Mena--opinions? (Fort Smith, Hot Springs: hotels, jobs, homes)

[bk21]

We are considering a move sometime in 2007 from New Mexico to Mena. We have visited several times, and like it. Does anyone have any opinions to share? good or bad---

We have 3 high school aged children-any thoughts on the high school?

thanks

[patsykline]

Originally Posted by bk21

We are considering a move sometime in 2007 from New Mexico to Mena. We have visited several times, and like it. Does anyone have any opinions to share? good or bad---

We have 3 high school aged children-any thoughts on the high school?

thanks

My husband & I are also considering a move to Mena, it took us only a 4
day visit this past October to convince us to make the transition from
California to Arkansas, not to mention that close friends have also retired
to Mena. We have located a home we are quite interested in purchasing
once our home sells here in CA. Homes sell quite rapidly in Mena, most of
the ones we looked into have already sold within the last 3 mos. hopefully
the one I want will still be on the market the next 3 to 6 mos. Good luck
to you

[Southern Girl]

Mena High School has a good reputation. It's a great small town area. May not have as much night life as your children would like.

[bk21]

Has there been much growth (change) lately, or is it projected?

I'd love to know more about the high school.

[Ravenasque]

I live outside of Mena Arkansas. I have a post with a lot of replies on the sticky for this forum if you want more info on other locations and most of this region. ("Best place to live in Arkansas?" post)

The High School is very small, differing opinions from people about it, a lot of my close friends said they hated the school. I don't see much wrong with it, but I never attended the school so I don't know from personal experience. (the high school) The town pretty much shuts down after 9pm, so if you have high school kids or are fairly young yourself, you may find yourself lacking in things to do. It has the basic Southern small-town atmosphere. I don't see much growth, if anything the town is in a kind of decline. But that's just my opinion, I don't have any empirical evidence to prove such. I don't think it's a good place to live unless you like seclusion, or are retiring. It's hard to find jobs to support yourself unless you drive to Hot Springs, Oklahoma or Fort Smith.

Mena does however have a community college and a beauty college if either of those match any interests you may have. The community college is called Rich Mountain Community College and is easy to find on a basic website search through google or other search engines. RMCC is a very small campus and doesn't offer a whole lot of things most colleges offer, but they're still pretty good. If you have further questions PM me and I'll give you some advice.

[bk21]

Ravenasque---are you aware of the projected I-49 highway? What is the local talk about it? Will it change the area.

We are retired,so jobs aren't an issue. We have always encouraged our children to go away from a small town, get an education, and then return if they choose. shutting down at 9:00 is what we are used to currently--that's okay....we want privacy, seclution, and a friendly atmosphere.

Any opinions are welcome.

[Ravenasque]

Yes, there's always something being projected in Arkansas. It tends to be something far off. With the way Mena is ran, I would not doubt such projections are in the very distant future.

But on the other hand, if you like the secluded and retirement atmosphere, its quite alright. Teenagers and Young Adults will not find a lot to do here. The ones I have known tend to get in a lot of trouble due to the lack of other things to do. There's a couple problems though that you may face, I don't know if you know about them:

1. The roads are pretty bad... year round. (they tend to have huge potholes and sinkholes for awhile, esp. if you live outside of the city limits)

2. Its VERY humid here. If you haven't been here for the summer, I'd suggest strongly to visit then, because it is the worst time of the year arguably, so if you can stand the worst, you should be alright. I'd say late July or early August to experience the heat. I came from CA so I am used to the dry heat, the humidity is something that I find hard to deal with.

The other things, the ice snaps, aren't too bad, but at times you can literally be stuck at home. A lot of people around here have a generator because the power can go out at bad times.

[bk21]

thanks for the information... We come from a small town so some of the problems are familiar ( lack of activities, alcohol, etc). I think that is true of any small town, whether it be in California, Arkansas, or Maine. We have decided that we really like Mena, but are concerned about the highway and the "yuck" that comes with it---development, pollution, etc. But if it is in the FAR future maybe we shouldn't worry.

[mlrfo4]

Originally Posted by Ravenasque

Yes, there's always something being projected in Arkansas. It tends to be something far off. With the way Mena is ran, I would not doubt such projections are in the very distant future.

But on the other hand, if you like the secluded and retirement atmosphere, its quite alright. Teenagers and Young Adults will not find a lot to do here. The ones I have known tend to get in a lot of trouble due to the lack of other things to do. There's a couple problems though that you may face, I don't know if you know about them:

1. The roads are pretty bad... year round. (they tend to have huge potholes and sinkholes for awhile, esp. if you live outside of the city limits)

2. Its VERY humid here. If you haven't been here for the summer, I'd suggest strongly to visit then, because it is the worst time of the year arguably, so if you can stand the worst, you should be alright. I'd say late July or early August to experience the heat. I came from CA so I am used to the dry heat, the humidity is something that I find hard to deal with.

The other things, the ice snaps, aren't too bad, but at times you can literally be stuck at home. A lot of people around here have a generator because the power can go out at bad times.

I think she was asking about the HWY........and you wonder why people go after you.

[CorpITGuy]

The I-49 project will bring business right along the freeway, but noise pollution is the only problem I would expect more than a few hundred feet from the freeway itself.

In general, I-49 will be good. It will bring a few more restaurants, hotels, etc. to help the local economy. It will also give you a faster way to get to Northwest Arkansas, where you'll want to spend some time shopping, enjoying the outdoors, etc.