mi south cross the Des Moines River and your in Alexandria, MO. My mother was from New Franklin so I've been around there. You must LOVE humidity but I really do think you can stick anything in the ground and it will grow! Nice folks, small town stuff.

I have lived in Mo. most of my life.
I have lived in other places,
ks, wy, Il, and I can tell you,
Mo will be home for me forever.
I have no desire to live anywhere else.
the beauty here, and the peacefulness that
comes with it are just beyond words.

I also believe, home is where your heart is......
good luck to you if you decide to make Mo. home.

as for the ticks and chiggers,well, you do learn to live with them
and,,you always smell nice because skin so soft from Avon
is a wonderful repellant.
and NO I don't sell Avon,I'm not a rep for them,,
but I do know it works very well,

if you know when your headed here ya might let us know
I'm sure plenty of us here would love to give you a tour
someone can show you the best fishin holes,the best hunting spots
well, you get the picture..

I was in Ft Benning Ga. a few years back
for my sons graduation,,,I sure was happy to get home..

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UVA UVAM VIVENDO VARIA FIT

I've lived &/or traveled all over the U.S.m Missouri is my choice. My family is from around the Lebanon area. I now live in Hickory County, north of Bolivar, by Pomme De Terre Lake, beautiful area, beautiful, nice people. There is lots of new people in the area all the time, especially due to the lake, outsiders really do not seem to be a problem with fitting in here. My husbands health is bad so we're having to move to smaller place, closer to hospitals. Good Luck & God Bless, you will love Missouri, where ever you end up in it. Although if you want to farm, there are some really rocky places.

LOL--All I can say is that I'm so glad everyone don't like it here!
And, don't come in with a know-it-all attitude, and tell us how wrong we are in our ways, after all, it's worked for us for years.
Sorry, just describing neighbors we've had, so is it any wonder we are a little reseved?

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In Life, We Weep at the thought of Death'
Who Knows, Perhaps in Death,
We Weep at the though of Life.

We moved here 20 years ago and don't plan to leave ever unless it is feet first out our old farmhouse front door. Our taxes on 120 acre farm are less than $180 a year. No building codes. Great neighbors. Son in Army and works at Fort Leonard Wood. Ditto on what most everyone has said. But hey, chiggers and ticks are something you deal with....just like the man-eating black flies and mosquitos in MI. Don't miss them. Yes, the soil might be rocky down in this southern part but raised beds solve that problem and we raise a hugely productive garden/orchard. Goats,sheep,cattle thrive on the good grass. All the wood we need from our own woodlot with the Jacks Fork river at the end of our road for fishing and canoeing.
The redbuds and dogwoods are blooming and we're cutting the lawn...it is spring for sure. Early garden in and temps in the 70's.
Don't believe any state has it all ...all have pluses and minuses. The poor economy hasn't changed things much in the country except for more people putting in bigger gardens. Alot of nice places for sale around here(Summersville). DEE

Bettson, I wonder if Marshfield has changed a lot over the years, we found it to be a very friendly community and very supportive of my husband's business. The only Days and Cantrells I knew went to our church, the Cantrells were nice and our pastor's last name was Day. I wonder if enough new blood has moved in they've just accepted it now.
I've enjoyed reading this thread as I'm working hard to get back there.

Thank you Bettsan for understanding my reservations about Missouri. By the way I forgot to say that 14 women before me had been beaten by these same cops. I refuse to call them policemen. It is really true about the know it all attitude coming into any new place to live. Who am I to say how other people live. I had a good friend, her husband also a transfer from the same company my ex worked for. She definitely knew it all. I always played the stupid northerner even though I had (before alcohol took it) an IQ of 157. Those old timers could hardly wait to teach the dumb northerner how to work horses, load, tack them up, etc. I got a new saddle for $200 off and bought the same stock trailer from the same company my friend did for $500 less. I could ask the same questions my friend did with the dipped shoulder, the adoring eyes, etc. (shows the other person is dominant) and get a whole lesson when her demanding attitude would get one word answers. I knew how to be harmonious, just could not get close. When we joined a motorcycle club, I found out we were the ony 2 people who were not packing firearms. New Years Eve at midnight, in town, everyone went outside and fired their guns in the air. Lest you think I am judging unfairly, I have lived in, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and have traveled through all but 13 of the continental US states, 5 Canadian provinces, and several trips to Mexico. Have spent time in California, Colorado and Arizona. Missouri was definitely not the unfriendliest of these states. This was 30 years ago when women's abuse issues were not recognized anywhere that I know of. My choice would be Colorado if land was not so expensive because I love the mountains and the drier climate. However, the humidity was on the bottom of a list of things considered in moving to Missouri. The Ozarks are gorgeous, the winters short. All of the important things are abundant. I absolutely adored the farm store in Harrisonville. They did have a strong family value system. My ex lost his promotion when he left me for his secretary, later found out she was in the hospital, had been beaten up. Then he was no longer employed. The last thing I said to that woman was "if you believe his lies as long as I did you will end up in the hospital too." No place is perfect and had I any support system there I may not have moved back to my family area. Enough. Have a nice day.

