Arkansas...the good and the bad

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  • mycrazy8splus1
    mycrazy8splus1 Posts: 1,558 Member
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    Well the only football team there is called the Razorbacks

    Consider revising your plan

    I'm talking about youth leagues. My kids are between 2 and 14.
  • mycrazy8splus1
    mycrazy8splus1 Posts: 1,558 Member
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    We lived in Arkansas for 5 years, after growing up in Utah and living for many years in Colorado. I consider Colorado to be my home and I live just ouside of Denver. I hated Arkansas and couldn't wait to get the heck out of there. Sorry, I know that sounds rude perhaps but it depends on who you are. My brother still lives there and absolutely loves it. Very rural areas, small town feel. Here is what i didn't like: I felt the schools were not good, drugs were a huge concern, as was the obesity epidemic, I felt there were very few opportunities for my kids once they graduated school and I just never could find anyone I related to. I'm rather liberal, a democrat, not religious, enjoy intellectual conversations and like to go shopping. I like the snow and cool weather, I hate heat, I hate humidity and the bugs, oh my god the bugs were terrifying! Arkansas had nothing to offer me in this area. It could be just my own personal experience so I apologize if I seem rude about it. My brother just loves the rural life and has 3 acres with a shop he built and some chickens, a tire swing, fire pit, he really loves it.
    We lived in Heber Springs, north central Arkansas. We also lived near Cabot for awhile and finally in Maumelle before calling it quits. Maumelle was by far the best!

    No need to apologize for your opinion. I asked what people thought and you answered. Sounds like your brother and I are similar in our lifestyle desires.

    We are currently live in Colorado and like it but we are 10,000 feet in the Rockies and have a very short growing season. Schools aren't an issue because we homeschool. We are conservative Christians that love the outdoors. Sounds like Arkansas may be a good fit for us.
  • mycrazy8splus1
    mycrazy8splus1 Posts: 1,558 Member
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    YEA BABY!!! Just found a website with a huge list of BMX/skateparks in AR. Now to find a youth wrestling team!
  • mike_littlerock
    mike_littlerock Posts: 296 Member
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    YEA BABY!!! Just found a website with a huge list of BMX/skateparks in AR. Now to find a youth wrestling team!
    Not sure about greco roman wrestling, but I have several friends that are heavily involved in MMA, including guys who specialize in juda and brazillian Jiu-jitsu, etc..(including gym owners, and competitive/pro fighters) If that is of any interest, i can get you introduced.
  • mike_littlerock
    mike_littlerock Posts: 296 Member
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    I have been in Little Rock Arkansas for about 13 years now. I am a native of New Orleans, and have lived in Chicago, Boston, Ny, and the Caribbean. I am in a job that allows me to live pretty much anywhere I wish, and I CHOOSE to live in Arkansas. Its a beautiful state, cost of living is low, we have a good selection of restaurants and social events, and TONS of outdoor activities. Little Rock has pretty active biking and running clubs, plus loads of other sports (I have several friends that are avid Kayakers for example). the hunting and fishing opportunities, are plentiful, as are nature hikes, climbing, etc.

    the people have been wonderful and I now consider it home. feel free to msg me if you have any questions.

    Mike

    Did you work in the Caribbean? I looked into that a while back (Aruba too) and it seemed almost impossible to find a job there. They gave priority to current residents (which I agree with), so I was pretty much out of the picture.
    Yes. I owned a business down there. I lived in St. Thomas, and traveled to several other islands on a regular basis.
  • mike_littlerock
    mike_littlerock Posts: 296 Member
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    We lived in Arkansas for 5 years, after growing up in Utah and living for many years in Colorado. I consider Colorado to be my home and I live just ouside of Denver. I hated Arkansas and couldn't wait to get the heck out of there. Sorry, I know that sounds rude perhaps but it depends on who you are. My brother still lives there and absolutely loves it. Very rural areas, small town feel. Here is what i didn't like: I felt the schools were not good, drugs were a huge concern, as was the obesity epidemic, I felt there were very few opportunities for my kids once they graduated school and I just never could find anyone I related to. I'm rather liberal, a democrat, not religious, enjoy intellectual conversations and like to go shopping. I like the snow and cool weather, I hate heat, I hate humidity and the bugs, oh my god the bugs were terrifying! Arkansas had nothing to offer me in this area. It could be just my own personal experience so I apologize if I seem rude about it. My brother just loves the rural life and has 3 acres with a shop he built and some chickens, a tire swing, fire pit, he really loves it.
    We lived in Heber Springs, north central Arkansas. We also lived near Cabot for awhile and finally in Maumelle before calling it quits. Maumelle was by far the best!
    so you are saying that its impossible to find an intellectual conversation in Arkansas? lol. I have to admit that i got a laugh when i read that. Sorry if you had a bad experience, but then again you were out in the boondocks.
  • mycrazy8splus1
    mycrazy8splus1 Posts: 1,558 Member
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    Not sure about greco roman wrestling, but I have several friends that are heavily involved in MMA, including guys who specialize in juda and brazillian Jiu-jitsu, etc..(including gym owners, and competitive/pro fighters) If that is of any interest, i can get you introduced.


    That's funny. I was just telling my hubby that we should get the kids into MMA. I am definitely looking you up when we get there!!
  • TwinkieDong
    TwinkieDong Posts: 1,564 Member
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    Why move to Arkansas when you can move to NorCal?

    expensive, stupid politics, stupid taxes, restrictive freedoms, one of the highest un-employed in the country, Jerry Brown, .....
  • mycrazy8splus1
    mycrazy8splus1 Posts: 1,558 Member
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    Why move to Arkansas when you can move to NorCal?

    expensive, stupid politics, stupid taxes, restrictive freedoms, one of the highest un-employed in the country, Jerry Brown, .....


