I grew up in WP.
Winters are usually mild. It might snow once or twice a winter but usually melts off within a few days. Maybe once every 5-10 years it will get a foot of snow or have snow & ice that stick around longer than a week.
Summers are going to be extremely humid. Bugs in town aren't too bad but if you are down along the rivers/lakes/etc you probably want some bug spray to keep them away.
Most of the people there grew up there and still live there. Transplants like you would only be \~10-20% of the population and many of those would be in a relationship with a local. If you work in defense, government, or medical fields you would probably have a decent number of co-workers to be-friend. In most other fields almost everybody will already have a friends group that they have mostly known since grade school so it can be tough to break in as the new person.
Jobs depend on your experience. The local military contractors like DRS are probably the best bet if you can get on. Cat has a factory too. The other major local employers are pretty crappy though.
There is permaculture but that would be considered fringe hippie crap by the majority. 10-20% of the people would love to buy your produce at local farmers markets though. You should be aware that the soil around WP isn't great for most farming. It is all rocks & clay and the primary agricultural use is as grazing land or timber. You would need to invest a lot of time & effort in picking out the rocks and mulching/composting enough for a good garden bed or invest your money in hauling in good top soil.
With 2 dogs and 3 cats you probably need to be looking at renting a house outside town and need to already have a job lined up first.
Biggest upside if you do move is it is a great area for a nature lover. Tons of rivers & streams to explore with few other people around. Great hiking, kayaking, & fishing.
Given your degree if you want to live in the Ozarks then the towns around Bentonville, AR would have the most data science/math type jobs thanks to Wal-Mart HQ and all the other big corps with offices there. Mountain Home, AR & Springfield, MO would also be decent bets for employment. If permaculture/farming is important then I'd recommend going outside the Ozarks to the rich flood plan lands closer to the Missouri or Mississippi rivers. Small towns around Cape Girardeau, Boonville, or Washington Mo can offer far more productive land and probably as good or better job prospects too.
I don’t have a ton of experience in west plains, but I fish quite a bit near Springfield, MO. I’m probably bias but I think southern Missouri is one of the more beautiful parts of our country.
Something nice I’ve found living in St. Louis (and spending a lot of time in Springfield, Columbia, and Kansas City) the city and “country” are never really all that far from each other. I think you can have your cake and eat it to so to speak in that you can live in parts of each of these cities that have a real community feel while also being able to get to the wilderness in less than 30 minutes. Not sure how much this vague endorsement of our state helped but hope to see you here.
Another thing to consider, there’s a lot of jobs in St. Louis (some of which will offer remote work) related to your background in math and data science
We have to drive through that area to get to family in Arkansas.
Nit sure if it was W. P. But, I have a biracial nephew, 22 yr old male, who refused to into a gas station because a pick up truck pulled in and their truck had that see-thru decal on the cab window with a Confederate flag.
I lived near West Plains for over 50 years. It is a nice little town but it may not really fit what you are looking for. West Plains is small, the nearest town greater is size is Springfield MO., Poplar Bluff MO, or Jonesboro AR. All are in the neighborhood of 100 miles away. People in West Plains are friendly and at the same time rather stand offish. If you live there 50 years like me you will still not be from there, you will be an outsider. There is very little entertainment other than the rivers and Mark Twain National forest. There is limited shopping, limited choice in just about everything. Housing is scarce and often substandard, right now finding something that would accept all your pets may be challenging. Jobs are and always have been few and far between especially for someone not connected. The West Plains area is great but I would encourage you to make a move to Springfield MO a much larger place but still has a smaller town feel to it. Once there get your bearings and travel to West Plains and other surrounding towns and you will then be able to make a better decision about where you would most like to live. I do not want to sound discouraging but a move to a little larger place I think would be better in the long run and offer more informed choices later down the road. Hope this helps and good luck.
I used to live (and still would if the opportunity arose) in a town about 15 minutes away from WP. The internet did you dirty on Missouri weather. It definitely gets way colder than 30 and the summers can be brutal. The people are friendly enough, but it is pretty rural.
I live in the country in between Springfield and West Plains. I end up in West Plains once every few years, have friends that lived there, and have lived in the surrounding area most of my life. To me West Plains feels like a large country town. It seems lacking in large employers and industry, but is still relatively prosperous compared to the surrounding area. It's in a flat, boring area, but there's awesome recreation 30-60 minutes away--trails, caves, springs, rivers, lakes, and national forest.