Cassie,
Marshfield today is nothing like Marshfield 17 years ago. And certainly different than 30 years ago. I moved to the area in 1993 in the middle of the Branson Boom. A lot of people were moving in from all around the country. And most of the local communities felt invaded. Can't say I blame them. I think it was an unhappy time for the locals. I think we met with a lot of resistance because we were from decadent California. (Unfair cause all Californians are not who many states think we are. Oregon used to have a sign on the border that said "We shoot every third Californian and two just went by")
I have since met a lot of wonderful people and do have friends here now. There is still a Pastor Day and folks from the Day and Cantrell Clan in Marshfield. My point was that I was not a local, not that there was something wrong with those people. My sister and her husband live in Marshfield and enjoy it there. Believe it or not the population is so large they have intersections with stop lights now to keep the traffic moving. They have a super walmart, 3 grocery stores, Walgreens, McDonalds, Sonic, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell and several sit down restaurants and they are talking about putting in a Lowes. The Square is still the same and not alot of business down there. Shields Phamacy just sold out to Walgreens. The fairgrounds are still there and the rodeo. Many Many of the residents work in Springfield. York Casket is gone, Raimeys is now Price Cutter, L&R Hardware is gone as well a some of the businesses in the business park off of Washington St. The water company through the city is still a pain in the butt. lol There are many new housing subdivisions as well as rural areas there. I hope your plans work out for you and you get to come back.

Foxygram,
I am so sorry that you had such an awful experience here, but the majority of it sounds like it was inspired by your ex. Fortunately you are no longer with him. What a nightmare. I did not experience any problems related to my gender. But I came here single and I happily remain in that situation. If you take that experience away from your stay in Missouri all other things considered it sounds like the rest was pretty good for you and that you think there are somethings that still recommend Missouri. It is a beautiful state. Friendships take a while no matter what state you are in.

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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”

Where in AR will you go CJ?

You should come here to see Milt and I before you move.
You are so close it would be a shame not to meet each other before you take off.

We live outside Noel. I can't remember where Ava is but I know I have been there so it is not far away. The dogwoods were awesome this week but I think last Sunday was by far the best for both dogwood and redbud. Our yard is full of redbud and they are done now.
the river is clearing up after the last flood and so it is really pretty here right now.

I was born in Pittsburg KS and grew up right here in Noel, MO so I am a hillbillyette and proud of it.
We lived for many many years in Joplin and we loved it there too but now other than to shop or go see Friends I never want to go back.
Milt was in the service and we have lived in lots of other places but this will always be home. He is from PA but loves it right here.

Yeah...we have ticks and chiggers and today I am nursing some big skeeter bites I got helping Milt dig out the horse trailer so we can take the alpacas for their Spring shearing. they will feel so much better when they get that off.
Now ....where the heck am I giong to put three more fleeces? I have fleece left from a couple of years back now. OH well!

Snakes too. Some even poison. Thats the chanches you take living in paradise.
Soil is here. You just have to be lucky and have some on your property.
We do. Over across the river in the lowlands the soil is very deep because the river bank has washed away in places and you can see topsoil 10 ft deep there. We have caves and limestone bluff where we live.
Soil is very thin most places. Our garden area has plenty and I compost so am making more all the time.

Missouri is very different depending on where in Mo you are talking about.
lots of it is flat. the north west is hilly but has cold Winters.
The NE is flat with cold winters.
The SW is much warmer but we do get snow some Winters and ice storms.
SW and SC are the Ozarks. BEAUTIFUL!
The bootheel is.....weird! They have swamps and cypress trees like the deep south but are not deep south. They are a world apart.

Depends on what you want. We have it all here.

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Corky

LEAD ME NOT INTO TEMPTATION. I CAN FIND IT BY MYSELF.

