NEWSBREAK ORIGINAL

Springfield, MO. - Springfield has long been known as the "Queen City of the Ozarks." And for good reasons. As the third-largest city in Missouri, Springfield anchors a metro area of nearly half a million people. Furthermore, it's also the fastest-growing region in the state. Additionally, the city is home to 10s of thousands of college students that attend Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical College, and Drury University, among other schools.

Springfield, MO. - Southwest Missouri is generally known for having a much lower cost of living than the national average. And one reason for the region being a less expensive place to live is because a lot of the jobs pay less than in other parts of the country.