[MyCitySearchName]

I've spent several months looking at places to move and finally picked one
.....but I have a few concerns about it and I am just snooping around for other areas to compare it to.

I chose Floyd, VA.....but the taxes and government intrusion there scare me a little,
otherwise it meets all of my requirements. I don't know much about Arkansas, but Mountain Home sounds kinda nice.
Anyone on these forums familiar with it?

looking for:
*low cost of living
*small government, mostly conservative.....with LOW TAXES. I'm wanting to make my next move permanent.
*low crime rate
*gun friendly
*pet friendly
*pretty scenery, with low cost acreage available near near water...MILD climate....not extreme either way
.....I do like to play in snow occasionally and prefer rolling foothills near mountains.
I also like hunting, kayaking and rock climbing.
*rural, yet vibrant community with artists, artisans, self-reliant homesteader types and musicians....within a 30 min.
drive of a larger community (30k to 150k people) for business/shopping purposes
*access to organic produce, meat and goat's milk
*no big box stores or blacktop jungles. I like a town with some character, slow pace of life and interesting architecture.
*a decent hardware store and a nice restaurant or two.
*NOT a dry county, I like wine with dinner.

Choices so far have been:
#1 Floyd or Boones Mill, VA
#2 Townsend, Tullahoma, Clarksville or Johnson City, TN
#3 Mountain Home, Eureka Springs or outskirts of Fort Smith or Fayetteville, AR
#4 Corvallis, Coos Bay, Roseburg, Astoria, Seaside or La Pine, OR
#5 Florence, Rock City, Gadsden or Mentone, Alabama
#6 Coeur D'Alene, Idaho
#6 Poteau, OK

Any other recommendations would be welcome.

Not sure of all that Mt. Home offers, but it sounds nice.

Also....about the weather.

The weather seems much less amicable in the summer in the Ozarks, with more bugs, more humidity, and they seem to get get very little snow, but a lot of ice in the winter. Can anyone help me out here? Have any of you ever lived in SW Virginia/NE Tennessee AND NW or NC Arkansas/East Oklahoma and can compare the 2 areas?

[bchris02]

Fayetteville, AR is the best place to live out of the Arkansas places you mentioned. Mt. Home is way far from real civilization, and Fort Smith is dying because they are TOO conservative. Living in a small town outside Fayetteville or Springdale would be your best choice, and would give you the best of both worlds.

[MyCitySearchName]

Thanks for that....I'll look a little harder at it.......how is the weather there compared to the Appalachians?
I would really prefer a rural area like Mt. Home...I just need the larger community for business.

[mlrfo4]

From Mountain Home, you could be in Branson or Springfield Missouri in less then one and a half hours. A lot of what you want is here. The summers aren't that bad. Humidity is here, but not as bad as some places.

[prowler]

I spent a few days looking around the Mountain Home - Mountain View area last summer and couldn't believe the contrast between lifestyles of our current home in Indiana and that of north central Arkansas. Anyone used to close schedules and high intensity had better rethink moving to this area. That being said, the folks are friendly and accommodating and the countryside is beautiful (IMO).

I inquired about new home construction in/around Oxford, and was advised that a manufactured home may be a more plausible option than building, since contractors in the area are relatively scarce. The concept of meeting redi-mix trucks and gravel trucks along the highways ... and the idea of finding Home Depot/Lowes access is nonexistent. This laid-back atmosphere was truly inviting to a retired codger like myself. It is amazing how differently people live in various spots across the Country. We plan to revisit Arkansas soon.

[ARNURSE]

Have you looked at Greers Ferry lake. We live here it is just as pretty. But not as many people. Heber Springs is growing. We are in a dry county but we have private dinner clubs, and Wet is not that far of a drive. I actually live across the street from the lake. we are probly going to sell soon. My husband is a builder and we wont to build a bigger home. We have outgrown our2300 sq ft. Mt. Home is nice, but we ran into som really rude people there. Mt. home is about 1 1/2 hr. from us. I did like mt. home though.

[ARNURSE]

We have mainly retired people here. Our school in greers ferry is small less than 700 kids k-12. We were excited to get our first sonic. About 1 hr. from most larger areas. 1& 1/2 hour from Little Rock.

[MyCitySearchName]

Originally Posted by ARNURSE

Have you looked at Greers Ferry lake. We live here it is just as pretty. But not as many people. Heber Springs is growing. We are in a dry county but we have private dinner clubs, and Wet is not that far of a drive. I actually live across the street from the lake. we are probly going to sell soon. My husband is a builder and we wont to build a bigger home. We have outgrown our2300 sq ft. Mt. Home is nice, but we ran into som really rude people there. Mt. home is about 1 1/2 hr. from us. I did like mt. home though.

Thank you...no, I hadn't considered Greers Ferry Lake. I'll check it out. I took an interest in Eureka Springs because of the architecture...but I heard it was touristy and a little expensive....anybody live there?

The slow paced rural life is exactly what I'm after. The thing I'm interested in is how the climate compares to the Mountains of VA and TN.......and the bugs. I heard the chiggers, ticks, and mosquitoes and such can be a problem depending on where you are.

I also am curious if there are local live music gatherings and organic produce available. I have little-to-no interest in Branson for entertainment. To many people, traffic, etc.

I know property taxes there are low....how about the other stuff?.....I heard the car taxes and stuff can be kind of a pain.

With regards to the Fort Smith area.....is there anything on the Oklahoma side of things that would be worth looking at?.....I know there taxes are lower overall....but I've had zero input on the communities there.

[Dublin]

Eureka Springs does attract a lot of tourists, but there is a lot of land out there that is just waiting to be built on/or already have homes. You can get land pretty cheap away from the downtown area, and still be close to the local marts, shops, and action. Traffic isn't too bad, you just gotta get use to hills/sharp turns and tourists who don't know how to drive on them.

In the mountains, it's not so bad. It will get hot, but not as hot as Fayetteville or Fort smith. Winter can make it hard to get around on the roads, but it's a magical place when the snows come in. In the summer there are some thunderstorms that come in and cool things off, and the fall is beautiful with the leaves.

Since Eureka Springs is in the mountains, standing puddles and dripping rocks make an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. You get a good amount of snakes and ticks if you go hiking on uncut land, but nothing too bad.

What is great about ES is you have the country/rural land, but you can go into downtown and feel like your in the city.. but a friendly city. A city were shop keepers remember you and call you in for a cup of coffee to chat over the "happenings" of the town and gossip.

I love reading the ES paper, as they list EVERY police report.. which comes around to being like five reports. "Mrs. So-and-so called to say someones dog dug up her roses".

Also ES is not a dry county, so you won't have to worry about that.

[MyCitySearchName]

wow...thats the first good thing I've read about Eureka Springs from the members here. Thanks Dublin.