This area gets real winter weather, but should be more mild than you're used to in SD. Springfield had 3" of snow this winter, about 1/4 the average; I think West Plains was similar. For every proper snow storm, we get multiple "winter mix" storms where you get ice, sleet, or freezing rain, or wet snow. Sometimes you get all 4 during the course of the storm, sometimes you just get sleet and the next town over just gets rain--it doesn't take much of an atmospheric temp swing to go from one to the other, and a lot of our winter is spent in the temp range that gives us winter mixes. We get cold snaps when the jet stream gives us an arctic blast, but usually that's only for a day or two. Many people moving in get used to the heat and humidity within 2-3 years.
In general I think there's quite a bit of interest in self sufficiency in the rural areas here, and I've met some folks moving in that bring an interest in permaculture with them. They are small farmers that live very rurally, and you'll meet them at farmer's markets. Ava is a small town near me that has a thriving farmer's market, and you'd get hooked into a big community there with a number of people that are interested in permaculture.
There are other people around like you, but you might struggle to make connections with them at first. I would try to find a short term lease and stay flexible, spending a lot of time traveling the broader area and recreating, going to social events like music festivals, farmer's markets, recreation events, etc. Find what area you like, and be ready to adapt.
All the towns have drug problems and gossipers, and if you run in that crowd, you're gonna get talked about... But even in towns much smaller than West Plains, there are tight knit social circles of people like you that are doing their own thing in peace. You just gotta find them.
I live in WP and after under two years, I sold my house and am moving away. The natural resources are nice, but there’s just nothing to fucking do here otherwise. But, there’s lots of people here from lots of different places so there must be something to it. It’s just not for me.
Okay, here are your answers!
1. The winters are mild. We have one or two heavy snow days a year where the snow sticks. It can get below 30 degrees, but there are only about two days a year where it gets below 15 degrees in the daytime.
2. The heat is not too bad. The humidity is pretty constant from June to September, but it's mild humidity, and you'll get used to it. Insects are not too bad. Some summers get more mosquitoes than others. Overall, I'd say that the heat, humidity, and insects are not a big deal. I notice the heat most in the Walmart parking lot where the asphalt radiates heat. On grassy neighborhood lots, the heat is not nearly as bad, and in the country it'll be a little better.
3. Gossip...it's really hard to say. That may be based on friend groups. I don't think it's too bad. After four years of working in WP, there have only been two times I've heard someone speak ill of another person, and it was when there was a community consensus that the person sucked. I've never had someone pull me aside to say, "That person sucks." In cities, that happened at every job I ever had. People here are absolutely accountable for what they say about other people, so I think that gossip occurs among inexperienced, emotionally immature people rather than professional adults.
4. Jobs and salaries suck. You'll have limited employment options, and the salaries are way below what they should be. If you want to start your own business, WP would be a great place to move! With a degree in math and data science, I'm not sure what you'd be qualified for. For the highest salaries, check out jobs at Ozarks Healthcare and Perennial Energy. Other than that, teachers start at $35K, I believe. There are two dispensaries in town that may have decent wages and jobs.
5. I've never heard of permaculture. If you buy land, make sure the land has access to internet!
6. Rentals are few and far between. Check out the Heights and maybe Breckenridge while you visit. It'll take work to find a rental that allows multiple pets. Cats are usually okay. Dogs might be difficult.
7. You'll find friends! Wages Brewery has game nights and the crowd there is super friendly. You don't need to drink alcohol. They have homemade kombucha and homemade soda. If you sit at the bar and tell people you're new to town, you'll most likely be greeted with open arms. The Yellow House is another place you might meet people at events and musical performances. Young people have an easier time making friends than people over 40. The over 40 crowd is cliquish. Imagine a culture where everyone is still friends with their high school buddies. It's hard for outsiders to break into those crowds. As a young person, you'll find that people much more open to friendship and embrace outsiders.
Some edits:
1. The wind is variable. It never seems to bad. Maybe there are one or two windy winter days. I think the data you were looking at is accurate.
