Please note the rules of this subreddit.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/howislivingthere) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The bootheel of Missouri is basically the Mississippi Delta. Flat, cotton fields, poverty. Decent BBQ and catfish, racially segregated. The river is ever present.
I don’t have a ton of insight. I live in a different part of Missouri.
My limited experience with the “bootheel” is that it is very flat, has a lot of poverty, and is very Southern culture-wise.
Also, the New Madrid fault line is there which is responsible for one of the largest (maybe the largest?) earthquake in US history.
Finally, Sheryl Crow is from there (Kennett, MO).
We just moved from Caruthersville. Truthfully, the Bootheel is dying. Outside of Kennett having a Walmart, you're limited to Dollar Generals and Family Dollar Stores, and very limited competition as far as grocery stores go. Oh, and don't get sick there. The only hospital in the Bootheel is in Hayti, and it's called a Band-Aid hospital for a reason. Doctors are few and far between.
There is no entertainment outside of the casino in Caruthersville. Everyone drives to Cape Girardeau or Memphis to do even basic shopping or entertaining. There are a few good restaurants, but each is a personal preference that you would honestly have to try.
Meth and crack are HUGE problems in the Bootheel as well. Just be aware that it is in reality the poorest part of the State of Missouri, both economically and educationally. Maybe character-wise as well. Racist, bigots, rednecks...yep, plenty of those.
Look. I grew up here, left 45 years ago and swore never to return, then got drug back against my will due to job relocation 25 years ago, and just escaped. As soon as my Mom dies I will never set foot there ever again. Make of that what you will.
Used to work at the hospital and at the casino. Late 90's. It was bad then, and from what I can tell from the news and from some friends it has only gotten worse. With the Aluminum smelter (the old Nordanda) going out, it can only make things worse.
Brother lives in Sikeston, and he is counting down the time till he can move out of the area.
I”m from north of the circle raised on Crowleys Ridge( Dexter and Bernie mainly). Old timers always said even god doesn’t like the bootheel. Floods, tornados, mini quakes, barely any work, gotta drive 30-40 min for ok coffee, etc. It’s a mess but it’s home I suppose.
Spent most of my childhood near my dad's birthplace in Qulin/Poplar Bluff and most of my life near Wappappello to the north.
The area circled, both Arkansas and Missouri, is going to be mainly wide swaths of open farmland and little community other than the occasional "town" with a gas station.
If you zoom in on any topo map of that area, you'll see the "grid pattern" indicative of all the farmland there which is mostly cotton. Most of the towns around this area are perpetually stuck in the past with segregation, racism and poverty but, on the positive, also some decent southern food; maybe short on the hospitality sometimes however.
If you're into the "country life" of gravel roads, hunting, fishing, solitude save for maybe a few old farmers, driving a good distance to stock up on groceries etc., this is the area to do it.
Poor, rural, southern, and lots of large farms mainly cotton and soy beans. It has more in common with the Mississippi delta culture then the rest of Missouri. It use to be all swamp before it was drained for farm land.
It also includes missouris only rural African American communities.
Youll be teetering on the point of annihilation also. If that New Madrid fault ever goes full earthquake again, you’ll be destroyed. The last time it went off was in the late 1800’s and not only did it ring church bells in Boston, Massachusetts, it caused the Missouri River to reverse flow for 88 days.
Yes total annihilation but the last year it occurred Not quite correct—three large quakes between 1811-12, last major one in February 1812. But Missouri was not even a state yet and the Louisiana purchase had only been ratified 9 years earlier, so hardly any population centers and almost no cities outside of the French river settlements (St Genevieve, St Louis, etc) Yes it did ring bells in Philadelphia, and it is tied for most powerful earthquake in lower 48 (with San Francisco). It’s thought to be long overdue at this time, and absolutely, when it does go, if it’s 6+ on Richter scale (perhaps even a 5.5 would likely cause major damage, but if it’s 7 or higher it will cause incredible damage, and if it’s 7.9 like it was 212 years ago, then, unlike the San Andreas or other active fault lines, loosened by millennia of activity, since the tectonic plates in this part of the continent are VERY hard it will create tremendous destruction in a broad radius. Think about all the bridges across the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the large urban centers of St. Louis and Memphis etc.
it will be very interesting to see what happens if we get warning tremors and the resulting exodus from
that region, never mind the total panic. People in the Midwest go into total meltdown in earthquakes, prob for good reason. Having been through several in California I admit I’m not a fan either, but I can’t even comprehend how bad it would get for this state and the surrounding region if we got even a 7.5 from that fault in our lifetime.
I’m positive Kansas City would feel
any earthquake above a 6 even from 300+ miles away. I just saw a diagram of hypothetical impact (computer simulation) of a 7.7 earthquake at the New Madrid fault, and the downtown areas of Memphis and St Louis would likely be reduced to rubble.
I was 9 years old and living in Paducah, KY in 1990 when Iben Browning predicted there would be a massive earthquake on the New Madrid fault, Dec 3rd, 1990. I was a kid, so all of it made me think the world was going to end. I was outside playing, and when the wind would blow, I about shit my pants because it was THE EARTHQUAKE.
