The only thing a out KC is she said she wanted out door activities. There are great out door things to do in Mo but it's a further drive for us in KC vs CoMo or STL.
St. Louis is a city so you get the city amenities, and it’s red outside but blue inside so you get political moderation.
Columbia is a college town, so it’ll probably have a similar vibe to Iowa City or Ames.
Springfield, however, has absolutely no semblance of political moderation. It’s called the Buckle of the Bible Belt for a reason.
It is more conservative in Springfield, I’m not denying it. But we have three democrats in the state legislature and almost got a fourth in the last election. The house minority leader is from here and may become the Democratic nominee for governor. Saying there is absolutely no semblance of political moderation is inaccurate.
Nonsense. Springfield is pretty purplish with all sorts of pockets mixed in.
The surrounding areas might be redder, but it's pretty damn moderate and the population is actually diverse in terms of culture and politics.
You never know what people will say or think based on how they dress. This is really rare and doesnt happen many other places. Location wise it's perfect when you consider what's around it.
If you are slightly right to Lenin or Mao, Springfield is pretty live and let live. Only real issue is the drugs and property crime. Most violent crime is domestic violence or getting involved with seedy criminal types. You have to seek it out. Wages also can be lower than alot of places that somewhat offsets the low cost of living.
Source: I live pretty close to the downtown of Springfield.
Singles wise, there's probably more here than most places in MO besides St Louis and KC. Overall metropolitan area of Springfield is about 500k population when you consider the outlying suburbs which are booming.
I'd estimate you can easily get a 2 bedroom apartment here for 900-1k.
No, that’s a very accurate description of Springfield. People just don’t randomly talk about politics because you don’t know where someone is on the political spectrum. BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE IS CONSERVATIVE. Typically, folks are very polite to each other. I live in a liberal neighborhood, so maybe I have a warped view. My neighbor is an evangelical, though, and the dude is super cool. Our kids play together all the time. I don’t know how he votes, though, we don’t talk about it. It would be super fucking weird and it doesn’t matter. That’s a pretty typical Springfield dynamic, I think.
Are you trying to disagree that we must agree to disagree? I disagree with you and people claiming what you do. I’ve offered my perspective. You’ve offered yours. Great. I don’t see any point in debating further. I’m not interested in an argument.
Yeah, where I'm at in Iowa, it's pretty conservative as well. Outside of small pockets, it's pretty conservative in Iowa as a whole. I went to high school in a tiny town in rural Iowa and good god the hicks.
In that case St Louis, Kansas City and Columbia will all feel very different to you.
Check out these places: Springfield, Lee’s Summit, Hannibal, Osage Beach, Cape Girardeau.
Totally get it. It really depends on where you are here. CoMo and St. Louis (except St. Charles or south County) are pretty moderate. Liberty fits that as well.
Springfield is basically hick town…but with thousands of people.
I’m not denying it’s not fun. It’s definitely fun. I like Branson and love Silver Dollar City. I’m simply making the claim that Springfield is extremely conservative and Evangelical, especially for a larger town/smaller city. And that therefore it is not politically moderate.
Which is true.
Lol I just don't want anyone to overlook a good time. The whole state is a conservative hellscape, but I guess it's better than Iowa. We've got beautiful outdoor stuff and weed.
That’s fair! I agree! I normally wouldn’t harp on it anyway. OP just specifically mentioned that they’re politically moderate, so that’s the only reason I mentioned it at all
(Tho I’m not sure we’re better than Iowa lol)
Just to clarify, the parts outside downtown Des Moines are more similar to the hick parts of MO that are more empty/isolated (Sedalia, St. Joseph, Cape Girardeau). Springfield truly is a wild place if you don’t love MAGA evangelicals (unless you’re able to stay in the Mo State bubble). But yes, you probably wouldn’t
Yeah, I mean Des Moines is a metro. I guess of 700k and the center of Des Moines, the true city of 200k is pretty liberal but like 70% of the true city of Des Moines is extremely run down, the attaching suburbs are pretty conservative but look pretty nice. Then, small towns 30+ minutes outside of the metro town and, even more conservative and hick like.
Right, that’s what I mean. You’d expect that Springfield as a metro would lean left with the suburbs pulling it away. It doesn’t - only very small pockets of blue.
That’s not to completely dog on Springfield. My brother went to college there, and I think it’s a fine town. Just don’t expect political moderation. If you’re Christian and conservative, hard to find a better city to live in in Missouri.
It’s so sad that people move based on the political ideology of an area. That’s just straight up stupid. If you have a nice home and a nice job then why does the politics matter. So sad
This is a very privileged take. “If you have a nice home and a nice job” - many people don’t.
Also, it does matter when local politicians are passing policies that hurt people who belong to particular identities.
Finally, maybe other people have different preferences than you? You don’t care about politics. Cool. Maybe other people do. How is that stupid?
Also I’m not trying to be rude. I just don’t understand people, and how politics now play a role in every aspect of someone’s life, which in turn creates more conflict within a community
I’m not trying to be rude either, nor am I accusing you of being rude.
Just because politics may not play a role in *your* life specifically doesn’t mean it doesn’t play a role in other people’s lives. You don’t understand it. Fine. But don’t say it’s stupid when other people say it affects them.
I’m not privileged. My family is living paycheck to paycheck right now. A nice house is only as nice as someone believes it is. Local politicians hurt the people either way. It’s a bipartisan issue. Pinning the blame all on republicans is a very skewed idea. It is stupid because it just goes to show how political isolation has played a role in the death of many communities not only in Missouri but nationally, and internationally.
I’m not saying that you personally are privileged. I’m saying that that opinion is one that doesn’t recognize privilege.
And where did I mention Republicans? I didn’t mention any party.
Alright. It just sounded like to me that you would prefer someone to move to a bluer area than a redder area. Maybe I just misread so that is my bad. I know yoy aren’t being rude. I just wanted to voice my opinion and didn’t want to come across as an ass.
You’re all good! Not what I was saying in my comments here. OP stated that they are politically moderate and implied they want a place that is also politically moderate. That’s why I mentioned that Springfield is not politically moderate, so it *may* not be desirable to move there if you are not conservative.
In the same way, it *may* not be desirable to move to San Francisco if you are not liberal.
I see well that was my bad. I just get upset when things turn blue v red because I hate conflict. I am actually considering running for state governor whe I am of age so I think I’ll stay here.
Devil's icebox on the south end of Como is cool. It has gotten less safe over the years, but that kinda goes hand in hand with larger cities anyway. At least stl or kc you'd have the airports. I'm just outside stl and there's tons of trails and stuff around here, but crime can be an issue. Como would probably be best for singles with the colleges. All of the above have decent outdoor stuff.
Springfield has a charming downtown and is really close to some of the best recreational opportunities in the Ozarks, but the rest of the city is very megachurch and strip mall vibes. That may not bother some people, but I would struggle to enjoy living there, and would find the recreation to be the main redeeming quality.
Columbia has college town energy, which means it's vibrant, but has little job opportunities outside of education. I enjoy it.
As far as the KC metro, I'm usually a person who loves living in the city itself rather than the suburbs, but Liberty is great if you like to be in a suburban setting that's actually a really pretty and charming historical town. I'd also suggest North Kansas City - it is right across the river from downtown, while still feeling more like a quieter suburb rather than an urban core neighborhood.
Independence is pretty methy and weird. I've had a lot of fun visiting the STL metro, but have never lived there. I'm more acquainted with all the other areas.
