[slowsmom]

Need to move out of PA. What can you tell me about Blytheville AR? Spoke to a realtor there and she said the economy is on upswing and housing is affordable for someone making less than $1500 a month.

[don g myers]

Blytheville is a great place to be from."FAR FROM" The farther the better! I actually joined the Army just to get out of there. But if you do go there, good luck! you'll need it.

[Missourian11]

Originally Posted by slowsmom

Need to move out of PA. What can you tell me about Blytheville AR? Spoke to a realtor there and she said the economy is on upswing and housing is affordable for someone making less than $1500 a month.

This desperate realtor is trying to reeling you into Blytheville. LOL

Yes, the cost of living is so cheap but jobs don't pay that well.

Most of Mississippi County where Blytheville is located is a very impoverished, agricultural area. I used to live in Blytheville for 2 years; it's not far from my hometown Kennett, MO.

I suggest for you to look somewhere else.

Why not check out Cape Girardeau, MO? It's like big city version of Blytheville but a college town with jobs and good economy just an hour and 15 minutes away from St. Louis.

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by slowsmom

Need to move out of PA. What can you tell me about Blytheville AR? Spoke to a realtor there and she said the economy is on upswing and housing is affordable for someone making less than $1500 a month.

Unless your working for Nucor steel, I really don't think there are many good jobs in the area. Isn't exactly a nice town in my opinion, but to each his own. Main thing is to go and check it out before you move there. I understand on a tight budget that might not be possible. I would choose somewhere else.

[thewizard16]

Originally Posted by Missourian11

This desperate realtor is trying to reeling you into Blytheville. LOL

Yes, the cost of living is so cheap but jobs don't pay that well.

Most of Mississippi County where Blytheville is located is a very impoverished, agricultural area. I used to live in Blytheville for 2 years; it's not far from my hometown Kennett, MO.

I suggest for you to look somewhere else.

Why not check out Cape Girardeau, MO? It's like big city version of Blytheville but a college town with jobs and good economy just an hour and 15 minutes away from St. Louis.

Although I don't have the level of insight provided by living in Blytheville, I'm somewhat inclined to agree with your summary of that area. The poor economic conditions and a declining population over the past five decades are bound to lead to cheap real estate, but it's also likely a symptom of a poor job market, so I wouldn't consider moving unless I knew I had a decent job lined up.

On a side note- I'm sure the OP appreciates your help, and I'm sure Cape Girardeau is very nice (and I'm a fan of the new bridge there), but I'm also sure no one has every considered it a "big city" version of anything- it is (as of 2010) a college town of just under 38,000 people in a relatively spread out agricultural area . That's about as logical as saying Blytheville is a big city version of Piggot. Sure, like your comparison, it's a larger city than the other in an agricultural area, but that's about all the similarity there is. That said- if the OP is interested in that type of area, Cape Girardeau might be a very nice fit for them, as might Jonesboro, AR.

[nicievans]

I work in Blytheville - there are some jobs, but the town is still losing residents at a pretty steady pace. Most of the crime (according to the city-data page) consists of thefts, robberies, and burglaries. I think the factories outisde of town pay pretty well, but most of my coworkers drive in from Kennett, Mo; Steele, Mo; Dyersburg, TN; Manilla, Ar; or - like myself - all the way from Paragould, Ar. Steele seems to be pretty popular as it is just a little bit North of Blytheville on I-55. (This is in the IT office; I don't know about the folks who work out in the mill. More of them may be from right in Blytheville itself.)

Even though I am worried about it, my husband and I are thinking of moving into Blytheville. I can rent the same size house as we are currently in for about $200/month less - and there are a few available out on the edge of town, which is where he would rather live. Plus, he has a lead on a job that will pay nearly what he makes now as a mechanic, but has fewer job duties. My biggest worry is that the schools won't be as good as the ones in Paragould, where my son is very happy. But there are so many small towns and communities near Blytheville that we may not have to worry about it - he may be able to go to Armorel (verrrrryy small), or Gosnell, or one of the other small schools just outside of town.