HOT as hell in the summer
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9/1/2006
Watch what you get into! Housing costs are low in SW Missouri. You will get more house for your money than just about anywher in the country. There are some real nice neighborhoods, but even most of those do not have things such as sidewalks or much public space. There are LOTS of new sub-divisions scaterred around the city with cracker box style homes. Be careful as many are poorly constructed and many of the towns are struggling to provide adequate supplies of water and saewage treatment plants. The city schools are average, but there are very few minorities so many equate this with "good" (they'll never admit it though). Utility rates are low, but you'll run your AC and heater most of the year as the humidity is a killer and there is very little breeze. Less than 20% of the people voted in the last election to expand a coal burning power plant. Gas guzzlers dominate the roadways. The town is relatively flat, but the surrounding areas are hilly. Town is great for bikes and motorcycles, but very dangerous as there are few bike paths and many streets still have storm ditches rather than buried sanitary sewers. Sidewalks are few and far between. Downtown is undergoing a revitalization though with lots of lofts and more people walking. The new President of Missouri State and some business leaderes are speaking out about issues such as increasing diversity and more funding for public education. Will be interesting to see if he lasts though as there is an extreme right wing base that can be downright ugly yet smile at the same time. If you can land a decent job (two large health care organizations) and want to bank some money this may be the place for you. Don't kid yourself though as overall quality is lacking. This is not a healthy community. The population is one of the most obese I have ever seen and many lack basics such as routine dental care. If you are tough though and want to help make a difference come join us. Lord knows you'll find that cheap house....the for sale signs are endless and have been up EVERYWHERE the whole two years I've been here. Hopefully, I can stick it out one more year.
Ziggy | Springfield, MO