    ^yup! :drinker:
  • TwinkieDong
    TwinkieDong Posts: 1,564 Member
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    I say that being from Cali moved to OK. Everywhere has their pros and cons. No one can do it for you, you just have to get out a piece of paper and do it for yourself. Disposable income in a HUGE pro for me because that has a ripple affect on other areas of your life.
  • mike_littlerock
    mike_littlerock Posts: 296 Member
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    I say that being from Cali moved to OK. Everywhere has their pros and cons. No one can do it for you, you just have to get out a piece of paper and do it for yourself. Disposable income in a HUGE pro for me because that has a ripple affect on other areas of your life.
    you are right. every place i have ever lived had pro's and con's. I have found things i loved in every city I have lived in, or worked in, but I also know negative people who will focus on the bad. It is a matter of perspective really, if you go in with an open mind and are able to acknowledge positives and negatives, then you have the ability to continue to find new positives, and avoid the negatives you discover.. before long you have a pretty nice situation. I have one friend that comes to mind, hes so negative in general and will walk into a restaurant for example, with a thought in his head that this place is going to suck. he will then focus on every negative ,no matter how picayune, and by the end of the night his prophecy has been fulfilled and he had a horrible night because he went looking for it. Once in a while we are able to distract him from his mission and can get him to stop looking for things to ***** about and he will grumble something about how "it did not suck as bad as I have heard".. LOL.

    we were chatting last night about a negative trainer we know, who does not know why people dont listen to him. His basic approach is "hey.. what do you think you are doing? thats all wrong.. Let me show you how stupid you look". I just cant seem to figure out why more people dont open up to him. :)
  • xoxodollface
    xoxodollface Posts: 7
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    I actually moved to Arkansas in 2001 from Austin, Texas (and eventually I'd like to move back to Texas to be closer to family) but I live in Conway, it's about 20 minutes or so North of Little Rock. There are 3 colleges here and we have about 65,000 people. There are some nice places to live here but anyone coming from an urban area may deal with a little culture shock at first :)
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    Brother is in Mountain Home. He really doesn't like it at all. But he is is a tattoo dude and an artist of many textures. He very unique person to say the least. He complains how the big thing in that area is a Walmart. Hear they have some good golf courses if your into that, along with scuba diving as well. Weather is pretty humid i summer and snow is barely sticking although they don't take care of the roads which shuts them down when any kind of cold weather hits. Taxes are extremely low, which is why so many people retire there.
  • mycrazy8splus1
    mycrazy8splus1 Posts: 1,558 Member
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    we are not coming from an urban place. We currently have a farm and are 20 miles from any town (and it is only a town of 3,000 people). Not sure if I can deal with a Walmart being to close. Our 'local' Walmart is 50 +miles away. I love the rural life! My hubby has been golfing but neither of us are really into it.

    Thanks for the responses.
  • weighlossforbaby
    weighlossforbaby Posts: 847 Member
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    I live in Conway, Arkansas (30 mins from Little Rock). I moved to Arkansas in 2005 from Maine. There's mostly colleges and shopping here.
  • IlaDoty
    IlaDoty Posts: 2 Member
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    I was born and raised in California. Several years back my husband and I sold everything and moved our family to Arkansas. We were only there for one year (Fayetteville, Springdale area). I LOVED it. For the first time in our marriage, I got to stay home and raise my kids. Cost of living was awesome. Our biggest mistake was having family lure us back. But, the short time we were there I learned to prioritize finances and family. I too home schooled, but not until we came back. We lived in Arkansas while I was researching the idea and found a lot of support. It was a completely different (slower) way of life. The only thing that I experienced that I couldn't get used to was the racism. That was foreign to me. My husband and I talk about going back when we retire to live around the Beaver Lake area. SO BEAUTIFUL! I also learned what four seasons meant.
  • songbird1973
    songbird1973 Posts: 90
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    I live in Pine Bluff Arkansas, if I had my choice I would go north of Pine Bluff. Good luck in your move!!!
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
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    I was born in AR. In Conway. I lived in Mountain View for the first years of childhood and build many fond memories. I moved back when I was 18 and lived there another couple of years before moving back to FL for family reasons. I love it there. I try to visit as often as I can, which I admit isn't very often. I'd be happy to raise my son there given the opportunity. The only negative I would have is the job market in the areas in which I lived. Decent jobs are few and far between unless you are willing to live in one of the larger cities or commute. If you have anymore questions just shoot me a message.
  • roeann53
    roeann53 Posts: 124 Member
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    I'm rather liberal, a democrat, not religious, enjoy intellectual conversations and like to go shopping.

    I think the issue is that cities offer more social and educational options than small towns. Also, location, location, location... I don't like a lot of heat but then again I don't like it too cold either.
  • LAS_1980
    LAS_1980 Posts: 156
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    I have lived in Arkansas my whole life. I currently live in a town of about 2500 people and I love it! My closest Walmart, McDonald's, or any other major chain is 20 or so minutes away and I am happy with that. I know you said you homeschool but our school here is small and wonderful. Considering my oldest 2 just started this school last year and both love it, that says a lot because they came from the same school they've been going to their whole life. As far as clubs and organizations, you would not find those in this town...you'd have to be willing to travel 20 or so minutes.

    Good luck and let me know if I can answer any more questions!

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