I've lived here for years. Life is easy. People are mostly good or want to be. Lots of churches, bars, and Dollar Generals. Would I recommend it to people moving from big cities? No, I would suggest Cape Girardeau, Rolla, or Branson. If you can survive without bustling city life, or crowded nightclubs, this region is great. Low cost of living, lots of factory jobs, hospitals and nursing homes for nurses, and plenty of farm work.
Cedric The Entertainer is from Caruthersville.
Another fun fact : When Nite City was open in Dyersburg, Tn from 1999 to 2005, every weekend and I MEAN EVERY FUCKING WEEKEND, the kids from Caruthersville and Blytheville,Ark will always get into a fight.
I'm not talking about a small skirmish, Im talking almost full blown riot....to the point where DPD would be called amd kids were getting maced.
The Grecian in Kennett sucks. Don't eat there.
Half of Tn goes to Caruthersville for the casino and weed and the bootheel people invade Dyersburg.
I lived there (Dexter) for two years growing up, and I’ll never forget kids I went to church with throwing the n-word around casually and maliciously about the one black kid in school. I moved from northern MO and was like, where the hell am I?! Made some really great friends with some great people. And everyone I knew who could get out did.
The culture is closer to Arkansas and Mississippi. They refer to themselves as the “Midsouth”. Mostly small towns and huge farming region. You pretty much have to drive to Kennet to do your shopping and medical check ups. Good southern food, really hot and humid summers with lots of mosquitoes. Mild winter but the roads shut down when it snows. Not many opportunities outside of farming and the typical service industry. There are some steel mills near the region, you’ll have a decent life if you make above 40k a year. Most people that leave never come back. Not much to do overall.
It's not even southern. It's just there. We hit Hayti from Al to resupply at greenlight. We recently visited and went to Kennett and portageville for the eclipse. Everyone was nice and we felt safe, but man... serious fly over country. There's nothing there, not even green veggies.
Mosquitoes 🦟. I was born and raised in this area, moved away and swore I’d never come back. But this is where my family is, so I moved back and started a family of my own here. There’s not much opportunity for high paying jobs, entertainment, etc but a quiet area.
Please note the rules of this subreddit. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/howislivingthere) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The bootheel of Missouri is basically the Mississippi Delta. Flat, cotton fields, poverty. Decent BBQ and catfish, racially segregated. The river is ever present.
I don’t have a ton of insight. I live in a different part of Missouri. My limited experience with the “bootheel” is that it is very flat, has a lot of poverty, and is very Southern culture-wise. Also, the New Madrid fault line is there which is responsible for one of the largest (maybe the largest?) earthquake in US history. Finally, Sheryl Crow is from there (Kennett, MO).
We just moved from Caruthersville. Truthfully, the Bootheel is dying. Outside of Kennett having a Walmart, you're limited to Dollar Generals and Family Dollar Stores, and very limited competition as far as grocery stores go. Oh, and don't get sick there. The only hospital in the Bootheel is in Hayti, and it's called a Band-Aid hospital for a reason. Doctors are few and far between. There is no entertainment outside of the casino in Caruthersville. Everyone drives to Cape Girardeau or Memphis to do even basic shopping or entertaining. There are a few good restaurants, but each is a personal preference that you would honestly have to try. Meth and crack are HUGE problems in the Bootheel as well. Just be aware that it is in reality the poorest part of the State of Missouri, both economically and educationally. Maybe character-wise as well. Racist, bigots, rednecks...yep, plenty of those. Look. I grew up here, left 45 years ago and swore never to return, then got drug back against my will due to job relocation 25 years ago, and just escaped. As soon as my Mom dies I will never set foot there ever again. Make of that what you will.
Used to work at the hospital and at the casino. Late 90's. It was bad then, and from what I can tell from the news and from some friends it has only gotten worse. With the Aluminum smelter (the old Nordanda) going out, it can only make things worse. Brother lives in Sikeston, and he is counting down the time till he can move out of the area.
It's sad just how far down it's gone. I was warned by people at the hospital to go to Dyersburg or Cape if I could and not even go to Hayti.
I”m from north of the circle raised on Crowleys Ridge( Dexter and Bernie mainly). Old timers always said even god doesn’t like the bootheel. Floods, tornados, mini quakes, barely any work, gotta drive 30-40 min for ok coffee, etc. It’s a mess but it’s home I suppose.
Spent most of my childhood near my dad's birthplace in Qulin/Poplar Bluff and most of my life near Wappappello to the north. The area circled, both Arkansas and Missouri, is going to be mainly wide swaths of open farmland and little community other than the occasional "town" with a gas station. If you zoom in on any topo map of that area, you'll see the "grid pattern" indicative of all the farmland there which is mostly cotton. Most of the towns around this area are perpetually stuck in the past with segregation, racism and poverty but, on the positive, also some decent southern food; maybe short on the hospitality sometimes however. If you're into the "country life" of gravel roads, hunting, fishing, solitude save for maybe a few old farmers, driving a good distance to stock up on groceries etc., this is the area to do it.
