Just posting a follow-up so it won't stay at the top forever. Thanks

Hi Amyjean ~ What a nice name... I have a home sort of in the middle of Pam and Christie's. Pam's picture gives you a great idea of what our mountains are like. When we moved back to the states, we lived in Missouri first and later spent some time in your neck of the woods (Pennsylvania). My observation on the difference between the two is that the Northeast is definitely beautiful and more "settled and cultivated" ... your mountains are much more dramatic. But I think in the end, while I would miss the "drama" of the NE, I would still choose to live in MO...the seasons are just as beautiful and the zone is "supposed" to be the same for gardening...but there is a certain sense of "wildness" that is missing in the NE...I NEVER had as much hummingbirds..I NEVER heard the coyotes cry..I felt like I NEVER saw any sort of wildlife in general as much as I have in MO. I obviously lived in the country in MO but I also lived in the country in Pennsylvania and that sense of "wildness" and "nature" just wasn't as strong ... and for me ... I loved it and missed it. If you want the "mountains" then live near the lakes. Jefferson City is pretty close to St. Louis and that will give you a little more hilly terrain, but Ceresone is right...we are a state of more "rolling" mountains than the NE ... and I feel like the farther south you go, into Arkansas, the more dramatic the rolls... I think there's a bit more of a snowy winter in the NE than MO, but otherwise, the gardening is the same ... except for the rocks! I hope you are a creative rock gardener :)

Hi, All... Jan-MO, My name is Jan, too. From Violet's recent posts, it sounds like there is an active gardening community in Springfield, Sounds like an Alpine and Rock garden is the way to go, there. (No dirt hauling required!) This spring, my husband and I drove across the top tier of Arkansas from Fayetteville to Cherokee Village getting a feel for the countryside. At this point in time, we hope to be moving to Eureka Springs before winter. We met REALLY nice people everywhere, and saw lots of great property, Our favorite place was outside of Mountain Home on a couple of acres, with a view from the deck that looked out to forever, across Bull Sholes Lake and on what must have been on the Missouri side, green hills and valleys. We thought the price ($139,000) was reasonable and I liked the fact that there was a garden spot already established. However we would have been rar away from anything but a small country store, and we do enjoy the company of civilization from time to time. (grin) Marian, your property is gorgeous! I hope ours is almost as lovely in twenty years time! I have learned a lot about gardening in conditions of alkaline soil, extreme heat, ravenous critters, winter nights below freezing, and late psring frosts here in the desert. I feel like I am ready to tackle anything, now, and another place will only be an improvement. Bornagain, it sounds as though we'll need to learn about lasagna gardens. I've also been researching chicken tractors for soil improvement (and free eggs.) Nancy, is Heber Springs near Mount Magazine? Those pictures that someone posted were breathtaking! I have a feeling we will be exploring the state for a long time. Willaim, we looked at a place in the River Valley down a remote graville road, near Flippin. We stopped to talk to one of the residents who was out walking his beagle, and were impressed by how close-nit the community seemed to be, even though the homes were usually out of each other's sight. I think you'll like it there. Fuzzy, I hope you are starting to get settled in Harrison, if that is where you are planning to stay. AlaskaJack...HOT is a relative thing! We are looking forward to being cool in August. (LOL) I'm sure you won't have any problem finding exatly what you want. If the house near Mountain Home, with the great view sounds like what you might want, we saw it courtesy of a nice gentleman named Pat at Century 21 there. It has been on the market for some time in May, so it may be gone now. Kaye, thank you for the warm welcome. I'm looking forward to learning a lot more, here!

I agree! Great place. I've been there about 8 times (including my honeymoon and 20th wedding anniversary). Just an hour from Branson, MO too! There's an excellent Branson forum in the link. There is a Eureka Springs section included. Here is a link that might be useful: Branson forum