[northbound74]

Last I checked, Little Rock's metro was still considerably larger than NWA's.
Neither will ever amount to much unless they diversify their economies. Little Rock seriously needs to expand it's middle class. There's not enough people with money willing to live in such a place, nor are there enough jobs to support an upper-class lifestyle for everyone.
Not to say that a middle class doesn't exist there, but it is very hostile towards anyone who just wants to live a simple, normal life. Most of the middle class folks I knew in Little Rock were constantly trying to live above their means out on the west side... which had the highest percentage of utilities being shut off due to non-payment. Probably leads in foreclosures, too.
Many of the trendier places in the country right now are struggling with having a strong middle class. I hope that changes soon.
NWA needs to ween itself from Wal-Mart, and all the businesses that rely on Wal-Mart, if it ever wants to survive as it is. Wal-Mart will have it's day of reckoning at some point. They all do. When that happens, NWA better not be so reliant on it.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by northbound74

Last I checked, Little Rock's metro was still considerably larger than NWA's.
Neither will ever amount to much unless they diversify their economies. Little Rock seriously needs to expand it's middle class. There's not enough people with money willing to live in such a place, nor are there enough jobs to support an upper-class lifestyle for everyone.
Not to say that a middle class doesn't exist there, but it is very hostile towards anyone who just wants to live a simple, normal life. Most of the middle class folks I knew in Little Rock were constantly trying to live above their means out on the west side... which had the highest percentage of utilities being shut off due to non-payment. Probably leads in foreclosures, too.
Many of the trendier places in the country right now are struggling with having a strong middle class. I hope that changes soon.
NWA needs to ween itself from Wal-Mart, and all the businesses that rely on Wal-Mart, if it ever wants to survive as it is. Wal-Mart will have it's day of reckoning at some point. They all do. When that happens, NWA better not be so reliant on it.

Are you saying Hunt and Tysons rely on Wal-Mart? Tell them that...
[i] don't think I have seen any Hunt trucks on display at Wal-Mart. As for Tyson's, last I checked lots of places sell Tysons products..
Nita

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Are you saying Hunt and Tysons rely on Wal-Mart? Tell them that...
[i] don't think I have seen any Hunt trucks on display at Wal-Mart. As for Tyson's, last I checked lots of places sell Tysons products..
Nita

But both pale in comparison to Wal Mart's footprint in its industry. Chickens and truckers have a lot of competition. Only Target comes close to touching Wal Mart in mega-retail.

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by grmasterb

But both pale in comparison to Wal Mart's footprint in its industry. Chickens and truckers have a lot of competition. Only Target comes close to touching Wal Mart in mega-retail.

True.
I guess my point was that NWA would not be what it is without Wal-Mart. It would still be a decent-sized area, just not nearly as much.
If anything were to happen to Wal-Mart, it would be devastating to the region. Maybe like GM and Flint.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by grmasterb

But both pale in comparison to Wal Mart's footprint in its industry. Chickens and truckers have a lot of competition. Only Target comes close to touching Wal Mart in mega-retail.

thats true, my problem is with people who think NWA is only Wal-Mart, we have lots of small to mid sized companies here, not only Tysons but other chicken factories and of course the university. We in NWA don't see things quite the way you, who do not live here see them. It is always interesting to see how people preceive a place when they are not residence.

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by northbound74

True.
I guess my point was that NWA would not be what it is without Wal-Mart. It would still be a decent-sized area, just not nearly as much.
If anything were to happen to Wal-Mart, it would be devastating to the region. Maybe like GM and Flint.

that can be said for many areas, of course you are right about that, but what would happen to Las Vegas if we all decided to stop gambling (actually we don't go there anymore) but that is an example. These things happen, who would have expected the car industry to almost fold, leaving one of our largest (3rd largest in the 40s) city drying up? This is life and progress or lack of same.

