Posted on 08/25/2004 10:01:30 PM PDT by Danette
Ok. House is sold-finally! We're looking to move to the Springfield, MO area. I know Nixa and Republic are the "hot" cities to live in right now, but I don't follow crowds or trends.
If you know, could you tell me about these towns?:
Willard, Marshfield, Rogersville, and Clever.
We do have a realtor we have been working with....she's good. She hasn't PO'd us yet.
We will be house hunting over the Labor Day weekend.
Thanks-----desperate for school information, crime, traffic, prices, blah, blah, blah.
That's beautiful country. The southwest corner of Missouri is a great place to raise a family. When I lived there the schools were excellent. The winters were gray, but when spring comes, there's few places that are as impressive.
Good luck to you.
Missouri loving bump! Old Southern Hills subdivision at the eastern edge of Springfield is beautiful. I don't know about now, but I know they used to go to Kickapoo High School. Hope you have 4 wheel drive, you will need it.
We live just outside the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and are just so tired of the fast pace of life here. We bought 44 acres in Fordland, just past Rogersville. The people there seem really nice and friendly, much like Texas folks.
I grew up in the Springfield area, and graduated from Nixa High School in 1990. All the towns you mentioned are nice and have good schools. You will get a more of a small town feel with Clever and Rogersville. You should also consider Ozark and Selmore.
Please feel free to FReepmail me with specific questions. Good luck!
School Data and Statistics for Missouri:
http://dese.mo.gov/schooldata/
Missouri Statistics: A to Z:
http://www.missouri.edu/~govdocs/mo_stat_az.htm#C
Wild Animal Park dump...er...Bump!
You're gonna love the area. It's where my best friend and I both plan to retire to in about 5 years.
You'll find Branson to be just as tackey as you've heard.
Freep mail me if your interested in living in the Stockton area.
My Mom lives in the area and I'm very familiar with it.
Semper Fi
Drive through some of the residential areas in town and see for yourself. Of course, any of the outlying towns are very nice as well.
I lived in Springfield for 26 years so know it well. I now live in Palestine, Texas as I wanted to get to a warmer climate. However, if I were you I would look carefully out Sunshine Avenue beyond the by-pass. There is an older sub-division of about 100 homes on the north side of the road as it nears the James River. Look there. I have some recent news that very nice home is going on the market there. There may be others. Prices are reasonable, all the clean well water you can want to drink or use to water your lawn if necessary, nice roads to jog or walk your pets. Good stable neighbors. About six miles from the hospital. Sam's is nearby.
Avoid Nixa. Too much traffic. Willard is too far to drive. North side is cheaper but less desirable. Other places to look would be in the Rogersville area.
I would suggest Coldwell-Banker and can probably get you a realtor, if you PM me. My realtor sold my home in this sub-division in two days for full sticker price.
If you want the, really, small town feel you might go farther afield to Seymour or Mansfield. They are between 30 to 45 minutes from Springfield east on highway 60.
The Seymour schools are not too bad.
I have inside sources there also.
Welcome to Missouri! You are heading to a beautiful area. I live just SW of St. Louis but have been in Springfield often and my DIL is from Marshfield.
Best of luck!
Thanks for all the advice. We're moving from Minnesota.
How are the real estate taxes?
What's the pros and cons of shared wells?
Are there strict codes on septic?
We're going to be looking Labor Day weekend and we've got to choose a home to buy then or we'll have to spend another year renting here.
We're so excited to be moving to such a nice area...fell in love with the area while on vacation.
If you are wanting to look in the Seymour/Mansfield are FReepmail me. My mother is a licensed real estate broker who lives in that area. She would know if there are any houses of the type you want in that area.
Also, I'll be down there Labor Day weekend. Would you and yours like to have dinner with me and the missus somewhere in Springfield?
Real estate taxes are quite reasonable. As I recall, my $170K home was about $750 or so. Insurance rates are also very reasonable.
You have a state income tax but it isn't too bad. Sales tax is about 4.125% with local taxes on top of that. Auto sales taxes are paid at the local licence bureau.
Shared wells shouldn't be a problem if they are drilled properly. Usually should go down about 1200 feet. Individual wells about 400 feet. Could be a problem if next to cattle operations and runoff. But I recall that they were requiring five acres for new homes in the county because of the septic problems. New sub-divisions should be on sewer now.
Septic tanks are a potential problem because of the heavy concentrations of limestone in the area. But, on the other hand, many older septic systems weren't put in properly. A new one with proper laterals should be able to handle the effluent.
Pretty good selection of restaurants. The Golden Corral on South Glenstone used to offer a super deal for seniors at $4.50 in the afternoon with drink and the food was great. I ate there quite frequently. All the major chains also have restaurants. Enjoy.
Joe,
I would love to meet another Freeper, but I have no idea what kind of schedule we'll be on. It's going to be filled with looking at alot of houses. I may know more as the time draws closer. I'm going to keep up with this thread up till we leave for Labor Day weekend----so, I'll keep your post/invitation in mind for sure!!!
Of the four towns you mentioned, Clever's by far the most rural. Rogersville has evolved into a semi-suburb of Springfield. Willard remains just outside the capture of the city's 'burb orbit. Marshfield, because of its status as the Webster County seat, is the most self-contained of the four.
Several others have suggested Springfield proper; another good idea there. Everyone's going southwest. Buck the trend and look north. Bolivar is a half-hour in that direction and is a great town (would love to say the same about Buffalo, Mo., but can't).
The City of Springfield has a good website, with crime stats by neighborhood, etc. Find it here: www.ci.springfield.mo.us
And finally: Who-hoo! A Double-A baseball team for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2005! Or so says John Q. Hammons.
We found a house in Marshfield. We'll be closing the end of this month.
Thank you all for your advice and information. I hope to meet some of you one day. Maybe we can have a celebration party after Bush kicks butt?
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