Right.now, I'm looking at moving to the Springfield Missouri area. What does the season look like there. I will be moving from southern California. I know both will be different.

Wow, different is certainly an understatement. They will be radically different. I hope you like Winter and Snow, because you will be experiencing lots of both.

Went to Bible College and Seminary in Springfield, MO. Nice city. Jerry is right. There will be plenty of snow in the winter, quite a few tornados in the spring and summer, and hot and humid in the summer. But that's not much different than anywhere else in the mid-west. After you settle, check out Silver Dollar City and the Exotic Animal Paradise there. Both were some of my family's favorite places.

I did visit in. Mt grove and Springfield when I was a kid, but that was about 40 years ago. I don't mind snow. Tornadoes will take getting use to though as I'm use to earthquakes.

I have to admit, tornados don't bother me as much as earthquakes. You can go down the basement to wait out a tornado. You never know how long or how bad an earthquake will be. And you can never tell what is going to fall on you! But I guess it depends on what you grew up with. I grew up in Iowa so tornados were things that came and went quickly.

I've lived in Virginia for 21 years and hurricanes are a different animal all together! A tornado is either going to hit your house or not. It's either going to damage your house or not. There is no little bit about it. Once it's moved past you and your area it's over.

Hurricanes, on the other hand, last for days and can slowly tear your house apart! So when hurricane season starts (about June until November) we just watch the track of storms across the Atlantic and hope for the best. Fortunately for us, the storms usually hit Florida first and move up the coast. By the time they hit us they are usually no more than a category 1 or a tropical storm.

But everyone keeps saying that it isn't a matter of "if" it's a matter of "when" a big one will come straight at Virginia. I hope it doesn't happen during my lifetime!! We thought Florence a couple of years ago was coming as a Cat 4 or 5 straight at us, but turned south and didn't hit us at all. But we skedaddled anyway! We went to some friends in Ohio for a week! When we got back folks around here smiled and giggled at us. But I figured better safe than sorry.

Just make sure you buy a house with a basement in tornado territory.

Daisy, We were going to move to Kansas a few years ago; and that is the only houses I looked at. Would never consider buying a house in the Midwest without a basement!

GardensJohn said:I have to admit, tornados don't bother me as much as earthquakes. You can go down the basement to wait out a tornado. You never know how long or how bad an earthquake will be. And you can never tell what is going to fall on you! But I guess it depends on what you grew up with. I grew up in Iowa so tornados were things that came and went quickly.

I've lived in Virginia for 21 years and hurricanes are a different animal all together! A tornado is either going to hit your house or not. It's either going to damage your house or not. There is no little bit about it. Once it's moved past you and your area it's over.

Hurricanes, on the other hand, last for days and can slowly tear your house apart! So when hurricane season starts (about June until November) we just watch the track of storms across the Atlantic and hope for the best. Fortunately for us, the storms usually hit Florida first and move up the coast. By the time they hit us they are usually no more than a category 1 or a tropical storm.

But everyone keeps saying that it isn't a matter of "if" it's a matter of "when" a big one will come straight at Virginia. I hope it doesn't happen during my lifetime!! We thought Florence a couple of years ago was coming as a Cat 4 or 5 straight at us, but turned south and didn't hit us at all. But we skedaddled anyway! We went to some friends in Ohio for a week! When we got back folks around here smiled and giggled at us. But I figured better safe than sorry.

I have been thru a 7.5, a 7.2 and a 7.4 earthquake. I have slept thru 5 and 6 magnitude shakers and never felt them. Guess I'm use to it from spending almost 50 years here. It's just like I have talked with people from the Midwest and they freak out with earthquake but not tornadoes.

Sadly I'm moving to where it's more reasonable cost of living. Also ready for change. It will just take a bit to adjust and get use to it is all.

I think with that attitude you will enjoy the Midwest. The people are friendly, the seasons are great (I love the snow in the winter), and the cost of living is definitely lower. You will overall, find the political and social persuasion of the people to be more conservative on the whole. The Midwest is a great place to live.

Springfield area tends to get more ice storms than snow storms anymore so be ready to lose power alot in the winter time. Four wheel drive or all wheel drive is a must. If you can afford a generator get one before the season hits otherwise they will sell out pretty quick.

Tornados are pretty common down there and so are smaller earthquakes. You are only a few hours from New Madrid which has an active fault line.

All in all though I think you will like it if you can handle humidity in summer and cold, wet winters. You'll be close to several lakes and rivers so if you enjoy fishing or being on the water you'll not lack places to go.

Oh and irises love it here in Missouri!!

The area I'm living has had a humid summer. 110 with upwards of 40 percent humidity. Do like fishing but haven't been in years. Earthquake don't bother me.

40 percent isn't "humid" around here, but I guess it is for Joshua Tree. It's currently 98% humidity, but that's with a temp under 80'. Last week, we had a few days when it got up around 100' and something over 80% humidity. That was brutal.

No matter where you live, the weather presents challenges I think. You're right, it'll take some time to adapt, but you'll do fine. You have a good "Bloom where you're planted" attitude!

Good luck with your move... hope you have lots of space for irises!

If you find a place to buy, I recommend getting a "whole house" generator. It goes on automatically when the power goes out. We have a Generac and it has been wonderful and trouble-free. The freezer food stays frozen.

Sound like a generator is a good thing to get and probably is. The place I'm looking at has about A 7000 square foot lot and approx 700 square foot house. I should have plenty of space for iris patches and maybe some hibiscuses.

On the humidity here when you mix it with 110 degree temps it's brutal. Hell furnace in death valley hit 135 about a month ago. To hot to grow anything. Surprise the plant didn't wave a white flag.