Nita

[CESpeed]

Originally Posted by ladedah

I never thought anything about AR, thought it was a state just like any other until I moved here a year ago. And I live in a larger town (55,000 people) and everyone here (businesses and people) are way behind the times and rude to people from Texas (where I'm from) who they apparently dislike (heard that from a few diff. people who live here). The main mode of communication is still the fax machine from 1994 and you can't pay most bills or buy gas with a credit card. What year is this again? For being a college town a lot of people here are uneducated not to mention rude and slow. Places like this are the reason people in the rest of the U.S and the world think people from the south are slow and stupid. Hello Arkansas! It's 2009 time to move ahead with the rest of the world. Even Little Rock (a "big" city) has barely anything to it, no culture and nothing to do that can't be done in one weekend and then never again, it's like a different world here. I've been to many other states and this is the weirdest place I've ever been and the strangest people I have ever met. If considering moving here...I say change your mind.

I don't know what pile of sand you have your head in but you are flat out being dishonest. I just came back from Hot Springs and I paid for almost EVERYTHING with my credit/debit card, including gas. My el cheapo pre paid cell phone worked my ENTIRE drive from Memphis to Hot SPrings and A had better radio reception during the drive than I would have in Cali. I didn't get a chance to explore Little Rock but I do know that I couldn't cover Hot Springs in the 2 days I was there, and it's much smaller than Little Rock. As for culture or nothing to do, there are concerts all the time at the All-Tel arena, Hot Springs just had a music festival and there's an amusement park with a roller coaster that could easily be in Magic Mountain or Knott's Berry Farm. I know that if there are several museums in Hot Springs, there are in Little Rock as well. I didin't meet a single person, Black or White who was rude or disrespectful. btw, the County Library in Hot Springs has a large computer lab.

I don't knw where you are or have been but you are definitely driving around with blinders on.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by CESpeed

I don't know what pile of sand you have your head in but you are flat out being dishonest. I just came back from Hot Springs and I paid for almost EVERYTHING with my credit/debit card, including gas. My el cheapo pre paid cell phone worked my ENTIRE drive from Memphis to Hot SPrings and A had better radio reception during the drive than I would have in Cali. I didn't get a chance to explore Little Rock but I do know that I couldn't cover Hot Springs in the 2 days I was there, and it's much smaller than Little Rock. As for culture or nothing to do, there are concerts all the time at the All-Tel arena, Hot Springs just had a music festival and there's an amusement park with a roller coaster that could easily be in Magic Mountain or Knott's Berry Farm. I know that if there are several museums in Hot Springs, there are in Little Rock as well. I didin't meet a single person, Black or White who was rude or disrespectful. btw, the County Library in Hot Springs has a large computer lab.

I don't knw where you are or have been but you are definitely driving around with blinders on.

Lets face it, some people just plain make no effort to adjust. We always charge our gas, why? because we have 3 different cards that give us cents off or percentage rebates. We use these cards for gas only and pay them off monthly. I have never walked into a store in the year we have lived here that did not take credit cards, be it grocery store, restaurant, clothing store or liqour store. I wonder what bills he was trying to pay with a credit card?

You are right, as for culture, all one has to do is look around, especially if you live in Fayetteville which it appears he does. I can't imagine having time to do all there is to do there and still find time to work. It does take checking the daily newspapers to find what is going on, or at least the week-end editions.

You will find out, when you move to AR, we do know how to use computers, most of us rarely use a fax machine anymore and we even drive decent cars, not always old trucks, use cell phones and read books once in awhile.

It seems to me and I could be wrong, those who have trouble with certain life styles or have trouble enjoying their enviorment are trying to hard to convert others to the way things were back in whatever place one came from. I could go to bridge tomorrow, talk about what I miss about New Mexico or Texas, complain about life in AR and be guaranteed to get a luke warm reception at the best. It is better to try and fit in and rppreciate the good where you live than find the fault.

Nita

[LizzySWW]

Hot Springs is great! Love the bath houses! The NICEST people work there.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by nmnita

You will find out, when you move to AR, we do know how to use computers, most of us rarely use a fax machine anymore and we even drive decent cars, not always old trucks, use cell phones and read books once in awhile.

Nita

He could be in Fort Smith. Most people there are still using fax machines and typewriters and have a phobia of computers. I worked at an electronics retailer there for 4 years so I saw it every day.