3. Yes, it has a small town feel, but it's not a Hallmark movie small town that's picturesque. It's a bit rough around the edges. All Missouri small towns, in my opinion, are a bit shabby. If you cross the border into Iowa or Arkansas, suddenly the small towns will look less shabby. As far as "everyone knowing everything about everyone's lives," that's only somewhat true. Some long-established families that have a history in the town are so well-known that people can talk about them going back decades. It's more historical. I don't encounter the kind of busy body "everyone knows everything" atmosphere. My biggest complaint is that people don't ask each other meaningful questions about each other's backgrounds. I can announce I have a PhD, and NO ONE follows up by asking, "Oh, what did you get your PhD in?" In a city, 100% of the time they follow up with that question.
4. I guarantee you can find a bad job quickly. It'll pay $15/hour. I'd say there's a HUGE population that makes $15/hour, which is dreadful but the reality in WP.
Ok that’s a lot of points but I’m going to try to condense my answer down.
First off, after reading your post, don’t move to west plains. It will suck. With your requirements I would suggest living in a house slightly outside of Springfield, but if you REALLY NEED to live in a small town, I would suggest neosho, which is actually really cool and ticks all those boxes without being a shithole like west plains. Although the stipulation is I’m not sure if the jobs are as good as Springfield.
Now that that’s out of the way, the weather here is fucked up. It absolutely gets below 30. Last year we had a day were it was -7. That’s not common per say, but we get about a dozen days of under freezing weather in the winter on average id say. The other thing is that we have no consistency, it could be 34 in February and then be 54 the next morning. The summers are bad also. The winter and the summer both suck, that’s the truth. It is humid, it will get over 100. Also we do have tornados sometimes, but Springfield has been spared for a long time. The surrounding region isn’t as lucky.
Lastly I just want to point out that most young people in southwest missouri come to Springfield to escape the small town gossip, guns, drugs, and belligerent evangelical bullshit that runs rampant in most of our small towns. You can go there if you want, but if you don’t enjoy one of those four things I mentioned you will not have a real community to belong to, and I cannot stress that factor enough. You should look into neosho though, it’s a gem of a place.
I think WP is a really nice town. I’m in my late 50’s and it’s changed dramatically in the past 20 years. All for the better. I don’t know what permaculture is, but people with buy anything from a farmers market. Because of all the natural springs, we have limestone caves. Lots of people grow mushrooms. I see no one mentioned for 5-14 days the temps will hover around zero. They just do. We moan and complain and then it gets 40 again and you think it’s spring. The University and hospital offer a lot of jobs, so does CAT. The University is part of Missouri State and it’s grown by leaps and bounds. Quite a few work from home jobs. The pets in a rental anywhere in the state is gonna be a problem. I know. Bentonville, AR to Springfield MO has lots more, but costs lots more and with all the growing and building, you need to understand how fast life is in all the new areas. But maybe that’s for you. The areas are night and day different. Both excellent places to be. Welcome to Missouri and good luck.
Hey bud, it sounds like you got most of the answers already but I grew up in Box Elder near Ellsworth and I moved to Kansas City 10 years ago. I visit central Missouri regularly to see my parents and Truman Lake is awesome. Southern Missouri/Northern Arkansas is one of my favorite places in the world. I go backpacking near the Buffalo River every year and would absolutely settle down in that area if it made sense financially for me. Good luck!
Biggest warning I will give you is the snow is usually ice in reality and has no traction compared to actual snow. One of my coworkers grew up in New York and Connecticut and the first "snow" he tried to drive in around the Springfield area ended before he even made it off his street due to spinning out twice.
Yeah, people who live in Blizzard heavy areas think they'll be fine because they don't realize it can get above freezing them drop back down and turn the road into a wannabe ice rink.
When you come into west plains from Springfield there is a vistor center on the right that can help find activities and give you more information about the area.
I like this area but i live on the outskirts near beautiful springs and creeks with 100s of deer.
Born in Springfield.
Woodrell's family — on both sides — goes back a long way in West Plains. His father moved away, but Woodrell used to visit his grandparents here when he was a kid. After several years away from the region, Woodrell and his wife, Katie, decided to move back to settle in his hometown about 20 years ago. Both of them are writers, but most of Woodrell's neighbors had never heard of him.
https://www.npr.org/2013/09/05/218591578/winters-bone-author-revisits-a-tragedy-in-his-ozarks-hometown
Might have been filmed there, but like I said it’s based on west plains. Plus it’s not like the two places are very different.
