[TheForge] YAK - Please talk Missouri UP or down

[Steve Smith]

Bruce, I don't know much about MO or NJ, but a little over two years ago 
we moved from Colorado to Maine, a pretty major change. I've been 
mulling this over and trying to think what we learned that applies to you.

I took it as a chance to divest of piles of junk and start anew (I kept 
all my smithing stuff). I divested too much. This made the move more 
traumatic than it might have been. We had lived in the same house for 20 
years, that was pretty traumatic to change too.

I don't think weather will be that big a change. Warmer (maybe a bit 
colder in winter?), maybe more humidity.

I think the big change will be in politics and religion. I don't know, 
but suspect MO of being more conservative politically than NJ; the other 
half is that MO is typically listed as being in "the Bible belt". Both 
of these will likely be tempered by being in a University town as a 
previous poster mentioned. Not necessarily bad, certainly things you can 
live with.

I went to a class at Tom Clark's in Potosi, MO (which I'm sure is worlds 
apart from Columbia), sharing a car with two guys from Lake Tahoe, NV. 
They were definitely in culture shock. At the bulletin board listing 
town churches they said "Wow, look at all the churches here". I pointed 
out that we *were* in the Bible belt--"Really, is this where it is?".

Steve


> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net on behalf of Bruce Freeman
> Sent: Sat 1/28/2006 8:57 AM
> To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [TheForge] YAK - Please talk Missouri UP or down
> 
> 
> 
> No, this isn't a bash-Missouri posting, but an honest
> attempt to learn more about an area I know almost
> nothing about.  I'm in NJ, but I've lived in CA and
> Arkansas and other states (as a child).  But now I'm
> likely to have a job opportunity in Columbia, MO, and
> would like to get some input about the place.
> 
> The idea is to find out what it's like to live there,
> both the positive and negative aspects.  I'd be going
> from suburbia with many hundreds of thousands
> population, to a city of maybe one hundred thousand.
> I see both plusses and minuses to that.
> 
> Please chime in if you have relevant experience -
> especially experience with MO.
> 
> I know this is way off-topic, but I also know you guys
> are very level-headed and can provide good feedback.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Bruce
> NJ