[JasonK94Z]

I have an upcoming interview for a management position in Arkadelphia at a plant. I am married with two kids, 5 and 4. We are in our younger 30's. I'm just curious about what I might be getting myself into here.

What is Arkadelphis like?
I think we stayed at a motel there one night on the way to TX when we lived in TN. Its a dry county right? I remember that I could have killed for a cold beer, and couldn't get one!

How is the housing there?
We would have to rent for awhile since we had some financial shortcomings last yr that forced us to file Ch7. Its embarassing, but circumstances kinda forced its hand, so please save judgement. High medical bills on a child. It will be 2 yrs before FHA would give us a mortgage as if the Ch7 never happened so we could buy. We still own a nice home down here.

How are the schools?

So far in my findings it looks like Arkadelphia is really, really small. What churches are there or nearby? Any catholic churches?

Thank you for any info you might pass along. If the money is right if they offer me a job, we may move there soon, but I have a feeling it would have to be a good bit more than I make now.

[strumpeace]

There is a Catholic church in Arkadelphia:

St Mary's
Saint Mary's Catholic Church - Arkadelphia, Arkansas

[Aporkalypse]

You're about 45 minutes from Little Rock but only 20 minutes from Hot Springs, which has a very good variety of restaurants and shopping and is very wet. There are two universities in Arkadelphia, Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State, which make the area seem bigger than the listed population. Housing is very reasonable.

[Sam I Am]

Most importantly, you're right at Lake DeGray....one of the GREATEST lakes in the southern half of Arkansas. I love Arkadelphia. It's small and comfortable.

Here's a link to the dry counties in Arkansas, and yes - Clark County is dry:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/639074-post8.html

[JasonK94Z]

Sounding ok so far. Are there some decent houses for rent in the area?

[J Arp]

You have to hit the rental market during the right time. Mainly early summer right after students leave, and before new ones arrive, and somewhere around Christmas break. Arkadelphia has an abundant amount of slum rentals in the <400$ range. If you desire anything generally home-like you'll be paying out more than 400$ a month which to me is a bit more expensive than the rest of the state...exception maybe to NWA area...but not by much.

I speed like a bat out of hell, and you'd be lucky to get to Hot Springs in 30 minutes-- HS being the quickest/closest place to buy booze. Little Rock is an hour in good traffic while slightly speeding.

I've heard Arkadelphia has good public schools from K-12.

Arkadelphia is small even for someone coming from a place like Conway, Hot Springs, or Fayetteville. Very small with not much. The lake is a lot of fun though, but that is really all Arkadelphia has going for it. It feels like a retirement town that somehow maintains two universities.
I blame tricky advertising on the universities part :P

Originally Posted by JasonK94Z

Thank you for any info you might pass along. If the money is right if they offer me a job, we may move there soon, but I have a feeling it would have to be a good bit more than I make now.

I would trust your intuition. If your kiddos like to talk you and the wifey into going to the movies* (and dinner) even once a month, just imagine how much $$$ you will be burning by taking the whole crew to Hot Springs and back in a month or two. Gas will be 5$/gal soon enough.

*Arkadelphia does not have a movie theatre or a broad range of dining establishments.

I hate to sound so negative about Arkadelphia, but I would hate to find another person in Arkadelphia that is wondering "Why did I move here again?"
Anyone under 50/60 should think long and hard about Arkadelphia unless they are truly wanting the small town life and all the things that (don't) go with it.

[North Pulaski Player]

I have to agree with the above comment that mentions that a person under the age of 50 would probably not enjoy Arkadelphia at all unless you are a traditional student at one of the two universities. In rural towns like this, people usually hang around due to their ties to the community rather it is their family, friends, or church. For a newcomer with no ties to the area, it would probably be brutally boring to reside in a place like Arkadelphia or any rural town for that matter.

[photobuff42]

I think Arkadelphia is great. I went to Henderson and it was so great I went back for my master's degree. I interviewed for a professorship there in January but had to turn it down. I did look at some homes. They were excellent and the price was low. I think you could find something good to rent there. Good luck on your interview.

[bchris02]

I work with a guy who was born and raised in Arkadelphia, went to college there, and still chooses to live there and commute to Little Rock. While I am sure its a great town for what it is, I could never live there. The posters above were right when he said it doesn't offer much for those under 50 unless you are a student at one of the universities or have ties that keep you there. My co-worker stays there because of his college friends but once they move on, he will probably move to Little Rock. The pace of life is very slow and it isn't a very convenient drive to anywhere decent sized (Hot Springs being the nearest).

Just think long and hard if living in a relatively isolated rural area is what you really want. Its great for some people, but if don't totally understand what you are getting into you might have buyers remorse after you've been there for a bit and start missing conveniences of more populated places.

[JasonK94Z]

We currently live in a small town as it is (6,000 people), but a much bigger town is about 25 miles away. We have gotten used to the smaller rural area. But there are several restuarants, walmart, etc. here.

We would be looking to rent a house. Does anyone have a good realtor I could contact there?

Does AR have state income tax?
Also, are tags expensive? In Alabama its based on value of your car, so my wifes new vehicle is around $190/yr. It sucks! In TN everyones vehicle was $45 no matter what it was not a big deal, but it all adds up though.

Thanks again!