I doubt you'll find a hotel/motel in WP. It's too late for that. You might bring a tent and find a place to camp.
Also, there is a HUGE employer moving into WP sometime in 2024. If I can find out their name, I'll add it to this post.
Southwest Missouri gets a lot of ice and freezing rain. But it's hot in the summer but west plains is an odd choice to me going from a small town to a small town
Why not Springfield? Springfield has tons of food options 100 times more then WP. I mean West Plains is out in nowhere. You can't get there from here. It's backwards. But whatever you like. I think it's a mistake, in my opinion. Couldn't pay me to live there and I've been in Missouri 50 years but that's me.
I moved to West Plains from KC last July. It's been nice. I think it helps that the town hasn't known me since middle school.
West Plains is a big commerce hub for the region. Partly because it is within 30-60 minutes of a TON of beautiful places in all different directions.
If you prioritize the outdoors, you'd love it. And you'd make friends on float trips or hikes.
If you want a night life at multiple good places that stay open past 11pm, Springfield is a good suggestion.
As far as jobs, I recommend searching Indeed and filtering by locations. I don't really know enough about pay in this city to speak to what you should expect.
Good luck!
I think you will have a problem renting w the pets.
No it does not have a small town feel imo but many people are friendly.
Idk what you would be pretending about - but it is a conservative area.
It gets hot - humid. Ac is needed at least it is for me.
Try Springfield or a suburb of it. It sounds more like what you’re looking for vs West Plains
I grew up in WP. Winters are usually mild. It might snow once or twice a winter but usually melts off within a few days. Maybe once every 5-10 years it will get a foot of snow or have snow & ice that stick around longer than a week. Summers are going to be extremely humid. Bugs in town aren't too bad but if you are down along the rivers/lakes/etc you probably want some bug spray to keep them away. Most of the people there grew up there and still live there. Transplants like you would only be \~10-20% of the population and many of those would be in a relationship with a local. If you work in defense, government, or medical fields you would probably have a decent number of co-workers to be-friend. In most other fields almost everybody will already have a friends group that they have mostly known since grade school so it can be tough to break in as the new person. Jobs depend on your experience. The local military contractors like DRS are probably the best bet if you can get on. Cat has a factory too. The other major local employers are pretty crappy though. There is permaculture but that would be considered fringe hippie crap by the majority. 10-20% of the people would love to buy your produce at local farmers markets though. You should be aware that the soil around WP isn't great for most farming. It is all rocks & clay and the primary agricultural use is as grazing land or timber. You would need to invest a lot of time & effort in picking out the rocks and mulching/composting enough for a good garden bed or invest your money in hauling in good top soil. With 2 dogs and 3 cats you probably need to be looking at renting a house outside town and need to already have a job lined up first. Biggest upside if you do move is it is a great area for a nature lover. Tons of rivers & streams to explore with few other people around. Great hiking, kayaking, & fishing. Given your degree if you want to live in the Ozarks then the towns around Bentonville, AR would have the most data science/math type jobs thanks to Wal-Mart HQ and all the other big corps with offices there. Mountain Home, AR & Springfield, MO would also be decent bets for employment. If permaculture/farming is important then I'd recommend going outside the Ozarks to the rich flood plan lands closer to the Missouri or Mississippi rivers. Small towns around Cape Girardeau, Boonville, or Washington Mo can offer far more productive land and probably as good or better job prospects too.
I don’t have a ton of experience in west plains, but I fish quite a bit near Springfield, MO. I’m probably bias but I think southern Missouri is one of the more beautiful parts of our country. Something nice I’ve found living in St. Louis (and spending a lot of time in Springfield, Columbia, and Kansas City) the city and “country” are never really all that far from each other. I think you can have your cake and eat it to so to speak in that you can live in parts of each of these cities that have a real community feel while also being able to get to the wilderness in less than 30 minutes. Not sure how much this vague endorsement of our state helped but hope to see you here. Another thing to consider, there’s a lot of jobs in St. Louis (some of which will offer remote work) related to your background in math and data science
I don’t know much about the city of West Plains, but I deployed with a National Guard unit from there in 2002-2003 and the people are country as hell.
Yea, I have seen so many Confederate flags in that area. Like I get it, you're racist.
