If you want the small town feel, you might check out the suburbs of Springfield. They range in size and amenities - I don’t think Willard and Rogersville even have Walmarts, up to Ozark that has a movie theater over on the border with Nixa. Most of the suburbs are 10-15 minutes from Springfield so it’s very easy to access things there when you need them.

South Springfield is generally going to be safer, as others have said. We have a lot of issues with people using drugs locally, and a lot of homelessness, and people affected by those things tend to stick primarily to the north side and downtown. As a very rough guideline, stay south of Grand. There’s definitely some nice neighborhoods north of Grand (particularly around MSU) but for someone new to the area, it’s a good marker.