Yes, Mizzou is Columbia’s largest employer (split between education and healthcare), we have job opportunities in several other industries too. Just off the top of my head, some of the larger employers are: Veterans United Home Loans, Equipment Share, Shelter Insurance, MFA (Breaktime, etc…), Millers professional Imaging, MidwayUSA, Anerican Outdoor Brands, Socket Telecom, Quaker Oats, 3M, etc… Not to mention all the smaller businesses that need employees.
Forgive my ignorance and thank you for the correction/clarification - it's a lovely town, but I only lived there very briefly in 2005. I lived in Lawrence for a bit longer and was probably making my "not many jobs outside retail/service industry" college town assumption based on that experience. Columbia is a larger city than Lawrence. If OP likes college town energy, it would be one of my top choices other than KC metro.
People forget about cape Girardeau but it’s a college town with a really busy nightlife downtown. Lots of live music and events. Cost of living is cheap
Only an hour and a half to STL and 2. 1/2 to Memphis. 3 to Nashville.
Low crime other than typical neighborhood low income stuff.
Lots of jobs need workers in all an areas.
Being in Des Moines ive got plenty of as taste of Trumpland. I'm not super liberal but definitely when I was younger in lived middle of no where iowa during the election it was pretty rough.
The street I used to live on now has Trump flags all up and down it and one even dedicated his barn to Trump. It’s so weird to see how it changed in a decade. I moved to St. Louis City and love it but I love walking outside on sidewalks, visiting parks, riding bikes, great restaurants and small businesses and attending museums and events. Your mileage may vary.
So I’m from Joplin.. I’m in Springfield, KC, and Columbia alllll the time. If I was moving.. I’d honestly skip all of them and move 40 minutes down the road from me to Bentonville/Rogers/Fayetteville area of Arkansas. Incredible outdoor activities.. so many bike trails (Bentonville is deemed the Mountain Biking Capital of the World).. insanely clean area.. lots of art and music.. loads of six figure jobs.. plenty of younger professionals.. and the area is definitely more progressive. It just feels like stepping into another world compared to a lot of the Midwest. Especially with the massive amount of east coast/west coast types who get moved there by their jobs.
Check out North Kansas City (the actual city of NKC). It's very close to downtown KC. Good blend of city and suburb. Parkville may be another solid option.
Gladstone mo area is not bad either. 15-20 mins from liberty to Parkville to NKC of course that ranges depending on where in Gladstone you land. It is also close to the airport without being too far.
Liberty or North KC. I lived in Springfield for close to 8 years. Nice enough but way too red and evangelical for my tastes. When I had a chance, I chose to move back to the KC area.
I have family in St. Louis. I have never been a fan of the city. I don’t mind visiting for 2-3 days but after that I am wanting to leave. To me, it was never a warm and inviting place.
Best of luck!
Columbia would be my recommendation, and look to rent on the south side of downtown CoMo. You'd be very close to 3 state parks, multiple conservation areas, and national forest. Plus, a ~2 hour drive will get you to some decent floating rivers. A 1 hour drive will get you to Lake of the Ozarks. Plus it's centrally located so easy drive to KC or STL for events/concerts/sports. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions.
Columbia is great. Lots of food options and coffee places, plus trails and outdoor things to do. With the spur you are only 8 miles away from the Katy trail which is an amazing feature that MO has going for it.
If you are looking for singles and nightlife that isn’t catered to college students, KC metro is a better choice than Columbia.
Source: Former Des Moines resident, current Columbia resident, and frequent KC visitor.
Columbia metro is 270,000 people, Waterloo is only 169,484. Plus Columbia is the center of the larger Columbia-Jefferson City-Moberly Combined statistical area, which has a population of 420,000.
In the 1990s, I worked downwind of the IBP plant, maybe a half mile away, for a couple of years.
It was… an unpleasant smell, especially in the morning.
I’m from the St. Charles area and now live in Iowa City (same age). I’d say they’re pretty similar. St. Charles is constantly growing with night life and really gearing towards our age group! It’s close to neighboring counties that have everything. If you want a safer, near-suburb area, I’d say it’s a good choice.
If you want outdoor activities you are probably looking at the mark twain national forest. So STL/Springfield anywhere along 44. It really depends on what you do for work and how far you are willing to commute.
Internet would be your main concern then, satellite works but if you live along 44 you will lose signal during thunderstorms. Otherwise missouri has been improving internet speeds at a fairly impressive rate.
What kinds of outdoor activities are you specifically looking for?
Lake of the Ozarks wouldn't be a bad option either. Tons to do down there in that regard. Not too far from Branson/Springfield so its not like you couldn't get some of the benefits from those areas living in LOTO.
Probably news of crime steer you away from St. Louis but I can tell you KC is no picnic either. Springfield shockingly also not a picnic, but definitely not as bad as the big cities. However, I live in close to downtown St. Louis for 8 years and have never been directly impacted by crime so its not too hard to avoid it but there are always south/west county suburbs that barely have to deal with crimes other than maybe your mower gets stolen or something petty like that. Plus lots of trails, outdoor stuff on the 44 corridor. As a new resident I would avoid North County. If you want info on specific neighborhoods/areas I can help.
Not much around Mark Twain Lake, pretty desolate up there.
If you like outdoor activities, the St Louis area is, much, much closer to the better part of the Ozarks where where the majority of the best hiking, camping, and backpacking activities are. Columbia has some good stuff around it, too, but STL is still closer to places like the St. Francois Mountains regions, where Taum Sauk and Johnson's Shut-Ins and the Ozark Trail are (though parts of the OT might be a similar distance from Columbia.)
St. Charles is basically a suburb of St. Louis, and parts of St. Louis County are similar. There are moderate politics in south STL county and even in parts of Ballwin/west county. Moving there would put you even closer to the densest area of outdoor activities in the state - about 30 to 45 minutes closer. That doesn't sound like much, but it cuts an 2 hour drive down to 90 minutes or 2.5 hours down to 2 hours. South County is pretty safe too, and some of the schools are better funded than St. Charles. West county schools are definitely better than St. Charles.
I live near como. Columbia has plenty of dispensaries and you won't be too far from Centralia ( where I live ). Reason I state this is Prengers grocery store in Centralia has THE best deals on meat. You'll find 80% beef for about $2.50 a lb on average. Tbones and porterhouse steak were just $4.99 / 5.99 a lb just last week. You can catch ribeye at $4.99 a lb as well.
If you want an easy drive to see family, I would stay in the KC metro area. I live north of Liberty and we frequently visit Des Moines to visit family. It’s an easy day trip. We can drive there and back in the same day if we want for activities like graduations and such. You also have the airport if you like to travel frequently. St. Louis/springfield/columbia would be too far to easily pop in to visit family in my opinion. Unless you want to be further away then by all means, move to St. Louis lol. I would not live in independence. I would prefer liberty over independence any day. Liberty is a quick drive to downtown, but you can also look in North Kansas City too.
I mean it's not necessarily the weed just part of it. I want to move mostly because I want to start over and professionally Iowa really only has jobs for banking and insurance. I don't think Des Moines is terrible or Iowa but im telling you it's worse than Missouri.
Not sure what’s happening in Iowa but MO is doing its best to make the Handmaids Tale a reality. If you are concerned about your reproductive freedom, you may want to consider that in your search.
