[paintsrus]

What all can anyone tell me about this area as far as the people, job opportunites & pay, etc.We are relocating to there from out of state. Thanks!

[Versatile]

The only thing i have read is that the population is now about 80% Hispanic. Not that it is bad at all. I was there over Memorial Day. The town is kind of spread out. Logging is the largest industry i saw. Everyone i met was real friendly. You can google and start reading the Dequeen news to get a feel for the town.

[paintsrus]

Mu husband speaks fluent Spanish so that wont bother us plus we love mexican food so it should be plentiful there...just wondering what he can find work wise thats pays a good wage. We visited there close to 2 months ago and everyone we met was very nice and helpful. A friend of ours close to DeQueen took us to lunch! Seemed like a quiet place with the rural setting we will be moving to. Now just have to find work. I will google, thanks for the advice!

[kj0702]

my in laws live in Horatio right outside DeQueen, i was actually just there this past weekend, jobs are very scarce. let me put it this way i know prob. 10 ppl that actively live there every one of them over 21..and all work at Wal-Mart or Subway..excluding my FIL who just opened his own shop.

We thought about moving there, but there's no way. It is def. atleast 80% hispanic. but GL!

[looigloo]

I keep seeing lots and lots about this area, and mostly from people who once lived here, or who just passed through. Let me give you another side of the picture.
The area economy is mostly agriculture and logging, although there are a couple of industries here. And yes, one of them is a poultry processing plant. But, that said, it is an easy commute to a plethora of towns with industry. The trade-off is - do you want to spend 45 minutes driving to your job on an open road, or do you want to spend an hour-and a half stuck in traffic, as you would in Dallas, Chicago, or any of the other cities with lots of closely located industries. And yes, we have a lot of people working at WalMart. So does any town with a WalMart. We also have a lot of entrepreneurs, as the previous poster mentioned. This is a good area to set up shop. Then again, we have a lot of people working in other service industries, in banks, in insurance agencies - the school systems are huge employers, and we have a really good school system in each of the schools in-county. The local community college is one of the best in the state - some faculty have held offices in national organizations, and have been awarded honors on a national basis. You can earn a four-year degree through any of three different schools through this college and never leave De Queen, or you can commute to Texarkana, Magnolia, Broken Bow, or Arkadelphia for that four-year degree.
We have a lot of retirees.
We have low taxes.
We have clean air.
We have friendly people. Oh - and I see a lot of the "80 percent" Hispanic. I defy anyone to back that number up with accurate statistics. The authorities haven't been able to do it. We have a lot of Hispanics in the area - and they have salvaged and boosted our economy. Local reports say that crime in the area is directly proportionate to the racial divisions - and Caucasian crime is higher than Hispanic crime.
That said - we don't have a lot of things that you find in some other areas. We don't have nearly as many laws that dictate the petty day-to-day activities, although we did pass an ordinance that says you can't have farm animals in town.
It's a good place to raise kids.
And it's a good place to live.
Maybe I should be glad that there is so much bad-mouthing of this area - we can keep its beauty and its hunting and fishing and river rafting all to ourselves.
If you want a picture of what the area is like, contact the Chamber of Commerce. Don't limit yourself to just one town in the area - contact several. They can tell you what is - and what isn't available.

[paintsrus]

Well, I would much rather live in a heavily populated hispanic area than the race I live all around now in this state anyway. I recently visited and everyone I came in contact with was very friendly. A friend I have in Horatio that I have only actually met once in person, met my husband & I for lunch, a good one at that!
As for the commuting, thats normal for anyone thats wants a higher income anyway. Personally I will be setting up my own shop there so I wont have a commute . Thanks for all the info tho!

[morningfawn]

I can give you my perspective on DeQueen, as I grew up there. I found the schools to be not so great.. that is unless you are a Dr. or Lawyer or otherwise wealthy person's child. If your child will fit in to that catagory, the schools will work out great for your children. I find the hispanic population to be a great asset to DeQueen. They are wonderful, hard working people who have greatly added to the economy there. Their children are beautiful, clean and well mannered. However I find that my view of the hispanic's is not at all popular with the home grown folks of DeQueen. I find the people of DeQueen to be quite clique-ish. Perhaps it's just me, I don't know. The Hospital there leaves little to be desired as well as most of the Physicians. Should you need to have a relative placed in a Nursing home, you could be SOL, as only one or two Doc's will see patients in the Nursing homes now, and they are so very booked up with NH patients, they no longer accept those patients. The traffic in DeQueen is just horrible right now, but perhaps will be better when all road construction is complete. To be honest, I am VERY greatful to no longer live there, but then again, that is just my opinion. I hope with all my heart that you and your family will do well in DeQueen.

[Versatile]

To looigloo: I said the 80% is ABOUT not that it is. I got that figure from the faces i saw on the streets and at stores etc. I have no ax to grind towards DeQueen at all. I kinda liked the place other than the traffic due to construction.

[novasteed]

To shed some light on the Hispanic population percentage of DeQueen, from this forum's parent website, city-data.com:


Races in De Queen:
White Non-Hispanic (52.4%)
Hispanic (38.6%)
Other race (23.1%)
Black (6.1%)
American Indian (2.9%)
Two or more races (1.8%)
(Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics could be counted in other races)

[crazyabouthorses]

No kids, so no problem! LOL
My husband happens to drive a log truck now and can operate machinery so that shouldnt be a problem.