Lots of pros and cons for the area, just depends on how you can deal with them. We love the area,except for the dang ticks and chiggers, but with some Avon Skin so Soft, that pretty well deals with them, plus the chickens help to keep them down.
We moved here from California over 20 years ago and wouldn't go back for anything. The humidity gets bad in the summer, so that it seems hotter than it is. Ca. heat was a dry heat, so 100 degrees there didn't seem as hot as 90 here. And, as you get older, you can't deal with it as much as when younger. When we first moved back, I used to help throw hay bales on the trailer and in the barn, but can't handle that anymore.
Now, the rocks are a different matter, there are lots of them, but as you said, they make good border material. I just dig them up and try to amend my soil. I don't have as many flower beds as I would like, but am getting there. We have deer about, but none apparently come close to the house. We have cattle and horses close to the house, so maybe that deters them.
Winters can be mild, they can be severe at times, but usually only for a few days. Others can probably give you more input, as they have lived here longer, especially anyone closer to the area you are talking about.
We live in Summersville, about 50 mi. north of West Plains and about 75 mi. north of the Ark/Mo line.
We love it here and just take it day by day. Have found out thru the years there is no place perfect, having lived in Ca., Idaho, Fla, and Minn.
Donna C

Thanks Donna, darn didn't see Texas on your list or you would know what I was talking about. We are really humid here as well. That good ole sweltering heat makes you feel like someone has clamped their hand around your throat and closed off your breathing, at least it does to me. I pretty much stay in, when we get in the upper nineties because our heat index is usually in the triple digets. Is that the case there?

I guess I will have to do research on winterizing roses, or do it the easy way and email Kaye :) espcially if I am going to seriously consider this. Which it looks like I might be.

I hope after the holiday, people will give me more input. I feel it is more accurate than what I can get from chambers of commerce folks.

Thanks again.

I live in NC AR one mile from the MO border. I moved here from WI in spring of 2000. So from cold not hot, but when hot in WI extremely humid.

The 1st 2 summers here were almost perfect. Only had a few weeks of very hot weather and not a lot of humidity. Cools down in the evening, and cool in the a.m. (most of the time). Last summer had unusual amt of rain in Spring and had more rain/humidity during summer but was not extremely hot. This year extremely long periods of hot, hot, hot. Humidity not bad. I guess I compare the humidity with how it was in WI and it is not as bad here. Normally quite dry during the summer. More rain in Spring and Fall.

Winters are usually mild, some snow which melts right away, ice at times but usually melts quickly too. Winter here starts in Jan. I love it. Can garden through Dec! Of course, you can never predit the weather ANYWHERE and each year never follows the "norm."

The countryside is absolutely beautiful! I loved it here the first time I visited and still do. No mosquitoes in this area. Yes, chiggers and ticks ... but they can be dealt with.

Use raised beds, or lasagna beds for gardening. I learned real fast it's useless to try to dig in the rocky clay. Have planted some trees and bushes myself and have learned to wield a pick axe quite well. If you do it in the spring or fall after rains, not too bad. I have a few roses in raised beds and they do wonderful. And, yes, Kaye is the expert rose person so contact her.

Small rural communities offer friendly, caring people, slower pace of life, no road rage and stuff like that. Little or no crime, low taxes. Pristine lakes. What more can I say! Come on over!

I live 3 miles from MO border in NW AR (Bella Vista). Had a great summer. It never really got hot until about Aug 22 and it was over by Aug 28. I don't think it ever broke 100 here this year. Last winter, saw the first White Christmas in I don't know when...it was beautiful. Some days in January, I was out blowing leaves without a coat, somedays, I didn't leave the house. I don't have roses yet (moved into new construction June -02) but others have them here. You won't get as long a bloom season as in TX, but you can still have 'em.
For some reason, I haven't had ticks and chiggers at this new home yet. I'm thinking it may have to do with the "termite treatment" that they do to the ground as per building permit requirements.
There are rocks aplenty....just don't expect any dirt. hahaha

Kelly-
Like Donna, I live in Summersville, but I also lived all over Texas - Dallas, Beaumont, Corpus, Edinburg, Comanche, Sanderson, LaGrange. Living where you are happy is different for each person. Have son who loves living in Carrollton, TX because it is "so cool in Texas." They moved from Florida so TX is cool. MO is more humid than some parts of TX, e.g., Sanderson, but if you live near Edinburg or Corpus, you'll think it's dry here. I moved here from Independence which is near Kansas City where I had lovely black dirt and no rocks. But here, I have a small comparatively safe town, cleaner air, hills, lovely streams and lakes, friendly people, little traffic, etc. etc. I started making my land livable 5 years before I moved permanently. Made raised beds and started bushes and perenniels from Indep. Since moving here, I've used various methods to build and enhance soil and I bought a load of top soil. Don't have roses so can't tell you much there, but I do have lots and lots of flowers, vegetables, trees, bushes, etc. that are doing well. It seems to me much cooler in the summer than TX; the winters recently have been extremely mild although I've been told they are frequently much worse. I haven't worn my Kansas City insulated parka since I've moved, just a jacket. We've had dry summers but nothing to compare with, for example, Dallas, where I spent most of the summer moving sprinkler around (no underground) to have grass. But I have a son who loves Texas, a sister who loves Florida, a cousin who loves California, etc. Just be thankful we don't all want to live in a single state in the US! Come visit in each season and see for yourself if you would like it.

