Thinking of moving to Fayetteville, AR! (Springdale, Rogers: housing, rent, lease)

[Peaches24]

Hello, my hubby and I are looking for a city to move to. While searching around, Fayetteville really stood out for me. But we still want to know more about it and the surrounding area. Husband was raised for 15 years in Tulsa OK, and i was born and raised here in Eureka, CA. I have never been anywhere further then Salem Oregon and im a little nervous about moving so far from home.Although i love my home town, its beautiful nature, the ocean, the redwoods, things here in Cali are getting pretty expensive, and making a normal living is getting tougher. OUr options to grow here are now very limited. So i wanted to ask the normal questions from people that have been there in Fayetteville for years. How is the economy? Crime rate? Is there a community college around? Here are some skills in the career field that my husband and i posesse. Right now, he is a land scaper, in previous years he has done it all alomost. From car sales to painting houses. He even worked for a sewage company for a little while. But he would love to get into either automechanics or look into becoming a firefighter. Are there any options for him in that area? Now myself, right now, i am working at the JCpenny cataloge store part time and a nearby H and R Block as a receptionist. My past experience has been from a bakers helper to a large companey's purchasing agent and accounts recievable. I did that for 2 years. I have my certificates in the medical office including billing, but have neve been able to use that trainging in this area. Is there any need for those type of skills? Hubby and I want part time work so we can expand our time together as a couple. We have been married for only 8 months and want to start our lives together somewjere where we can also contibute to the community all the while growing together. Any info is greatly appreciated. Please email me at natalenea@hotmail.com. Thank you!

[bchris02]

Fayetteville and NWA is the hot spot in the state right now. The crime rate is very low also. There is NWACC in Rogers, and of course the U of A in Fayetteville. Rogers is the fastest growing area in NWA. All five municipalities - Fayetteville, Springdale, Lowell, Rogers, and Bentonville, basically make up one big suburban area. Each town still has its own identity and feel. Rogers and Bentonville are the fastest growing areas fueling off of the growth of Wal-Mart. Many people live on one end and commute to the other, so if you want you can live in Fayetteville and commute to Bentonville.

[luvarkansas]

Sounds like you guys can do just about anything to earn a living. Fayetteville is a very nice town...clean, low crime, and I would imagine the housing prices would seem dirt cheap to someone in CA. And the natural beauty around Fayetteville is great....it may seem a little dinky to you, though, coming from CA.

[cspradley]

I lived in Fayetteville for 8 years (now living in NYC for past 2 years and am starting to think about moving back). I think there are plenty of jobs available for the skills listed. Besides the more local jobs (hospitals, fire department, etc) you also have the bigger businesses (Wal-Mart, Tyson, U of A) to choose from. There is a wide variety of jobs available in the region. Plus since Bentonville/Rogers/Springdale are so close it is an easy commute. I preferred Fayetteville, just because of the more laid back atmosphere, but I have no issues with Bentonville/Rogers/Springdale. Plus, like has been previously noted, the cost of living is not as high as in other parts of the country (I pay here in NYC double for rent for a place half as small as the apartment I had in Fayetteville. CA is probably around the same). In terms of geography, Fayetteville is surrounded by mountains so there is ton of great views and fun outdoors stuff. In terms of culture, due to the university being close by there is generally a lot of things going on, from the Walton Arts Center to Bikes Blues and BBQ. Of course it would help if you became an Arkansas Razorback fan, football is big as is basketball. Good luck on your move!

[The A-Team]

I miss living in Fayetteville alot. I grew up in Fayetteville, and left a couple years ago. Fayetteville is absolutely beautiful(you must go to the viewpoint on Mt. Sequoyah, that and Alki beach here in Seattle are my two favorite spots in the world!), very low crime(never had any bad situations in 18 years of living there, never got in fights at school, etc etc), though there are some areas where drug use can be an issue, but it is isolated to certain apartment buildings, and only certain people in them, etc. NWACC, as stated before, is in Bentonville and I know people that attend there. It is good for general studies, but if you're like me and learing Chinese or something else not completely general, they may not offer it(i've taken chinese and japanese at a community college here in seattle, in a bigger region you simply have more options.). U of A is a great University though, which offers a wide variety of studies. Housing will seem dirt cheap to you compared to Cali, I know it is dirt cheap compared to housing here in Seattle, which is a little cheaper than a lot of Cali. For example, I pay about $1,400 for a 690 sqf apartment in Chinatown here in Seattle. You could get something much bigger in Fayetteville for much cheaper. However, you dont get a central location in a big city, gated parking(though you wont need it in Fay.), etc, which is what you pay for in a bigger area. I know people that live in a small, but nice apartment in Fayetteville within walking distance of many of the U of A buildings and Dickson st, that pay $350 a month. You can get something very nice and big for under 700 a month easily(just remember, jobs might not neccesarily pay as much in Fay. as they do in Cali). I'm sure you will find Fayetteville to be a lovely place, if you're looking for a slower paced place with relief from bad traffic, crime, and high prices you will find it in Fayetteville! Message me if you need anymore information!!

[Peaches24]

Well, as to fayetteville being "dinky". We live in Eureka, in what we call "behind the redwood curtain", we live in a city with no walmart for 100 miles and its population is 28,000, which is the largest for about 200 miles. I was raised here, my husband was raised in Tulsa, OK. Thats a big city, he's just going stir crazy in how small this city is here... I get paid 9.50-10.00, he gets 9.00 but is up and overdue for a raise, its the slow time of the year for him. We pay 600 a month for a tiny little 50 year old 1 bedroom apartment. It has a mold problem, a gas heater on the wall in the living room, our bedroom gets so cold at night you can see your breath. All the windows are the old wooden single panes, either they rattle, dont open, or the wind blows right through them, plus, they get moldy all the time because they "sweat." Thats just the tip of the iceberg on the ghettoness we have around here. Gas is 3.79, and comparably to other people here, our rent is affordable. We pay over 100 a month in gas and electric...milks like 3.50 a gallon. I think we can definitely do better there than here. Thank you for all of your information, it has been very helpful. I can tell you that we have made up our minds and we are 80% sure that Fayetteville is the place for us! Hope to see you all soon!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Peaches24

Well, as to fayetteville being "dinky". We live in Eureka, in what we call "behind the redwood curtain", we live in a city with no walmart for 100 miles and its population is 28,000, which is the largest for about 200 miles. I was raised here, my husband was raised in Tulsa, OK. Thats a big city, he's just going stir crazy in how small this city is here... I get paid 9.50-10.00, he gets 9.00 but is up and overdue for a raise, its the slow time of the year for him. We pay 600 a month for a tiny little 50 year old 1 bedroom apartment. It has a mold problem, a gas heater on the wall in the living room, our bedroom gets so cold at night you can see your breath. All the windows are the old wooden single panes, either they rattle, dont open, or the wind blows right through them, plus, they get moldy all the time because they "sweat." Thats just the tip of the iceberg on the ghettoness we have around here. Gas is 3.79, and comparably to other people here, our rent is affordable. We pay over 100 a month in gas and electric...milks like 3.50 a gallon. I think we can definitely do better there than here. Thank you for all of your information, it has been very helpful. I can tell you that we have made up our minds and we are 80% sure that Fayetteville is the place for us! Hope to see you all soon!

28,000 now, sure hasn't grown much. We lived there in 1974-1975. Our kids went to elementary school, jr high and high school there. I have to laugh about the utility bills, when we first moved there we had a gas bill (FEB) for $65 and that was the highest we had ever had. It sounds to me like you will do just fine in NWA> BTW, as for milk, I think that is pretty much country wide anymore unless you get it on sale.

Nita