[Critical-Blinker]

I'm looking around for retirement options. I like the Ozarks or at least when I was there in the 70s for a short stay I liked it. Since then I've been a lot of places. I've found that I like places with a little more culture or at least culture where the annual rodeo and football playoffs are not all people wish to discuss. If you like rodeo and/or football please don't be offended, I just wanted to clarify what I meant and I think there should be a place for everyone.

Most of the big cities have culture but it varies widely from state to state and region to region. I usually can't afford the costly venues of cultural entertainment and tend to stick to smaller ones like colleges, clubs, libraries, museums or amateur theater. I've never been to Eureka Springs but it seems to be a little more culturally oriented from its Internet face. It does however seem to be somewhat more focused on Southern Culture which is not really surprising.

I stumbled on Eureka Springs and was concerned by the homosexual friendly advertising (Eureka Springs, AR, Arkansas welcomes ALL people in share in our paradise). Being homosexual is OK, just as it is to like rodeo and football and there should be a place for everyone. Still with the rich Southern tradition of disliking yankees, I don't want to end-up being that herterosexual yankee couple that retired to Eureka Springs.

Are there other heterosexual yankee couples considering retiring to Eureka Springs? Perhaps you might wish to suggest your own alternative (no pun intended)?

[Curmudgeon]

My wife and her former husband lived in and around Eureka Springs in the early 70s. Then it was simply a small village and but for weddings and the annual pageant, not a huge tourist draw although all too many shops seemed to stock for that with cheesy gifts. We considered it for retirement and visited while we were also looking at homes where we finally settled, about 40 miles north of ES. We were amazed and distressed on the emphasis on it being so biker and gay friendly and the fact that it has become uber-touristy. On the upside, many of the shops had progressed to art studios and quite an art colony had sprung up. Still, any thoughts of retiring there immediately evaporated but we did discover a great and affordable Amish furniture store we've patronized in furnishing our new home on the MO side of Table Rock Lake.

The natives will have to tell you how "friendly" they are. By the way, we came from CA and ES was off-putting even to us!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Critical-Blinker

I'm looking around for retirement options. I like the Ozarks or at least when I was there in the 70s for a short stay I liked it. Since then I've been a lot of places. I've found that I like places with a little more culture or at least culture where the annual rodeo and football playoffs are not all people wish to discuss. If you like rodeo and/or football please don't be offended, I just wanted to clarify what I meant and I think there should be a place for everyone.

Most of the big cities have culture but it varies widely from state to state and region to region. I usually can't afford the costly venues of cultural entertainment and tend to stick to smaller ones like colleges, clubs, libraries, museums or amateur theater. I've never been to Eureka Springs but it seems to be a little more culturally oriented from its Internet face. It does however seem to be somewhat more focused on Southern Culture which is not really surprising.

I stumbled on Eureka Springs and was concerned by the homosexual friendly advertising (Eureka Springs, AR, Arkansas welcomes ALL people in share in our paradise). Being homosexual is OK, just as it is to like rodeo and football and there should be a place for everyone. Still with the rich Southern tradition of disliking yankees, I don't want to end-up being that herterosexual yankee couple that retired to Eureka Springs.

Are there other heterosexual yankee couples considering retiring to Eureka Springs? Perhaps you might wish to suggest your own alternative (no pun intended)?

yes, Eureka Springs is very gay friendly, but not everyone is homosexual. It is a liberal enviornment for sure. Most resort areas that are also artsy will fall into this catagory somewhat.

You may want to consider Hot Springs, but the best place I can think of would probably be Fayetteville. Yes, football is very big, but the city does have a good mixture of culture, college influence and small town feeling. Bella Vista might work as well.

These are just a few options. By the way, Eureka Springs is a wonderful place to visit, would I live there? No way!!!!

Nita

[Critical-Blinker]

Very interesting and helpful replies. I live in a touristy sort of town now. I doubt it is as touristy as ES but I don't really mind this kind of town. Some of the locals don't really appreciate the tourist traffic, I think it helps non-locals assimilate easier and faster when they move here. That can be important for retirement.

