Ozark & Booneville-what are they like? (Little Rock, Fort Smith: job, house, low crime)

[Transplanted]

My family and I currently live near Little Rock and we hate it with a passion !

We are looking to move to the western part of the state where life is slower and we can raise our kids in a smaller and more closely knit community....and hopefully be able to do some ranching and/or farming with cattle and horses.

Can anyone tell us ANYTHING about the Ozark & Booneville areas? About all we know about them is that they are both towns with populations under 5,000 and they are not near any really big cities and land/homes appear to be VERY reasonably priced!

Some of the things we are wondering about:

*Overall, what are the people like?

*Quality of the Schools (K-5)

*Attitudes

*Acceptance

*Cell phone reception (for safety reasons)

*Internet (I do college online)


We have so many things we want to know about the areas.....please----any opinions or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated !

[drgw]

Hi we have a farm just north of Ozark. I am not a local, I'am from up north but I really like the area and find the people very friendly and accepting. Don't have any kids in school but Ozark has a very nice High School campus and lots of activities. Just have one large grocery store now. The other just closed down. But its only about 18 miles over to Clarksville and they have a Super Walmart and other grocery stores. Going the other way only about 30 miles to Fort Smith and they have everything you would want in big stores. Lots to do, the river for boating and just north is the National Forest. I would recommend the area to anyone. Sure is not like the big citiy, Its better. Hope this helps some

Forgot about the cellphone, my area its good. Don't have cable tv or high speed internet yet. Would have to use dial up in the country.

[Transplanted]

I am new to this forum so I hope I can do this right!

Thanks for the info about Ozark. It is very scary moving from one place to another! About 2 years ago we moved from Washington state to Arkansas and our experience here has been less than wonderful....we would love to be able to move back to the great Northwest (great weather and little to no humidity!) but, due to the job, we may have to end up staying here in Arkansas.
We have made two trips to the Ozark area and it sure is better than where we live now (near Conway)....on my goodness, I would not advise anyone to move to Conway....I have NEVER met such rude people in all my life....they all seem to drive like speed-demon nuts, don't know the meaning of signals, and they tail-gate so closely that you can't see their headlights...oh yes, and they drive like that while they have a cell phone stuck to their ear!

Moderator cut: No racism
Thanks again for the info

[woopig_sooie]

I'm sorry your experience in Conway has been so bad. I have lived in Central Arkansas for 7 years and I absolutely love Conway.

[poohbear]

Check out Greenwood and Alma, both have excellent schools and are close to Fort Smith so have all the amenities without the big city feel.

[Pianojazz]

Charleston (just across the river from Ozark) has good schools! Charleston is a wonderful community. While I do not live there now, I am a property owner and related to a lot of people who live there through marriage. I have always found people in Charleston to be very accepting and friendly. It is a very low cost-of-living community. There is a large price range of homes available. It is 20 minutes from Ft. Smith; 15 minutes from Paris. Good luck with relocaation.

[angel7]

I currently live east of Charleston, and I agree with a previous poster. it is a nice area in which to live, especially if you wish to raise horses/cattle/chickens, etc. I have DSL internet which is high speed compared to dial up, don't have cable, but do have a sat. dish and reception is great unless it storms. People are friendly and helpful and seem to welcome newcomers. Check out the stats, Charleston has a low crime rate as compared to other towns, and Fort Smith is a 30-minute drive if you get mall fever or an itch for visit a Walmart Supercenter.

[sidaka]

Within the next year or so I will be retiring and planning to make a move to Ozark, Arkansas. We have made several trips to this town and am very impressed with the people, climate and beautiful scenery in general.
I have read all the posts to this forum but they are nearly a year old. Does anyone have any recent comments or insite to this town. I would like to learn as much about this area as I can before the move. I am considering opening a small gift/craft shop there.
You can email me direct at sidakaomt@aol.com
Thanks for your input, it will be greatly appreciated.

[jro11]

We have lived here for over six years love it. Weather is great no real extremes. Having lived up north it's a real pleasure. We own a small 20 acre farm with a view to die for. I can look for miles out the back porch. We have a few chickens for fresh eggs and a few sheep. It is a real safe area. With the back roads we get to Fort Smith in 30 minutes. But we like the seclusion. Now however my wife's job is requires that we re-locate. I reallly don't want to go. We will never find a good of a deal as this. We just put $25,000 woth of new thermal windows and screens on the house. With deep regrets we have to sell. We are in the Mansfield school district. It is by all accounts a good school district. (We don't have kids here) They just finished a new high school. Taxes are to die for. With the rebate they are only about $750

[sidaka]

Thanks for the reply on Ozark. We spent a week there the end of August and found many things to our liking. Also checked out Charleston, a very clean town. We're still in the thinking stage but will have to make a decision soon. Thanks again