Moving to Arkansas - maybe...

Anyone got any advice for me

[PhraSEOlogy]

Hi,

Thinking of moving to Arkansas and wondered if anyone here has any suggestions.

Which are the best cities to live near (want to live out of town).

Can you get high-speed internet in rural locations?

Any recommendations for realtor?

Thanks in advance for any tips/hints/advice...

[edited by: lawman at 10:50 pm (utc) on Sep. 23, 2004]

[vkaryl]

Part of tornado alley.... chiggers, other nasties. My family is originally from the middle central areas, Arkansas, Missouri (I was born in Springfield, my dad was born in Damsel which is now under Lake Norfork/Bull Shoals, his mother was born in Zebra ditto....)

My cousin lives kind of in the back of beyond, nw part of the state near Bull Shoals/Lake Norfork. No big towns.... she has DSL....

I don't like any of that part of the country, but Hot Springs would be my pref if I HAD to choose a spot....

[PhraSEOlogy]

Hot Springs looks really good. Lake Hamilton reminds me of Florida with the boats and waterfront homes. The city/town center has a real upmarket feel and some nice architecture.

Dont like the sounds of all those bugs and things.

The tornados might be interesting - especially if I could get some footage to use on a site.

[duckhunter]

My brother lives in Hot Springs. I've skied on Lake Hamilton many times, very nice. It doesn't feel crowded and I always enjoy the people I meet when I'm there. They live in town so I'm not sure about outlying areas getting dsl.

There's actually a "Help You Sell Your Stuff on Ebay Store" downtown. Pretty sleepy little town but big enough for some activities, I like it. The nearby mountains are very scenic if you are into camping.

[tenerifejim]

Go watch the Razorbacks. I went there on holiday to fayetteville and had a great time. Some nice bars and pubs in the main street.

[photon]

Both of my parents are from Arkansas. Mom was from Rogers (in the northwest), which is now growing fairly rapidly. Beaver Lake is a favorite recreational spot. Further north is Eureka Springs, a small "mountain" town full of character (and characters) that always has some kind of festival going on. South of Rogers is Fayetteville, home of the University of Arkansas. Depending upon your age, that could be a plus or a minus.

For most of the towns in Arkansas, "out of town" can be just a mile or two away. :)

[PhraSEOlogy]

Photon,

I will NEVER be told to live near party animals - so somewhere near University of Arkansas might be fun. But the place I really like the sound of is Eureka Springs, it just sounds like a good place to be. I will do some investigation on that area.

I am from the UK originally, which is always a benefit when getting to know the locals - I walk into a bar and order a beer and someone always says - your not from round here are you?

I probably need to go to Arkansas and spend some time to get to know the place. I have a feeling that it could be the right place for me - as long as I pick the right spot. Dont want to end up in podunk AR with a bunch of cattle for company. Although, cattle may be preferable to some of my past neighbours.

Thanks for the info everyone and if you have any other tips please post.

CHEERS!

[MatthewHSE]

The tornados might be interesting - especially if I could get some footage to use on a site.

Nothing interesting about tornadoes. Once you've seen a few farms and towns ripped up, they all look the same. I'm in Illinois, and the tornadoes are about the only thing around here I'd change in a heartbeat if I could.

<fact> Illinois actually has more tornadoes per square 10,000 miles than Texas. But Texas tornadoes tend to be more violent. </fact>

[eWhisper]

If you're looking for a city, Little Rock is the only way togo in Arkansas. There are several smaller communities near the city which are nice to live in (Maumelle - on the river), Conway (about 30 minutes away)). There are cheap commuter flights to Dallas, Houston, and Memphis on a regular basis.

Hot Springs is also a nice laid back community (lots of retirees there), but you can get a nice house right on the lake, and it's less expensive that LR.

Eureka springs is a very touristy area. It's a pretty town, very small, full of hills and lots of antique & craft shops. If you like walking, be prepared to stare up at the hill before you start climbing.

Be prepared to root for the Dallas cowboys, or forego all professional sports and just watch the hogs. If you say 'football' you better mean U of A and not some English premire team.

It doesn't have a huge city, or a plethora of cultural actives (there are some theaters/museums in LR - but not a lot). If you like hot summers, mild winters, and lots of outdoor activities (canoing, hunting, kayaking, fishing, boating, etc) it's a great place to live.

-grew up in Arkansas. Go Razorbacks.

[photon]

If you're looking for a larger city to be close to, you can go a little further west to Tulsa in Oklahoma. Symphony, ballet, museums, aquarium, lakes, airport--nothing like the dust bowl stereotype of Oklahoma. Lots of suburbs and "country" within half an hour's drive.

And it's where I live.

Don't let that scare you off though. :)

[PhraSEOlogy]

I work from home 100% of the time - but my wife wants to work in an office - just so she doesnt have to be around me all day! She already knows more about googlebot than she needs to. So thats why I need a place with privacy outside at town/city but close enough that she can find work and have a short commute.

I thought Florida was going to be a great place to be - down here by the beach - it sounds like paradise but after 4 hurricanes its more like hell. What makes it worse is we still have 2 months of hurricane season left - oh boy!

eWhisper - dont like English football - prefer to watch Green Bay Packers - did you see them get slaughtered on Sunday - lol!

Photon,

I wouldnt be scared off just because you live in Oklahoma but my wife taking me to the ballet there might!

[Rugles]

Did you notice most people responding "used" to live there. Says something about a place when everyone who replies left town.
Don't take offence anyone.

I will tell you this about AR and OK. The women sound real cute when I talk to them on the phone. Very sexy accent.

[photon]

Forgot to mention that Arkansas has the only diamond producing site [craterofdiamondsstatepark.com] in the world that's open to the public. You get to keep what you find!

Largest one found there was 40.23 carats.

[PhraSEOlogy]

Rugles,

Sounds like there will be more diamonds for me if everyone is moving out!

I grew up in a big city and now I want the quiet life. A house in the mountains or a small ranch so that I can breathe fresh air and drive on roads that are not clogged with traffic. Have a stone fireplace with roaring log fires in winter. A local tavern where you can meets freinds and have a beer or two.

Ah well, thats the stuff dreams are made of.

[vkaryl]

Try Montana.

[macrost]

Wyoming... grew up there. You want country, you got it!

[PhraSEOlogy]

Montana and Wyoming are TOO expensive - all the decent places are way out of my price range. I dont want to buy a place that is going to force me back onto the corporate ladder to earn enough to pay for it.

I am not in the fed-ex club yet and may never make it due to recent google algo tweaks. So affordable is the key word here.

I also want to have a nice pick-up truck - never owned one (being a brit) so its another must have! I want a Ford full size with super swamper tires and glasspack mufflers - is that too rednecky?

[grandpa]

Move to Idaho. No hurricanes, not many bugs, a few local bars (spent last weekend in a place with *only* a bar). Good folks.