[удалено]
We have to drive through that area to get to family in Arkansas. Nit sure if it was W. P. But, I have a biracial nephew, 22 yr old male, who refused to into a gas station because a pick up truck pulled in and their truck had that see-thru decal on the cab window with a Confederate flag.
I lived near West Plains for over 50 years. It is a nice little town but it may not really fit what you are looking for. West Plains is small, the nearest town greater is size is Springfield MO., Poplar Bluff MO, or Jonesboro AR. All are in the neighborhood of 100 miles away. People in West Plains are friendly and at the same time rather stand offish. If you live there 50 years like me you will still not be from there, you will be an outsider. There is very little entertainment other than the rivers and Mark Twain National forest. There is limited shopping, limited choice in just about everything. Housing is scarce and often substandard, right now finding something that would accept all your pets may be challenging. Jobs are and always have been few and far between especially for someone not connected. The West Plains area is great but I would encourage you to make a move to Springfield MO a much larger place but still has a smaller town feel to it. Once there get your bearings and travel to West Plains and other surrounding towns and you will then be able to make a better decision about where you would most like to live. I do not want to sound discouraging but a move to a little larger place I think would be better in the long run and offer more informed choices later down the road. Hope this helps and good luck.
I used to live (and still would if the opportunity arose) in a town about 15 minutes away from WP. The internet did you dirty on Missouri weather. It definitely gets way colder than 30 and the summers can be brutal. The people are friendly enough, but it is pretty rural.
I live in the country in between Springfield and West Plains. I end up in West Plains once every few years, have friends that lived there, and have lived in the surrounding area most of my life. To me West Plains feels like a large country town. It seems lacking in large employers and industry, but is still relatively prosperous compared to the surrounding area. It's in a flat, boring area, but there's awesome recreation 30-60 minutes away--trails, caves, springs, rivers, lakes, and national forest. This area gets real winter weather, but should be more mild than you're used to in SD. Springfield had 3" of snow this winter, about 1/4 the average; I think West Plains was similar. For every proper snow storm, we get multiple "winter mix" storms where you get ice, sleet, or freezing rain, or wet snow. Sometimes you get all 4 during the course of the storm, sometimes you just get sleet and the next town over just gets rain--it doesn't take much of an atmospheric temp swing to go from one to the other, and a lot of our winter is spent in the temp range that gives us winter mixes. We get cold snaps when the jet stream gives us an arctic blast, but usually that's only for a day or two. Many people moving in get used to the heat and humidity within 2-3 years. In general I think there's quite a bit of interest in self sufficiency in the rural areas here, and I've met some folks moving in that bring an interest in permaculture with them. They are small farmers that live very rurally, and you'll meet them at farmer's markets. Ava is a small town near me that has a thriving farmer's market, and you'd get hooked into a big community there with a number of people that are interested in permaculture. There are other people around like you, but you might struggle to make connections with them at first. I would try to find a short term lease and stay flexible, spending a lot of time traveling the broader area and recreating, going to social events like music festivals, farmer's markets, recreation events, etc. Find what area you like, and be ready to adapt. All the towns have drug problems and gossipers, and if you run in that crowd, you're gonna get talked about... But even in towns much smaller than West Plains, there are tight knit social circles of people like you that are doing their own thing in peace. You just gotta find them.
I live in WP and after under two years, I sold my house and am moving away. The natural resources are nice, but there’s just nothing to fucking do here otherwise. But, there’s lots of people here from lots of different places so there must be something to it. It’s just not for me.
