[jds]

Out of these 3 cities what provides you with the most to do and the most jobs and is the knowledge of spanish required to communicate effiecently with the residence???? Im planning on a potienal move to one of these areas and i will need to be communicating wihtin the community>?

[bchris02]

Most to do - LR/NLR
Most jobs - LR/NLR
Knowledge of spanish? - Neither but might come in handy in NWA

Little Rock and North Little Rock are the same city economically speaking. Many people live in one and commute to the other. Both cities are nice and have a lot to offer. If you want suburban living, live in NLR (north of I-40), Sherwood, or West Little Rock. If you dont mind a bit of commute, Bryant and Cabot are among the fastest growing cities in the region, although with these gas prices I wonder how long that will last.

Fayetteville also has a lot to offer and is part of the upcoming NWA metro region. NWA is pure suburban living and has good schools throughout. There is also a new shopping center called Pinnacle Hills Promenade that currently is the premier shopping district in the state, although that could change when these new LR shopping developments start to open. Most people on here are going to steer you to NWA because Little Rock/NLR has a higher crime rate than does NWA. There is also a city rivalry between the two metros and most people on this forum live in NWA. If you are smart and stay out of the 'hood, you should have no problem in LR/NLR.

[Aporkalypse]

I agree with everything bchris said but obviously job availability depends on your background and training. LR has a larger and more diverse job market but Wal-Mart and its vendors give you a lot of options in Bentonville, 25 min north of Fayetteville. Both areas have a lot going on. Fayetteville is more fun if you are just out of college or under 25 but LR has more to do if you're older than that. Spanish isn't required in either place at all but it might help in Springdale and Rogers north of Fayetteville, which are a quarter to a third Hispanic.

[springdale stephanie]

I used to drive to Little Rock/North Little Rock regularly (from Russellville) for shopping, theatres and good eating. Now I live in NWA (Springdale to be exact) and have everything I need within 5-10 minutes. It's easier to get around here, it's shinier and newer, and the crime rate is a lot lower here. There are a lot of jobs here, and I agree with Aporkalypse that learning spanish would be helpful in Springdale/Rogers/Fayetteville because it IS 25% hispanic. AND because learning a foreign language will keep your brain functioning longer (think retirement age, hehe).

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by springdale stephanie

... it's shinier and newer, and the crime rate is a lot lower here.

This is what attracts a lot of people to NWA, especially the "shinier and newer" part which is actually just average cookie cutter suburban sprawl new to NWA but that everybody else has had all along. West Little Rock, Maumelle, and even Bryant are all sprawling and have the same attributes. There is a new upscale open-air lifestyle center going up in West Little Rock, which though is smaller than Pinnacle Hills Promenade, will be much nicer, upscale, and more specialized in retailers. My saying is if you like NWA you will like the western suburbs of Little Rock. Maumelle is very nice and shiny and has the highest per-capita income in the state. Conway is nice too but its a very long commute and with these gas prices its getting more and more impractical every day unless you are one of the few who actually works in Conway.

[The A-Team]

Originally Posted by springdale stephanie

I used to drive to Little Rock/North Little Rock regularly (from Russellville) for shopping, theatres and good eating. Now I live in NWA (Springdale to be exact) and have everything I need within 5-10 minutes. It's easier to get around here, it's shinier and newer, and the crime rate is a lot lower here. There are a lot of jobs here, and I agree with Aporkalypse that learning spanish would be helpful in Springdale/Rogers/Fayetteville because it IS 25% hispanic. AND because learning a foreign language will keep your brain functioning longer (think retirement age, hehe).

I agree with everything except for needing to know Spanish in Fayetteville. In Springdale there are a lot of hispanics, but Fayetteville is significantly less so. Its interesting, you can be at like Hastings or the mall and see very few hispanic people, go to Locomotion and see about a 50% increase then go right into springdale, hit sunset and see the amount increase 100%! Its just so strange, right down the road things are completely different lol.

[Aporkalypse]

Originally Posted by bchris02

This is what attracts a lot of people to NWA, especially the "shinier and newer" part which is actually just average cookie cutter suburban sprawl new to NWA but that everybody else has had all along. West Little Rock, Maumelle, and even Bryant are all sprawling and have the same attributes. There is a new upscale open-air lifestyle center going up in West Little Rock, which though is smaller than Pinnacle Hills Promenade, will be much nicer, upscale, and more specialized in retailers. My saying is if you like NWA you will like the western suburbs of Little Rock. Maumelle is very nice and shiny and has the highest per-capita income in the state. Conway is nice too but its a very long commute and with these gas prices its getting more and more impractical every day unless you are one of the few who actually works in Conway.

Driving down 71B through Springdale it doesn't look nicer or newer than any part of Little Rock, especially the similar main thoroughfares like Markham, Rodney Parham, Cantrell, Financial Centre/Chenal, University, etc.

[springdale stephanie]

Originally Posted by Aporkalypse

Driving down 71B through Springdale it doesn't look nicer or newer than any part of Little Rock, especially the similar main thoroughfares like Markham, Rodney Parham, Cantrell, Financial Centre/Chenal, University, etc.

Okay, you've definitely got me there, Aporkalypse. 71B is pretty "worn" looking. And even the Wal-Mart could use improvement. Sunset (412 W) and up 540 to Rogers are just unbelievable. All the new construction -- even the Chamber of Commerce (lowell/rogers) is incredible.

Maumelle IS shiney and new, and I lived in Conway briefly and LOVE Conway (people are so nice, and its progressive and growing), and spent 2nd-6th grade in Bryant (which has really grown). But I'm still in love with NWA. I'm so happy to have found it.

[nmnita]

First off, I don't think any part of Arkansas requires anyone to speak Spanish to communicate. Yes, the NWcorner near Springdale and Rogers have more hispanics than other parts of the state because of the chicken factories, but it isn't like living in the southwest, Florida, NY or California for sure.

We looked and research almost all parts of AR before making our choice. NW was our choice. This doesn't mean other areas are not nice, not desirable or should be avoided, but there just seemed to be something special about the NW area. Fayetteville is more diverisfied because of the university, Bentonville and Bella Vista are very family friendly. All have a lot to offer.

This is only one person's opinion.

Nita