Versailles, Missouri

Life in Versailles, Missouri, explained by people who’ve lived in Versailles:

*Response format = Answer (Your name, How long you’ve lived in Versailles)

Versailles Favorites

What’s your favorite thing about living in Versailles?

Quiet, friendly town with almost everything you could need, and really fast internet! (Sharon, 2 years)
People are nice. (Nicole, 10 years)
Small town life. (Teresa, 13 years)
The yearly burn out which is no longer held. (Austin, 22 out of 23 years of my life)
Small town atmosphere. (Courtney, 25 years)
The niceness of people living here. (Sue, 30+ years)
Small town community. (Jennifer, 34 years)
Nothing. (Jason, 35 years)
You get to know everybody. (Melissa, 40 years)
The small town, not like the city. (Randy, 55 years)

Versailles Least Favorites

What’s your least favorite thing about living in Versailles?

Drug activity in the area. (Sharon, 2 years)
Not enough to do. (Nicole, 10 years)
Politics. (Teresa, 13 years)
Community. (Austin, 22 years)
No Taco Bell. (Courtney, 25 years)
No sidewalks on west side especially around Wal-Mart and the schools. (Sue, 30+ years)
Many residents lack pride. Some groups say they are doing good things for the community, while they scratch their own backs with community fundraising. (Jennifer, 34 years)
Nothing to do, no jobs, no money, no direction for the future, etc. (Jason, 35 years)
Have to drive an hour to get to things. (Melissa, 40 years)
If you want to go someplace like to a movie you will have to drive a least a hour away. (Randy, 55 years)

Versailles Things To Do

What are fun things to do in Versailles?

Apple Festival, Open Air Market, Museum, B & B Diner, Gilbert’s, The Bee’s Knees, Rodeo, July 4th Fireworks. (Sharon, 2 years)
Parks and swimming. (Nicole, 10 years)
Pool, tea house, parks, library, church. (Teresa, 13 years)
Nothing. The only thing Versailles has is 3 parks and 1 swimming spot, aside from that the town is a dead zone. (Austin, 22 years)
Go to the park, Apple Festival, Fair, ride bikes. (Courtney, 25 years)
Royal Theatre, Sport games, community sports for the littles, city pool, beautiful and pretty well maintained parks, the rock game, dutch store shopping, Old 5 design, creeks nearby to play/fish in, great churches, cruise nights. (Jennifer, 34 years)
Good question. (Jason, 35 years)
Car cruise, community, small town. (Melissa, 40 years)
The Royal, ball games. (Randy, 55 years)

Versailles’s Reputation

What’s Versailles known for?

Apple Festival. (Sharon, 2 years)
Applefest. (Nicole, 10 years)
Apple festival. (Teresa, 13 years)
To be honest, meth and corrupt cops. (Austin, 22 years)
Apple Festival. (Courtney, 25 years)
Apple Festival. (Sue, 30+ years)
Apple Festival, Royal Theatre, Audi Walton, Versailles Mural. (Jennifer, 34 years)
Not being progressive. (Jason, 35 years)
Apple festival. (Melissa, 40 years)
The ole tyme apple festives. (Randy, 55 years)

Versailles Crime

What’s the crime like in Versailles? (hot spot areas, etc.)

