Information (travel, home, retire)

[camano lady]

We are very unfamiliar with the state of Arkansas, but we have heard from friends that it is a beautiful state to live in.

We have been told there are many snakes, bugs, and spiders?
Is this a true statement?

What are the winters like in Arkansas?

Any information about your state will be helpful.

We are looking to retire in about 3 years and we are trying to get some ideas on different places to posssibly live just in the winter time.

[Sam I Am]

Well - it's the south, so yes - there are snakes, there are bugs, there are spiders...not much to be done about that other than spraying your home and yard regularly.

The winters - sort of depends on where you are in the state. The northern half gets more "snow" snow and the south half is prone to ice and sleet. The storms rarely last very long, but there is a goodly amount of ice which makes travel tricky.

It is a BEAUTIFUL state - the winters are not brutally cold (most of the time) - I guess much would depend on where you are coming from. We have Thanksgivings where you can eat outside, and other years it's just plain frosty. The "winter" really doesn't start until at least the end of November - it will be cold (40s) with intermittent warm days (upper 50s) through March - April is sort of a loose cannon, but generally by the end of April it is starting to warm considerably. This has been a very mild winter, spring and summer for us so far this year.

There's lots to do, lots of camping and sightseeing and fishing and swimming and water sports......tell us more about your interests and maybe we can point you in the right direction!

[Meg Lesher]

Everywhere has snakes. Arkansas isn't inundated with them. Don't worry about them. There are a lot of spiders, but aside from the brown recluse spider, they're harmless enough, although some are big and scary looking. The big bug problems in Arkansas are chiggers and ticks, of which there are plenty, especially in summertime. These are quite a nuisance, especially if you spend a lot of times outdoors. Winters are relatively mild even in the north part of the state. Ice storms occur once or twice a season and things pretty much grind to a halt during them. They can take out power, snap tree limbs, etc. if they're severe. It seldom snows and what does fall disappears quickly. It is a beautiful state, especially in the mountain ranges. There are plenty of attractions out of doors. The people are down to earth and its generally a safe place to live.