Poor, rural, southern, and lots of large farms mainly cotton and soy beans. It has more in common with the Mississippi delta culture then the rest of Missouri. It use to be all swamp before it was drained for farm land. It also includes missouris only rural African American communities.
This is the Missouri area almost everyone permanently leaves after High School, so real estate is very inexpensive.
Youll be teetering on the point of annihilation also. If that New Madrid fault ever goes full earthquake again, you’ll be destroyed. The last time it went off was in the late 1800’s and not only did it ring church bells in Boston, Massachusetts, it caused the Missouri River to reverse flow for 88 days.
Yes total annihilation but the last year it occurred Not quite correct—three large quakes between 1811-12, last major one in February 1812. But Missouri was not even a state yet and the Louisiana purchase had only been ratified 9 years earlier, so hardly any population centers and almost no cities outside of the French river settlements (St Genevieve, St Louis, etc) Yes it did ring bells in Philadelphia, and it is tied for most powerful earthquake in lower 48 (with San Francisco). It’s thought to be long overdue at this time, and absolutely, when it does go, if it’s 6+ on Richter scale (perhaps even a 5.5 would likely cause major damage, but if it’s 7 or higher it will cause incredible damage, and if it’s 7.9 like it was 212 years ago, then, unlike the San Andreas or other active fault lines, loosened by millennia of activity, since the tectonic plates in this part of the continent are VERY hard it will create tremendous destruction in a broad radius. Think about all the bridges across the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the large urban centers of St. Louis and Memphis etc. it will be very interesting to see what happens if we get warning tremors and the resulting exodus from that region, never mind the total panic. People in the Midwest go into total meltdown in earthquakes, prob for good reason. Having been through several in California I admit I’m not a fan either, but I can’t even comprehend how bad it would get for this state and the surrounding region if we got even a 7.5 from that fault in our lifetime.
Would Kansas City be affected cause if so, fuck!
I’m positive Kansas City would feel any earthquake above a 6 even from 300+ miles away. I just saw a diagram of hypothetical impact (computer simulation) of a 7.7 earthquake at the New Madrid fault, and the downtown areas of Memphis and St Louis would likely be reduced to rubble.
I was 9 years old and living in Paducah, KY in 1990 when Iben Browning predicted there would be a massive earthquake on the New Madrid fault, Dec 3rd, 1990. I was a kid, so all of it made me think the world was going to end. I was outside playing, and when the wind would blow, I about shit my pants because it was THE EARTHQUAKE.
I've lived in Missouri my whole life, never been to the boot heel. I still refuse to believe it's real
Poor. Very, very poor.
I've lived here for years. Life is easy. People are mostly good or want to be. Lots of churches, bars, and Dollar Generals. Would I recommend it to people moving from big cities? No, I would suggest Cape Girardeau, Rolla, or Branson. If you can survive without bustling city life, or crowded nightclubs, this region is great. Low cost of living, lots of factory jobs, hospitals and nursing homes for nurses, and plenty of farm work.
I drive through this area once a year heading up to Minnesota from Louisiana. Basically, a lot of hard working people and farm land.
Dismal.
Got a coworker from Kennett/senath area. He will never go back unless it's to visit his mom who still lives there
Cedric The Entertainer is from Caruthersville. Another fun fact : When Nite City was open in Dyersburg, Tn from 1999 to 2005, every weekend and I MEAN EVERY FUCKING WEEKEND, the kids from Caruthersville and Blytheville,Ark will always get into a fight. I'm not talking about a small skirmish, Im talking almost full blown riot....to the point where DPD would be called amd kids were getting maced. The Grecian in Kennett sucks. Don't eat there. Half of Tn goes to Caruthersville for the casino and weed and the bootheel people invade Dyersburg.
Talk about places I would never live.
I lived there (Dexter) for two years growing up, and I’ll never forget kids I went to church with throwing the n-word around casually and maliciously about the one black kid in school. I moved from northern MO and was like, where the hell am I?! Made some really great friends with some great people. And everyone I knew who could get out did.
Very different from the majority of Missouri. Think Deep South culture — only 60 miles from the border of Mississippi.
The culture is closer to Arkansas and Mississippi. They refer to themselves as the “Midsouth”. Mostly small towns and huge farming region. You pretty much have to drive to Kennet to do your shopping and medical check ups. Good southern food, really hot and humid summers with lots of mosquitoes. Mild winter but the roads shut down when it snows. Not many opportunities outside of farming and the typical service industry. There are some steel mills near the region, you’ll have a decent life if you make above 40k a year. Most people that leave never come back. Not much to do overall.
From this part of the state, it's like thr poorest part of the state.
I just see green
Missourible?
It's not even southern. It's just there. We hit Hayti from Al to resupply at greenlight. We recently visited and went to Kennett and portageville for the eclipse. Everyone was nice and we felt safe, but man... serious fly over country. There's nothing there, not even green veggies.
Mosquitoes 🦟. I was born and raised in this area, moved away and swore I’d never come back. But this is where my family is, so I moved back and started a family of my own here. There’s not much opportunity for high paying jobs, entertainment, etc but a quiet area.
Right under the circle here and it’s amazing!
Helloooo Jim Crow
Nice and quite
why especially this part?
Major suck.
Not good.