Move to a town outside of Springfield, but NEVER to Springfield itself. I moved to Ozark from Springfield in May 2022 and have not once regretted it. Property taxes in Ozark are higher, groceries and gas are a little more expensive than surrounding towns and cities, but I personally like the small community of 20,000 people better. One thing I severely dislike about the Springfield AREA is the lack of sidewalks in neighborhoods that should have them and lack of quality education. Drug use is very high because you have the bars and the clubs and the restaurants, where 3 weekends a month all 12 months, someone is shot to dead (sometimes several someones). I moved to Springfield from OKC in 2016. I hated Springfield. It was like a black abyss you can’t crawl out of. You’re literally accosted by the homeless population at gas stations for change, cigarettes you don’t smoke, lighters you don’t have, food they don’t really want, rides. I don’t even go to gas stations in the city anymore since I moved to Ozark. Driving in Springfield is freakin’ HORRENDOUS. No turn signals, they use the center turn lane as a merge lane and drive down it trying to cut into traffic (which then results in a crap ton of accidents in the area), no one has insurance or up to date tags on their vehicles. So if you get ran over walking, which happens DAILY in Springfield because the pedestrians and drivers don’t know how crosswalks and right-of-way works, you have no way to have your medical bills covered. Everyone knows someone severely affected by heroin or meth in Springfield. There is no access for these people to get help, if they wanted it. They get tossed in jail, let out in 2 hours, break into abandoned houses and squat in them until the landlord finds out or in winter, the homeless burn the house down from trying to stay warm. The social services are NOT helpful, so they victimize the community. Some are suffering from mental health disorders because of drug use and incest, some just want to be homeless and will NOT take help. Some are genuinely struggling to stay on their feet and will take a hamburger if you offer or a Penny if you offer, it doesn’t matter, as long as it helps them a little; they want to get back into “normal” life. The police are a bunch of pansy ass clowns. I don’t know where they were found, but they are goofy. They don’t know the laws. Routinely break the laws. It’s awful. The Sheriff’s department is a SQUEEEAKKK better but much to be desired. We just got a brand new jail! Whooo! Weed is officially legal TODAY!!! You can have like 3 grams on you! And the first dispo opens in February 2023. Lots of restaurants, bars, art studios, coffee shops, and apartments downtown. Some government buildings and a central little park with a bridge. It’s pretty. I like it. LOTS of public parks, but also LOTS of public park problems: drugs, guns, homeless, fights, all that good stuff. The people of Springfield are OK. Most I’ve met like to talk, especially at work. They will help the community but also judge the shit out of you. You have to be careful, as an outsider moving to the area, it seems. The medical community is monopolized by two corporations: Cox (the ONLY good one) and Mercy (they kill people and routinely commit Medicaid and Medicare fraud). Those are your options in Springfield. Sucks to suck, friend. The weather is stupid. It rains constantly. All. The. Fucking. Time. I’m from Illinois and I just can’t with all the rain here. It seems like it rains like 3 out of 5 days. Sometimes it will rain for 8 days straight. No Sun. All clouds and gloom for over a week. It’s great. The roads blow. Pot holes all over the mf place. The roads in Springfield don’t make sense. The speed limits should be higher, but then the crap drivers and the pedestrians that have a death wish, ya know…. Safety. Everyone uses a cell phone while driving. Driving is like an extreme EXTREME sport in Springfield. You NEVER know if you’ll make it to your designation and then home from minute to minute. People like to run over light poles on Thanksgiving and kill the power to the whole town, last 4 in a row. I don’t know why they hate the holiday so much, but whatever. There is never a shortage of drugs: weed, meth, heroin, fentanyl, pain pills, nerve pills, LSD, PCP, coke, crack, X, Molly. Springfield has it all. Don’t get involved if you aren’t already. Most of the public parks have trails of some kind. They are wonderful. If Springfield got one thing right, it was their public parks. They are full of wildlife, exotic and natural plant life, beautiful trails, rivers, smells, sights, fish, snakes, turtles. They almost all have play places, too, if that matters. The homes are old and run down. The landlords are mostly slum lords or crappy, greedy property management companies. Renting a property in Springfield is another of those extremely extreme sports in Springfield, like driving. Just be mindful and do your research. Casenet.Mo is a great resource for finding public information about people in the whole state of MIssouri, because of something called the Sunshine law. Most criminal records, even a dog at large ticket, is findable on that Web site for all people in MO. It’s a great tool to keep yourself safe and in the know about who you’re dealing with. I realize not everything will be in that information, but you will be able to see most things. There is a lot of violence in Springfield. The water tastes like dirt and chemicals and death. Don’t drink it. Ever. You’ll die. Don’t work an overnight job. Be inside your house by 11PM. Keep your doors and windows locked. Get your packages as soon as they hit your door step. Have video cameras out side, all around your home and property. Trust me and every one else in Springfield on this one. Murder is common. It could be your neighbor and you would have never expected it or saw it coming. Happens constantly. Your dog has to be on a leash or in a fence. ALWAYS. Don’t let it bark for more than 10 minutes outside (or inside, if you live in shared housing) or the neighbors will talk to you. If it keeps happening, your neighbor will post about you and your dog and your bag dog habits in the FB group for Springfield gossip and will call the cops for a noise violation. I see the question there allll the time. Sure lots of others do, too. It’s common. There is a lot of work. It’s gross, manual work. Not very lucrative, office-y work here. Not a lot of big, National businesses. Bass Pro is like the glory of the city. It’s mundane, in my opinion. Just a massive Walmart for hunters. And Johnny Morris owns half of the city (Bass Pro owner). The people worship him. Do your research thoroughly. Talk to people who have moved to the area from other parts of the States. The people who have lived here their whole lives are kinda like nose blind to the issues or get insulted when you say the truth. The truth is a big fat no-no in Springfield. The people WANT to be lied to. I cannot figure it out. Lots of pedophiles here. It’s like a haven for them. Scary.

Everyone has their own opinion of everywhere. So like I said, talk to lots of people. Im not a college student either, so they may also have a different opinion. Springfield has lots of colleges and a couple universities.