Living & Working

The Lake of the Ozarks region has all of the essential ingredients necessary to provide a high quality of life for its citizens. One of the most significant attributes for the region is its natural scenic beauty along the 1150 miles of Lake Shoreline. Located in south central Missouri the Lake of the Ozarks is one of the largest manmade lakes in the world and is surrounded by the beautiful Ozark Mountains.

The area provides the outdoor enthusiast multiple activities from which to choose. Outlined below are six essential attributes that develop a high quality of life in our communities. You will learn why the Lake of the Ozarks region is a relaxing friendly place to live, work, and play.

With substantial infrastructure and thousands of acres of undeveloped land at attractive prices from which to choose, the lake region makes an excellent site for industrial, commercial and retail development.

Getting here is easy. The Lake of the Ozarks region is centrally located in Missouri, and the U.S. major highways and five nearby airports serve the area from all directions.

Recreation

Recreational activities include boating, fishing, swimming, tennis, water skiing, golfing, hunting, camping, and canoeing or tube floating. The region boasts over 100 marinas, more than 40 waterfront restaurants and many more fine dinning restaurants off the water for the “land lovers”. Then after a full day in the sun there are hundreds of shopping opportunities. Its easy to see why the Lake of the Ozarks region is one of the most popular tourist areas in the Midwest.

Over a hundred resorts, hotels, motels and B & B’s provide a limitless selection of accommodations. Two large resorts offer convention and business meeting rooms for groups large or small. An exhibition center offering nearly 100,000 sq. ft. is in the planning stages and will compliment our existing capabilities.

The community offers many shopping experiences from the largest brand name factory outlet mall in Missouri, to the quaint antique and specialty shops that are scattered throughout the lake area. On weekends visitors can be seen strolling the Bagnell Dam strip which offers a variety of shopping opportunities at fantastic bargains.

Other favorite activities include golfing at one of the 14 magnificent courses encircling the lake; exploring Bridal Cave and Jacob’s Cave; touring historical buildings that capture the areas history; visiting Ha Ha Tonka State Park which has 12 hiking trails, 8 caves, picnic areas and unique castle ruins; and horseback riding in the Lake of the Ozarks State Park, the largest State Park in Missouri.

Healthcare

Lake Regional Health System provides comprehensive health care services to lake-area residents and visitors. The 116-bed hospital is a state-designated Level III trauma center. It is accredited by The Joint Commission and is a past recipient of the Missouri Quality Award. Cardiac care services include open-heart surgery, cardiac catheterization and cardiac rehab. Lake Regional Cancer Center offers patients chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments in a comfortable atmosphere close to home. Lake Regional Health System also operates primary care, urgent care, specialty and rehab therapy clinics, retail pharmacies and home health services throughout the lake area. 

Education

Four high schools are conveniently located in the lake area, and the graduating senior classes have ACT scores that are consistently above the state and national averages. Two out of three graduates advance on to college. The area has two technical career centers, a four-year liberal arts college extension campus and a satellite community college. These educational institutions work closely with community businesses to provide needed training for the area’s work force.

State Fair Community College
Columbia College-Lake Ozark Campus
Lincoln University

Cost of Living

The Lake of the Ozarks Region has a great competitive advantage in cost of living. In 2004 (2nd qtr) the state of Missouri had the 11th lowest cost of living index in the United States at 92.7. A further breakdown shows Missouri ranking in the United States as follows: Utilities 3rd lowest; Transportation cost (gasoline) 7th lowest; Health Care 16th lowest; Housing and Grocery 18th lowest. The composite index for the Lake of the Ozarks Region is below the Missouri State average.

Housing

The Lake of the Ozarks Region offers an endless variety of housing options. There are numerous apartment complexes, condo developments and houses both on and off the lakefront. Housing is priced to match all income levels, and development of new housing in all categories continues at a brisk pace. The Lake of the Ozarks Region is experiencing a population explosion at a rate of +30%, and developers are starting new projects every month.

Low Crime / Clean Air & Water

The region is very fortunate to have excellent police forces in the counties and cities in our area. Because we are in a rural area, our crime levels are substantially lower in all categories compared to urban areas.

Living in central Missouri, we are also fortunate to have very clean air and water for our citizens.