I came from the other end of the country in Connecticut. AS for the winter here, it does seem shorter. There are some days though when it snows here and it gets cold for a while. The heat doesn't seem as oppressive as it does in the humid states in southern new england. There are less mosquitos here but there are plenty of other bugs. I have had to adjust to different plants and shrubs. Very rocky clay soil here. I've done lasagne beds and had some soil trucked in. Once things get established they seem to do well. Daylillies are great here. Mums come back each year here where in CT they are considered an annual for the most part. I worked on my yard all winter long the first year I was here. The people are great. But I couldn't call these mountains after being in Vermont.

One thing our soil has is plenty of minerals....some of them are as big as your head, though. LOL You can find places where there is good soil and 50 feet (or less) away, nothing but rocks. Good soil can be found on flat topped hills and valleys....very seldom on steep hillsides or domed hill tops....washes off in heavy rains.

We are lucky. We bought what was left of an old homestead after a lake had gone in...it is the part where the old log cabin stood on a flat hilltop. Those settlers had picked up rocks since 1874, so the garden and yard area were in pretty good shape....just 40 years of brush, vines and trees. :-) That was 21 years ago, so it's reclaimed now. We have about 8 inches of good loose topsoil above the sandy clay layer in the garden.

I would be more concerned about finding a good job here and then the drive distance to it. This tends to be a good place to retire, but tough on those who still need to earn a living. Depends on what kind of job...retirement areas are probably good for the health care professionals.

I like it...don't mind the bad weather, but then I don't have to get out in it if I don't want to. It can drop to the -10 degree region, but doesn't happen on a regular basis.

Water wells are pretty dependable here, if they are the deeper drilled type. Growing up here, we had an old "dug well"... very shallow and not a lot of water seeping in. Here we have a drilled well 200 feet deep that produces 40 gallons per minute with pressure that pushes the water up to 30 feet from the surface. More apt to have water rationing in towns than in a private wells. I don't recall hearing of any of my neighbors having a water shortage.

If you do decide to move...good luck, and keep us informed.

Why don't you let your friend make the move, then come for a couple of visits? One quick drive around the area during summer will tell you all you need to know. I love this area, but it truly is poverty with a view.

Goatgal, what do you mean poverty with a view? Millie, I know if we come it will definately be raised beds for me. I have had enough digging in this hard clay to last me a lifetime, definately am not going to be digging in rocks. Not unless I can rent a bulldozer and just scoop out some beds to start. I have over 150 roses and I would have to decide who is coming and who is staying.

Thank you all for your information. Goatgal, really would like more information about poverty with a view. Heck right now, I have poverty with a view going on where I live. :)

Kelly

To me, Arkansas and E. Texas have a lot in common. Acid soil and lower incomes, at least in the rural areas. East Texas doesn't have the beautiful vistas found here, though, with the mountains and not quite as much winter, as a rule. I haven't looked back longingly toward Texas since we moved here almost eight years ago. Other than the relative humidy, which you already deal with down there, I actually think the roses like it better up here.

Well since my roses are doing so good here, I can imagine what they would do there. :) Kaye thanks for responding you know I envy your rose gardens. How far are you from where I am headed? Wondered if we could have a garden web party after I got there :) I am headed to one the 11th in Denton at Melvas. I have to go pick up 6 roses from Chamblees. I think of moving that will be the hardest thing to say goodbye too is Chamblees being so close. Then again, with all I have, why do I need more. Heck I am going to need a Uhaul just for the roses. I have pretty much decided what I can't put in containers, can't go. Ouch, that hurts me to say that. I have to do that though to be realistic.

We are coming up in November to look at some properties and will be staying at the Black Oak resort. Kind of give the kids a vacation in the meantime.