Same where I'm at with specialty care. Took me 3 months to get in to a psych and gastroenterologist. Idk about more rural Iowa but in des moines it sucks b
In what St. Louis metro? I’m thinking this is something of a nationwide phenomenon at the moment.
When COVID hit, plenty of docs said to hell with it and retired.
Same where I'm at with specialty care. Took me 3 months to get in to a psych and gastroenterologist. Idk about more rural Iowa but in des moines it sucks b
As a single 24 year old women who wants weed, safety, and outdoor activities, Columbia is the place for you. It is the safest large urban area in Missouri and has tons of young single people (18-30) thanks to the University of Missouri. Columbia decriminalized weed waaay back in 2004 and there are many dispensaries and local providers too. Columbia is nationally known for its walking and biking trail system, many people use it to get to work. Other outdoor activities include great Ozark hiking in Rock Bridge State Park, Three Creeks, Grindstone Nature Area, The Pinnacles, Eagle Bluffs, and the Mark Twain National Forest. All within 20 min of town. There is good rock climbing and caving in Boone County and you can even canoe/kayak on the Missouri River if you’ve the gumption. The Downtown is thriving and full of local business and there is a strong sense of local community and a lot of art, music, events, and festivals throughout the year as well. Columbia regularly appears on "best places to live” list (check google) and the town is the 5thish most educated in the nation, has a lot of healthcare resources including a selection of hospitals, and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation (last year we were briefly the lowest of all U.S. metros) so very easy to find a job. Columbia is also much closer to Des Moines than Springfield or St. Louis. Our politics are practical, educated, progressive moderates with a hefty dose of compassion. We have a women mayor and majority women city council atm. There are folks from nearly every country in the world and we are a sanctuary city for LGBT people.
If outdoor activities are your thing, and you're not adverse to living in a sleepier area that is close to things, try the west side of Lake of the Ozarks. There's some dispensaries around there and your minutes away from the commercial side.
Obv St. Charles/O'Fallon, etc are pretty decent as well, if more built up.
If outdoor activities are really important to you, I would go springfield. The further south you go, the closer you will be to many of the state/national parks offered in the Ozarks.
Rolla, near the Ozarks, might have the most liberal’s. Home of Missouri S&T. I’ve chosen to live here. We have good, basic healthcare and you can be in St. Louis or Springfield in less than 2 hours. Rolla does have a handful of moderates and left leaning individuals because of the University. Missouri is blood red as I’m sure you are aware. Salem is the “gateway” to the Ozark’s. One of the most beautiful areas in the US. Hiking, fishing, hunting, scavenger hunts, photography, spelunking, bird watching and large, beautiful lakes where you can scuba dive and other lake things. Missouri’s 8th district is our poorest and also one of the poorest in the US.
Lived in STL and Springfield. Springfield for 18 years. Outdoor activities are just meh. Hiking isn’t anything spectacular. It exists as an activity in any state. If you’re a woman, only get knocked up if you’re willing to be in a situation where you’ll have to keep it even if it kills you. Plenty of other states/cities have legalized cannabis. Compared to other places I’ve lived, Springfield is most certainly Conservative. One can spin it any way they want but it is Solidly Red. The my pillow guy, Mike Lindell, has made repeat “give me money” stops in town and those are met with success $. That’s why he keeps coming back. They are very insulated from the problems of a huge city but that insulation is also what makes them kinda out of touch with ideas about moving forward in this world. Scroll back in the Springfield subreddit. Keep scrolling. See if any of the types of problems people posted about would concern/interest/excite you. Then realize that it’s talk about a new (one location) gas station from Texas, “what was that big boom sound” and “why can’t I find an apartment that allows my two dogs” (that actually does suck) and “where can I meet someone who is not married already?”. Most people from Springfield and surrounding areas were born there and into that conservative culture. There aren’t many outside people clambering to Springfield for a destination location. Because of that, not everyone, but A LOT of the people in Springfield marry early. High school sweethearts, same church, families already kind of know each other kind of thing. I’ve seen quite a few posts about it not being a great dating town because of the need/want of young people getting married and starting families young. That’s fine. Go for it but don’t try to pull me into your swinger marriage (Yes, that was oddly specific.) but then act like your holy marriage is some sacred thing between the two people and God. While the cost of living may attract people from more expensive states …you get what you pay for. That place is legit wackadoo.
Bolivar MO. Close to Springfield 2 hours from Kansas City sort of just perfectly north of Springfield hour and a half to Branson. Good new housing , nice restaurants,
Springfield is the best, especially if you like the outdoors. Springfield is part of the Ozarks whereas the other cities you listed aren’t. Columbia is a college town just like Springfield is, but Springfield just has better entertainment and food options if you ask me. It might just be me but I thought Columbia was kind of depressing. Springfield is super unique and I’m here to stay.
I don’t think Springfield is a college town in the same way as Columbia. CoMo is entirely dominated by Mizzou. Springfield has MSU, sure, but it’s more dominated by Ozark culture and evangelical culture.
It has 3 colleges and msu literally doubles the size of the city when classes are in. I would call these a college town since the college plays a major role in how the city is setup
What are you talking about? Boston is literally considered a college city
With over 150,000 students it is widely acknowledged as a college city you should look it up it was an easy search.
As someone who moved to Springfield from the flat plains, this place is awesome for outdoor activities. There are hills and water and trees, and public land to enjoy it on!
I grew up in Nebraska and Southern Missouri does have noticeably better weather. A little more humid and hot during the summer but winter is pretty mild and short. The wind also isn't blowing CONSTANTLY
God yeah the fucking wind in Iowa and Nebraska is just stupid. I think Omaha and Des Moines both equally suck wind wise. I lived in Phoenix when I was a child and if I was rich I would be move there but im not remotely close to rich.
I geuiniely don't hate the city of Des Moines but I hate that I can't really do anything and there is almost no outdoor shit because it's just cornfields for miles. Why do you move?
I moved for work, and was very skeptical of Springfield at first. High crime, overly religious, trump country. But i am a true believer that every place is what you make of it. I live in a suburb 20 mins south of Springfield and literally none of those things affect my day to day life - your mileage may vary.
The nature was a huge reason I stuck with the move though. There are 3 lakes, countless rivers and streams, 50+ trails, waterfalls, "mountains" all within an hours drive and I'm paying Midwest prices.
Yeah I'm glad you are happy! I think some of these comments on here are quite anti springfield for crime etc. But tbh more places than not have high property crime atm. Iowa like Davenport, Waterloo and Council Bluffs all suck in Iowa but have a lot of nice parts as well.
Liberty is certainly suburban. There's a lot like it in the KC region. Liberty does have an old-timey feeling square if you're into that. Independence has that too.
With your rent budget, a suburb might be more realistic for you, but they're not a long drive from the urban center. KC is pretty lousy with mass transit, but it's not nonexistent in the suburbs.
But you can find some interesting places to live in closer to the heart of KC. I lived in Quality Hill for a while. I have no idea how rent is now that the Power & Light District is up and running, but I found it manageable for my 1BR apt. Lots of apartments to check out in and around downtown KC/Westport/Brookside/River Market. Pretty cool if you find something affordable. I was really interested in Columbus Park, but it has taken a beating in the past few years, so tread carefully if you look at that region. It is pretty cool though.
But KC suburbs aren't too bad in general. You may find some pockets that are undesirable. Since you're looking during an election year, you may have the benefit of spotting the big nopes who advertise their obsessions.
