Suburbs of Little Rock - HELP! (Conway, Jacksonville: housing, rent, income)

[bchris02]

Yeah, don't let anybody scare you away from Maumelle. Ive considered moving out there myself a few times. Ill put it this way - If you like NWA you will like Maumelle and West Little Rock.

Originally Posted by North Pulaski Player

If this was ten years ago I would've put Conway at the top of the list, but Conway people that I know are trying to move to Pulaski County because they all say that gasoline prices are kicking their rear.

I agree. The commute to Conway, especially at rush hour can get real tiring real fast as it is, and with these gas prices, I don't understand how so many people do it.

[paramour]

Originally Posted by North Pulaski Player

If this was ten years ago I would've put Conway at the top of the list, but Conway people that I know are trying to move to Pulaski County because they all say that gasoline prices are kicking their rear.

Originally Posted by bchris02

I agree. The commute to Conway, especially at rush hour can get real tiring real fast as it is, and with these gas prices, I don't understand how so many people do it.

Ditto. I'm currently in the Chicago area, but the spouse & child are back in central AR. We live in Maumelle; the kid attends school in Little Rock; and due to the husband's LR office closing, he's now required to go into Conway for work. So, his typical day consists of a trip from Maumelle to LR to take the kid to school, LR to Conway to go to work, Conway to LR to pick the kid up from school, and finally LR to Maumelle to go home. He worked it out where he only had to go into Conway 2-3 days/wk but they recently advised that they want him there all 5 days. He's actually considering relocating to Chicago now simply so he doesn't have to make the multiple commutes in opposite directions every day of the week. Gas sucketh.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by paramour

Ditto. I'm currently in the Chicago area, but the spouse & child are back in central AR. We live in Maumelle; the kid attends school in Little Rock; and due to the husband's LR office closing, he's now required to go into Conway for work. So, his typical day consists of a trip from Maumelle to LR to take the kid to school, LR to Conway to go to work, Conway to LR to pick the kid up from school, and finally LR to Maumelle to go home. He worked it out where he only had to go into Conway 2-3 days/wk but they recently advised that they want him there all 5 days. He's actually considering relocating to Chicago now simply so he doesn't have to make the multiple commutes in opposite directions every day of the week. Gas sucketh.

I take it your husband works for Acxiom? When they announced they were moving their WLR operations to Conway I thought it was a dumb move. It should have been the other way around. I believe if gas prices continue rising as they have been and are predicted to too, Conway could see a significant decline. I just hope its 60,000 residents choose to remain in the LR metro rather than relocate entirely.

[leavingnashville]

Originally Posted by Sam I Am

leavingnashville,

I want to make sure I understood what you said...it takes me a while to click sometimes! Your issues with moving to LR proper have to do with the school system, is that correct? There ARE some good public schools, you just have to pick and choose and really beat the bushes to get there. If you are up for private schools, there are a number that come to mind that are excellent if somewhat pricey and sometimes clique-ish.

There are good buys to be had all over Little Rock - that's not to talk you out of your initial ideas, just to say it can happen and does every day. Are there other things we should be considering before pointing you in a particular direction? Are you looking for a neighborhood or rural setting (I'm guessing neighborhood since you've named towns rather than areas)? What area will your commute take you to? Traffic is always a consideration as well!

First, thanks everyone for all of the advice, although my brain is REALLY in overload now. You're right, my main concern is about the LR school systems, based on their low scores on Greatschools.net. With never having lived or visited the area, I looked for the communities where most or all of the schools ranked higher. That way, I figure, I won't have to figure out which road is in which school zone.

My son is LOVES soccer & is playing his 4th season, so I also want somewhere with a good soccer program. He also wants to play football and baseball. The sports aren't a HUGE things, but we've found we typically like areas with an active parks & recreation.

As far as rural/urban, we typically are suburb type people. I want to have people around to meet. In Nashville, and in Columbia, SC, where we're from, it seems as though there are more singles and a different type vibe in city proper versus a more family atmosphere on the outskirts.

[leavingnashville]

Originally Posted by Hog-I

My family just moved from West LR to Bryant and we love it. Here are some reasons why:

Great schools and after school care--Our son is in kindergarten now and loves it. The schools always rate in the upper echelon of Arkansas schools and always outperform the state average on standardized tests. Plus, the Bryant Boys and Girls Club provides on site after school care for, get this, $150 per kid per school year. That's not a typo. It's very well-run also. They also have a 7:30-5:30 summer camp for $175 per kid for the whole summer.