Kelly

I just meant that it's a gorgeous place to visit, but finding good jobs can be really difficult. What good is a beautiful view if you can't afford to be there? Maybe I'm just a little jaded--I got laid off Monday from a job that had been promised to me as full-time year-round. I'm going today to sign up for unemployment. As for the roses, I think you'll find it a wonderful climate for them. I lived in E. Texas for several years and the climates are very similar, except that the heat doesn't last quite as long as E.T. I'm in the Ouachita Mts., about halfway between you and MO.border

Kelly, I must be pretty close to goatgal if she's in the Ouachitas. I'm south of Ft. Smith about 35 miles..so if you are coming up Hwy. 75 heading up in November, I'm just about 2 miles off 71. Stop by if you get a chance. May be too late for many of the roses, though, if the weather gets really cold by then. You'll be looking at more winter where you are looking north of us..a whole other zone. I didn't know that (or forgot) that you werre going that far north of me. Employment is better in northwest Arkansas, however. It's one of the fastest growing areas in the country right now. November is a wonderful time to visit the mountains and all the color. I was raised in Ft. Smith and all the years I lived in Texas, I missed the fall colors. It's good to be back home after 40 years!

Kaye we will be coming up through Texarkana, only way I know to go :) so if that hits 75 we will eventually find you. It will be great to finally meet you. Goats gal, I haven't worked since June, the state of Texas has had a budget shortfall that included my job of 14 years. I figured if I was going to be unemployed I was going to do it in a place that was prettier to look at :)

Kelly, that's how I had figured you'd come. Actually, we go fishing at Lake Palestine and take a shortcut off I-30 at Mt. Pleasant (I think),thru Foreman and miss Texarkana. Saves quite a few miles and the highway is good. It meets up with 71 at Dequeen, if I remember right. Anyway, we are only two miles west of Hwy 71 (I know, I said 75..it's a Texas thingy) when you get to Mansfield. Would love to meet you, too and have you see what's left of the garden.

I'm with goatgal, it's definately poverty with a view!!! It's kind of shocking just how bad it can be. Not only are jobs scarce, but pay is pretty sad. It has really been hard for us, and I'm starting to have second thoughts. I really wish I would have moved near a big city, that might have made a difference, I don't know. We've been BARELY treading water for two years now.Sorry to be so negative, but you have to be aware of what you're getting into. If I had to do it again, I would have rented first.....That way if it doesn't work out, it's a lot easier to up and move!!!

Now that we have warned you that no place is perfect, let me give you some better news. There are areas in the Ozarks that are better than others. As Kaye said, NW Arkansas is booming and, Springield, MO has a very low unemployment average....you just need to look before you leap. It isn't all bad up here. A lot depends on what kind of employment you are looking for.

I live in BEntonville, AR and my mom in Bella Vista. We came here from Tidewater, VA.

AND WE LOVE IT HERE

The 4 seasons are wonderful. None of them are too horrible or unpleasant. The heat and cold extremes are only for a few days at a time. The humidity is nothing like central LA or Atlanta, or New Orleans. We are originally from Alexandria, LA and will never go back to that heat and humidity.
I can't tell you enough how beautiful it is here.
kk

I hope that this isn't a repeat, but I don't see the addition I made to this yesterday.
We are thinking of moving to the Ozark's, and I am wondering is other new comers find the Ozark Mountain folks friendly, or slow to warm up to new commers. I have a 14 yr old son who I hope will be able to have alot of friends soon after we arrive, as he is leaving his friends and going to high school in Fayeteville, AR

I live in NE OK about 30 miles from the MO border. I believe we are the 'flat edge' of the Ozark region. I previously lived just over an hour N of Fort Worth Texas, and have lived various places.

The summers are hot here, but not as hot/long as TX was. The winters are cold here, but not as cold/long as CT was. The weather is sometimes grey here, but not as grey/long as WA was. The spring is GLORIOUS. The fall is GLORIOUS. OK, so we have occasional tornados and hail and hellacious storms (mostly in spring and fall). You've got those in Texas too, though!

I think someone forgot to put the Maple tree on the invasive seed list for this region. I am told this area used to be the edge of plains. It's hard for me to imagine. I pull out hundreds of maple seedlings trying to grow anywhere, up the walls, in the cracks of the flagstones... and there is more 'green-green-green' here in Spring than my nearly 30 years in California all combined ever saw.

I love having seasons. Just love it. I grew up in avg 72 degrees year round, chronic sun in Ventura-Ojai CA and am a weather wimp. But I wouldn't trade having four seasons now. I'm spoiled... now unless I've no choice, I'll never again live somewhere that doesn't have four seasons.

As for people and culture, well, I've lived all around the country. I am around people from MO-AR-KS-OK all the time now, being right in the four corners, and I find them pretty nice in general. I wouldn't want to try out their hospitality if I were a racial minority to be honest, but that'd go even moreso for farther South. Culture is something that is very local, and what there is in the region may not reflect what is going on in your neighborhood, which may be influenced by certain churches or leading families or the leading trade of the locals. You guys oughtta take a drive up to the area and look around, talk to people.

