[vrussell]

Hi All,

What can anyone tell me about Quitman or Heber Springs? How is the school district at Quitman? Do people commute or stay around? Is there any work in the area for a welder/backhoe operator? What is the country like? Flat or rolling? Is the county dry? Where can you buy wine? Are there many places to get out and ride horseback?

Anything you can share - good or bad - will help us a lot!! Many thanks

[ArkansasTexan]

It just so happens I am from Quitman/Heber Springs/Greer's Ferry area. I was one of a class of thirty two students graduating from Quitman High School in 1981. The population of Quitman at that time was around 605. I worked in Heber Springs at Town & Country Supermarket which was the only grocery at that time. The population was around nine thousand, if memory serves me correctly. Heber (as it is referred to by the locals) has developed quite a bit since then.

Heber Spring's and Greer's Ferry became extremely popular, almost overnight as a result of the construction of the Greer's Ferry Dam which was completed in 1963. The lake created a paradise for anyone who enjoys camping, boating, water sports or any type of hunting and fishing. The population swells during the summer months as people from all over the country have made this area one of the most popular vacation destinations in Arkansas.

[Bull Winkus]

Heber Springs, Arkansas

Moderator cut: Check out Google Earth for detailed views of Arkansas and Heber Springs. http://earth.google.com/

[johncronejr]

I have lived in Heber Springs for the last 20 or so years. The area is a great place to live. It's a small, mostly quiet area although there are a lot of lake tourists in the summer months. The land is hills and valleys. It is a beautiful area. I would recommend the areas to anyone that wants small town living. There is a big, beautiful lake in Heber Springs, as well as the Little Red River.

There is a company called Defiance Metal in Heber that hires welders, a trailer manufacturer in Quitman, a company in Heber called Garbro that uses welders, and a company called Big John Tree Transplanters in Heber that uses welders. Two companies you may want to check out for welding jobs and other great paying jobs are Chesapeake Energy (Chesapeake Energy - Doing a World of Good) and Southwestern energy (Southwestern Energy Company). These are gas/oil exploration companies and that business is booming in the area right now due to the Fayetteville Shale Play gas findings. There are several companies that do excavation and ground work as well.

The county is dry and you will have to drive approximately 45 miles one way to buy your booze. There are several private clubs in Heber where you can buy drinks.

You can find plenty of places to ride your horses, as well as finding many groups that have trail rides, Chuckwagon races, and cutting events.

The schools are excellent in Heber or Quitman.

[Rainbow Island]

I don't live in this area but I do own a house in this area. Between Heber and Pangburn. Rainbow Island to be exact. I have to agree with johncronejr. This is a great place to live. I will live there soon I hope. We refer to this area as God's country. Our neighbors are so nice. We have become very close to some of them. We haven't met anyone yet who hasn't told us that we are welcome to fish off their boat dock. I never expected this kind of welcome.
The last time we where up, we where invited to a fish fry in Pangburn. We met a lot of nice folks there also. I can't think of one bad thing to say about this area.
I have looked around for work in the area myself. I really haven't gotten too serious about it though. The best I've come up with as far as gas field work is around $12.00 an hour. That is roustabout type work. I've applied online with Chesapeake and Southwestern energy but no replies. I realize this is probably not the best way to pursue a job. It's hard to talk to someone at either of these places when I only get up on weekends. Searcy is less than 20 miles from our place and I'm sure there is work there. I'm just a little hesitant to leave a job of 15 years with everyone laying off these days. Although, I'm not too sure about my job. We are going through layoffs as well. 6 laid off this week and rumors of 25 more before February??
Anyway, good luck. My advise is go 4 it!

[vrussell]

Thanks for all your recent responses. Unfortunately, the job in Quitman didn't materialize - ended up working in Bentonville instead. Now we are going through the process (once again) of trying to find a place within driving distance of Bentonville that meets our needs. Thanks again