[Houston parent]

I've never been to Searcy, but it seems like a nice place. I stumbled across some info on Harding University, and then the town. Anybody have first-hand info on the area (as a place to live)? For perspective, I am married & have three young kids. Both my wife and I are white collar professionals from Texas.

[LordHelmit]

It's boring. Very boring. Small. Nothing to do. No diversity, and a lot of racists. There's literally nothing to do in Searcy. Don't put your kids through it. Conway also has a few colleges and it is larger, more diversified, and more interesting. I would recommend Conway before Searcy any day. I'd even recommend Cabot before Searcy simply because it is closer to LR and has a few amenities. One thing I will say though is Searcy is very safe. You won't have to be paranoid driving through your neighborhood at 1AM or anything.

[northbound74]

I've known people who have gone to Harding, and it seems pretty tame by university standards.
If Harding appeals to you, then so will Searcy. More conservative and mild-mannered people rave about Harding, crunchy liberal-types find it stifling. Searcy as a whole would be the same way.
The town isn't much different than any other similarly-sized place in Arkansas. Not bad, nothing overly special.
In response to post #2, racism and/or bigotry exists everywhere on planet earth, but it plays itself out differently from one culture to the next. Not something I'd be overly concerned with in Searcy.
Sleepy, not much to do if you're into big city cultural things. It's close to Little Rock which isn't spectacular, but the best Arkansas has to offer for that type of stuff.
Searcy is also at the doorstep of the Ozarks for outdoorsy things to do.

[Houston parent]

My priorities are: clean, safe, wholesome place to raise kids. I've lived most of my life in very large cities, and almost never visit things like pro sports venues, museums, symphony, etc. For the few times a decade I would visit those, we can do so on vacation trips.

Anybody know if Harding Academy (PK-12) has good academics?

[LordHelmit]

Originally Posted by northbound74

I've known people who have gone to Harding, and it seems pretty tame by university standards.
If Harding appeals to you, then so will Searcy. More conservative and mild-mannered people rave about Harding, crunchy liberal-types find it stifling. Searcy as a whole would be the same way.
The town isn't much different than any other similarly-sized place in Arkansas. Not bad, nothing overly special.
In response to post #2, racism and/or bigotry exists everywhere on planet earth, but it plays itself out differently from one culture to the next. Not something I'd be overly concerned with in Searcy.
Sleepy, not much to do if you're into big city cultural things. It's close to Little Rock which isn't spectacular, but the best Arkansas has to offer for that type of stuff.
Searcy is also at the doorstep of the Ozarks for outdoorsy things to do.

Ever been to Searcy? True, racism exists everywhere - never denied that. It is, however, much more prevalent in Searcy than anywhere else I've ever lived. Well, except Cabot.

Originally Posted by Houston parent

My priorities are: clean, safe, wholesome place to raise kids. I've lived most of my life in very large cities, and almost never visit things like pro sports venues, museums, symphony, etc. For the few times a decade I would visit those, we can do so on vacation trips.

Anybody know if Harding Academy (PK-12) has good academics?

Well, in that case, Searcy is indeed all of that. Clean, safe, good ol' little southern American town. If you don't need many amenities, Searcy will do you fine. I don't know anything about Harding Academy but I can assume its academics are at least slightly above average.

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by LordHelmit

It is, however, much more prevalent in Searcy than anywhere else I've ever lived. Well, except Cabot.

Take a trip to the delta for awhile.

You can get some great ribs & greens, if you live through it.

[Houston parent]

Well we finally had a chance to visit Searcy last week and I will say both the town and the college were even nicer than I was expecting. It didn't feel as small as the population would suggest. Plenty of restaurants, retail, etc. Some decent parks, a couple of really nice neighborhoods that were still reasonably priced. Everybody we met was pretty friendly. Had dinner at a pretty good Italian restaurant there. Seemed very wholesome.

[Hollynla]

Great news, it's always nice when a place actually exceeds your expectations.

[explorearkansas]

Good for you. I always recommend visiting potential relocation points multiple times before deciding if possible. Reading posts on a forum can provide very good information. However, there are as many opinions as there are people. Always best to visit for an evaluation from your own perspective. Wife and I are in the process of exploring potential retirement locations. Our ideal dream spot would be a nightmare for many.

K

[newsites]

Originally Posted by RogMar

Take a trip to the delta for awhile.

You can get some great ribs & greens, if you live through it.

RogMar..........
After living in Chicago for many years, I found people bring hatred on them selves.
Who the hell wants to live with Law breakers, drug users, pimps, thieves, illiterates, lazy degenerates.
Just the reason flee big cities !!