Drugs in several areas, seems to be sporadic. Some domestic violence. (Sharon, 2 years)
Not too bad. (Nicole, 10 years)
Very little. (Teresa, 13 years)
When I was a kid we could ride bikes anywhere we wanted do anything we wanted as long as we all went home by dark and everybody had an eye out for each others kids, now, I wouldn’t let my kid ever run around Versailles even in day light because the community has done a 180 since I was young. My last couple of years of living there, there were multiple robberies in every location of Versailles nearly monthly, had a person burn themselves alive probably about 100 feet from my past living location, shoot out with the cops down the street which led to someones death, cops personally harass me without any cause or reason at my work all because of another employee let a minor steal and had absolutely nothing to do with me (and I mean harassed, followed me home EVERYDAY from work). Had them search my apartment about 5 or 6 times, peaking through my windows, no warrant in less than a couple of hours, once while I was even sleeping just to find the person (that I hadn’t had any contact with in months) they were looking for in the apartment below me. Just like to add the fact I have the CLEANEST record possible before this is considered to be nothing but another felon ranting and you turn a blind eye to it like most there do, not a ticket with my name on it EVER. I was down in Versailles just a few months ago at the main four-way between eagle stop and jeffy stop, no one in front of me at the four-way at a red light with a police officer sitting directly behind me, a truck from the right side of me decided he didn’t wanna wait on people and bolted out on a red light with traffic going, you wanna know what the lovely police officer of Morgan County did? NOTHING. I pulled into Caseys and flagged the cop down that was pulling into jeffy stop that just watched everything happen and he stared at me for a moment then just continued on not caring at all. 90% of the crime rate is because of the Versailles police department regardless of them letting others get away with something or them doing it themselves and that’s a cold hard FACT. (Austin, 22 years)
Minimal. (Courtney, 25 years)
Not much crime here. (Sue, 30+ years)
Lots of arrests/sentencing for drug offenders. (Jennifer, 34 years)
It’s up. Drugs are bad. (Jason, 35 years)
I haven’t seen any yet. (Melissa, 40 years)

Versailles Advice

Any advice for people moving to Versailles?

Call Lana Anderson! She’s a great real estate agent and will find you exactly what you need! Also, just be aware that many places are not open on Sunday and/or Monday. (Sharon, 2 years)
It’s a nice area. (Nicole, 10 years)
Get a local church. Make friends. (Teresa, 13 years)
DON’T. (Austin, 22 years)
Get Como Connect, visit the Chamber of Commerce. (Courtney, 25 years)
Be kind, small town seem stand off-ish but most are just fearful of new people/things. Get involved or join a church, you will develop a social circle in no time. (Jennifer, 34 years)
Go to the lake. (Jason, 35 years)
Get to know your neighbors!! (Melissa, 40 years)

Versailles Stories

Share an experience you’ve had in Versailles (fun, crazy, dangerous, etc.).

Going to St. Louis, left on Sunday morning. We saw so many Amish with their horses and buggies with the families dressed for church. Very memorable, and a reminder of how things used to be before cars, trucks, the internet etc. (Sharon, 2 years)
Swimming in the creek. (Nicole, 10 years)
My daughter and I had a nice tea party at the tea house. (Teresa, 13 years)
My whole life is an experience in Versailles. (Austin, 22 years)
Every Apple Festival is extremely memorable. (Courtney, 25 years)
Born & raised in Versailles. Dari Kup is the best place to grab a bite and a shake, the friendliest people are rehearsing inside the Royal theatre, Apple Festival and Cruise Nights are great places to make memories. (Jennifer, 34 years)
Campbell’s Drive Inn years ago. (Jason, 35 years)
My son died here. (Melissa, 40 years)
My grandparents lived on the outskirts of Versailles. I have been going there my whole life. Me and my cousins lived playing in the creek and running the woods. At this point of life I live the peacefulness in the country. (Christy)
The school homecoming parade. (Randy, 55 years)

Versailles’s Future

How do you think Versailles will change over the next 10 years?

Hopefully some new small businesses will move here, especially restaurants. Since Branding Iron, Shirley’s and a few others have closed, it doesn’t leave a lot to choose from when going out to eat. (Sharon, 2 years)
Not much tbh. (Nicole, 10 years)
It won’t. (Teresa, 13 years)
The rate its going, it’s definitely not for the better. (Austin, 22 years)
More jobs, bigger factory. (Courtney, 25 years)
Hopefully build sidewalks. (Sue, 30+ years)
Hopefully add more businesses, put in the Rock Island Trail, more murals, more community organizations gaining ownership of buildings downtown, or at least people who will take care of them. (Jennifer, 34 years)
It will get worse after Gates leaves. No push to bring in industry from town leaders. Opportunities will be missed. Mennonites will own most of the town. (Jason, 35 years)
I don’t know. (Melissa, 40 years)
About the same. (Randy, 55 years)

Versailles Facts

Any other interesting facts about Versailles?

It only has one stoplight! (Sharon, 2 years)
Not really. (Nicole, 10 years)
Nothing good. (Austin, 22 years)
Jesse James visited here, as did Harry Truman and PT Barnum. The area is rich in minerals and natural resources. (Jennifer, 34 years)