California native finds home in Ozarks

“The straw that broke the camel’s back was that the kids weren’t allowed to play outside at school anymore, because the danger level was so high that the kids had to stay indoors,” Rusciano said. “I thought, ‘Life is too short to live like this.’”

So she decided to start looking for a new place to call home. That’s when she discovered Springfield.

One factor that drew her to southwest Missouri: the people.

“The business community has been outstanding and very welcoming,” said Rusciano, now marketing director for The Payroll Co. “People here are much friendlier and more willing to embrace new people coming in.”

Though she had never been to southwest Missouri before beginning her home search, her family roots ran deep in the area; both sides of her family can trace ancestry through the Ozarks.

“My mom always felt like an Ozarker in California,” Rusciano said. “I was really raised with the values of this area, so when I did take my first trip out, it really felt comfortable – it felt like home.”

She also cited the schools in the area – her two daughters, now age 12 and 14, are enrolled in Springfield Public Schools, even though Rusciano said the girls went to private school in California.

The cost of living, she added, didn’t hurt either.

“It didn’t play a role so much in the desire to leave, but … once I was looking, I was really encouraged at how far the money could go,” she said.

See SBJ’s May 15 issue for more on the increased number of West Coast natives taking up residence in southwest Missouri.