The north side is definitely rough. Just drive Glenstone from the south to the north and the difference is stark. The big thing, though, if you end up on the north side, is just mind your business and avoid the drug scene. If you have to park outside, leave nothing of value/importance in the car and lock everything.

Oh, and regardless of where in SGF you are, watch out for pedestrians randomly walking in the roadways. Likewise, don’t walk in the roads yourself.

A couple years ago Cox and Mercy bumped up their minimum wage to $16+ an hour (it may actually be higher than that icr). There are plenty of furniture and appliance stores around, so just Google those.

Thank you so much!

I’ve heard a lot about Springfield’s pedestrian “scene” so I’ll be sure to try and keep my eyes peeled and to make sure my sister keeps an eye out as well. I really appreciate the tips

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I appreciate the honesty! From what you said it doesn’t seem too different from our town

The biggest employers in Springfield are: Oreily Auto Parts, Cox Health, Mercy, Bass Pro, Kraft, T-Mobile, Chase, MSU, 3M, American National, AWG, and Expedia.

You should be able to get $15-$18 an hour. So many call center jobs here.

The rental market has exploded here and you can expect to pay $800-$1200 for a decent one bedroom. (Be prepared for the slew of comments to follow about how you can get an apartment for $600 a month here. ) You probably can, but it’s not going to be a great rental.

I’ve actually been seeing some decent rental homes for $995! Of course, this doesn’t mean that they’ll be available when it comes time to move but I thought I’d scoop out the market ahead of time (I have a cat and dog and wanted to know how pet friendly rentals were), me and my sister plan to split half the bills (she’ll be responsible for trash, I’ll pay WiFi)

It’s so relieving to hear though that getting $15-$18 an hour is possible there. Making over minimum wage were we live is exclusive to factory work so I was a little nervous that we’d be scraping by at $11-$12 an hour

Thank you so much for your insight!

Avoid Wooten like the plague.

The North Side is rougher than the south side, but it’s not as horrible as people claim- it’s not the safest place, but some streets in Saint Louis have made me feel less safe.

A word about Cox, something’s I wish I had known going in. First off, entry level wage is 15.25 but they have a step and grade system which has you getting raises in 1-2% increments. So wave progress is very slow. Secondly, eto is given in a single block, there are no sick days or personal days and federal holidays are paid by deducting it from your eto. Depending on the department you may have no choice but to take a federal holiday off. I have a flexible boss so I can put in hours to make up for losing that day and still get a full 40 hours.

Can you elaborate on ETO being given in a single block by chance? So there’s no way I can ask for a day off if something were to happen? Right now in the hospital I work in, my role is in nursing administration and it’s 12hr shifts and it would be the same department/hours at Cox

I think most of the major call centers like TMobile and Chase start more like $22-25

I’ll def give a look into those if previous plans fall through, thank you!

> Roads don't get worked on

I haven't lived here long enough to comment on the long run, but National is definitely not the nightmare is was when I moved here a year ago.

You said it straight up correct 👍

Wooten Realty to clarify. It’s a **** show for renting. Absolutely do not rent from them.

Can confirm do not rent from Wooten. Had to wait until my downstairs neighbor started getting water through her roof through the bathtub for repairs. Also charged me double for carpet replacement. Just wanted to get the hell out of there with good rent history so I paid them off. I’ve also seen and been around their other complexes. Avoid them if you value your sanity.

I would definitely avoid the north side if you prefer not having things stolen regularly. As far as the jobs cox is much better than mercy (I've worked for both). The minimum wage for cox as a company is $15.25, so I wouldn't be surprised if Starbucks people made around that much. But if you are licensed in some job it probably won't be too hard to get a job but I'd definitely start applying a few weeks before you're wanting to start because it can take a while for the hiring process.

Honestly I plan to start applying maybe a month or two before I head down, I’m assuming it’s going to be a whole process with orientation and training much like when I first got hired at my hospital but it’s really reassuring to hear that minimum wage at Cox is so high!

Cox’s ETO policy and earning chart below. What they mean by a single block is you accumulate ETO, but have to use it for vacation, most sick days, and holidays. So while 3 weeks and 2 days sound good, you will lose a large chunk from holidays depending on your job function and then hope you don’t get sick.

There is a short term disability accrual as well, but it only kicks in on the 5th day.

https://www.coxhealth.com/employees/benefits/time/

Earned Time Off (ETO) is available to full-time and part-time employees at .5 status or greater. ETO is used any time an employee is off work during his/her scheduled work hours unless the employee qualifies for Accumulated Disability Benefit, Funeral Leave or Jury Duty. ETO will be awarded each pay period based on the prior pay period hours paid, excluding weekend option bonus hours. An employee may accrue up to two times his/her potential annual ETO amount.

Thank you! I really appreciate it and I will definitely let this factor into everything!

Cox is still $15.25.

I did the exact same thing you are doing back in 2016! I came from a small town with little opportunity and it was the best decision I ever made. I eventually even met my husband.

I honestly would start applying around April/May. Around the time you are wanting and needing to move. If you need a job quick apply for Arc of the Ozarks or even a nursing home. The hospitals take about a month to start.

Whew! It’s good to hear from someone who came from similar circumstances! I’m very much excited and hoping it’ll be a good fresh start for us both! And thank you for the tips about the other jobs! It’s very much appreciated!

I live on the upper Northside. Above 144, so this is a nice area. Not sure about apartments but there are some. Just be diligent and mind your business. You will be fine. It might not be all nice and shiny like the Southside, but my house would have cost much more down south, so I feel it is fine on the Northside.

I feel like that’s solid advice, I assume that as long as I don’t leave anything valuable in my car and make sure the doors are locked that I won’t have too much trouble and try not to stare/get nosy with anyone else’s business I’d be alright

Post office starts close to $20 depending the position.

Mercy is still $15.

Same advice I'll give anyone:

If you have money and don't want to drive a lot: South Springfield

Medium driving distance/medium cost: go live in Republic and drive into work

Lowest cost/Maximum driving: Live in Bolivar and commute in. (if you work in Springfield)

Depending on how far you want to travel in and around Springfield there's places like First Call that are almost like a temp agency for CNAs. Because of shortages at nursing homes, senior care, rehab facilities, memory care, etc you can pick up shifts that might pay anywhere from $20 - $50 depending on location and time. (I've heard of people making 1500 in a weekend before.)

I live North side, Grant Beach area, so I will toss my experience in here. Been in this house 5 years now, and I can say the drug problem is pretty rough around here (deals are made at the nearby park) but SPD has really been cracking down in my neighborhood.

Cons from my 5 years here: My garage is a seperate building that doesnt lock. I have had 2 empty gas cans and a ladder stolen from me. Oddly enough they never took my mower or the bikes. Just the gas cans and the ladder.

I left my car unlocked once and someone went through it looking for stuff. Luckily they completely missed my wallet which was in a side pocket. They stole a Dasani water and that was it.

The alley behind my house is littered with so much garbage because a couple houses on my street toss their garbage back there in lieu of paying for trash service.

Pros:

My rent is insanely low for a house. $500 a month.

The house itself is really roomy and everything is in great condition.

Most of the appliances were new when I moved in.

Big fenced yard for my kid and my dog. Walking distance to the school and park for my kid.

Neighbors have all been incredibly friendly, albeit a little odd at times.

Near to pretty much anything I could ever need.

Crime rates are shown to be high in the area but I've had little to no issues that have been super concerning.

If you feel like sharing, what sort of work do you do at the hospital? I’m a nurse and I can give you some insight on where might be a good fit. Mercy is a complete shit-show

I’m a nurse tech! Did a year of nursing school but unfortunately had to drop due to some health complications but I’m really, really wanting to apply for Cox college to start back up so I felt like Cox hospital could be a good fit because of tuition reimbursement

If you think you have enough bear mace, you don’t.

The north side is great in areas, less great in others. Personally, I only cross south of Battlefield under duress.

just remember...this is where your wage expectations go to die...

Oh so it’s just sort of exaggeration? I mean I wouldn’t be surprised per say but I was told Cox pays $15.25 starting which is like $5 off what they pay RN’s at my hospital so it doesn’t sound bad

People kind of lump the north side together as “the bad side” but not all neighborhoods are the same. I have lived north of Kearney street for the last 8 years in the doling neighborhood and have never had any issues or anything stolen. When we were looking for a house we found a website that showed crime for specific neighborhoods so you might look into that. When we first moved here a coworker told me that I lived in the ghetto. Meanwhile she lived on the south side in a very nice neighborhood and had a neighbor who was stabbed to death in their house a couple years later. . .

North of I-44 is a hidden gem generally.

Don’t do north side alone. A lot of drugged up homeless (and crime activity that’s kinda isolated to neighborhoods and janky gas stations). I live on the North side and everybody minds their business it seems. My neighbors are kind and my street is clean. Two streets over its a nightmare. It all depends. Not a whole side of the city is bad. Just don’t go alone anywhere and act disinterested to any strange people approaching you. People who really need help and approach people I’ve noticed are cautious and respect someone else’s wariness and communicates their need well. Average wage I’d say is 14/hr. Temp jobs or food service jobs are minimum wage to 15 usually. Sofa City has a good payment program to help build your credit with no credit required to start. So gives some more furniture options. I really liked lowes for our dishwasher, warranty, delivery, and installation. You can find a lot of mom and pop places. Just check stars on google if you’re ever in doubt! If you’re in a pinch were renting out a room of our house. We’re close to the highway but cox is the opposite side of the city from north side if they’re closing down the north location like I heard.

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If you avoid anything within 1.5 miles of north Kansas expressway you'll be fine.

This place is an honest to God shit hole filled with sub par rental properties and meth heads. Looking for better wages ? Don't move here. Looking for great schools? Run away. Wanna get a nice place? Won't be here. Seriously housing is high. Pay is the lowest in the state and crime and violence is at an all time high.

I really appreciate the honesty but where else could I go? We live in a small town of 10,000 and we have shootings that happen in broad daylight, plenty of SA cases that roll around every week, and plenty of drugs and I know this because I work at the hospital and see it.

There’s no rentals here or in any nearby towns and it’s minimum wage or they pay you less because legally they get away with it. So if not Springfield then where else?

The possibilities are endless. I do however understand that point. I would go north just outside of Lee Summit or Blue Springs area.