[t_boogie]

i'm a young african american mother. i'm pursuing a degree at a 4 yr university in Michigan. me and my boyfriend and daughter are considering moving to fort smith. while searching the site i came across mixed reviews. he has family there but my family stays in a small town miles and miles away. my main concern is crime rate, jobs, education, and racism (its out there weather we like it or not). i want honest opinions, because we are looking to move soon. we definitely want a slower pace of living. any thoughts will be appreciated.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by t_boogie

i'm a young african american mother. i'm pursuing a degree at a 4 yr university in Michigan. me and my boyfriend and daughter are considering moving to fort smith. while searching the site i came across mixed reviews. he has family there but my family stays in a small town miles and miles away. my main concern is crime rate, jobs, education, and racism (its out there weather we like it or not). i want honest opinions, because we are looking to move soon. we definitely want a slower pace of living. any thoughts will be appreciated.

As I said in your other thread, unless you have a specific reason to be in Ft. Smith, I would recommend looking into Fayetteville instead. It is about 45 miles to the north and is MUCH more tolerant of diverse cultures. It is a fast growing area and as an outsider and northerner, you will have a much easier time fitting in there. NWA in general also has more urban amenities such as nightlife, restaurants, and shopping should you need them.

People who have seen me post here know I have a bad taste for the river valley, but I am going to give my honest opinion. First, you will find that the north side of Ft. Smith does have a higher population of minorities and a bit more diversity, but unfortuntely that area is pretty poor and has a higher crime rate. Once you get out of north Ft. Smith, it is white, Baptist, Republican all the way. Move out into the smaller towns in the river valley and racism is everywhere in the culture. They aren't very accepting to outsiders either.

On the flipside, you will find Ft. Smith has a much lower cost of living and a much, much slower pace of life. I would suggest visiting both areas and seeing where you like the best.

[Sam I Am]

I'll call your bet on that one, bchris...the AA population in Russellville seems to be growing. I live in a very culturally diverse neighborhood. I wouldn't know if they are Baptist OR Republican, don't ask, don't care. Arkansas Tech is here, too...a nice four year school. I would agree this poster might like F'ville better, but more because of how slow everything is here. She's going to think it's slow in F'ville...Ft. Smith or the river valley might snooze her off...

Schools are good here - crime rate is actually very low in the river valley. There's plenty of opportunity for ongoing education. I personally don't see the racism, but whatever...obviously there are people who are more in tune with this than I am,

To the poster - what type employment are you looking for specifically? It may be that another part of Arkansas may suit you better with regard to that while still offering the educational requirements and lifestyle you seem to want.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by Sam I Am

I'll call your bet on that one, bchris...the AA population in Russellville seems to be growing. I live in a very culturally diverse neighborhood. I wouldn't know if they are Baptist OR Republican, don't ask, don't care. Arkansas Tech is here, too...a nice four year school. I would agree this poster might like F'ville better, but more because of how slow everything is here. She's going to think it's slow in F'ville...Ft. Smith or the river valley might snooze her off...

Schools are good here - crime rate is actually very low in the river valley. There's plenty of opportunity for ongoing education. I personally don't see the racism, but whatever...obviously there are people who are more in tune with this than I am,

To the poster - what type employment are you looking for specifically? It may be that another part of Arkansas may suit you better with regard to that while still offering the educational requirements and lifestyle you seem to want.

Like I said, by "river valley" I am primarily referring to the area along the I-40 corridor east of Sallisaw, OK and west of Russellville, AR. Ft. Smith, Ozark, and Clarksville are among the principle cities. Russellville itself is a college town so its naturally going to be more progressive and diverse.

[Stormcrow73]

I've always thought there was a pretty good population of African Americans in Ft. Smith compared to other non-delta parts of the state. I think MOST Arkansans these days are accepting of folks from different races, creeds, and religions. But I do consisently get dinged on here for my opinions that Arkansas is no longer a hotbed for racism so either a) I'm wrong or b) the idiots have enough time away from Jerry Springer to come online and paint a picture I don't see here. I will say without a shadow of a doubt that Fayetteville (an hour up the road from Ft. Smith) is the most tolerant, most liberal town in the state and might arguably be the most tolerant small city in the south. I also find that Little Rock has very good race relations compared to other areas I've seen (DC and Baltimore). The worst aspect of Little Rock is what I've seen termed "de facto" segregation with most of the minority families stuck in poverty (and thus crime) stricken parts of town. That phenomenon really doesn't exist much in Fayetteville. There's a much more even distribution in Fayetteville which is probably due in large part to there being no area that historically was considered "the black part of town."

While I don't think Ft. Smith would be all that bad I'd more steer you toward Fayetteville. It's an easy drive to visit the family in Ft. Smith and you can still have a slower pace of life just outside of town while still being convenient to a small city. Fayetteville has more cultural opportunities, better educational opportunites both for yourself and your child, and more job opportunities. All in all, a better package all around. But, like bchris suggested, come down for a visit if you can. You can easily try both places on for size in a single visit.