[weaverar]

Originally Posted by LiveTodayLez08

The scenery?
Job promotion?
Military?
Your family lives here?
You've lived here all your life and haven't had the chance to move/don't want to move?

Just wondering.

There are many reasons that I call Arkansas home. I have seen many different places, both urban (Tucson, AZ) and rural (Caratunk, ME, population 93).

I have moved over 30 times in my life. I am not attached to the military and they were not job relocations. I currently live just outside of the NWA region (to the east) and I hope that I never have to move again. Never say never though.

Now I'll get back to the thread. These reasons are not in any particular order.

The pace of life or maybe it should be called the attitude toward life. Basically it is this: it will get done when it gets done. I think this attitude comes from people having different priorities in their lives. We have had visitors from the east coast and it drives them crazy. People stop and visit with their neighbors in the grocery stores or in the middle of the street in their cars.
Then too we have had visitors from the high desert country and it is faster here than there. You mainly have "mañana attitude" there.

The crime rate is practically nonexistent in comparison to where we came from and is more in line to where we grew up (rural New England). After spending seven years in Tucson, AZ with our doors locked 24/7 we moved here where a lot of people don't even have locks on their doors and leave the keys in their cars 24/7. Yes, we have crime, mostly alcohol/drug related or hot checks. We did get away from the gangs, drive by shootings, and the 90+ homicides/yr by living in a rural town.

The natural beauty of the Ozarks Region. The forests, rivers, lakes, rolling hills, bluffs, caves, and fields. The clouds, sunsets and rainbows. The thunder storms and snow.

The natural bounty of the Ozarks Region. The blueberries, black raspberries, apples, peaches, trout. Also, the bounty of farmers markets since I currently don't have a vege garden.

The abundance of wildlife. I love to see the geese, bald eagles and the many other birds that migrate through the region. I never tire seeing the red and gray foxes, raccoons, and armadillos (refer to Arkie joke at end). There is an abundance of deer and elk. The elk remind me of the moose from my home state.

The attitude of self sufficiency. I did not grow up in a poor family. I have had times in my life that I have lived below the poverty level though. I respect those that are self sufficient in such times. I think that it is a dieing art and I fear that today's society may have a rude awakening with the economy heading in the direction that it currently appears to be heading. I am glad that I am here where I will be able to practice subsistence living if it comes to that in the future.

The great winding highways. These are very much like the roads in the northeast without the frost heaves and pot holes. I never have seen paved roads that are so well maintained. Love to go out for a motorcycle ride down Hwy 23 (The Pig Trail) or across Hwy 62. These are great too in any car that has a sport handling package!

The mild seasonal changes that are found in the Ozarks Region. Because I grew up in NH I am accustomed to seasonal changes. I did not like the harshness of the winters in NH/ME. I also did not like the two weeks of summer there. Here we have a more evenly spread of seasons without the harshness and the feeling that winter will never end. We also have a wonderful spring season and a wonderful fall season which happen to be my favorites. In connection to the above - subsistence living is easier with the milder climate.

The abundance of sunshine without the blast furnace feeling of the desert regions of the southwest. Concord NH enjoys an annual average of 54% of possible sunshine while Fort Smith AR enjoys an annual average of 61%. If you have lived in a region that has gray dull days for weeks on end you apprciate the sunshine.

The ruralness of the area. I love to drive around the area and see the variety of the barns. It speaks to the diversity of the people that have settled the Ozark Region. The ability to live in a small town but drive an hour to shopping, theater, and museums.

Please don't misunderstand me. The above things can be found in other areas of the country but we found it all in one place and love it.

It fits us. It may not fit you.


Arkie joke:
Why did the chicken cross the street?
To show the armadillo that it could be done!
(HINT - if you live in cold country there are flattened armadillos all over down here)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by weaverar

There are many reasons that I call Arkansas home. I have seen many different places, both urban (Tucson, AZ) and rural (Caratunk, ME, population 93).

I have moved over 30 times in my life. I am not attached to the military and they were not job relocations. I currently live just outside of the NWA region (to the east) and I hope that I never have to move again. Never say never though.

