[chigirl]

Hi,

I am from the Chicago area and am thinking of moving to Searcy, Ar.

I always wanted a little land and a couple of horses and it looks like I can
get a nice place for a reasonable price in Searcy.

Any local input would be appreciated

Thanks,

ChiGirl

[GBeasley]

Searcy is located in White county and almost all the people are, too.

Searcy is a very family oriented city predominated by those of the Church of Christ persuasion.

A few years ago the populace chose to boycott their first large bookstore (Books-a-Million) because somewhere on the shelves was some homoerotic literature. Books-a-Million eventually eventually closed the store and pulled out of town.

Searcy is the home of Harding University, which is a widely respected Church of Christ school. Harding fans are known to actively support their basketball program.

Overall, Searcy is a friendly, comfortable town with two sizeable hospitals. It's a lot warmer than Chicago. It's Feb 5th now, and during this unseasonably warm winter, there have been only a couple of nights when the thermometer ever reached below freezing. It's humid in the summer and we do have mosquito's but land will be cheap by Chicago standards and you will have many fellow horsemen here.

Good luck.

You have to drive about 20 minutes from Searcy to buy alcohol.

[schorfheide]

I have friends there and visited the area extensively in the 90's. The majority religion is very influential, but, it's what you make it. It's a quaint town and I personally like the area just north of there (Batesville or Heber Springs) Here's a website you can research the areas...
http://www.city-data.com/

[bluejeansok]

you are right, property still cheap here. My wife does most all of our shopping in Searcy, we live in Heber Springs. A lot of good property to just West of Searcy. [URL removed]

[MarianaB]

Searcy is a quaint growing town northeast of Little Rock. There are many small towns in the area and it is a very reasonable place to live. There are some jobs and the new growth is adding more. I like that you can be in LR in less then hour for shopping although Searcy has good shopping. A good place to live IMO.

[Rocky8Bear]

There are many good people and churches in Searcy.

The job market, in my opinion, is fairly weak. The 2 main employers are the local university and the medical profession. There are a few factories and other small businesses. Searcy has lost a few of its factories over the past couple years.

The crime rate has started to climb over the past 2-3 years. The major contributing factor is the "METH" problem. Searcy/White Co. and the surrounding counties have one of the worst "METH" problems in the country.

There are not a lot of activities to do in Searcy. Little Rock is the closest major city.

Housing is fairly reasonable, but it is climbing at a fairly rapid pace. The majority of your homes will fall in the 150K-250k range. Of course it does depend on your needs, size, and area of White Co. I would advise you to check out the MLS listings on the internet.

[mandellin]

My ex-boyfriend lived in Searcy so I spent alot of time there. I would not suggest it personally. Like formentioned, the town is controlled by Harding University...I think it is ridiculous and I am a member of the Church of Christ. They seem to have very closed minds there. I have also seen the Meth problem at the extreme. My ex lived on the outside of town close to one of the elementary schools and there was a lot of drug problems going on his apartment complex. A whole lot of meth and cocaine,but I guess that is everywhere. I think it would be what you make of it..if you want alot of land and horses-check out Beebe...it is only fifteen or twenty minutes outside of Searcy..the only bad thing is that Searcy is quicker access to Little Rock than Beebe. Beebe and El Paso seem to have more free land for horses and things like that..just my opinion..just check them out so you can make an educated decison on what is best for the things you are wanting.

[JohnN]

I'm from Chicago, now in Searcy!!
It's a quiet town, but you can have horses and such, and it's affordable.
Church of Christ isn't really that bad an influence when you think about it.

Meth is in the county, but it's everywhere in the country these days.
Not a lot to do here, socially or shopping wise. Good schools, medical.

[Jen123444]

I am looking for Fairview Park (mobile homes possibly) for rentals - can't seem to find it anywhere for a # to call. Any help would be great. Thanks.

[dsevans]

I love it here. I think Searcy is a good twn, it's bigg but not too big stuff to do, but when you get bored here just a 45 minute drive to LR and the same to Conway, good location, good schools, good churchs. Overall i say its a good community, sure it has its problems, but EVERYWHERE in the nation is facing the same problems. I have a 4 year old daughter and have to hesitations raising her here.

oh and for real estate, call either Kathi Merrit or Judy Hoggard at Remax , theyare great ladies, and will work to find the right fit for you.