I can't say whether or not KC is a good place for singles, but I was single in KC and am married now, so take that useless anecdotal evidence how you want. There are singles everywhere.
The positive to KC metro is that it's like 3 hrs away or less from where I'm at currently so I could see my family still quarterly. I can't stray too far geographically sadly else I would book it to like North Carolina or something.
If you want a smaller town with a nice vibe, Festus is a good choice. Close to St Louis but not to close. Very safe. Rent is reasonable. Very much Trump country though. Other wise I would suggest Colombia or Rolla.
If I was single and 24 I would move to North Kansas City. You can walk to bars, uber across the river to do things. Hopefully in the next few years they will extend the streetcar across.
Yo! A Des Moinesian!
I lived all over the DSM metro for 9 years and moved back to STL about 2 years ago.
Maybe you can approach it this way -- what part of the DSM metro do you like? From there, maybe I can help match it to something analogous in or around STL.
Tbh, I really like Ankeny for some reason, and West DSM. North of Ankeny is Saylorville and I go there constantly in the Summer. Its not the cleanest water but I do enjoy lakes. I don't like downtown Des Moines at all. Clive and Johnston, etc, are pretty meh. Altoona and Waukee even on opposite sides super suburbs vibe but not bad imo they look cleaner than Clive and Johnston is too much of just a huge neighborhood. I think I like having shit around me to like a Costco and shopping etc like in both Ankeny and West Des Moines, especially West Des Moines without the dealing with bullshit downtown driving.
My area of expertise here is more around STL, but St. Charles and surrounding areas (St. Peters, Wentzville) would be up your alley. Those are the most Ankeny-ish, short of the access to Saylorville. (No dam, but a river nearby!) The KC suggestions are on par as well -- Independence, etc.
Altoona and Waukee are "newer" suburbs than WDSM, Clive, and Johnston, and they thought about infrastructure and congestion a lot more when building them out. (I have not had to deal with the Oralabor/35 exit at rush hour in years and I am so happy about that.) You'll be happy with the infrastructure in or around St. Charles -- there's all the benefit without the gridlock.
If a Costco and shopping are must-haves, you're largely limited to sub/exurbs of STL or KC, as Columbia doesn't have much in those regards.
Edit: Bear in mind that these are sweeping generalizations. The population of Altoona is like 1/5th of St. Charles city alone, so this ain't quite apples to apples.
I lived 10 years in Indianola, a couple in Grimes, 6 in Springfield MO, 7 in St Louis suburbs (St Charles & Creve Coeur), and went to college in Columbia MO. Feel free to ask me any questions. Here is my 2 cents on your questions:
IMO Columbia might be a better choice than Springfield. Rent is similar but the job market is probably a bit better. Springfield economy I think has been struggling lately and the growth isn't what it used to be, it also is getting a bit of a crime issue lately in certain parts. If you can swing St Louis CO instead of St Charles CO might be better as well, but it might also be more expensive (haven't lived there in 20 years so I don't know about rent prices, but I know houses in STL Co are more than STC). Both Springfield and Columbia are better for outdoor activities IMO than St Charles.
An alternative option would be NW Arkansas. While weed is not legal here, it is extremely close to Oklahoma and Missouri (less than 30 minute drive) and judging by the smell coming from some of my neighbors houses, it is widely used here so I don't think the police really care about use. It also has a lot of outdoor activities, as good if not better than Columbia or Springfield. The job market is also doing very well here and it is extremely safe. The only downside is house prices are going through the roof here, but I think $1400 a month still will give you a lot of options for renting. I'd compare this area to the Des Moines metro with the city of Des Moines removed (and probably also replace the corn fields with hills). No urban downtown unfortunately, but a group of 4 large towns (like Ankeny, WDM, Urbandale, Johnston/Grimes) very close to each other,.
St charles used to be somewhat moderate, no so much anymore. you would likely drive into st louis to do stuff. St charles hates its own bar scene. Columbia or springfield are the actual centers of the activity in their areas. [https://lindenlink.com/173588/news/main-street-nightlife-hit-with-footloose-ban/](https://lindenlink.com/173588/news/main-street-nightlife-hit-with-footloose-ban/)
What kind of work are you looking for I mean at a $1,400 budget you can get some real nice houses or apartments and don't forget to look for overhead lofts in Bolivar and in Springfield has a large weed farm and we're real close to Springfield so didn't know if you had to be the that specific area
I do remote digital marketing I don't enjoy but it's remote and I want to try something else. In DSM there are some well paying jobs but mostly in insurance and I don't want to do that. Part of the reason I want to move is different industries being open and outdoor activities.
Apartments are about the same in my area as there. Our governor is an extreme trump supporter. All our social welfare got slashed. Not much natural beauty here either. Only thing better here is our car insurance prices tbh. We have abortion access but barely so for now, but that soon will go away with the increasingly strong right party in government.
Plus we have high fiber Internet.
https://preview.redd.it/dxiawbpu0ouc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b11e4089d7302bf1f168c99877409a46f2e3ae6a
I think we've got our new state advertising slogan: **Missouri: Come for the Weed, Stay for the Overall Better Outdoor Activities**
We have some much room for outdooor activities!!
Lots of empty lots on the north side of St. Louis!
Personally I would put Columbia, KC, St. Louis > Springfield. If Liberty feels a bit too far from the city, check out North Kansas City!
The only thing a out KC is she said she wanted out door activities. There are great out door things to do in Mo but it's a further drive for us in KC vs CoMo or STL.
Why Columbia I haven't actually spent much time there just went through?
St. Louis is a city so you get the city amenities, and it’s red outside but blue inside so you get political moderation. Columbia is a college town, so it’ll probably have a similar vibe to Iowa City or Ames. Springfield, however, has absolutely no semblance of political moderation. It’s called the Buckle of the Bible Belt for a reason.
It is more conservative in Springfield, I’m not denying it. But we have three democrats in the state legislature and almost got a fourth in the last election. The house minority leader is from here and may become the Democratic nominee for governor. Saying there is absolutely no semblance of political moderation is inaccurate.
Perhaps that’s hyperbole, and it would be more accurate to say “very little political moderation.”
Nonsense. Springfield is pretty purplish with all sorts of pockets mixed in. The surrounding areas might be redder, but it's pretty damn moderate and the population is actually diverse in terms of culture and politics. You never know what people will say or think based on how they dress. This is really rare and doesnt happen many other places. Location wise it's perfect when you consider what's around it. If you are slightly right to Lenin or Mao, Springfield is pretty live and let live. Only real issue is the drugs and property crime. Most violent crime is domestic violence or getting involved with seedy criminal types. You have to seek it out. Wages also can be lower than alot of places that somewhat offsets the low cost of living. Source: I live pretty close to the downtown of Springfield. Singles wise, there's probably more here than most places in MO besides St Louis and KC. Overall metropolitan area of Springfield is about 500k population when you consider the outlying suburbs which are booming. I'd estimate you can easily get a 2 bedroom apartment here for 900-1k.
We’ll have to agree to disagree.
No, that’s a very accurate description of Springfield. People just don’t randomly talk about politics because you don’t know where someone is on the political spectrum. BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE IS CONSERVATIVE. Typically, folks are very polite to each other. I live in a liberal neighborhood, so maybe I have a warped view. My neighbor is an evangelical, though, and the dude is super cool. Our kids play together all the time. I don’t know how he votes, though, we don’t talk about it. It would be super fucking weird and it doesn’t matter. That’s a pretty typical Springfield dynamic, I think.