We've been "gone" for 5 years already, LOL. We sold our sheep farm in Mansfield in 2004, then turned around and bought the 60 acres south of Ava to retire on. Hubby was already down in Russellville AR working at the nuclear plant, on a 6 month contract. 4 years later, we decided we might as well buy a farm here.

Well... we weren't able to find one, so we ended up with a house on 5 acres just outside of town. We're still adjusting to not having any land, but trying to make this place work, because it's affordable and DH can likely work here (at least most of the time) for as long as he wants.

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http://tinksquared.com

Corky-Havent seen a man named Milt since my father passed on..
Still love the Ozarks, hubby drove truck over the entire USA, even he says this is the most beautiful country. Every state has it's problems, tho.

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In Life, We Weep at the thought of Death'
Who Knows, Perhaps in Death,
We Weep at the though of Life.

I find Missouri to be very homestead friendly, also, small town friendly and small city friendly.

When the subject "Missouri" comes up, it seems to get a lot of response.

I'm applying for a job in Columbia, MO. Have visited the Ozark mountains in northern Arkansas and the Quichita mountains in SE Oklahoma and know I like the mountains! I am assuming Columbia doesn't have mountains. My wife is open to moving there....

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Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett

Columbia is flat compared to the Ozark mtns and the Ouachita mtns. The Ouachitas are in both OK and AR, and I think they look very different. The Ozarks are more rugged. The Ouachitas are full of pines, slightly higher in elevation, and have a more "gentle" look.

Columbia is a pretty cool town though, it's really nicely done, lots of trees everywhere in town, the town is rather hilly so it isn't boring looking, and of course it's a college town so it has a lot to offer. My hubby's family all live in Columbia, mine are in Branson. Boone county however, isn't as homesteader friendly as some of the counties down south, like Douglas or Ozark.

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http://tinksquared.com

I live near Columbia and work there. It's a nice city- and I love how I can live on 26 acres and just barely see a neighbor's place, but still it's only a 20 minute drive to work. When we chose our place, we happened to get north of the Missouri river, where apparently the glaciers melted after the last ice age and dropped all the dirt they were carrying. So, our land rolls a bit, but there are no rocks. Really! It's kinda weird, actually.

I grew up in SW MO, and the hills there are gorgeous. I'll always love them. I have half formed plans of retiring there someday- but then we've put so much work into our place that maybe that won't happen.

The dividing line between the types of land is the Missouri River. Right north of the river, theres the mildly rolling deep soil. The further north you go, the more it flattens out. Once you cross the river going south, you start with the Ozarks style terrain. Sharper hills, thin soil, and better views. And you can count both sides of an acre on the steep places!

Sometimes I think we should have settled just south of the River in the hills they have there- and that way I'd have my Ozarks style hills and still be in commuting range of Columbia. But when we were shopping for land my children were just entering school and I knew they'd need the gifted program that the Columbia school district offers. So we made very sure to choose land in the Columbia school district and were not disappointed. The gifted program that started in third grade saved them from becoming bitter about the boredom of regular classes.

Anyway, the ticks are a considerable danger. Do NOT leave one on for 24 hours or you risk getting Lyme disease (or the local variant that they can't detect with tests yet). That is a seriously miserable disease. My husband had it 5 years ago and still has relapses sometimes and when he does he is in constant severe pain for a week or two. Then it goes away again. And if you ever have an insect bite that develops a round "bullseye" ring around it- go immediately to some sort of doctor and get yourself onto antibiotics. If you take care of it before it gets established, it's only a short term infection. If it goes chronic you can have lifelong problems with it.

But tick borne diseases happen anywhere.

Overall, I love Missouri best and I've lived in several states in the midwest and south plus a few years in West Germany in the 80's.

Maria,

We are practicaly neighbors. As my 65284 screen id indicates I am in the Sturgeon area about 20 minutes North up 63.

WOW didnt realize I had some neighbors on here lol i am in Columbia...HOWDY NEIGHBORS!!!

Ted,

If you do move to Columbia............get rid of those Kansas license plates ASAP, Jayhawks aren't very popular around there. (:-)

Maria, What river are you talking about? Missouri?

65284, my plates are personalized so I don't think I'll have a problem. I hate the Jayhawks myself since I'm a native Texan! My plates say that I am a hog hater (hog hunter). Was told that Missouri is starting to have a feral hog problem. Was wondering how much truth that is...if so, I want to get back into hog dog hunting if I move there.

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Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett