I moved here from a larger metro as well and have found that for the most part, people are friendly. Get ready for a lot of mediocre food. The upside, it makes you REALLY appreciate a good restaurant when you find it. We don’t have high end retail, you gotta go to KC or St. Louis for that stuff. Our weather is very moody, but we have nice seasons.

People say “oh Springfield is going downhill, so much crime, traffic, etc” but those folks have never been in a city. I see more good here than bad and think Springfield is a great place to hang your hat.