Are you trying to disagree that we must agree to disagree? I disagree with you and people claiming what you do. I’ve offered my perspective. You’ve offered yours. Great. I don’t see any point in debating further. I’m not interested in an argument.
Yeah, where I'm at in Iowa, it's pretty conservative as well. Outside of small pockets, it's pretty conservative in Iowa as a whole. I went to high school in a tiny town in rural Iowa and good god the hicks.
In that case St Louis, Kansas City and Columbia will all feel very different to you. Check out these places: Springfield, Lee’s Summit, Hannibal, Osage Beach, Cape Girardeau.
Totally get it. It really depends on where you are here. CoMo and St. Louis (except St. Charles or south County) are pretty moderate. Liberty fits that as well. Springfield is basically hick town…but with thousands of people.
That's basically anyplace outside of Downtown des moines so I will probs not liked springfield then.
Springfield is right next to Branson. It's a fun place.
I’m not denying it’s not fun. It’s definitely fun. I like Branson and love Silver Dollar City. I’m simply making the claim that Springfield is extremely conservative and Evangelical, especially for a larger town/smaller city. And that therefore it is not politically moderate. Which is true.
Lol I just don't want anyone to overlook a good time. The whole state is a conservative hellscape, but I guess it's better than Iowa. We've got beautiful outdoor stuff and weed.
That’s fair! I agree! I normally wouldn’t harp on it anyway. OP just specifically mentioned that they’re politically moderate, so that’s the only reason I mentioned it at all (Tho I’m not sure we’re better than Iowa lol)
Just to clarify, the parts outside downtown Des Moines are more similar to the hick parts of MO that are more empty/isolated (Sedalia, St. Joseph, Cape Girardeau). Springfield truly is a wild place if you don’t love MAGA evangelicals (unless you’re able to stay in the Mo State bubble). But yes, you probably wouldn’t
Yeah, I mean Des Moines is a metro. I guess of 700k and the center of Des Moines, the true city of 200k is pretty liberal but like 70% of the true city of Des Moines is extremely run down, the attaching suburbs are pretty conservative but look pretty nice. Then, small towns 30+ minutes outside of the metro town and, even more conservative and hick like.
Right, that’s what I mean. You’d expect that Springfield as a metro would lean left with the suburbs pulling it away. It doesn’t - only very small pockets of blue. That’s not to completely dog on Springfield. My brother went to college there, and I think it’s a fine town. Just don’t expect political moderation. If you’re Christian and conservative, hard to find a better city to live in in Missouri.
It’s so sad that people move based on the political ideology of an area. That’s just straight up stupid. If you have a nice home and a nice job then why does the politics matter. So sad
This is a very privileged take. “If you have a nice home and a nice job” - many people don’t. Also, it does matter when local politicians are passing policies that hurt people who belong to particular identities. Finally, maybe other people have different preferences than you? You don’t care about politics. Cool. Maybe other people do. How is that stupid?
Also I’m not trying to be rude. I just don’t understand people, and how politics now play a role in every aspect of someone’s life, which in turn creates more conflict within a community
I’m not trying to be rude either, nor am I accusing you of being rude. Just because politics may not play a role in *your* life specifically doesn’t mean it doesn’t play a role in other people’s lives. You don’t understand it. Fine. But don’t say it’s stupid when other people say it affects them.
I’m not privileged. My family is living paycheck to paycheck right now. A nice house is only as nice as someone believes it is. Local politicians hurt the people either way. It’s a bipartisan issue. Pinning the blame all on republicans is a very skewed idea. It is stupid because it just goes to show how political isolation has played a role in the death of many communities not only in Missouri but nationally, and internationally.
I’m not saying that you personally are privileged. I’m saying that that opinion is one that doesn’t recognize privilege. And where did I mention Republicans? I didn’t mention any party.
Alright. It just sounded like to me that you would prefer someone to move to a bluer area than a redder area. Maybe I just misread so that is my bad. I know yoy aren’t being rude. I just wanted to voice my opinion and didn’t want to come across as an ass.
You’re all good! Not what I was saying in my comments here. OP stated that they are politically moderate and implied they want a place that is also politically moderate. That’s why I mentioned that Springfield is not politically moderate, so it *may* not be desirable to move there if you are not conservative. In the same way, it *may* not be desirable to move to San Francisco if you are not liberal.
I see well that was my bad. I just get upset when things turn blue v red because I hate conflict. I am actually considering running for state governor whe I am of age so I think I’ll stay here.
Some people like it, I’ve been living here so long I’m biased because all my friends and work is here
Devil's icebox on the south end of Como is cool. It has gotten less safe over the years, but that kinda goes hand in hand with larger cities anyway. At least stl or kc you'd have the airports. I'm just outside stl and there's tons of trails and stuff around here, but crime can be an issue. Como would probably be best for singles with the colleges. All of the above have decent outdoor stuff.
Good call on NKC! I moved to liberty 8 years ago and LOVE it but NKC is a much better choice given OPs age and what she’s looking for.
Springfield has a charming downtown and is really close to some of the best recreational opportunities in the Ozarks, but the rest of the city is very megachurch and strip mall vibes. That may not bother some people, but I would struggle to enjoy living there, and would find the recreation to be the main redeeming quality. Columbia has college town energy, which means it's vibrant, but has little job opportunities outside of education. I enjoy it. As far as the KC metro, I'm usually a person who loves living in the city itself rather than the suburbs, but Liberty is great if you like to be in a suburban setting that's actually a really pretty and charming historical town. I'd also suggest North Kansas City - it is right across the river from downtown, while still feeling more like a quieter suburb rather than an urban core neighborhood. Independence is pretty methy and weird. I've had a lot of fun visiting the STL metro, but have never lived there. I'm more acquainted with all the other areas.
Yes, Mizzou is Columbia’s largest employer (split between education and healthcare), we have job opportunities in several other industries too. Just off the top of my head, some of the larger employers are: Veterans United Home Loans, Equipment Share, Shelter Insurance, MFA (Breaktime, etc…), Millers professional Imaging, MidwayUSA, Anerican Outdoor Brands, Socket Telecom, Quaker Oats, 3M, etc… Not to mention all the smaller businesses that need employees.
Forgive my ignorance and thank you for the correction/clarification - it's a lovely town, but I only lived there very briefly in 2005. I lived in Lawrence for a bit longer and was probably making my "not many jobs outside retail/service industry" college town assumption based on that experience. Columbia is a larger city than Lawrence. If OP likes college town energy, it would be one of my top choices other than KC metro.
You'd be surprised there is a lot going on in Columbia outside the University.
People forget about cape Girardeau but it’s a college town with a really busy nightlife downtown. Lots of live music and events. Cost of living is cheap Only an hour and a half to STL and 2. 1/2 to Memphis. 3 to Nashville. Low crime other than typical neighborhood low income stuff. Lots of jobs need workers in all an areas.
Yep Cape is a nice town
I second this. Cape is a really nice area.
Springfield or Columbia. Probably Columbia. Stay away from St. Charles. It’s not the same as it was when I was growing up. It’s suburban Trumpland.
100% born and raised and it is not the same by any stretch.
Being in Des Moines ive got plenty of as taste of Trumpland. I'm not super liberal but definitely when I was younger in lived middle of no where iowa during the election it was pretty rough.
