Ashland, Hartsburg, And Columbia, MO Community Information

There are many reasons why you should choose Ashland, Hartsburg, or Columbia, Missouri, and the surrounding Central Missouri area as a place to live. Columbia is centrally located in Missouri and to the rest of the United States. Central Missouri real estate has a tradition of affordability and stability, even through the recent housing turbulence. Columbia, Missouri has been called a "gem of a town" by Southern Living magazine. This is a steadily growing area known for it's strong economic base, with rich and various cultural, entertainment and dining opportunities. Add the college sports, family recreation choices, regional shopping, public use lands, excellent schools and the welcoming and friendly character of our area, and it is easy to see why our clients enjoy living here. The U.S. Department of Education credits Columbia for having "more exemplary public schools per capita than any other city in the nation," with outlying School Districts meeting or exceeding these standards. The Southern Boone County School District (around Ashland, Missouri, halfway between Columbia and Jefferson City) has achieved the State's highest ranking annually, and its Middle School has been ranked by the State as one of the 10 best Statewide. Columbia is also known as College town USA because it is home to the University of Missouri, Columbia College and Stephens College, with an additional 4 institutions of higher learning in the immediate area.

The Central Missouri area has had a very stable economic base, with 7 Colleges and Universities, and as home to major regional Medical Services (second only to Rockchester, Mn. in per capita hospital bed ratio), major Insurance centers, Research institutions and companies, and governmental offices. Jefferson City, the seat of State Government, anchors the south part of the area. The Lake of the Ozarks, one of the United States' great recreational lakes, is an hour away, with St. Louis and Kansas City 1 1/2 hours away.

Additionally, the area offers a rich variety of habitats and and very considerable amounts of public use areas. The Missouri River, Katy Trail (longest bike trail in the U.S.), prairies, Ozark karst areas, rich bottomlands, forested hills and stream valleys, lakes and free flowing streams are all represented within this compact area. Public use areas start with numerous City parks and parklands, to State Parks, numerous Missouri Department of Conservation lands, Mark Twain National Forest lands, and State and Federal wetlands and Wildlife Refuges. This is an area of rich opportunities for outdoor minded residents.

Taken as a whole, this Central Missouri region, centered around Columbia, Missouri, itself centered in the State of Missouri and centered in the country as a whole, is a pretty terrific place to live and work, raise a family or retire.

Educational Institutions

This section will allow you to view some of the areas most helpful websites that will give you some useful knowledge about local area school systems and colleges. These sites will inform you about all types of educational information including links to all local school boards.

Government & Utilities

This section will allow you to view some of the areas most helpful websites that will give you some useful knowledge about local government offices and utility companies. These sites will inform you about all types of state government information including county resources.

News & Weather

This section will allow you to view some of the areas most helpful websites that will give you some useful knowledge about local news and weather. These sites will inform you about all types of local news and information including 24 hour weather forecast.

Organizations

This section will allow you to view some of the areas most helpful websites that will give you some useful knowledge about local area businesses and organizations. These sites will inform you about all types of business information including local chamber of commerce resources.