Ft. Smith First Impressions (West Fork: homes, rent, work)

[nativehog]

I have lived in this area all my life, 44 years and here's the best part about living here....it's only a 3 hour drive to lots of good cities. Believe me, we travel a lot. Branson, Hot Springs, Eureka Springs, OKC, Little Rock are all good places to spend the weekend. These cities have lots of things to do for adults and kids. A 45 min drive east on I-40 will get you to Altus, Arkansas' wine region. The winery tours are fun and Kelt's restaurant on the square is great. A 1 hour drive north on I-540 will get you to Fayetteville. It is not as great a spot as in the past. My husband and I went to college there and loved the town with it's funky, hippie vibe. With all the development in Northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville is getting more mainstream yuppie friendly.

The main activity around Fort Smith is going to church at least 3 times a week. You will notice that lots of churches are built 'high on the hill' ($$$$$$)in Fort Smith. Softball and baseball are also big in the area.

If you have seen the movie Cars, then you know what happened to Fort Smith. I-40 bypassed town years ago and it is slowly dying. Instead of referbishing old, rundown areas of town, we deforrest huge hillsides for shopping malls. One example is the new Target on Phoenix and Old Greenwood. It is such an embarassment and proof that the old fashioned ways of thoughtless growth are alive and well here.

The city has been pouring millions into the riverfront and downtown areas, but have not created much of a reason to visit. I think the mayor is catering to a rich group that want a nice downtown area and not looking to better the city for all citizens. There is not much for teens to do here except party.

Here is another bright note about Fort Smith, you are not very likely to be murdered by a stranger. I've read that random crime is more common in larger cities. Here, if you are murdered, chances are that you will know the killer(generally a family member). That's comforting as long as you surround yourself with nice people.

By the way, prejudice is alive and well around here. I'm guessing about 1/4 of the city would vote that the 'south will rise again'. One of the 2 high schools in town proudly waves the confederate flag with a Rebel for their mascot. Most of the prejudice is not that blatant or open, but very deep rooted. It truly amazes me how backward people are here. One of my neighbors helped another neighbor get a suspended sentence for Meth use, but was worried to death that a black or hispanic family might move to the neighborhood. Is that messed up or what? Drug use can happen in any area, not just confined to poor areas.

I heard on TV that we have the lowest housing prices in the country. That's definately a good point.

I won't even go into the gambling issues, I could right a book on the stupidity of not having gambling here. What a great match it would make with the old west, Judge Parker theme of the town. Instead, we just let the money run across the border while we sit on our bibles and think how much better we are than the Okies.

If you are a middle to upper class, white, Baptist then Fort Smith is a place you can enjoy. Otherwise you can live here during the work week and go somewhere else on the weekends. That's what we do! Lots of people have vacation homes at area lakes like Tenkiller, Beaver, Ouachita, etc..

Just my opinoin.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by nativehog

If you choose to live in Crawford County (Van Buren, Alma, etc) you will have to commute across the 540 bridge. At 7:30-8AM it is crazy bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Crazy bumper to bumper traffic? hahaha...obviously you haven't dealt with the rush hours in ANY other city. Ft. Smith doesn't have traffic.

[doodoo3]

I do not agree that Fort Smith is "dying off". If anything it is expanding more and more to keep up with NW Arkansas.

Secondly. I live in Austin, TX and Fort Smith traffice during rush hour isn't nearly as bad, but it comes very close.

Also, prejudice is alive everywhere, especially in the south. Texas is FILLED to the brim with non white races and caucasion is practically a minority here in Austin yet people still say prejudice things on a day to day basis.

In response to the girl looking for a nice place to move. I noticed you named some apartment complexes. If you are going for an apartment I would definately look in SOUTH Fort Smith. The North Apartments can get a little scary.

[matto]

Originally Posted by nativehog

Let me start by saying that I have lived in the Fort Smith area all my life and do not like it here.

Looking at housing only above 66th street is a bit of over-kill. There are lots of nice areas spread all over town. A pretty good rule to follow is to stay south of Grand Ave and east of 50th street. There are lots of exceptions to this rule, but you have to know the areas. Some examples would be: the area around Creekmore Park is nice, anything on Free Ferry is nice especially near the main library, Eastwood addition north of Grand Ave and Waldron Road is old but appealing. There are some nice apartments near Creekmore Park and the baseball fields.

Keep in mind that there are nice rentals in smaller towns outside Fort Smith, Barling and Greenwood are good options. If you choose to live in Crawford County (Van Buren, Alma, etc) you will have to commute across the 540 bridge. At 7:30-8AM it is crazy bumper-to-bumper traffic. There are some nice places in Oklahoma too, but I've always heard to stay away from Moffit and Muldrow. A large community of Travelers(gypsies) live in Spiro. Kind of interesting.

Don't know much about apartments, sorry. Hope this info helps.

You've got the be kidding me, bumper to bumper traffic? Lol, I travel to school every morning into ft smith and traffic is just fine. People in big cities would love to have the traffic we have.

[matto]

Originally Posted by nativehog

I have lived in this area all my life, 44 years and here's the best part about living here....it's only a 3 hour drive to lots of good cities. Believe me, we travel a lot. Branson, Hot Springs, Eureka Springs, OKC, Little Rock are all good places to spend the weekend. These cities have lots of things to do for adults and kids. A 45 min drive east on I-40 will get you to Altus, Arkansas' wine region. The winery tours are fun and Kelt's restaurant on the square is great. A 1 hour drive north on I-540 will get you to Fayetteville. It is not as great a spot as in the past. My husband and I went to college there and loved the town with it's funky, hippie vibe. With all the development in Northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville is getting more mainstream yuppie friendly.