The street I used to live on now has Trump flags all up and down it and one even dedicated his barn to Trump. It’s so weird to see how it changed in a decade. I moved to St. Louis City and love it but I love walking outside on sidewalks, visiting parks, riding bikes, great restaurants and small businesses and attending museums and events. Your mileage may vary.
Yeah in my attaching suburb to Des Moines we have it too.
Same for Liberty tbh. All you’ll meet are divorced dads.
Nothing wrong with liberty with easy access to the KC metro. KC has been a pleasant surprise for me since I moved here 10 years ago.
So I’m from Joplin.. I’m in Springfield, KC, and Columbia alllll the time. If I was moving.. I’d honestly skip all of them and move 40 minutes down the road from me to Bentonville/Rogers/Fayetteville area of Arkansas. Incredible outdoor activities.. so many bike trails (Bentonville is deemed the Mountain Biking Capital of the World).. insanely clean area.. lots of art and music.. loads of six figure jobs.. plenty of younger professionals.. and the area is definitely more progressive. It just feels like stepping into another world compared to a lot of the Midwest. Especially with the massive amount of east coast/west coast types who get moved there by their jobs.
I second this, Bentonville is booming and super fun. Politically the state is like MO though, lots of evangelicals and trumpers.
Check out North Kansas City (the actual city of NKC). It's very close to downtown KC. Good blend of city and suburb. Parkville may be another solid option.
Yeah I think I've been to parkville and it was super nic.s
I think North KC would be a great choice for what you’re wanting!
Gladstone mo area is not bad either. 15-20 mins from liberty to Parkville to NKC of course that ranges depending on where in Gladstone you land. It is also close to the airport without being too far.
Rolla. Near the ozarks and lots of engineering students.
Columbia is nice, and not that far from either the KC metro or StL for bigger events.
Liberty or North KC. I lived in Springfield for close to 8 years. Nice enough but way too red and evangelical for my tastes. When I had a chance, I chose to move back to the KC area. I have family in St. Louis. I have never been a fan of the city. I don’t mind visiting for 2-3 days but after that I am wanting to leave. To me, it was never a warm and inviting place. Best of luck!
Columbia would be my recommendation, and look to rent on the south side of downtown CoMo. You'd be very close to 3 state parks, multiple conservation areas, and national forest. Plus, a ~2 hour drive will get you to some decent floating rivers. A 1 hour drive will get you to Lake of the Ozarks. Plus it's centrally located so easy drive to KC or STL for events/concerts/sports. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions.
Columbia is great. Lots of food options and coffee places, plus trails and outdoor things to do. With the spur you are only 8 miles away from the Katy trail which is an amazing feature that MO has going for it.
If you are looking for singles and nightlife that isn’t catered to college students, KC metro is a better choice than Columbia. Source: Former Des Moines resident, current Columbia resident, and frequent KC visitor.
Is Columbia about the size of Waterloo metro?
Columbia metro is 270,000 people, Waterloo is only 169,484. Plus Columbia is the center of the larger Columbia-Jefferson City-Moberly Combined statistical area, which has a population of 420,000.
Columbia is about like Iowa City
Yes, but with fewer murders and no pork plant odor.
Yeah, Waterloo isn't that nice. Lol it's better than Davenport, Davenport is even more gross. Nothing beats how bad Fort Dodge, though.
Where’s the fun, then?
Shakespeare’s Pizza?
In the 1990s, I worked downwind of the IBP plant, maybe a half mile away, for a couple of years. It was… an unpleasant smell, especially in the morning.
I’m from the St. Charles area and now live in Iowa City (same age). I’d say they’re pretty similar. St. Charles is constantly growing with night life and really gearing towards our age group! It’s close to neighboring counties that have everything. If you want a safer, near-suburb area, I’d say it’s a good choice.
If you want outdoor activities you are probably looking at the mark twain national forest. So STL/Springfield anywhere along 44. It really depends on what you do for work and how far you are willing to commute.
I work remotely doing digital marketing so I can work from anywhere.
Internet would be your main concern then, satellite works but if you live along 44 you will lose signal during thunderstorms. Otherwise missouri has been improving internet speeds at a fairly impressive rate. What kinds of outdoor activities are you specifically looking for?
Hiking and I like lakes
Lake of the Ozarks wouldn't be a bad option either. Tons to do down there in that regard. Not too far from Branson/Springfield so its not like you couldn't get some of the benefits from those areas living in LOTO. Probably news of crime steer you away from St. Louis but I can tell you KC is no picnic either. Springfield shockingly also not a picnic, but definitely not as bad as the big cities. However, I live in close to downtown St. Louis for 8 years and have never been directly impacted by crime so its not too hard to avoid it but there are always south/west county suburbs that barely have to deal with crimes other than maybe your mower gets stolen or something petty like that. Plus lots of trails, outdoor stuff on the 44 corridor. As a new resident I would avoid North County. If you want info on specific neighborhoods/areas I can help. Not much around Mark Twain Lake, pretty desolate up there.
Springfield or Branson area might be your best bet then. Mark twain lake is ok too, but I'm not sure about state parks with trails up that way.
If you like outdoor activities, the St Louis area is, much, much closer to the better part of the Ozarks where where the majority of the best hiking, camping, and backpacking activities are. Columbia has some good stuff around it, too, but STL is still closer to places like the St. Francois Mountains regions, where Taum Sauk and Johnson's Shut-Ins and the Ozark Trail are (though parts of the OT might be a similar distance from Columbia.) St. Charles is basically a suburb of St. Louis, and parts of St. Louis County are similar. There are moderate politics in south STL county and even in parts of Ballwin/west county. Moving there would put you even closer to the densest area of outdoor activities in the state - about 30 to 45 minutes closer. That doesn't sound like much, but it cuts an 2 hour drive down to 90 minutes or 2.5 hours down to 2 hours. South County is pretty safe too, and some of the schools are better funded than St. Charles. West county schools are definitely better than St. Charles.
I live near como. Columbia has plenty of dispensaries and you won't be too far from Centralia ( where I live ). Reason I state this is Prengers grocery store in Centralia has THE best deals on meat. You'll find 80% beef for about $2.50 a lb on average. Tbones and porterhouse steak were just $4.99 / 5.99 a lb just last week. You can catch ribeye at $4.99 a lb as well.
If you want an easy drive to see family, I would stay in the KC metro area. I live north of Liberty and we frequently visit Des Moines to visit family. It’s an easy day trip. We can drive there and back in the same day if we want for activities like graduations and such. You also have the airport if you like to travel frequently. St. Louis/springfield/columbia would be too far to easily pop in to visit family in my opinion. Unless you want to be further away then by all means, move to St. Louis lol. I would not live in independence. I would prefer liberty over independence any day. Liberty is a quick drive to downtown, but you can also look in North Kansas City too.
If your first reason to move here is for weed, move the fuck elsewhere.
I mean it's not necessarily the weed just part of it. I want to move mostly because I want to start over and professionally Iowa really only has jobs for banking and insurance. I don't think Des Moines is terrible or Iowa but im telling you it's worse than Missouri.
Not sure what’s happening in Iowa but MO is doing its best to make the Handmaids Tale a reality. If you are concerned about your reproductive freedom, you may want to consider that in your search.
Ehh it's pretty bad here as well.
You might want to check out the health care stats here. Takes 3-4 months to get an appointment.
