Springfield, Missouri...Queen City of the Ozarks

Carabee over at BlogTrotting has asked me to share a few things about my wonderful little piece of the world. Of course, I'm happy to do just that. If you haven't heard of BlogTrotting, you should check it out! 

The Queen City of the Ozarks, Birthplace of Route 66, and the epicenter of the US population are all phrases that could describe Springfield, Missouri (literally, it takes 24 hours to get to the California coast and 24 hours to get to the New York coast, and 24 hours to get to the eastern Florida coast). "My home" is another.

Sitting atop the Springfield Plateau, the city itself is relatively flat, but it is surrounded by some of the most beautiful natural scenery I have ever seen. Large, limestone bluffs are accented by green rolling hills. Many crystal clear, spring-fed streams, creeks, and rivers run through or surround this beautiful landscape (for more about that, see the article I wrote for MissouriLife magazine). We are also surrounded by some of the clearest rock-bottom lakes in the nation. And the culture in this region carries deep roots back to a time when men and women lived off the land and/or made moonshine in the many caves that litter the area.

 Table Rock Lake (Branson, MO)

I moved to Springfield, Missouri, in 1998 to attend college at Missouri State University. I never thought I'd stay here, and now I can't imagine ever leaving. Over the years, I have watched this city grow into something I can be proud of. You might say that Springfield was in its adolescence when we met, and it has since proven that adulthood has arrived. Below, I've highlighted a few of our great sites:

Springfield, Missouri, is home to the first Bass Pro Shops started by Johnny Morris many years ago. He got his start in his father's liquor store selling tackle. He now has stores all across the nation and continues to grow. His empire also employs my husband.

Hammons Field is home to the minor league Springfield Cardinals, not to be confused with the St. Louis Cardinals. However, Cardinals do come here to get back in the game after injuries, which is pretty cool.

And while we may not have a huge driller guy like they do in Tulsa, we do have a HUGE fork. This fork once stood outside an Italian restaurant opened by Springfield's advertising giant Bob Noble. As with all his restaurants, it failed, and the fork was relocated to his third building. I once worked at Noble.

And did I mention that Springfield is a mere 45 minutes from Branson (although most Springfieldians could care less about the short distance unless it's to go to the lakes down there)? Along the way, you can stop off to do some zip lining through the Ozark hills.

For the kids, there's the Discovery Center, which is packed full of wonderful exhibits.

And in the summer, kids can cool off at the Jordan Valley Park.

There's tons more to share, but you'll have to come here to see it. Thanks for stopping by and getting to know my little corner of the world!

3 of my faves that I think give a pretty good idea of who I am and what I blog about:
Thoughts on Motherhood
All the Homeless People
The Resiliency of Children