The main activity around Fort Smith is going to church at least 3 times a week. You will notice that lots of churches are built 'high on the hill' ($$$$$$)in Fort Smith. Softball and baseball are also big in the area.

If you have seen the movie Cars, then you know what happened to Fort Smith. I-40 bypassed town years ago and it is slowly dying. Instead of referbishing old, rundown areas of town, we deforrest huge hillsides for shopping malls. One example is the new Target on Phoenix and Old Greenwood. It is such an embarassment and proof that the old fashioned ways of thoughtless growth are alive and well here.

The city has been pouring millions into the riverfront and downtown areas, but have not created much of a reason to visit. I think the mayor is catering to a rich group that want a nice downtown area and not looking to better the city for all citizens. There is not much for teens to do here except party.

Here is another bright note about Fort Smith, you are not very likely to be murdered by a stranger. I've read that random crime is more common in larger cities. Here, if you are murdered, chances are that you will know the killer(generally a family member). That's comforting as long as you surround yourself with nice people.

By the way, prejudice is alive and well around here. I'm guessing about 1/4 of the city would vote that the 'south will rise again'. One of the 2 high schools in town proudly waves the confederate flag with a Rebel for their mascot. Most of the prejudice is not that blatant or open, but very deep rooted. It truly amazes me how backward people are here. One of my neighbors helped another neighbor get a suspended sentence for Meth use, but was worried to death that a black or hispanic family might move to the neighborhood. Is that messed up or what? Drug use can happen in any area, not just confined to poor areas.

I heard on TV that we have the lowest housing prices in the country. That's definately a good point.

I won't even go into the gambling issues, I could right a book on the stupidity of not having gambling here. What a great match it would make with the old west, Judge Parker theme of the town. Instead, we just let the money run across the border while we sit on our bibles and think how much better we are than the Okies.

If you are a middle to upper class, white, Baptist then Fort Smith is a place you can enjoy. Otherwise you can live here during the work week and go somewhere else on the weekends. That's what we do! Lots of people have vacation homes at area lakes like Tenkiller, Beaver, Ouachita, etc..

Just my opinoin.

I think the your more likely to be murdered by a family member or someone you know is across the states, generally a lot of murders in cities come from drugs or gang violence. Although lately I've been reading more and more stories of people getting car jacked etc.

[matto]

Another thing to consider is utilities and taxes in Van Buren are cheaper

[Cooxie]

Thanks for all your input. I think I will go house hunting next weekend. Trying to find a clean safe hotel/motel that I can stay for a week with out going broke. Have a couple houses/Duplexes to look at. Perth Ct..exit 13 the other in the Park Hill area..where ever that is

[doodoo3]

a home in the park hill area. It is nice. There are some houses around the edges that are a little creapy, but the middle of Park Hill has nice old homes. It has become a pretty "gay" community as well. Lots of them are moving in and fixing up the houses very nice. I have several gay friends who just moved into the area and they love it. Hope that doesn't offend.

[gonzotg]

If you have seen the movie Cars, then you know what happened to Fort Smith. I-40 bypassed town years ago and it is slowly dying. Instead of referbishing old, rundown areas of town, we deforrest huge hillsides for shopping malls. One example is the new Target on Phoenix and Old Greenwood. It is such an embarassment and proof that the old fashioned ways of thoughtless growth are alive and well here.

Not sure I completely agree with you here. The industrial base I cannot speak for but one of the largest employers here just doubled in size. That's why were comming and there will be others, mostly professionals to follow.

The city has been pouring millions into the riverfront and downtown areas, but have not created much of a reason to visit. I think the mayor is catering to a rich group that want a nice downtown area and not looking to better the city for all citizens. There is not much for teens to do here except party.

Really, millions? I have been downtown off the bridge and it does not look like the money was well spent. The Civic center??? building which was next to my hotel was nice if this is where the money went.

If you are a middle to upper class, white, Baptist then Fort Smith is a place you can enjoy. Otherwise you can live here during the work week and go somewhere else on the weekends. That's what we do! Lots of people have vacation homes at area lakes like Tenkiller, Beaver, Ouachita, etc..

So let me pose this question based on the feedback I have seen so far. Knowing that you are working in Ft. Smith, would you elect to live in Fayettevile and commute the 40+ minutes a day, one way, based on the culture / pros / cons of the area?

[DC at the Ridge]

I've known people who do this, but they all say the drive gets old. If you didn't have kids I'd suggest looking at Greenland or Winslow or somewhere like that, shorter drive, closer to work, not far from Fayetteville. Ft Smith has come in for some criticism, I think, that isn't altogether fair. Ft Smith is an old river town, it was a commercial center along the Arkansas River for longer than Arkansas has been a state. No pretensions to being a cultural center, it was a wild west outpost, survived the Depression, and has grown steadily. Little Rock has been the the only genuine metro center, and while the Northwest corner of the state has exploded during the last decade, Ft Smith has endured. Some of it isn't pretty, but the Blues Festival down by the river is great, the rodeo is great, and the old downtown before the tornado was pretty cool. The city needs to do work on some beautification projects, but Ft Smith is livable.

Diane C