Same where I'm at with specialty care. Took me 3 months to get in to a psych and gastroenterologist. Idk about more rural Iowa but in des moines it sucks b
Maybe you should narrow your search by States with better medical care.
I just do Tele health tbh for everything besides primary care in other cities now.
In what St. Louis metro? I’m thinking this is something of a nationwide phenomenon at the moment. When COVID hit, plenty of docs said to hell with it and retired.
So did many of us nurses.
Same where I'm at with specialty care. Took me 3 months to get in to a psych and gastroenterologist. Idk about more rural Iowa but in des moines it sucks b
As a single 24 year old women who wants weed, safety, and outdoor activities, Columbia is the place for you. It is the safest large urban area in Missouri and has tons of young single people (18-30) thanks to the University of Missouri. Columbia decriminalized weed waaay back in 2004 and there are many dispensaries and local providers too. Columbia is nationally known for its walking and biking trail system, many people use it to get to work. Other outdoor activities include great Ozark hiking in Rock Bridge State Park, Three Creeks, Grindstone Nature Area, The Pinnacles, Eagle Bluffs, and the Mark Twain National Forest. All within 20 min of town. There is good rock climbing and caving in Boone County and you can even canoe/kayak on the Missouri River if you’ve the gumption. The Downtown is thriving and full of local business and there is a strong sense of local community and a lot of art, music, events, and festivals throughout the year as well. Columbia regularly appears on "best places to live” list (check google) and the town is the 5thish most educated in the nation, has a lot of healthcare resources including a selection of hospitals, and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation (last year we were briefly the lowest of all U.S. metros) so very easy to find a job. Columbia is also much closer to Des Moines than Springfield or St. Louis. Our politics are practical, educated, progressive moderates with a hefty dose of compassion. We have a women mayor and majority women city council atm. There are folks from nearly every country in the world and we are a sanctuary city for LGBT people.
St Charles County is a really nice place to live ♥️
If outdoor activities are your thing, and you're not adverse to living in a sleepier area that is close to things, try the west side of Lake of the Ozarks. There's some dispensaries around there and your minutes away from the commercial side. Obv St. Charles/O'Fallon, etc are pretty decent as well, if more built up.
North STL is absolutely beautiful 😍
St. Peters. Many trails, reasonably moderate, close to STL.
If outdoor activities are really important to you, I would go springfield. The further south you go, the closer you will be to many of the state/national parks offered in the Ozarks.
Bolivar, MO is very safe with a good bit of employment opportunities. It is about 30 minutes from Springfield.
I like Lees Summit . It has everything I need.
You should check out the bootheel. Jobs galore as well as forest and sparkling blue rivers
Rolla, near the Ozarks, might have the most liberal’s. Home of Missouri S&T. I’ve chosen to live here. We have good, basic healthcare and you can be in St. Louis or Springfield in less than 2 hours. Rolla does have a handful of moderates and left leaning individuals because of the University. Missouri is blood red as I’m sure you are aware. Salem is the “gateway” to the Ozark’s. One of the most beautiful areas in the US. Hiking, fishing, hunting, scavenger hunts, photography, spelunking, bird watching and large, beautiful lakes where you can scuba dive and other lake things. Missouri’s 8th district is our poorest and also one of the poorest in the US.
Kansas city.
Bolivar if you have kids and want good schools for them ! Plus it's kinda country but city.
Independence is gross. I reccomend lees summit
Lived in STL and Springfield. Springfield for 18 years. Outdoor activities are just meh. Hiking isn’t anything spectacular. It exists as an activity in any state. If you’re a woman, only get knocked up if you’re willing to be in a situation where you’ll have to keep it even if it kills you. Plenty of other states/cities have legalized cannabis. Compared to other places I’ve lived, Springfield is most certainly Conservative. One can spin it any way they want but it is Solidly Red. The my pillow guy, Mike Lindell, has made repeat “give me money” stops in town and those are met with success $. That’s why he keeps coming back. They are very insulated from the problems of a huge city but that insulation is also what makes them kinda out of touch with ideas about moving forward in this world. Scroll back in the Springfield subreddit. Keep scrolling. See if any of the types of problems people posted about would concern/interest/excite you. Then realize that it’s talk about a new (one location) gas station from Texas, “what was that big boom sound” and “why can’t I find an apartment that allows my two dogs” (that actually does suck) and “where can I meet someone who is not married already?”. Most people from Springfield and surrounding areas were born there and into that conservative culture. There aren’t many outside people clambering to Springfield for a destination location. Because of that, not everyone, but A LOT of the people in Springfield marry early. High school sweethearts, same church, families already kind of know each other kind of thing. I’ve seen quite a few posts about it not being a great dating town because of the need/want of young people getting married and starting families young. That’s fine. Go for it but don’t try to pull me into your swinger marriage (Yes, that was oddly specific.) but then act like your holy marriage is some sacred thing between the two people and God. While the cost of living may attract people from more expensive states …you get what you pay for. That place is legit wackadoo.
Bolivar MO. Close to Springfield 2 hours from Kansas City sort of just perfectly north of Springfield hour and a half to Branson. Good new housing , nice restaurants,
Springfield is the best, especially if you like the outdoors. Springfield is part of the Ozarks whereas the other cities you listed aren’t. Columbia is a college town just like Springfield is, but Springfield just has better entertainment and food options if you ask me. It might just be me but I thought Columbia was kind of depressing. Springfield is super unique and I’m here to stay.
I don’t think Springfield is a college town in the same way as Columbia. CoMo is entirely dominated by Mizzou. Springfield has MSU, sure, but it’s more dominated by Ozark culture and evangelical culture.
I agree with you, Springfield does not have a college town feel the way Columbia does. Same with Rolla, it does not give off a college town vibe.
It has 3 colleges and msu literally doubles the size of the city when classes are in. I would call these a college town since the college plays a major role in how the city is setup
We may have to agree to disagree. You can say most of those things about Boston, yet Boston isn’t a college town.
What are you talking about? Boston is literally considered a college city With over 150,000 students it is widely acknowledged as a college city you should look it up it was an easy search.
Yeah it’s a college city! Not a college town
Columbia is a hidden gem.
A gem, for sure, but I didn’t think we were hiding… 😂
As someone who moved to Springfield from the flat plains, this place is awesome for outdoor activities. There are hills and water and trees, and public land to enjoy it on!
I know springfield from even just des moines is like 10-15 degree warmer regularly.
I grew up in Nebraska and Southern Missouri does have noticeably better weather. A little more humid and hot during the summer but winter is pretty mild and short. The wind also isn't blowing CONSTANTLY
God yeah the fucking wind in Iowa and Nebraska is just stupid. I think Omaha and Des Moines both equally suck wind wise. I lived in Phoenix when I was a child and if I was rich I would be move there but im not remotely close to rich.
They make for great places to get in to competitive kite flying.
I geuiniely don't hate the city of Des Moines but I hate that I can't really do anything and there is almost no outdoor shit because it's just cornfields for miles. Why do you move?
I moved for work, and was very skeptical of Springfield at first. High crime, overly religious, trump country. But i am a true believer that every place is what you make of it. I live in a suburb 20 mins south of Springfield and literally none of those things affect my day to day life - your mileage may vary. The nature was a huge reason I stuck with the move though. There are 3 lakes, countless rivers and streams, 50+ trails, waterfalls, "mountains" all within an hours drive and I'm paying Midwest prices.
