Reason #1
Springfield is a great place to start a business.
According to Wallethub.com Springfield is the third best city in the entire country to start a business. This study concluded that Springfield has the best access to resources of any city included in the study, which focused on the 150 largest cities in the US.
Reason #2
It’s Affordable.
It’s an easy thing to forget when you’ve lived here for a long period of time, but Springfield is incredible affordable when compared to the national average. In our world of real estate, our city’s affordability really shines at 25% below the national average. Housing costs in Springfield and the surrounding area are almost shockingly lower than those of San Francisco and Washington D.C. Our friends at liveinspringfieldmo.com have calculated that a home valued at $195,000 in Springfield would cost $1,434,407 in San Francisco! At that rate, you could buy seven homes in Springfield for the same amount in San Francisco. Unless it’s the actual home from Full House, we’d take the seven homes in SGF.
Reason #3
We have great schools.
All 5 high schools in Springfield are Missouri A+ schools and produce higher ACT scores than the national average, according to liveinspringfield.com. The surrounding areas provide excellent districts as well. Nixa and Willard have both been recognized as outstanding schools in recent years.
Reason #4
Our citizens have big hearts.
PHOTO COURTESY OF 417 MAGAZINE, PHOTO BY AARON J. SCOTT
Springfieldians aren’t boastful about giving back to the community, so you may not hear about what people do for charitable organizations as much as other cities, but we can vouch for the good people here. They give a lot. Just take a look at the 2016 totals from Give Ozarks Day. In a single day the Community Foundation of the Ozarks helped local nonprofits raise more than $1 million in funds.
Reason #5
Branson is just a few miles away.
Branson is one of the best known country music cities in the nation. It’s only 45 minutes away from Springfield and it offers dozens of unique family-friendly shows and attractions. Silver Dollar City, White Water, and the Titanic Museum are all great places to take the kids and if you’re flying solo, you can hit up Chateau on the Lake!
Reason #6
Bass Pro is here.
It’s the largest supplier of outdoor gear in the world. Started in 1978 by Springfieldian Johnny Morris, Bass Pro has quickly risen to a multi-national company. It’s a great place to get fishing equipment, hiking gear or just to hang out. The massive Bass Pro Shops Store on Campbell Avenue is truly a sight to behold.
Reason #7
There’s good golf all over the place.
Whether you’re a scratch golfer, a beginner or a pro, there’s lots of great places to hit the links all over the Springfield area. The prestigious clubs like Millwood, Hickory Hills, Highland Springs and Twin Oaks are gorgeous settings for club memberships. Public courses like Deer Lake, Rivercut and Stewart golf course are also fantastic places to work on your short game.
Reason #8
The coffee is incredible.
The Queen City is quickly becoming the bean city. It all started with the Mud House, which opened in 1998, has been serving up finely crafted coffee drinks since before it was cool. In the past 10 years, we’ve seen other cool cafes sprout up like Kingdom Coffee, the Coffee Ethic, Brick and Mortar coffee and plenty others. In short, there’s no excuse not to have a great cup of coffee in your hand if you’re hanging out in Springfield.
Reason #9
If you like craft beer, you’re in luck.
PHOTO COURTESY OF 417 MAGAZINE, PHOTO BY KEVIN O’RILEY
There’s been a surge of craft breweries springing up all across the Ozarks, and several of them are right in our own backyard. Mother’s Brewery took Springfield by storm in 2011. Their mix of creative marketing and tasty, unique brews landed them in nearly every pub in the city. Since then, we’ve also seen White River Brewing and Show-Me Brewing take off as well. And Springfield Brewing Company has been serving up locally brewed drafts for years in Downtown Springfield.
Reason #10
We have Andy’s Frozen Custard.
Ted Drewe doesn’t have anything on Andy. This Frozen Custard has been a staple of life in Springfield for decades. Andy’s serves delicious cold treats all year, but they might be best known for the seasonal flavors they come out with each year. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Even the plain vanilla is fantastic!
Reason #11
We have some great parks.
It’s good to have options and Springfield has plenty. You can hang out with the geese at Sequiota or take a walk through the beautiful scenery at the Japanese Stroll Gardens at Nathanael Greene Park. There are parks to fit every taste in Springfield.
Reason #12
It’s a haven for Cardinals baseball fans.
Since 2005, Springfield has been the home to the Springfield Cardinals Double A baseball team. The future of the St. Louis Cardinals comes through Springfield each and every summer. We’ve seen great players such as Matt Carpenter, Stephen Piscotty and Carlos Martinez come through Springfield on their way to the big leagues and more are on the way!
Reason #13
The average commute is 17 minutes, which is 8 minutes faster than the national average.
Springfield has some of the most cutting edge roadways in the nation. We were the first city in the United States to implement the diverging diamond, and our average commute is much shorter than national averages.
Reason #14
There are great outdoor activities everywhere!
Whether you’re looking for hiking, fishing or camping, Springfield is close to all sorts of great outdoor activities for families and thrill seekers alike. There are lakes, rivers and streams within a few miles of the city in nearly every direction and plenty of great spaces to hunt turkey and deer as well!
Reason #15
We have great access to higher education.
Missouri State University, Drury University, Evangel University and Ozarks Technical Community College are all inside the city limits of Springfield. Nearly 50,000 students attend an institution of higher learning in Springfield each year!
Reason #16
Gas is about 20% cheaper than the national average.
At the time of this writing, gas prices in Springfield average $1.81, while the Missouri average sat at $1.92 and the national average was $2.12!
Reason #17
Two words: One of them is Cashew, the other is Chicken.
It all started in 1963 at the Grove Supper Club. David Leong brought the deep-fried goodness we all know as Cashew Chicken to life. Leong’s recipe went national eventually, but it was born right here in the Queen City.
Reason #18
There are so many great places to live.
Springfield has a wide variety of neighborhoods and communities to call home. If you’d like to learn more about any of the fine establishments in our city, just take a look at our subdivisions and communities pages.
Reason #19
The art scene is cutting edge.
The Springfield Art Museum is a great source for amazing sculptures, paintings and artistic artifacts from all over the world. It is definitely a great spot to take kids to learn an appreciation of the fine arts. Local artists showcase their work at First Friday art walks on the first Friday of each month, except for winter months. There are dozens of galleries in the center of the city to pick up originals or just appreciate the beauty of the human imagination.
Reason #20
There’s tons of great places to shop.
Sure, there’s the Battlefield mall for the national stores like Macy’s, JC Penney and Forever 21. Springfield is also making a statement in local retail. Stores like Five Pound Apparel, Staxx and Swagbot have been making our citizens look good for years and there are lots of others springing up as well!
There are so many more reasons to love this city. There’s no way to fit them all in one article. Be sure to let us know what makes you love Springfield the most in the comments on Facebook!
Happy Birthday to Missouri! August 10th was the state’s 195th birthday!
This post brought to you by Murney Associates Realtors