It also seems that ES might be a place where in-town living would be nice. Sometimes tourism drives down city-local taxation so in-town living is a little more affordable. I also like the fact that it doesn't seem to have the typical Wally-World, fast food strip that everyone funnels through on there way to and from work? Whatever happened to small towns with local family stores and restaurants?

We have also discovered the joy of Amish furniture and purchased a few pieces. Nice to hear there is a place there where we can continue with our Amish furniture shopping.

Still, your comments give me pause and I'm going to look around for some additional detail and include your suggestions in my research.

Thanks again!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Critical-Blinker

Very interesting and helpful replies. I live in a touristy sort of town now. I doubt it is as touristy as ES but I don't really mind this kind of town. Some of the locals don't really appreciate the tourist traffic, I think it helps non-locals assimilate easier and faster when they move here. That can be important for retirement.

It also seems that ES might be a place where in-town living would be nice. Sometimes tourism drives down city-local taxation so in-town living is a little more affordable. I also like the fact that it doesn't seem to have the typical Wally-World, fast food strip that everyone funnels through on there way to and from work? Whatever happened to small towns with local family stores and restaurants?

We have also discovered the joy of Amish furniture and purchased a few pieces. Nice to hear there is a place there where we can continue with our Amish furniture shopping.

Still, your comments give me pause and I'm going to look around for some additional detail and include your suggestions in my research.

Thanks again!

Another thought, but I am not sure about the culture part: would be Mountain Home. It does have the small town atmosphere. Actually we have that here in Bella Vista. Our restaurants and yes, our couple of grocery stores are family owned, as well as one of our drug stores. To us, we have the best of both worlds, we are in a small town, but are within 45 mintures of the city conveniences. As for culture, depending on what you are seeking, we might not have enough for you.

Nita

[Critical-Blinker]

bluenoter, I wish it were a joke. Unfortunately, all of the talk about freedom, individual choice and personal responsibility usually means we don't want any ideas or behavior that isn't consistent with our traditions.

[bluenoter]

If you don't believe in freedom, maybe Arkansas is not for you.

It seems to me people from all over the USA and beyond get along fine in NW Arkansas.

Originally Posted by Critical-Blinker

bluenoter, I wish it were a joke. Unfortunately, all of the talk about freedom, individual choice and personal responsibility usually means we don't want any ideas or behavior that isn't consistent with our traditions.

[danny5002]

Critical Blinker - We began visiting Eureka Springs several years ago and found it to be different and interesting. Lots of art stores, the Crescent Hotel, Thorncrown Chappel, Beaver Lake, beautiful countryside, etc. We tried to get there several times a year.

However it's changed quite a lot over the past 5 years or so. There is a significant move to alternative life styles and a significant influx of bikers (mostly good folks, not the drunk in the street variety but a large quantity of bikers).

It is an ironic merging of lifestyles, bikers, gay and lesbian and The Great Passion Play. Is that not strange?

We like to visit with our children and grandchildren on carefully selected occasions maybe one or two times a year but have chosen not to retire in that community. We check the calendar to see what lifestyle will be at the top of the entertainment list before we go over.

[krotzmc]

It's been awhile, but we spent some time several years ago checking out the Eureka Springs area for possible retirement. Love the town with all the shops and the trolleys and so on, but after visiting a few times decided we really didn't think we could handle the steep hills and curves of the roads (even within the town limits). Spent some time in a residential area outside of Eureka called Holiday Island, and found it to be pretty decent; but again, when we thought about being 85 years old and trying to drive to the nearest airport or large medical center -- or even a decent sized town for shopping purposes -- those roads just put us off. Love the area -- love the state park (what is is, Roaring River) just to the north, and my husband and brothers have been on occasion some of those bikers that were mentioned (the 'pigtail' has become quite a destination ride for motorcycle enthusiasts) but decided to keep it as a terrific place to visit, but find somewhere else to live.

[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by krotzmc

It's been awhile, but we spent some time several years ago checking out the Eureka Springs area for possible retirement....but decided to keep it as a terrific place to visit, but find somewhere else to live.

Same for me...nice place to visit (except during "Diversity Weekend"....you can all jump on me all you want, but I don't like it and I have that right), but I wouldn't want to live there.