Palyne

P.S. All of my friends are spread across the country and none are physically near me. I'd give up a whole lot to be near any one of my very few 'best friend's. That friend may be the best part of the geography.

P.P.S. People grow roses in the Ozarks, too. ;-)

Thank you Palyne, for your honest oppenion. WE are planning on doing some sight seeing, and talking to the locals in June when we check the job market in Jayetteville/Springdale area. Thankyou also for taking the time to answer me. Nashonii

Hey Angelsmama-the 4 seasons are great-the scenery changes alot!We live near Lead Hill,afew miles from the Mo. border,moved hear 4 years ago from California-before that Texas.My biggest complaint are the bugs..chiggers,and ticks,although guinea birds,and chicken have helped alot this last summer was better.Gardening is a challenge-raised beds help.Luckily we're retired-but I wouldn't want to have to try and make a living 'round here,it is poverty ridge!
But its peaceful,with alot of different wildlife to enjoy,and so pretty!Best of all cost of living is very low!

I would never have thought of north west arkansas Ozarks area being "poverty ridge." Wal-Mart home office is here along with other large companies, and the area is growing so fast that after living here for over six years it doesn't look much like it did when we moved here. I have lived in Arkansas most of my life. I grew up on a farm and I just can't imagine living anywhere else. There are problems as with anywhere. My step dad was a veterinarian from Texas and we went to Texas to visit family all the time and I sure would rather live in Arkansas. We have lived in Italy, Germany ,North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kansas. When we decided to get out of the Military there was not question where we would live. It is beautiful with lakes and rivers and the hills. A great place to raise kids. I think there has not been to many areas I have been that do not have poverty on some level. If you are into roses try to get to Eureka Springs AR there are roses everywhere up there. Sorry if I sound defensive but I am I love this place!

WELL everyone, After reading this page we DID move to the Ozarks last July! We didn't get a chance to come and site-see...we just packed up and moved! (After I secured a job first!)
WE have been renting in Bentonville for this past yr., but are about to buy a house with 1+ acres INSIDE the Ozark National Wildlife Refuge just off Hwy 16, near the Illinoi's river,outside of Fayetteville.
WE have found that the poeple are very friendly, and willing to help each other anyway they can!
My son has seen snow, and the fall season for the first time at age 16!
Thank you all, for your honest, and warm feelings about these great Ozarks! (Now, can you help me get my dream-garden started? Man your shovels, and tillers!) LOL Diann of the Ozarks

This has been an interesting thread for me, because DH and I are considering moving to NE Oklahoma or NW Arkansaw. I hadn't noticed at first how old this thread is! This must not be the most active board on Gardenweb. I'm glad this thread's still around, because the information you all have given is quite useful.

Nashonii, you said you bought land inside the Ozark National Wildlife Refuge. I didn't know that was allowed. I'm glad to hear it, because if I had my way, I'd buy an acreage with the hopes of making it into my own little wildlife refuge. Are there any restrictions you must follow? You mentioned starting a garden, so I guess they let you do that. You are so lucky to get to live in such a wonderful place!

Sally

must add my two cents worth,lol. lived here 65 years, myself, and i kind of agree on the poverty with a view.husband worked for trucking companies in ark. for 22 years, retired now, and found he has cancer of the brain. as far as work here, its few and far between. my son moved back here to be close to his dad year and a half ago, then, after finding a good job, it closed. city refused to sell company the building!
most towns are small, and thats usually cause " city fathers" want them to stay that way. not loose the small town atmosphere. now, springfield is hurting for workers.too far to drive , here.
i love the area, and yes, people are helpful, but "standoffish" at the same time. minorities are accepted better now, than when i was growing up.
but, would i live anywhere else? not for anything.if you want the view, try 95 south out of mountain grove, mo. on top of a ridge, beautiful when dogwoods and redbuds are in bloom.
guess its true, live here awhile, and your roots get entwined in our rocks--you'll never leave.

Welcome to the Ozarks Nahonii. What kind of wildlife are you seeing on your new property? Lots of deer? Sounds very nice.

We live near Little Rock, but my inlaws live near the MO line. At the risk of being blasted, I have to say I find it pretty rednecky and made my husband swear out in a pre nup that he would not try to get me to move there. It is very poor and there is little oppportunity for young people. My husband has told me some pretty horrid stories of how the few black people that tried to move into that area were treated. I also question the quality of health care that my in laws are getting. If you've got money, though, it's a very different scenario. There are some very beautiful resort areas and developments around the lakes. And one more caveat, if you have even the tiniest inclination toward motion sickness, don't even think about it. There's not a straight stretch of road anywhere in the Ozarks!!!