12 Wallet-Friendly Small Towns To Retire In The Ozarks

On the first morning of March, anglers line the spring branch at Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon, Missouri, waiting for the siren that opens trout season. Rituals like that run through the small towns of the Ozarks. Some towns are built around lakes and others around trout streams, colleges, or old stretches of Route 66. Homes in each sell for less than their state's median price, according to the Census Bureau. Most also have a hospital in town or within a reasonable drive. Lebanon, Missouri The glowing neon sign of the Munger Moss Motel has welcomed travelers on Route 66 in Lebanon since the 1940s, and the local library houses a small Route 66 museum. Mercy Hospital Lebanon provides care in town. Homes have a median value of about $159,000, well below the Missouri median. The main draw for many residents is Bennett Spring State Park, about 12 miles west, built around one of the largest springs in the state. The spring feeds a cold, clear trout stream.

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