Life in Holiday Island, AR and Eureka Springs, AR (Harrison: home, low crime)

[us.arkansas]

Anyone can tell me about Holiday Island and Eureka Springs? Is this a safe and good place to live? A vacant lot is cheap too. I don't go out a lot except to buy my basic necessities and books, go to a library, walk in a park or in the mountain, and do my home business, so I don't care about other people's attitude. I want a safe, quiet, and laid back place.

Thank you.

[DC at the Ridge]

Eureka Springs is built on the tourist industry. It has an artists' community, and a fairly liberal vibe. During the winter many shops close, but you can get all the basics at the stores that do remain open. You should be aware that the roads are steep and very curvy, so winter weather makes the roads virtually impassible (just every once in a while, for a day or two). There are numerous areas to hike and explore, the scenery is beautiful.

Holiday Island has a more conservative vibe, it was built as a resort/retirement community. I believe there are some time-shares there, there is golf and water sports. Both areas are extremely safe. While there was an incident in Eureka this past summer, it was between rival biking gangs visiting the area. I would think the vast majority of crime in the two areas is tourist-related (pick-pockets, petty theft, tourists unknowingly breaking the law, public intoxication, etc). They really do pack in the tourists during the season, traffic is bumper to bumper in Eureka's downtown for hours on end. Berryville which is nearby doesn't have the tourist-related problems, and while it is quite a bit more conservative, it's a very safe, quiet, laid-back kind of place.

DC

[us.arkansas]

thanks much. I appreciate your input. I will do a research about Berryville. Thank you.

Anything else from anybody?

[johnbain]

I am also trying to find a place to live in Arkansas. The biker issue in Eureka Springs the last summer turned me off and I just looked up the crime rate in Berryville and it nearly 2.5 times higher then the national average. I really would I could find a place with low crime in west arkansas.

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by johnbain

I am also trying to find a place to live in Arkansas. The biker issue in Eureka Springs the last summer turned me off and I just looked up the crime rate in Berryville and it nearly 2.5 times higher then the national average. I really would I could find a place with low crime in west arkansas.

The biker incident I would consider to be an isolated fluke. If you really like Eureka...then that shouldn't turn you off because you'll never find any other place like it. Berryville has crime because of the illegal immigrant influx. You're going to see this a lot in the smaller towns with nearby chicken processing plants because the issues get magnified easily by the small population. Give Harrison a try.

[debbie at bouontiful]

I love Eureka Springs. It reminds me of where I use to live in a town called Galena in Northwest Ill. Charming and beautiful. I stay at a different Bed and Breakfast Every Dec. 27 through 30th when most things are close but boy is it a romantic few days.

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by johnbain

I just looked up the crime rate in Berryville and it nearly 2.5 times higher then the national average.

I have more than a little experience in reading and interpreting crime stats, so let me offer a hint.

The stats are based on per-capita, which generally is X number of crimes per 1000 residents.

If you have a town of 100,000.......it generally doesn't come out that bad.

When you have a town of 500, and Billy & Bess have two domestic disturbances this year instead of just the one at Christmas over his drinking.......

Wow! The crime rate just went up 200%, because it's counted double since it's only 500 people!

Crime rate stats are a game invented by 3 letter agencies so someone in a suit can stand in the room and give a power point presentation utilizing as many "word of the day" phrases as he can to justify inhaling a large part of the taxpayers money.

I look at the stats around me occasionally. There are a lot of "public intoxication" and "terroristic threat" arrests.

Arkansas is the most creative state I've ever seen at cranking out really off the wall statutory law and giving it colorful names.

However, it makes these sleepy, peaceful towns look like a bad day in Washington D.C.

Here's some interesting stats from when I last poured through them......

Arkansas is the number 2 meth state, beat only by MO.

Arkansas is number 4 in the U.S. for fatal car accidents.

I could give some more, but it makes AR, or any *other* state, look like one big downtown Detroit.

This is a great state, mostly full of good cities, unless you're a dog in Helena.

I certainly wouldn't let a decision like moving be influenced by the stats.