[Popeye]

Hi All,
Reading lots of threads on this site kind of depresses me. For every ONE good review of the state you live in, there are FIVE that are negative. Arkansas has beautiful countryside from what I’ve seen, low taxes and good weather. It seems that the problem is the people who live there. Dose everyone expect people in the street to be happy and cheerful when you go round with long faces.
If we all go round happy with happy smiling faces being respectful to each other it actually becomes infectious and the world would be a better place, leave your problems at home, or better still, sort them out. ITS UP TO YOU GOOD PEOPLE TO CHANGE THINGS. For any of you that think I am some sort of religious nut, I am not. My philosophy is, each to their own but there is no point being miserable about it.
I live in the UK and want to live in Arkansas. Can anyone give me an opinion about the Crossett area that won’t make me feel like pulling a gun on myself.
Love to you All.
Popeye.

[CorpITGuy]

Stick to Northwest or Central Arkansas. Both have a lot to offer. The countryside is prettier than South Arkansas, the economies are better and the cities nearby (Fayetteville in Northwest, Little Rock in Central) will keep you sane every now and then if you want to come into the city for the day.

I run into lots of UK transplants in Little Rock.

[junkman18]

Originally Posted by Popeye

Hi All,
Reading lots of threads on this site kind of depresses me. For every ONE good review of the state you live in, there are FIVE that are negative. Arkansas has beautiful countryside from what I’ve seen, low taxes and good weather. It seems that the problem is the people who live there. Dose everyone expect people in the street to be happy and cheerful when you go round with long faces.
If we all go round happy with happy smiling faces being respectful to each other it actually becomes infectious and the world would be a better place, leave your problems at home, or better still, sort them out. ITS UP TO YOU GOOD PEOPLE TO CHANGE THINGS. For any of you that think I am some sort of religious nut, I am not. My philosophy is, each to their own but there is no point being miserable about it.
I live in the UK and want to live in Arkansas. Can anyone give me an opinion about the Crossett area that won’t make me feel like pulling a gun on myself.
Love to you All.
Popeye.

For all the people that don't like it here in Arkansas, Move to California. Then you will have something to camplain about. I for one love it here.

[woopig_sooie]

The only good thing I know about Crossett is that the hunting is pretty good in the area! I don't know if that matters to you, but its the only reason, other than work, that I visit Crossett.

[Grani]

Grani is happy living in Arkansas too. I live in the northeast corner, where a lot of the land was swamp land. They built levies, drainage ditches and drained the water off. It exposed some of the most fertile land in Arkansas. There's nothing any more beautiful than fields of white cotton in the fall.

As for the weather, we're having one of the coldest winters, that I can remember in a long time. I don't care for the months of July and August, because of the heat. But that's because of my health, it doesn't bother my husband at all. In fact, he says he loves it.

As for bugs. Well, don't every state have them? Mosquitoes, I hate them. But if the city you live in sprays for them, then their not bad.

Popeye is right about the people. Its all in the attitude. Also, all the people have been under a lot of stress since 911. It effected some more than others. And the war going on. The people that are grouchy may have family fighting in this war. We never know what someone has to endure in life, until we get to know them. I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. 90% of the time I find they're nice people, once I get to know them. Of course, there are some that enjoy being nasty. I stay away from the ones like that.

[chips_a_hoy53]

Does anybody know what the income guidelines are for Arkansas concerning the Section 8 housing program for low income families?

Sincerely,
chips_a_hoy53

[lindata]

My husband worked in Arkansas all last summer and he said the people there are so friendly, he'll know I'll like it there. (I don't tend to get along with most people, so Arkansonians must be pretty friendly! )

This seems to be an area still has a lot of warm, genuine, friendly people, all mixed up in a beautiful landscape. What's not to like? I wouldn't be moving there otherwise.

(As for the mosquitos everyone has been talking about, quite frankly, I know for a FACT you guys haven't seen anything if you have never been to northern Saskatchewan. You guys like fishing, come take a fishing trip up here and see what the mosquitoes are like. I think they've morphed into some kind of a insect/bird species, the Saskatchewanian mosquitoian.)

[puckett]

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH i feel really sorry for you I am so so so so sorry!!! Crossett is not the best of places!!!! Can I suggest another town maybe in arkansas for you if not Good luck with that.

