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Attraction: Ozark
Title: My perspective on Ozark, Missouri Or how I've learned how to forget Chicago and love the SW Missouri Ozarks!!! Posted by: William E Shelton 
I’m on a mission; no, no, not something as profound as a mission from God but merely a mission from the GSBOR. OK, so you wonder, “what is that mission”? My mission is to promote the virtues of the great community of Ozark, MO. That fantastic, formerly small (1996, 7,400), but rapidly growing (2007, 13,500) County seat of Christian County. Now if you’re unaware, Christian County lies between Greene and Taney Counties, which are probably right smack dab in the middle of the good ‘ol US of A. Within Greene County is Springfield MO, home to Bass Pro Shops as well as the Springfield Cardinals, which is the AA minor league team of the St. Louis Cardinals. Heading south out of Springfield on Rt. 65, we crest a hill and our first view is of one of the Assembly of God flagship churches. Then we pass through Ozark and are introduced to those beautiful, colorful and informative billboards which some locals despise, but I do love, and feel is a big factor of the Missouri Ozarks uniqueness. Now, a quick word of caution about getting off the Highway and onto the byway…as the road degrades from asphalt to chip & seal, to gravel to… well dirt, and you’re taking a short-cut to the lake, with either your boat or camper in tow, you should seriously consider finding a spot to turn around, because you may see the road end quite abruptly-yes, it has happened to me. So you want to take the “scenic route” short cuts, be prepared as you may have a lot of backing up to do. A few miles south of Ozark, the plateau rapidly changes into a scenario of ridges and hollows and a beautiful display of Dogwoods in the spring and Sugar Maples in the fall.
The minor depressions and ridges change into hollows and ridges, a very rugged terrain to behold on your ½ hour trip to Taney County, MO. Home of Branson, MO, music capital of the world…sorry Nashville, just a bit of journalistic liberty there. Thirty miles south of Ozark are the tri-lakes; Table Rock, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals. Spring of ’09 will introduce a new airport to the Branson/Ozark area featuring discount fares and one-stop flights to both coasts.
Before I continue, I must put this into context: Growing up in Chicago I realized at an early age that you can’t be both a Cubs fan and a Sox fan, kinda like, “you’re either with us or against us”. Now, I live in Ozark but worked out of Nixa for quite awhile, now I’m a REALTOR® working out of Ozark but still enter the confines of Nixa. I do have a planned disguise and can go incognito, which I will. It’s just that ya can’t promote Ozark without disparaging Nixa or can you? Both are fine communities that compliment each other. The new Richwood campus of Ozark Technical College lies between Ozark and Nixa. Both towns have their own Super Wal-Mart.
Ozark is a community of varied entities. You have your little subdivisions where every house looks the same and no one seems to care but there is always that smell of charcoal burning in the air and the sound of children playing. The town square would put Mayberry to shame because every Thursday night there is a farmers market complete with a “blue grass” group playing under the confines of an old town square pavilion. Wow… if I were the mayor I’d proclaim all law enforcement vehicles shall be “ 1957 –1962 Ford’s painted in the black and white motif”. Of course engines and chassis would be updated.
The Finely River runs through Ozark and borders the site of the Ozark park which hosts the Christian County fair, numerous Rodeo’s, a world renowned Christmas light display …well it may not be world renowned, but surely is one of the best in Southwest Missouri. Yes, Ozark does have a bit of character: being an older village established before the rules of planning and zoning. I guess you could say that this village is diversified, which is a “politically correct” way of saying your neighbor may be the Vice President of a local bank or just a good ‘ol boy. Much of that is currently being rectified as a major redevelopment is occurring on 46 prime acres along the Finley River and located in the center of Ozark between the new community center and town square. Almost everything is now being flattened, including many of the homes on wheels which are infamous as Tornado magnets! Now I, myself, live on the very south edge of Ozark and I have at times had neighbors of a somewhat different persuasion.
What can I say ‘about the Real Estate market??? Well I guess I should begin by saying that, although Real Estate may be viewed by some as a vehicle of monetary speculation I believe it to be very ill suited for that purpose. It’s very illiquid and the commissions are very high, but because of the services provided by the REALTOR® of your choice, they are surely justified. Now the purchase of a personal residence can be, and almost always is, a great personal investment. If, for no other reason, that unless you elect to be a person of the street, you will need somewhere to hang your hat. Don’t kid yourself, the government has and always will provide great economic incentives for private home ownership.
Private ownership is the cornerstone of the capitalistic society, which is the best form of government. There are problems with totally free and unregulated economic venues, oh yeah, the herd instinct (instinct; the tendency of any given species to act in ways which they at that time perceive as beneficial to their own well being) Now the Indians had it figured out. The Indians would just guide a herd of Buffalo to an area adjacent to the cliff, spook them into a stampede over the cliff and then just go down a trail to the bottom of the cliff and reap their rewards.
Tulipomania, and how it relates to the bubble theory, has always been, and will always be a factor of the human psyche. Booms and busts will always be with us. Your job is to identify them and act accordingly…buy low, sell high. It is so hard to go against the herd but so easy to follow. Who can criticize you when you do what everyone else is doing?
I do not feel the foreclosure problem in Ozark and Nixa is so much of homes being bid too high based on their land and value per square foot. The problem is more of individuals over extending their ability to pay, with the false expectation that value and equity would continue to grow. Now let’s forget about Holland in 1637 and reflect on the Internet bubble of 1999 or the summer of ’08 when everyone said, “we will never again see gas at $3.00 per gallon, it will be at $5.00 soon”!
To those who are worried about their Real Estate; the sun will shine again.
Now if you care to know more about Ozark, such as the schools, weather, etc. “google” it.
Filed under: [Cities] |
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