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.

I grew up in Springfield but moved to Republic about 12 years ago. Only my oldest kiddo is school aged - 1st grade- but so far we are really fond of the Republic School District. He recently qualified for their gifted program and they've gone out of their way to keep him engaged. Republic also has a really engaging parks and Rec department and far more parks than other nearby cities (it's part of what keeps us here)

Do your kids have any special interests? Some local districts obviously excel in certain interest areas.

All the close non SPS districts (Willard, Nixa, Republic, Ozark) are growing RAPIDILY and sports are highly competitive and hard to get in to.

I grew up on the north side of Springfield (Reed and Hillcrest) which did have a high level of poverty but I had a FABULOUS experience! Central High School (which is center city and also a high poverty rate) also has an amazing international baccalaureate program with great advanced classes.

I'd be happy to help with any specific questions!

Welcome!

When comparing schools do not base your decision on what the "best" schools are on standardized testing. Nixa especially has leaned into test scores heavily as a way to boost property values (since they don't have anything else), but the teacher burnout and lack of teacher autonomy is brewing a low-level mutiny. The teachers are being micro-managed to death, and most of the Nixa teachers I know plan to leave in the near future. I mean, if you value test scores over critical thinking and big picture ideas, Nixa will suit your needs, and honestly some people are looking for that. I don't know many Ozark teachers, but I hear it's similar there.

My boyfriend moved from Boston to Missouri two years ago. I randomly find him talking to strangers in stores because he says “everyone here is so friendly.” It’s 100% real.

I live in the Hickory Hills area, it’s fairly quiet. I attended and my child attends Springfield Public Schools. SPS has a variety of Choice Schools to choose from and soon a Performance and Fine Arts Academy.

Food-

Rama Thai Don Toño The Garrison / Finley Farm The Big Slice Craft Sushi (decent poke) La Paloma Zayka (Indian food) Korya (bibimbap) Gilardi’s / Avanzari (Italian) Big East Grill (Cajun) Galloway Grill Shanghai Inn (personal favorite for ‘Springfield style Chinese’ aka boneless wings with gravy and rice)

Coffee- The Coffee Ethic Big Mamas Kingdom Coffee Mud house Black Lab

As for stuff to do, there are some neat bars and other things downtown. Lindberg’s on c-street is cool. If you are into film, The Moxie is one of the best independent theaters I’ve found in any of the cities I’ve lived. Galloway and Sequiota area is fun. You can go on a walk and grab a meal and or a drink. Lots of other cool outdoor spots too within 30 min drive (Two Rivers, Busiek, Fellows Lake). Further south there are some really special areas as you get closer to the border with Arkansas. PM me and I can send you some spots.

As for schools, from my personal experience, I think the accelerated IB program might be the best education in the area. Note that you must live in the Springfield Public Schools district to qualify for this program (think it’s called Mitlers in Jr. High). I know they have a really great choir teacher but not sure about the other performing arts. Aside from that, the is the catholic school system. It’s pretty much what you’d expect. The education is probably better than many of the public schools for average students (they get more attention from teachers and staff), but the public schools offer more resources for students in performance arts and students in accelerated academic tracks.

As for places to live, it depends what you want. East side and south side of town is pretty suburban, and I would say more secluded than other parts of town. I think the midtown / birchtree and the Galloway area are kinda nice. But if you want more space / land / less ‘city’, the outskirts on the east or south side is nice.

As for the culture, I think people are generally kind and hospitable. Living here does come with its downsides as I think it can feel quite small at times (especially because people tend to stay in their own pockets of town). I’ve since left Springfield but grew up there. Feel free to shoot me a message and I can answer any questions!

So I don’t have children but know a bunch of people do. Ozark and Nixa both supposedly have really good schools from what I’ve been told. I know a family member that did home school and he had some relationship with public schools so he could participate in sports etc so that could be an option.

I did move from out of state, but it’s been almost 10 years now (late 2013). I live in Ozark now. The people I’ve met have all been really nice. I think mileage there is going to vary. I will say I’ve never met so many people with farm animals as I have here. I don’t really get the county roads people waving at me ever but I’ve also not really had to many “bad experiences”. I’ve never had a package stolen or theft, which I know some people have.

We have a crap ton of restaurants here. So I’d say depends on cuisine but I will list a few of my favorites.

Greek Belly - Greek

Lindburgs or Galloway Grill - burgers

Post Game, Pappos, or the Mill - pizza

The Big Easy - creole/Louisiana style

Caesars - Tex-max/Mexican

Niji, Haruno - sushi

Expensive - The Garrison

Edited just to say welcome to the Ozarks!

Schools: Greenwood Laboratory School and Summit are both private and non-religious. If you want better public SW SPS is your best in town bet. Otherwise, Nixa and Ozark are gonna be the public’s you want. Hickory Hills and Millwood/Highland are great locations. I’d be happy to give you a longer list of all the things.

A large portion of Highland Springs is in Rogersville school district while the remainder is Springfield (SPS). Not saying good, bad, or indifferent either way, just an FYI. Don’t rule out Springfield Catholic schools as an option. As far as other private schools, Summit and Greenwood as others have said.