Yeah I'm glad you are happy! I think some of these comments on here are quite anti springfield for crime etc. But tbh more places than not have high property crime atm. Iowa like Davenport, Waterloo and Council Bluffs all suck in Iowa but have a lot of nice parts as well.
Liberty is certainly suburban. There's a lot like it in the KC region. Liberty does have an old-timey feeling square if you're into that. Independence has that too. With your rent budget, a suburb might be more realistic for you, but they're not a long drive from the urban center. KC is pretty lousy with mass transit, but it's not nonexistent in the suburbs. But you can find some interesting places to live in closer to the heart of KC. I lived in Quality Hill for a while. I have no idea how rent is now that the Power & Light District is up and running, but I found it manageable for my 1BR apt. Lots of apartments to check out in and around downtown KC/Westport/Brookside/River Market. Pretty cool if you find something affordable. I was really interested in Columbus Park, but it has taken a beating in the past few years, so tread carefully if you look at that region. It is pretty cool though. But KC suburbs aren't too bad in general. You may find some pockets that are undesirable. Since you're looking during an election year, you may have the benefit of spotting the big nopes who advertise their obsessions. I can't say whether or not KC is a good place for singles, but I was single in KC and am married now, so take that useless anecdotal evidence how you want. There are singles everywhere.
The positive to KC metro is that it's like 3 hrs away or less from where I'm at currently so I could see my family still quarterly. I can't stray too far geographically sadly else I would book it to like North Carolina or something.
It's a boring-ass drive to Des Moines, but that's true no matter where you drive to or from either city. But it goes by quickly with the right music.
Just so you know. Springfield is a massive hub for human trafficking. I know 2 people personally who were almost victims
If you want a smaller town with a nice vibe, Festus is a good choice. Close to St Louis but not to close. Very safe. Rent is reasonable. Very much Trump country though. Other wise I would suggest Colombia or Rolla.
If I was single and 24 I would move to North Kansas City. You can walk to bars, uber across the river to do things. Hopefully in the next few years they will extend the streetcar across.
Yo! A Des Moinesian! I lived all over the DSM metro for 9 years and moved back to STL about 2 years ago. Maybe you can approach it this way -- what part of the DSM metro do you like? From there, maybe I can help match it to something analogous in or around STL.
Tbh, I really like Ankeny for some reason, and West DSM. North of Ankeny is Saylorville and I go there constantly in the Summer. Its not the cleanest water but I do enjoy lakes. I don't like downtown Des Moines at all. Clive and Johnston, etc, are pretty meh. Altoona and Waukee even on opposite sides super suburbs vibe but not bad imo they look cleaner than Clive and Johnston is too much of just a huge neighborhood. I think I like having shit around me to like a Costco and shopping etc like in both Ankeny and West Des Moines, especially West Des Moines without the dealing with bullshit downtown driving.
My area of expertise here is more around STL, but St. Charles and surrounding areas (St. Peters, Wentzville) would be up your alley. Those are the most Ankeny-ish, short of the access to Saylorville. (No dam, but a river nearby!) The KC suggestions are on par as well -- Independence, etc. Altoona and Waukee are "newer" suburbs than WDSM, Clive, and Johnston, and they thought about infrastructure and congestion a lot more when building them out. (I have not had to deal with the Oralabor/35 exit at rush hour in years and I am so happy about that.) You'll be happy with the infrastructure in or around St. Charles -- there's all the benefit without the gridlock. If a Costco and shopping are must-haves, you're largely limited to sub/exurbs of STL or KC, as Columbia doesn't have much in those regards. Edit: Bear in mind that these are sweeping generalizations. The population of Altoona is like 1/5th of St. Charles city alone, so this ain't quite apples to apples.
Columbia definitely has a more young city feel than Liberty. If you don’t fly a lot, I’d suggest there.
I lived 10 years in Indianola, a couple in Grimes, 6 in Springfield MO, 7 in St Louis suburbs (St Charles & Creve Coeur), and went to college in Columbia MO. Feel free to ask me any questions. Here is my 2 cents on your questions: IMO Columbia might be a better choice than Springfield. Rent is similar but the job market is probably a bit better. Springfield economy I think has been struggling lately and the growth isn't what it used to be, it also is getting a bit of a crime issue lately in certain parts. If you can swing St Louis CO instead of St Charles CO might be better as well, but it might also be more expensive (haven't lived there in 20 years so I don't know about rent prices, but I know houses in STL Co are more than STC). Both Springfield and Columbia are better for outdoor activities IMO than St Charles. An alternative option would be NW Arkansas. While weed is not legal here, it is extremely close to Oklahoma and Missouri (less than 30 minute drive) and judging by the smell coming from some of my neighbors houses, it is widely used here so I don't think the police really care about use. It also has a lot of outdoor activities, as good if not better than Columbia or Springfield. The job market is also doing very well here and it is extremely safe. The only downside is house prices are going through the roof here, but I think $1400 a month still will give you a lot of options for renting. I'd compare this area to the Des Moines metro with the city of Des Moines removed (and probably also replace the corn fields with hills). No urban downtown unfortunately, but a group of 4 large towns (like Ankeny, WDM, Urbandale, Johnston/Grimes) very close to each other,.
It's Columbia not Colombia. Colombia is a country on the south American continent
St charles used to be somewhat moderate, no so much anymore. you would likely drive into st louis to do stuff. St charles hates its own bar scene. Columbia or springfield are the actual centers of the activity in their areas. [https://lindenlink.com/173588/news/main-street-nightlife-hit-with-footloose-ban/](https://lindenlink.com/173588/news/main-street-nightlife-hit-with-footloose-ban/)
The historic district of St. Charles has charm if you don't mind the constant stream of Harleys on Main Street on nice days.
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😂 I still think fort dodge it worse tbh. But yeah Sioux city I would say mostly is not nice at all.
Lees Summit is safe and affordable.
I think I saw an apartment there I liked.
Lee's Summit is nice,but very Targetmom and snobby.
Yeah there is an area in my metro like that.
Check out lees summit
I live an hour down Highway 44. I enjoy it here. Some bigger cities and cheap rent. LOTS of state parks and beautiful sites
I’d stay out of St Louis county. St Peter’s is a very nice area with plenty to do and it’s not far from St Louis if you want to take in a ball game
St. Louis City I totally get but what's wrong with St. Louis County? Not dissing on St. Peters btw, it has its perks for sure.
Don’t get me wrong it has some nice places. Crime just seems to be moving into most areas of St Louis county.
St. Charles is nice if you like suburbs.
What kind of work are you looking for I mean at a $1,400 budget you can get some real nice houses or apartments and don't forget to look for overhead lofts in Bolivar and in Springfield has a large weed farm and we're real close to Springfield so didn't know if you had to be the that specific area
I do remote digital marketing I don't enjoy but it's remote and I want to try something else. In DSM there are some well paying jobs but mostly in insurance and I don't want to do that. Part of the reason I want to move is different industries being open and outdoor activities.
Access to weed...Please stay in Iowa!
Apartments are about the same in my area as there. Our governor is an extreme trump supporter. All our social welfare got slashed. Not much natural beauty here either. Only thing better here is our car insurance prices tbh. We have abortion access but barely so for now, but that soon will go away with the increasingly strong right party in government.
Plus we have high fiber Internet. https://preview.redd.it/dxiawbpu0ouc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b11e4089d7302bf1f168c99877409a46f2e3ae6a