Another reason?  Schools!

The Joplin School District was recently "Accredited with Distinction" for the third year in a row.  That indicates that the district has made good progress in all areas under review.  The adjoining districts of Webb City, Seneca and Carl Junction have also received  the same rating this year and in several  previous years.  In the area of ACT testing the three school districts did much better than the State average, being joined by the Diamond school district that had the highest average.  The class sizes rarely exceed 25 students per teacher, and the teaching staff is quite dedicated to their profession (that is, teaching!)  All this achievement in spite of the fact that the school funding here (Dollars per Pupil) is almost the lowest in the nation.  That alone speaks for the quality of the teachers and the fallacy of curing school problems with money.  We obviously have some of the finest school administration and staffing in the nation. The Joplin Missouri real estate market is very much affected by the reputation of the schools, since that is one of the primary values of the local lifestyle.

Another hallmark of the schools here is the athletic programs.  All of the districts excel, but Webb City alone has held numerous State Championships in Football, Basketball and Baseball.  UPDATE June 13th::  The Webb City Baseball Team has just won their second consecutive State Championship (with no Senior players - bodes well for the third title next year!).November 24th:  Webb City today won their 7th State Football Championship (Class 4).Go Cardinals!!

I guess you would have to add the Music program as well, since the Webb City Marching Bank participated in the most recent Rose Bowl Parade.

And of course we do have Missouri Southern State University, previously Joplin Junior College, but on it's way to becoming one of the outstanding universities in the state.  Of special note is the annual international piano competition drawing contestants from all over the world.

For more information on the schools, please click on the links on the right of this page.

Or could it be the job market?

Jobs created in 2006:  Frito Lay, Inc.-65:  Labarge. Inc.-120:  Able Body Corporation-100:  FedEx Ground-20:  Northpark Crossing and Mall-1000:  Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse of Carthage-115:  Premier Cabinets of Columbus, Ks.-400:  Fuddrucker's; Chick-Fil-A Restaurant; and Aegis Communications-200:  Eagle Picher Technologies-100 and AT & T Wireless-600.  What a Year!!  This job growth has really driven the Joplin, Missouri real estate market and kept the area's housing market strong as compared to other parts of the country.

January 22, 2007  And the job increase continues in 2007 with the upcoming opening of another major restaurant, Whiskey Creek Grill & BarBQue that will employ 85 full or part time workers.   February 8, 2007  Leggett & Platt has started the consolidation of all research and development activities in a new site in the expanded enterprize zone in Carthage, which will add 20 persons to their workforce.  April 10, 2007  A plan was presented today to the Cherokee County Board for the construction of a destination hotel and casino just 5 miles west of Joplin at a cost of $225 million which would create about 1500 area jobs when completed in about 18 months.  Also announced was the fourth Starbucks for Joplin. adding another 10-20 employees.  May 16th:  Construction has begun on the "Downstream" destination resort casino at the Tri-State corner which will employ 1200 people.  A Quapaw Indian project costing $200  million just off I-44 and only three miles from the Joplin limits should have quite an effect on the area.

Could it be accessibility?

Joplin is located on one of the major Mid-American east-west interstates (I-44) at what will soon be the crossroads of another major Mid-American north-south yet unnumbered interstate (now US71-249) giving unencumbered access to all the major markets in the United States.  Already one of the biggest players in the trucking industry, the area is preparing for more expansion.  With so many truck drivers transiting this area, along with the local drivers, the word of values in the Joplin, Missouri real estate market is rapidly spreading nationwide.  It was announced today (July 6, 2006) that the new carrier at the Joplin airport (Mesa Airlines) will be starting five daily round trips to Kansas City and two daily round trips to Dallas/Fort Worth beginning October 1st.  A new $20 million terminal and a $25 million control tower is being built for the anticipated growth in air travel. The airport can now handle the largest of the jets, as evidenced by the recent landing and takeoff of Air Force One when  President Bush spoke at MSSU.  Now if we could only get Amtrak to extend on westward from Springfield we would have a full plate. Admittedly, we will never have water traffic. No ones perfect!

How about this weather?

Spring arrived on time with glorious blooming pear trees, wild cherries, hawthorne, redbud and dogwood.  The Ozarks are arguably at their finest this time of year.  The fall is another favorite season of the locals, the harvests are in, school has resumed and the forests and yards are aflame with the brilliant colors of maples, gum, elm, sycamore, sumac, ash, walnut, willows, locust and other deciduous trees counterpointed with the pines, spruce and other evergreens.  Then there are the fairly mild winters with the moderate amounts of snow (some years none at all), the sparkling diamond beauty of the ice storms (ignore the days without power), but these are the rare years (like 2007).  Then there are the hot lazy summers, the time for site seeing, touring, family reunions, class reunions, picnics at the many parks around and some pretty good fishing in crystal clear rivers and lakes.  April 9th addendum.  Ouch!! Winter came back and ruined all the little fruit buds, and a lot of the new leaves on the trees (so much for Global Warming in this part of the country).

Click on the weather link to the lower right of this page to see what's up for the next 10 days.

Watch for other reasons in the future.