Top Ten Reasons People Are Moving to Missouri

Hey Guys and Gals! It is me, your favorite Next Door Agent! Today we're going to talk about the top ten reasons that people are leaving the East and West Coasts and are moving in droves, to Missouri!

10. More Shoreline Than the State of California

This is crazy but true! Missouri has more shoreline than the entire state of California! This is because we have so many lakes! Lake of the Ozarks for example (which is about 2-3 hours from Kansas City, Missouri) has over 1150 MILES of shoreline.

So many lakes!

Lake of the Ozarks ALSO has something called Party Cove, which the New York Times called (and I quote) The oldest established permanent floating bacchanal in the country.

And in case you don't know what a bachannal is (I didn't) and don't feel like getting out your dictionary, a bachannal is a wild and drunken revelry. It's pretty crazy actually! On 4th of July, over 3,000 boats go to Party Cove.

Not my personal cup of tea. but there you go! That's just one lake in Missouri, We have so many more! More shoreline than California people.

9. Missouri is the Napa Valley of the Midwest

I know right? Who would have thought it. Before prohibition, Missouri was the second largest producer of wine, so we were known for our wine even back then and we're seeing a revival of vineyards in Missouri over the last 10 years. We actually have some great little wine towns with vineyards, like Hermann, Missouri or Augusta, Missouri for example.

We also have amazing local breweries and distilleries (here in Warrensburg we have the Phantom Distillery, which I will have a video on soon). Missouri is also home to the Annheuser-Busch Brewery (I'm sure most people are familiar with what beer they make) and if you go down to St. Louis you can see the Budweiser Clydesdales, and they are so much larger in person than they seem in those Superbowl commercials with the little puppy. Definitely a good trip!

Another thing to note is the wine and beer industry here in Missouri has a significant effect on the economy. And I mean to the tune of a billion dollars annually per year in wages. So the big breweries, the little breweries, the vineyards, are all really good for our state.

If you like wineries and taking weekend trips to breweries, Missouri is the state for you!

8. So Many State Parks!

Missouri is called the "Show Me" state for a reason. Our state park system is 4th in the nation. We have 92 state parks and 13 national parks in Missouri, and they're all free! We're just chalked full of nature up in here.

There are so many beautiful hiking trails, nature centers, and rivers, if you an outdoorsy person you will have so many adventures. Also, we have hundreds of miles of caves (Missouri is also known as the cave state). Throughout Missouri, you'll see signs on the side of the road advertising caves and cave tours, even giant caves you can drive through!

7. BBQ

Whenever people think of amazing BBQ, They think of Missouri (or they should!) Kansas City and St Louis are known for their BBQ. Missouri has the 4th most BBQ restaurants per capita compared to the rest of the nation. We also have two different types! Kansas City BBQ is thicker with a tomato-based sauce while St Louis has a thinner sauce and it's more vinegar-based. I'll let you decide which is better!

6. Military and Veteran Friendly

We love our service members and we actually have two wonderful military bases here in Missouri. One in Fort Leonard Wood and one (which is near and dear to my heart) near Warrensburg called Whiteman Airforce Base.

I talk quite a bit about this base in my videos, as the town I live in (Warrensburg) is located a hop skip, and a jump away. Whiteman has the B2 Bomber and very soon will have the B21 Bomber (our air shows are amazing).

If you are coming to Whiteman as a service member, you can use your GI Bill to take classes at the local university (the University of Central Missouri) which is also in Warrensburg and makes furthering your education while in service super easy! There are so many opportunities for military families in Missouri!

5. Tax Benefits

Missouri is the 18th best state for being taxpayer friendly.

We have property taxes that are below the national average and if you're moving here to retire, your social security retirement income is tax-exempt! Move to Missouri, pay less taxes!

4. We Have All Four Seasons

I'm a big fan of having divided seasons. I've lived in places where it never strays more than 20 degrees above or below one temperature and I am not a fan.

I like seeing the leaves change! I like sweaters and snow in December! I like the feeling of the days slowly starting to heat up and the trees turning green.

Our seasons aren't too harsh though, in comparison to Montana or Wyoming for example. Our average Summer temperatures from July through August are between 87-99 degrees. Our average Winter temeratures are between 9-40 degrees.

We are wonderfully in the middle!

3. Safety

This is kind of a weird one to put on the list but it's something quite a few people commented on when I asked them why they moved to Missouri. A common answer was that they feel safe. Here in Missouri you're not really dealing with things like rising sea levels, flooding, drought or wildfires (like you see on the East and West coasts). There is also not a whole lot of political upheaval. People are, for the most part, happy and friendly.

This leads us to number two!

2. Friendly People

We really do have friendly people!

I recieved so many comments from people - that one of the biggest reasons they loved Missouri was the people. I've been told so many great first-hand accounts of people being helped out by neighbors or even strangers! I've actually talked in quite a few of my videos about my own experiences of being helped by random people who saw that I had a flat tire or some other issue, and just helped out of the kindness of their hearts.

We have a deep sense of community in the Midwest. People here are genuinly nice - and it's something that you alsmost have to get used to if you come from a more stand-off-ish state. We smile at each other in the grocery store, and hold doors for each other. If you're looking for a state where you can get to know your neighbors and have neighborhood block parties, Missouri is the state for you!

1. Cost of Living

The number one response I heard from people was that they moved to Missouri for the cost of living!

The cost of living here is 17% below the national average, specifically with homeowner costs. Buying a house here is going to be less exensive than almost every other state in the country.

The cost of living in Missouri is so much better then, for example, California, or Texas or New York. Our gross rents and homeowners costs are below the national average, so you have more money for other things!