Last I checked (full disclosure, 15 years ago), Springfield Public Schools has open enrollment. As long as you live within city limits, you can enroll your children in any school. There may be eligibility issues for the first year of high school activities, but if you change schools for academic reasons, it shouldn't be a problem.

Check with a few different families who currently have kids around the same age. Principals and administrations can change quickly, to the point where schools that were good 5 years ago are no longer great options and vice versa. Though, if you hear anything about Central or Parkview being 'druggie' schools, the people you're talking to may be out of touch.

Highland Springs is a gated Country Club, but Fremont Hills would be the non-exclusive equivalent.

Some of the many "must visit" places, whether they're considered touristy or not, include Bass Pro Shops (we've got the big one, since Johnny Morris is from here) and Andy's frozen custard. There's Branson and Table Rock Lake 30-50 min away (depending on traffic and how fast you drive). There's other stuff to do, as well, depending on the time of year and what you like to do.

Where are you coming from?

Some of Highland Springs is in the Rogersville school district, which is a great district. Much smaller class sizes than in Springfield. Lots of community support. Small enough that kids can get involved in about anything, but large enough to hold its own at the state level.

Be sure to check out the Springfield Nature Center for fantastic walking/running trails. Nathanael Greene is the best park. Restaurants are hit and miss, but there’s plenty to choose from. Andy’s Frozen Custard alone is worth the move!

This really is a great place to live.

Id say you're biggest worry is how everyone drives here, I'm from FL and I thought drivers there were bad until I moved here and oh my are the drivers here some of the worst and scariest. Other then that it hasn't been all to bad, most people won't even say hi to ya and its more of mind ya business. I say hi to just about everyone I pass or give a friendly nod and I either get it back or ignored completely.

I’ve been told by Ozark graduates if you’re brought up through the Ozark system it’s fantastic and really easy. If you’re transferred in it’s a lot rougher. Every student I’ve known who was a transfer absolutely hated it.

My kids went to Nixa and Ozark. Never had any issues personally. However, Nixa has had a couple teacher scandals the last few years, counting the one from today. Maybe not Nixa if I had to choose again.

I grew up in a rural town very close to Springfield. It was safe and just about everyone was upper middle class. I moved to Houston for about 5 years and had event attended school in south Houston for a few months while I was still a student. When I compare my small town school to that of the large inner city school, I got the best education in Missouri. I felt awful for my classmates in public school in Houston because as a sophomore, they were doing sixth grade math. I’m sure there were good private schools in that area but I didn’t attend those. I felt like my education was decent near Monett comparatively and I got an average ACT score with minimal effort (29 I think). When I lived and worked in Houston as a young adult, I liked how busy it was and how nobody cared about my business. The friends I had were much more direct than in Missouri. But I love and appreciate them on a much deeper level because there is an authenticity there that simply doesn’t exist in the Midwest. The people in the Midwest are lovely and friendly and will strike up a conversation. The crime rate is significantly lower and as long as you keep to yourself, you don’t have much to worry about. There is a downside to the friendliness here. And it’s the fact that everyone will be in your business. You won’t realize it at first. Your neighbors may run a background check on you. They will want to know every detail about you. This doesn’t represent everyone as a whole but it represents MOST of the people I love and grew up with. They will love you to your face but they will talk smack about you when you aren’t around. Just don’t take it personally and let it get to you. Springfield does have a lot to offer. The food is alright but not great. The shopping and entertainment isn’t as great as a larger city. But the cost of living is lower and life really does slow down here. People take their time when they do things. So it depends on what you’re wanting and what you value the most. I do love this community through the ups and downs. Oh yeah and one down side I forgot to mention are the redneck conspiracy theorists. There are lots of them. You can think you are speaking to a reasonable, rational person but then they open their mouth and Alex Jones comes out looool. So idk how much that matters to you. There are pros and cons to every place but I do think this place is decent. I have only lived here and Houston but I’ve also traveled quite a bit and I’m still here 😁. It’s a good place to get ahead and enjoy a slower paced life in general. Just don’t be too trusting and over share things even if you’ve been close to people for a long time.

Willard is supposed to have the best schools but the community is very rural and internet access and distance to grocery stores is spotty. Republic is good, growing rapidly, cops there are…Dumb but friendly enough. If you have the money, Nixa is great, just kind of expensive housing imo. Ozark is great, but if you work in Springfield traffic in and out can be annoying. Not nearly as bad as living near DC though.

Edit: The restaurants are pretty bad, there are some gems but I’ve had more flops than anything. Nona’s is pricey but decent Italian, Jose Locos and Cesar’s are my go to Mexican places, Dublin’s Pass had good fish and chips last I went. The Chinese food here is weird, not that Chinese is known for being great to begin with but idk, just weird. Extra low quality. The famous “Cashew Chicken” is just fried chicken with gravy and cashews on it, it’s okay but mostly hype. Mexican Villa is like Taco Bell from Wish.com

Wow! I'm overwhelmed by the responses - I was hoping for a few - and I log back in this afternoon to see so much information. I can't thank you all enough :)

This whole area is Trumper meth-heads. Why anyone would want to move here is beyond me. BUT, the cost of living is decent compared to big cities. Try to live in a surrounding city/town, as Springfield is fairly trashy except in the southernmost part.