Thanks for the advice! Do most of the schools in the LR area have extended care programs run by Boys and Girls Clubs or other organizations? I was trying to find that info on the school websites in Maumelle and Conway but didn't see anything about extended care.

[leavingnashville]

Originally Posted by North Pulaski Player

Sounds like Maumelle would be a great fit for you. It is literally across the river from west Little Rock and the Pulaski County School District elementary schools in the area are top notch. If it turns out Maumelle is just beyond your budget, check out Bryant/Benton, Sherwood, and Cabot. Although demographics in Bryant and Cabot are similar, the mentality of Cabot folks are a few decades behind so if you have some "tint" to your skin you may need to look at Bryant over Cabot. If this was ten years ago I would've put Conway at the top of the list, but Conway people that I know are trying to move to Pulaski County because they all say that gasoline prices are kicking their rear.

I think, thanks in part to all these responses, I'm starting to lean toward Cabot, Maumelle, and Bryant. To summarize what I'm reading, Maumelle would be closest and the easiest commute and have good schools. Cabot & Bryant are further out but not as difficult a commute as Conway (which sounds like a nightmare). It sounds like Bryant would be an easier drive in than Cabot.

[Sam I Am]

ummm....I'm going to say....the commute from any of them can constitute a nightmare on a bad day, particularly if you are commuting to downtown Little Rock. I don't know that Conway is any further than Cabot, you just pick up more traffic between Cabot and LR than Conway, which is twice as big as Cabot. And Bryant is just Little Rock spilled over from where I stand - there's no real line of demarcation (just an opinion).

Minimizing your headaches, Maumelle is probably your best bet.

[Aporkalypse]

I live in LR proper and use private schools but I have friends and family in virtually every LR suburb and have lived here 30 of my 33 years, so I do have some basis for judging.

The first thing I would do is cross Jacksonville off the list. It has notably more crime issues and the school are suspect. You didn't mention Sherwood but most people in the area vastly prefer it to J'ville and it's a shorter commute.

The next thing I would do is add Bryant. It is closer than any you mentioned save Maumelle, has exceptional schools, is growing as fast as anywhere and is decidedly middle/upper class yet affordable. Parts of the Bryant School District are actually in Benton and those are some of the nicest areas of Saline Co.

Conway is a great town, plenty to do, a major university and state's best small college, and jobs and decent shopping. The problem is it's a long drive from LR and traffic in the city is awful. The schools are good but honestly no better than Bryant or Cabot.

Cabot has good schools, frankly it's tough to distinguish between Bryant, Cabot and Conway schools. Cabot is more exurban and there is very little in terms of shopping, dining or entertainment. You have to drive to the McCain area of NLR for most things and that drive can be exhausting.

Maumelle would be my choice as well as it's solidly middle/upper class, it has good schools and after just building a new Jr High is getting a new high school and is growing and getting a good bit of new retail. It's notoriously safe and you can be in the West LR or North LR shopping districts in 10 min. Commutes shouldn't be more than 15 min without traffic. It's a suburb that's not that far away, which to me is a good thing.

Maumelle, then Bryant, then Sherwood would be my choices based on what you said.

[Hog-I]

Originally Posted by leavingnashville

Thanks for the advice! Do most of the schools in the LR area have extended care programs run by Boys and Girls Clubs or other organizations? I was trying to find that info on the school websites in Maumelle and Conway but didn't see anything about extended care.

When we lived in West LR, the after school care for my daughter was going to cost $110/month for the CARE program affiliated with the LR school district. Programs at the YMCA and other similar organizations cost about the same if not more. I don't know about after school care in Maumelle or the other areas.

For this reason I was literally taken aback when the Boys and Girls Club of Bryant told me that their after school program only cost $150/per school year per child. We were leaning toward Bryant anyway before this, but that info sealed the deal. We are saving a lot of money and we are in a great school district.

Here is the link to the Boys and Girls Club of Bryant:

home

[leavingnashville]

Originally Posted by Hog-I

When we lived in West LR, the after school care for my daughter was going to cost $110/month for the CARE program affiliated with the LR school district. Programs at the YMCA and other similar organizations cost about the same if not more. I don't know about after school care in Maumelle or the other areas.

For this reason I was literally taken aback when the Boys and Girls Club of Bryant told me that their after school program only cost $150/per school year per child. We were leaning toward Bryant anyway before this, but that info sealed the deal. We are saving a lot of money and we are in a great school district.

Here is the link to the Boys and Girls Club of Bryant:

home

That's GREAT info to know. Thanks so much.