Missouri has always been a place where families could put down roots without emptying their savings accounts. That promise is starting to crack in certain corners of the state.
Ten towns are watching their populations shrink as property taxes climb higher and housing costs push ordinary families past their breaking point.
These are not struggling communities with boarded up storefronts and fading hopes. Many of them are perfectly nice places to live, with good schools, friendly neighbors, and a quality of life that should be the envy of bigger cities…