[malo]

I live in the southern Missouri portion of the Ozarks. Land is still reasonable in southern Missouri/northern Arkansas. It is a four season climate with fairly mild winters. This has been one of our worst winters in recent years, and everyone is bellyaching because we have had six weeks of "hard" winter. That last two winters, we had scarcely any snow, and when it does fall, it is usally gone in a week.

This is a conservative area that is part of the Bible belt. But not everyone is religious or extremely conservative. You can find kindred spirits anywhere you might live, if you look around a bit.

I think the conservatism is balanced to a large degree by a nautral friendliness, politeness, helpfullness, and a certain "live and let live" approach to life. As long as one treats others with kindness and respect, they will return the favor.

And on a side note, fwiw, Mike Caro has written a couple times about living in the Missouri Ozarks. Don't know if he is still living here, but he was a couple years ago.