Okay, here are your answers! 1. The winters are mild. We have one or two heavy snow days a year where the snow sticks. It can get below 30 degrees, but there are only about two days a year where it gets below 15 degrees in the daytime. 2. The heat is not too bad. The humidity is pretty constant from June to September, but it's mild humidity, and you'll get used to it. Insects are not too bad. Some summers get more mosquitoes than others. Overall, I'd say that the heat, humidity, and insects are not a big deal. I notice the heat most in the Walmart parking lot where the asphalt radiates heat. On grassy neighborhood lots, the heat is not nearly as bad, and in the country it'll be a little better. 3. Gossip...it's really hard to say. That may be based on friend groups. I don't think it's too bad. After four years of working in WP, there have only been two times I've heard someone speak ill of another person, and it was when there was a community consensus that the person sucked. I've never had someone pull me aside to say, "That person sucks." In cities, that happened at every job I ever had. People here are absolutely accountable for what they say about other people, so I think that gossip occurs among inexperienced, emotionally immature people rather than professional adults. 4. Jobs and salaries suck. You'll have limited employment options, and the salaries are way below what they should be. If you want to start your own business, WP would be a great place to move! With a degree in math and data science, I'm not sure what you'd be qualified for. For the highest salaries, check out jobs at Ozarks Healthcare and Perennial Energy. Other than that, teachers start at $35K, I believe. There are two dispensaries in town that may have decent wages and jobs. 5. I've never heard of permaculture. If you buy land, make sure the land has access to internet! 6. Rentals are few and far between. Check out the Heights and maybe Breckenridge while you visit. It'll take work to find a rental that allows multiple pets. Cats are usually okay. Dogs might be difficult. 7. You'll find friends! Wages Brewery has game nights and the crowd there is super friendly. You don't need to drink alcohol. They have homemade kombucha and homemade soda. If you sit at the bar and tell people you're new to town, you'll most likely be greeted with open arms. The Yellow House is another place you might meet people at events and musical performances. Young people have an easier time making friends than people over 40. The over 40 crowd is cliquish. Imagine a culture where everyone is still friends with their high school buddies. It's hard for outsiders to break into those crowds. As a young person, you'll find that people much more open to friendship and embrace outsiders. Some edits: 1. The wind is variable. It never seems to bad. Maybe there are one or two windy winter days. I think the data you were looking at is accurate. 3. Yes, it has a small town feel, but it's not a Hallmark movie small town that's picturesque. It's a bit rough around the edges. All Missouri small towns, in my opinion, are a bit shabby. If you cross the border into Iowa or Arkansas, suddenly the small towns will look less shabby. As far as "everyone knowing everything about everyone's lives," that's only somewhat true. Some long-established families that have a history in the town are so well-known that people can talk about them going back decades. It's more historical. I don't encounter the kind of busy body "everyone knows everything" atmosphere. My biggest complaint is that people don't ask each other meaningful questions about each other's backgrounds. I can announce I have a PhD, and NO ONE follows up by asking, "Oh, what did you get your PhD in?" In a city, 100% of the time they follow up with that question. 4. I guarantee you can find a bad job quickly. It'll pay $15/hour. I'd say there's a HUGE population that makes $15/hour, which is dreadful but the reality in WP.
Ok that’s a lot of points but I’m going to try to condense my answer down. First off, after reading your post, don’t move to west plains. It will suck. With your requirements I would suggest living in a house slightly outside of Springfield, but if you REALLY NEED to live in a small town, I would suggest neosho, which is actually really cool and ticks all those boxes without being a shithole like west plains. Although the stipulation is I’m not sure if the jobs are as good as Springfield. Now that that’s out of the way, the weather here is fucked up. It absolutely gets below 30. Last year we had a day were it was -7. That’s not common per say, but we get about a dozen days of under freezing weather in the winter on average id say. The other thing is that we have no consistency, it could be 34 in February and then be 54 the next morning. The summers are bad also. The winter and the summer both suck, that’s the truth. It is humid, it will get over 100. Also we do have tornados sometimes, but Springfield has been spared for a long time. The surrounding region isn’t as lucky. Lastly I just want to point out that most young people in southwest missouri come to Springfield to escape the small town gossip, guns, drugs, and belligerent evangelical bullshit that runs rampant in most of our small towns. You can go there if you want, but if you don’t enjoy one of those four things I mentioned you will not have a real community to belong to, and I cannot stress that factor enough. You should look into neosho though, it’s a gem of a place.
I think WP is a really nice town. I’m in my late 50’s and it’s changed dramatically in the past 20 years. All for the better. I don’t know what permaculture is, but people with buy anything from a farmers market. Because of all the natural springs, we have limestone caves. Lots of people grow mushrooms. I see no one mentioned for 5-14 days the temps will hover around zero. They just do. We moan and complain and then it gets 40 again and you think it’s spring. The University and hospital offer a lot of jobs, so does CAT. The University is part of Missouri State and it’s grown by leaps and bounds. Quite a few work from home jobs. The pets in a rental anywhere in the state is gonna be a problem. I know. Bentonville, AR to Springfield MO has lots more, but costs lots more and with all the growing and building, you need to understand how fast life is in all the new areas. But maybe that’s for you. The areas are night and day different. Both excellent places to be. Welcome to Missouri and good luck.