[endlosung]

I am in Harrison as I type, spending a month here after a month spent in hot springs, Harrison is a white mans dream, they still go by the laws started in 1905 race riots that drove out the blacks. sundown laws. "****** don't let the sun go down on you in Harrison. "
I have found being from the north that you get a feeling of "you don't fit in here" Not as friendly as other cities I have been in.
I talked to many who have moved here and heard many stories about kids not being accepted in the "click" in schools. I see that it is a growing place as fed x has made a regional hub here. also there seems to be a lot of people who retire here. Eventually this will change the area, I have seen the old-timers try to hold on to the old ways and loose every time. Time has a way of wearing down everything.
If you want that southern welcome hope you-all stick around, this is not the place for you.
The country side is some of the best I have seen and would venture to say it is the best in Arkansas.
Mountain top views are a dime a dozen, although you can not purchase them for that.
Property is all over the board, I found a home appx 15 min from Harrison new with finished basement for 199k and worth it. on 5 ac. then I was shown a home that should be torn down or at least done makeover on, on 2 ac. for 219k, the owners were true "hillbilly's" when the realtor drove down this long unkept drive, there were 2 dogs running around out side, a rat, yes you read right a "rat" on the step, two more dogs inside with one in a cage. unfinished and unkept home that made me want to wash up after I left.
They really thought they had something.
I was shown property that the owner wants 10k an acre for, lol, out of his mind.
I was shown a new home just outside of Bergman,[appx. 10 miles north of Harrison] this builder had no clue, he had a home that the laminate had glue all over the floor, ceramic tile laid on the OSB, that will last all of 6 months,
a kitchen that has less cupboard space than my 24 foot travel trailer, the only redeeming factor of this thing was it has a great view. but the road to get to is was 2 miles of red clay dirt. all this for 169k, The homes I talked about in the beginning were of high quality and worth the $, the builder knew his job. I have been in and around the residential building game my whole life so I know what I am looking at.
You need to watch as some of these people should have their hammers taken away.
I do feel that there is a bubble in home prices here and if you buy in some of these areas in Arkansas believe me when I say that you will be buying at the high end of the market and may not be able to get you $ back soon.
The market here could go higher here, but when the money runs out and it always runs out, you may have to wait several years till the nest upturn, any one who wants to argue with me just look at California, they thumbed their noses at the rest of the usa when the last big recession hit in the late 70s and early 80s, now they are bleeding badly.
Real estate is a commodity and the value goes up and goes down.

[Crossett Native]

I grew up in Crossett and don't live there now because work took me elsewhere. Crossett has transitioned over the years, it used to be a corporate regional headquarters for Georgia Pacific. In the early 90's the regional headquarters was transitioned to the main corporate headquarters. Since then, many of the high paying corporate type white collar jobs have left. There are still a lot of jobs at the GP manufacturing facilities in the town (although I don't know if they are hiring). I have many good friends there and will be visiting next week.

As to education in the area, I am a product of Crossett High and my wife and I went to the University of Arkansas at Monticello - UAM. Both of us are proud Alumni and we get together annually with many of our friends we met there. Not only is it a good teacher college, it has a top flight forestry school. The students from the forestry school annually compete in techincal and physical (like log chopping) events against students from other forestry schools in the south (like Georgia, North Carolina State, Texas A&M to name a few) in an annual competition called Conclave. More often than not, the UAM foresters win. I am a forestry graduate and many of the leaders in the southern (and national) forestry profession are UAM graduates.

So, if you want to move to Crossett you will find a typical quiet southern town that is in the heart of the piney woods in south east Arkansas. The nearest larger town is probably Monroe, LA at 60 minutes south; with Eldorado, AR being 45 minutes west. Like most places, there will be good and bad; but the good will far outweigh the bad. Basically, it will be what you make of it.

Finally, while I don't live in Arkansas, I still love it and go back often. I have a lot of family and extended family who live there. It is a diverse state, from the quiet country towns to the growing areas (such as Fayetteville to Bentonville corridor) there is some place for every one. If you like mountains go to west and north Arkansas. If you like rolling pastoral terrain with acre after acre of woods, go to south east Arkansas. If you like the old southern charm, go to the Arkansas delta. Frankly, I'd like to retire in Lake Village, AR. You can buy lakeside real estate relatively cheaply, they have good medical care, and folks care about each other.

I guess I ramble on, but this hit my hot button. It is always easy to find something negative, that is the way many humans are. But, if you look you can find the beauty.