[jacquelinejo]

My fiance and I are considering moving to Arkansas. Though we are both from Texas, he lived in Morrilton, AR for 8 years and attended school there. We are considering the Morrilton/Conway area but are open to suggestions.

We would like a rather small town (less than 10k) close to a larger town with shopping, museums, and fine arts. We'll need a good school district and hopefully schools that pay well as I will be an elementary teacher. A nearby library is a must. Recreation is obviously not a problem in AR and I'm used to humid weather! haha We are looking for an area with affordable housing and a relatively low crime rate.

I've lived all my life in the town we live in now, and it is a family oriented town. Everyone knows everyone and is a friendly helpful small community. That's what we're looking for in AR too.

We currently live in a town of 2100 and 10 minutes away from a town of 30,000. We are about 3 hours north of Houston. I'd like to move to somewhere similar to this, but closer to a large city such as Little Rock.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[strumpeace]

You might want to consider Greenbrier or Vilonia. Both are 3,500 or so in population, and both are within of few minutes of Conway and less than an hour from Little Rock. Both have very good school systems, though greatschools.net gives the test score edge to Vilonia. Beebe might also be a good fit for you.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of Morrilton. Unlike many of the other towns in Central Arkansas (Conway, Greenbrier, Vilonia, Cabot, Beebe, Benton, Bryant, Maumelle), Morrilton is not growing. It's pretty stagnant. The schools are considered ok at best. There are not as many amenities (shopping, restaurants, entertainment, etc.) as you might expect to find in a town that size. Of course, you might visit Morrilton and love it. It might be just what you're wanting. Who knows.

Best wishes.

[jacquelinejo]

I've visited Morrilton several times, because my fiance still lived there when we began seeing each other. I like the area, I just worry that, like you said, it may be too stagnant. It does remind me a bit of my town though.

I'll check into your suggestions, thank you!

[Stormcrow73]

If you don't mind the delta, you could look into Scott, Lonoke or even England. Lonoke I guess would be the most "suburban" with the other 2 being pretty rural even though Scott is only a stone's throw from NLR.

Personally, I'd recommend strum's suggestion of Vilonia but the above mentioned towns are there for some extra options to look into. Vilonia seems like it would be a good town to raise a family in plus you'd be really close to Pulaski county for higher paying teaching jobs.

[buddybreeze]

Pocahontas is a great place to rear children. Moderator cut: edit

[Aporkalypse]

I agree about Greenbrier and Vilonia, those are rapidly growing towns whose schools have good reputations if you really want a smaller town.

[spiritartist]

Reading all these responses makes me reconsider a move. I'm from WI and visited AR, Hot Springs, Mount Ida and then returned to WI through the western side of AR. I really liked the area and want to relocate. If I wanted access to good organic, natural foods, wanted small town quiet, and a customer base open to alternative health, (Reiki), and I'm also an artist. Is there any place in AR where I would fit in? I appreciate honest responses, no bashing. Thanks

[SwinerBock]

Originally Posted by spiritartist

Reading all these responses makes me reconsider a move. I'm from WI and visited AR, Hot Springs, Mount Ida and then returned to WI through the western side of AR. I really liked the area and want to relocate. If I wanted access to good organic, natural foods, wanted small town quiet, and a customer base open to alternative health, (Reiki), and I'm also an artist. Is there any place in AR where I would fit in? I appreciate honest responses, no bashing. Thanks

Northwest Arkansas, specifically the Eureka Springs area, would probably be your best fit. Eureka Springs is a pretty open-minded bunch, supports the arts, and is a popular tourist destination. And with the UofA over in Fayetteville and their Agriculture school, I'd be willing to bet you could find all sorts of organics in that part of the state.

[DC at the Ridge]

I was thinking Eureka Spg would fit in well with the alternative healing and the artist needs, but it's so seasonal there. Rogers has a grocery store with organic, natural foods, and so does Fayetteville. Plus Fayetteville has the co-op, too. Prairie Grove is a really nice small town within minutes of Fayetteville that might actually be ideal if the OP were open to working in Fayetteville.

[spiritartist]

Originally Posted by SwinerBock

Northwest Arkansas, specifically the Eureka Springs area, would probably be your best fit. Eureka Springs is a pretty open-minded bunch, supports the arts, and is a popular tourist destination. And with the UofA over in Fayetteville and their Agriculture school, I'd be willing to bet you could find all sorts of organics in that part of the state.

Thanks for the info