[RogMar]

Originally Posted by tleherr

Davenport, Iowa,

Hey.....ever been to Clinton, Iowa?

I had a really, really stressful thing at work for about a week once.

My wife says...."Just get in the car...I'll drive...we'll go wherever we end up".

Sounds romantic, so I get in the car, and off we go.

I immediately fall asleep.....and wake up sometime later, and she tells me we're in Clinton, Iowa and she's looking for a hotel.

Finds one, and we spend 72 hours in Clinton.

Now....I'm like the *easiest* guy in the world to entertain, ya know?

I can watch a bug doing stupid stuff, have a cocktail, and I feel bigtime.

However when I got back, co-workers asked me where I went, and I told them.

They said....."How was it?".

I told them..."Well..they really should open up a hospice there".

"Why?"

"Because one day there seems like a lifetime".

I live on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, and it has more going on than Clinton.

[Greenmon]

We also live a gravel road, 20mins from two towns, near lakes,rivers and plenty of wildlife, we wouldn't change a thing, especially all the nice people we have met here in the last 4.5yrs we lived here,Arkansas Rules! The kids are polite, and the schools are getting higher and higher scores! Family pride is on the rise here,what a great place to live, we got lucky coming here to visit my wife's Mom before she passed on , and fell in love with it.
Mild winters too, go north just two hours and burr its much colder than here! Best Wishes, Aj and Denise

[weaverar]

There are many regions to the state and much cultural diversity. Yes, there are areas that it is true, you will not be accepted unless you join their church. But, then there are areas that are not like that at all. I have moved to Arkansas three times since 1978. I have lived in Subiaco, Bloomer, Charleston, Fayetteville, Rogers, Garfield and Berryville. I have also lived in four other states from the east coast to AZ. I keep coming back to AR and plan on staying here for the rest of my life. If a person wants openess, diversity in beliefs, and freedom to be themselves but are not interested in sane local politics, Eureka Springs is a wonderful place. There are festivals on weekends from bluegrass to blues, from Corvettes to VW weekends, from Willy Nelson to Little Feet at the Auditorium. If you are interested in country living Berryville will do you fine. You are still close enough to larger centers of culture and entertainment and airports for travel but are able to go to the local store and run into friends. You actually take the time to catch up on how things are going in their lives. The NW corner of AR is much more open to transplants than other areas that I have lived in AR. That was one of the thnigs that drew us to the area vs. the Fort Smith and east along HWY 22. The culture in that area appears to be more agricultural and closed. This is also true, in my experience,of the north central portion of AR (ie: east of Berryville). I hope that this is helpful for anyone considering moving here. I have moved 28 times in 30 years, seen alot of different types of communities, and feel the most comfortable here in AR. Everyone is different though so my advice is to do the scouting trip for at least a couple of weekends and talk to everyone that you can.

[EL DORADO BON JOVI]

I'm brand new here so I don't know if this has been discussed but here in El Dorado, we have college scholarships for EVERY student who graduates from our High School.

www.eldoradopromise.com

PS, so I'm having an issue posting this link but I bet ya'll can figure it out.

[bonnieb143]

I love Arkansas. I moved there 32 years ago from Oklahoma, and I felt at home right away. Yes, there are a lot of churches there, but that doesn't mean you have to go. I don't recall anyone ever shoving religion down my throat. I made good money there with my own business. I worked four hours a day, and I lived just fine on that! Raising a child to boot. If you want to drink, well some counties are dry, and others are not. Not a big deal. Just go down to the next county. I had children in the school system, and I loved the schools. The teachers were great. I would stay out of the rural, or country towns. But Hot Springs, Rogers, Bentonville, or those type of area are nice places to live, in my opinion. Hot Springs is very pretty. I went there years ago, and I was impressed with the beauty of the area. Good luck:-)

[tleherr]

I have never been to Clinton, but I think it is a small town close to Davenport. Iowa is a lot like Arkansas from a population standpoint. Only 2-3 cities, and lots of small towns. In my viewpoint, the big difference in the midwest and the south is that there is not as much financial diversity. There are very few poor, and very few rich. Just lower middle class, middle class & upper middle class. I liked that. The poverty in the South breaks my heart.

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by tleherr

The poverty in the South breaks my heart.

I hear ya.

One of the things that I've seen, is folks that don't farm, and work their rear-ends off for minimum wage.

No matter how how fast you swim that stream, it's still taking you backwards.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by RogMar

I hear ya.

One of the things that I've seen, is folks that don't farm, and work their rear-ends off for minimum wage.

No matter how how fast you swim that stream, it's still taking you backwards.

you can see the same poverty in NM or anywhere else, and yes, the working poor are the ones that I feel so sorry for. the answer, who knows, but it is sad.

Nita

[nerue]

The best kept secret in Arkansas...$4500 for a building lot, what a buy!!! Breaking news...Spielberg is building his billion dollar movie studio's in Branson, just a 35 minute drive away. You can count on Diamond City being the next up-scale bedroom community to Branson. Look for lot prices to explode!!!!

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by nerue

Breaking news...Spielberg is building his billion dollar movie studio's in Branson, just a 35 minute drive away.

Has anybody told Spielberg this yet?

There's a popular tale that the older folks around here like to tell with a grin.

Some years back, some guy with the last name "Disney" bought some substantial acreage in the area. Thousands of acres, I'm told.

Rumors started flying, and there goes real estate prices. Small town nearby went up for sale overnight. Small bsinesses started moving in.

Nothing ever went on that land but cattle. The small town dried up because speculators had come in, bought all the buildings, and now are holding white elephants.

It will be, for the forseeable future, what it is today.

Nothing.