The big metro for southwest Missouri, Springfield, is more of a city than you might expect to find in this part of the country. Downtown Springfield is home to the same variety of restaurants, shopping centers, entertainment opportunities, and sports stadiums that you might expect to find in much bigger cities. Springfield is also home to a few different universities, and its growing job market makes it a destination for younger folks in the area as well.

**Here's a lifer with their strong reco for living in Springfield:**
*I've lived here my whole life. The best part is…well. All of it. The cicadas chirping in the trees and swimming in the creeks in the summer. To all the restaurants. From the “steering wheel waves" on the outskirts of town. To the snowflakes hung along National st during Christmas. Reasonable rent/mortgage rates. Of course theres pros and cons to any city. But the history of queen city is interesting, and makes for a sentimental choice.*

For more reviews of what living in Springfield is like from locals check out: [**The Buzz**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/springfield-mo?page=buzz)

Not the Ozarks from Netflix

The Best Thing About Springfield?

With that being said, city life and southwest Missouri don’t always mix perfectly in Springfield. The city is often described by residents as dirty, not just on account of its appearance, but because of the other people that live there as well. Some residents describe their neighbors as racist, sexist, and toxically masculine, while others complain about the city’s major homelessness problem, high crime rates and drug issues. Some residents complain that the police department is underfunded and others complain that there’s an NRA Museum attached to the local Bass Pro Shop. It’s a strange mix.

**Here's a transplant on the culture of Springfield:**
*I do think it's hard to find accepting, progressive people in Springfield, and even in my social circles, I regularly find myself having to hold my tongue and even my breath to keep from frustrated rambling regarding politics and religion. I feel like many people in Springfield are scared--of talking to strangers. When I'm in Chicago, it's pretty normal to chat with people in line at a coffee shop or get to know someone over breakfast in a cafe. When I'm in San Francisco, I almost can't get the people in the cafe to stop talking to me. When I'm at the Mudhouse in Springfield, I often can't get the person at the next table over to even make eye contact.*


Not a Seamless Blend

The Worst Thing About Springfield?

Not to beat a dead horse here, but life in Springfield will largely be determined by your ideologies and preferences upon moving to the area. Often nicknamed the “Queen City of the Ozarks,” Springfield provides residents with a variety of outdoor opportunities both on land and in the water. Downtown Springfield is, again, home to the same variety of restaurants, shopping centers, entertainment opportunities, and sports stadiums that you might expect to find in much bigger cities. The St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league baseball team plays right in the heart of downtown. Festivals like Cider Days, Artsfest and the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival are also major draws for locals. 

If you want to see what people do for fun and culture in Springfield check out the calendar of events: https://www.springfieldmo.org/events/

Lifestyle of Springfield

Big name corporations like Bass Pro Shops, BKD and O'Reilly Auto Parts all call Springfield home and employ a lot of local residents. Industry wise, financial services, manufacturing and healthcare are all big in the Springfield area. 


Workstyle of Springfield

Current residents of small town Missouri that are looking for some big city amenities could do a whole lot worse than Springfield. On the flip side, big city folk that miss their small town roots may find that Springfield strikes a balance. As long as you don't mind a strikingly conservative populace you should be able to find a place in Springfield. 


Balance Between Big and Little

Why You Should Move Here Now?

Downtown Springfield is where young professionals call home. Tons of cool loft and apartment options all within walking distance of downtown businesses means you can be here and not use your car if you so choose. There are also plenty of eating and drinking options (cocktails and coffee) also a short walk away so you can live, work and play without ever getting in a car. While there are apartment/loft options that don’t allow college students, Downtown Springfield does house plenty of students from Missouri State so the vibe is definitely jumping. 
- Downtown


Young Professionals/College Students

Downtown

Roundtree is a wonderful neighborhood for families. It’s locally well known for an amazing Halloween celebration that includes a big parade. It’s also popular for how easy it is to walk to everything including the local restaurants, cafes and ice cream shop. Finally, it is lined with large historic American Foursquare homes that give the neighborhood its close-knit vibe. Emerald Park is another perfect option for families. The streets are lined with stunning stone and brick homes, tree-lined streets, beautiful yards and a great park, gym and grocery store so you can stay local most days. 
- Roundtree
- Emerald Park
- Olde Ivy
- Midtown


Families

Rountree

Springfield is ranked one of the top 10 cities to retire in the Midwest so if you’re considering it look closer. Start your search in the community known as Creekside at Elfindale. 62 beautiful wooded acres where residents can choose independent cottages or apartments on what feels a bit like a campus. The neighborhood lives like its own city with a lodge that contains dining rooms, ice cream parlor, library, exercise facility, banking, salons, gardens and pretty much anything else you need. Tera Vera is another gated community for 55+ you should put on your list to checkout. The central management system takes care of maintenance and landscaping and you just get to enjoy the apartment homes that line the independent living subdivisions. 
- Creekside at Elfindale
- Tera Vera


Retirees

Creekside at Elfindale

Springfield, MO

**What’s the best thing about living in Springfield, MO?**

I've lived here my whole life. The best part is…well. All of it. The cicadas chirping in the trees and swimming in the creeks in the summer. To all the restaurants. From the “steering wheel waves" on the outskirts of town. To the snowflakes hung along National st during Christmas. Reasonable rent/mortgage rates. Of course theres pros and cons to any city. But the history of queen city is interesting, and makes for a sentimental choice.

**What advice would you give to someone who is moving to Springfield, MO?**

Having lived in the area for over 35 years: 1: Where are you moving from and why? 2: What are your expectations? Springfield and area is a great place to live-near lakes, resorts, hiking and forests. Just a few minutes out of town and you can feel as if you are in a paradise. Springfield is “big enough” to host concerts and sports events and is close enough to St. Louis and K.C. to catch those acts who decide to skip Springfield. If you want a raucous Las Vegas style night life-don’t bother, but if you want to live where the majority of people are decent, caring, friendly people, aren’t ashamed to go to church regularly and live like it either (as everywhere, you will find those who do not walk what they talk), this is a nice area to live. Springfield, Nixa, Ozark, Highlandville are all worth checking out. Traffic commuting in and out of town is tough but being improved upon as highways are expanded.



**What is it like to live in Springfield, Missouri?**

I’ve lived in Springfield for 25 years and can say most people love it. Springfield is a medium-sized city, which means it has most of the major retail and restaurant chains, great health facilities and universities, yet does not have a lot of the chaos of a major city. There’s also a lot of unsettled space surrounding the city, so if you like nature or just want to get away, there are places nearby to go. A lot of people also commute from outlying small towns, so they can have the employment opportunities of a city yet the lifestyle of small town living.



**Is Springfield a good place to live?**

You're probably going to get a lot of responses contradicting this, but I say that Springfield is a great place to live. Restaurants, shopping, night life stuff are all represented well. We have great parks and trails. Beautiful scenery, float trips, lakes and great hiking are all within an hour of town. If you want 'big city' things to do, St Louis, Kansas City and Tulsa are all a fairly short drive away. The crime and other 'bad elements' that you might have read/heard about are fairly isolated and I would say normal for a city this size. Hope this helps.

Springfield, MO, Missouri