[4dabyrds]

My husband and I are seriously looking into relocating to NW Arkansas, can anyone tell me where the best place in that area is to live?

[nmnita]

that is a matter of opinion and what you are looking for in a home town. Bentonville and BV are more conservative, they are quiet communities with good schools. BV has a reputation of being a town for seniors only, that is rapidly changing. Fayettevile has the university so is probably a little more deversified and a little more liberal. Rogers gets good reviews as well; all of these towns or cities are very close together.

Ft Smith is still considered NW but is a totally different type of town.

Nita

[DC at the Ridge]

What are you looking for in a town? What's important to you? Northwest Arkansas is very diverse, each town has it's own personality. Bella Vista was a retirement community that has a lot of land for growth and alot of amenities that are attracting families, Pea Ridge is an old farming community that is closely identified with the military park and has easy access to Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista; Avoca is a small community close to the lake that shares utilities with Rogers (I don't even know if Avoca has its own zip code); Garfield is another farming community with a quaint elementary school and includes the Lost Springs area by the lake; Little Flock is a small wedge between Pea Ridge and Rogers that has had more than its share of scandals the past few years; Bentonville is the county seat and the home of Wal-Mart, it prides itself on its small-town values, but is out-growing the small-town setting; Rogers is the small town with big city aspirations, it's ambitious and eager to grow, commercially, financially, population-wise, bigger is better; Gravette is old-time Arkansas; Lowell is the big squeeze, with Springdale (and Bethel Heights) squeezing from the south and Rogers squeezing from the north, but Lowell isn't about to let anybody squeeze them out, they're growing and developing at every opportunity; Siloam Springs is steadily growing, but grounded and conservative; Gentry is rolling countryside with railroad tracks cutting through along the highway, horses grazing, unconcerned with all the activity in the rest of the county, what will be will be.

Diane C

[Capsun]

Diane, could you elaborate on the Little Flock Scandals. My husband and I are thinking of moving there.
Thanks for any info you may have.
Cap

[GetmeoutofAR]

Fayetteville is nice the rest of the area is kind of boring

[DC at the Ridge]

Little Flock is a tiny town on the northern edge of Rogers. For many years, people knew to slow way down and be very careful driving through Little Flock. It has eight police officers who were very diligent about traffic law enforcement. They also didn't like any belligerence. The scandals involved one of their officers who has been convicted of rape. A fire truck that was ordered, paid for, then took years (literally) to make it to the town. And some city officials who evidently were purchasing equipment for the city and then "borrowing" said equipment for personal use. Land movers and backhoes, pavers and so on. Very small-town stuff for anyone coming from a city.

[Mulerider93]

Lots of opinions about the "best" place to live. The good news is that there are just a few areas that are "bad" (as there are in any city).

Now that there is a very nice mall in Rogers and Cracker Barrel and Target are on the way, Benton County (Lowell, Rogers, Bentonville, Bella Vista, etc.) is where it is at for us.

If we didn't live in Bentonville, we'd likely go to Pea Ridge for a smaller (though maybe not for long) town lifestyle.

--jcd

[GetmeoutofAR]

again Fayetteville is by far the best town in NWA

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by GetmeoutofAR

again Fayetteville is by far the best town in NWA

In your opinion....

[bchris02]

I don't see what the big whoop is about Benton county. Targets, fast food, strip malls, McMansions....you've got them in any populated place in the USA. Fayetteville is the only place in NWA with any kind of culture.