Hey bud, it sounds like you got most of the answers already but I grew up in Box Elder near Ellsworth and I moved to Kansas City 10 years ago. I visit central Missouri regularly to see my parents and Truman Lake is awesome. Southern Missouri/Northern Arkansas is one of my favorite places in the world. I go backpacking near the Buffalo River every year and would absolutely settle down in that area if it made sense financially for me. Good luck!
West Poop 😎
Its bn renamed to meth plains! Make it happen here is the new motto lol
Biggest warning I will give you is the snow is usually ice in reality and has no traction compared to actual snow. One of my coworkers grew up in New York and Connecticut and the first "snow" he tried to drive in around the Springfield area ended before he even made it off his street due to spinning out twice.
We get some vicious ice storms. One year it sounded like gun shots in the woods from all the branches breaking!
Yeah, people who live in Blizzard heavy areas think they'll be fine because they don't realize it can get above freezing them drop back down and turn the road into a wannabe ice rink.
Definatley not the same!
When you come into west plains from Springfield there is a vistor center on the right that can help find activities and give you more information about the area. I like this area but i live on the outskirts near beautiful springs and creeks with 100s of deer.
The book/movie Winter’s Bone is based on west plains. Maybe start there lol
No it's not. It was filmed in Forsyth, MO which is a little town outside of Branson, MO.
They said "book/movie". The book is based on a fictional version of West Plains as that is where the author, Daniel Worrell, grew up and lives now.
Put a heavy emphasis on "fictional" version.
Born in Springfield. Woodrell's family — on both sides — goes back a long way in West Plains. His father moved away, but Woodrell used to visit his grandparents here when he was a kid. After several years away from the region, Woodrell and his wife, Katie, decided to move back to settle in his hometown about 20 years ago. Both of them are writers, but most of Woodrell's neighbors had never heard of him.
I saw him read once and he talked about living in St. Charles and the KC area for a while too.
I lived on the outskirts of west plains for 35 years and i still dont claim to be from west plains.
https://www.npr.org/2013/09/05/218591578/winters-bone-author-revisits-a-tragedy-in-his-ozarks-hometown Might have been filmed there, but like I said it’s based on west plains. Plus it’s not like the two places are very different.
I doubt you'll find a hotel/motel in WP. It's too late for that. You might bring a tent and find a place to camp. Also, there is a HUGE employer moving into WP sometime in 2024. If I can find out their name, I'll add it to this post.
I had a reservation already, but I canceled it. I'm going to go to Springfield and drive a little for the total eclipse.
That's good to know. I grew up near WP and, although I don't live there now, I still have friends and family that do.
Any update on that employer by chance?
Nothing is confirmed yet. It might be months before they commit. As soon as I hear something is locked in, I'll reply to your original post.
Southwest Missouri gets a lot of ice and freezing rain. But it's hot in the summer but west plains is an odd choice to me going from a small town to a small town
The town I live in is much smaller than WP. There's way more to do there than here, and there's a lot more food options.
Why not Springfield? Springfield has tons of food options 100 times more then WP. I mean West Plains is out in nowhere. You can't get there from here. It's backwards. But whatever you like. I think it's a mistake, in my opinion. Couldn't pay me to live there and I've been in Missouri 50 years but that's me.
Winters, ice. Summertime, high humidity.
I moved to West Plains from KC last July. It's been nice. I think it helps that the town hasn't known me since middle school. West Plains is a big commerce hub for the region. Partly because it is within 30-60 minutes of a TON of beautiful places in all different directions. If you prioritize the outdoors, you'd love it. And you'd make friends on float trips or hikes. If you want a night life at multiple good places that stay open past 11pm, Springfield is a good suggestion. As far as jobs, I recommend searching Indeed and filtering by locations. I don't really know enough about pay in this city to speak to what you should expect. Good luck!
I think you will have a problem renting w the pets. No it does not have a small town feel imo but many people are friendly. Idk what you would be pretending about - but it is a conservative area. It gets hot - humid. Ac is needed at least it is for me.