Now I'll get back to the thread. These reasons are not in any particular order.

The pace of life or maybe it should be called the attitude toward life. Basically it is this: it will get done when it gets done. I think this attitude comes from people having different priorities in their lives. We have had visitors from the east coast and it drives them crazy. People stop and visit with their neighbors in the grocery stores or in the middle of the street in their cars.
Then too we have had visitors from the high desert country and it is faster here than there. You mainly have "mañana attitude" there.

The crime rate is practically nonexistent in comparison to where we came from and is more in line to where we grew up (rural New England). After spending seven years in Tucson, AZ with our doors locked 24/7 we moved here where a lot of people don't even have locks on their doors and leave the keys in their cars 24/7. Yes, we have crime, mostly alcohol/drug related or hot checks. We did get away from the gangs, drive by shootings, and the 90+ homicides/yr by living in a rural town.

The natural beauty of the Ozarks Region. The forests, rivers, lakes, rolling hills, bluffs, caves, and fields. The clouds, sunsets and rainbows. The thunder storms and snow.

The natural bounty of the Ozarks Region. The blueberries, black raspberries, apples, peaches, trout. Also, the bounty of farmers markets since I currently don't have a vege garden.

The abundance of wildlife. I love to see the geese, bald eagles and the many other birds that migrate through the region. I never tire seeing the red and gray foxes, raccoons, and armadillos (refer to Arkie joke at end). There is an abundance of deer and elk. The elk remind me of the moose from my home state.

The attitude of self sufficiency. I did not grow up in a poor family. I have had times in my life that I have lived below the poverty level though. I respect those that are self sufficient in such times. I think that it is a dieing art and I fear that today's society may have a rude awakening with the economy heading in the direction that it currently appears to be heading. I am glad that I am here where I will be able to practice subsistence living if it comes to that in the future.

The great winding highways. These are very much like the roads in the northeast without the frost heaves and pot holes. I never have seen paved roads that are so well maintained. Love to go out for a motorcycle ride down Hwy 23 (The Pig Trail) or across Hwy 62. These are great too in any car that has a sport handling package!

The mild seasonal changes that are found in the Ozarks Region. Because I grew up in NH I am accustomed to seasonal changes. I did not like the harshness of the winters in NH/ME. I also did not like the two weeks of summer there. Here we have a more evenly spread of seasons without the harshness and the feeling that winter will never end. We also have a wonderful spring season and a wonderful fall season which happen to be my favorites. In connection to the above - subsistence living is easier with the milder climate.

The abundance of sunshine without the blast furnace feeling of the desert regions of the southwest. Concord NH enjoys an annual average of 54% of possible sunshine while Fort Smith AR enjoys an annual average of 61%. If you have lived in a region that has gray dull days for weeks on end you apprciate the sunshine.

The ruralness of the area. I love to drive around the area and see the variety of the barns. It speaks to the diversity of the people that have settled the Ozark Region. The ability to live in a small town but drive an hour to shopping, theater, and museums.

Please don't misunderstand me. The above things can be found in other areas of the country but we found it all in one place and love it.

It fits us. It may not fit you.


Arkie joke:
Why did the chicken cross the street?
To show the armadillo that it could be done!
(HINT - if you live in cold country there are flattened armadillos all over down here)

love the joke, I wonder if Armadillos were born to see how quickly they could get hit?

NIta

[Aporkalypse]

Originally Posted by GetmeoutofAR

I agree "Arkansas Democrats" are basically Republicans

Except for Vic Snyder. He's a liberal any way you slice it but Pulaski Co comprises most of his district.

[johncronejr]

Arkansas has been my home for 43 years (all of my life). I have tried out a few other places like FL(Orlando), KY(Lexington), and TX(Austin). No doubt, there were some things I really enjoyed about the other areas, especially Austin, but it was just not HOME. I know of no state that is more beautiful than Arkansas, some may have an equal but different beauty, but none MORE beautiful. I like the mixture of woodlands, lakes, rivers, mountains and delta. I like the country folks, yes even the LR folks are country compared to Minneapolis so my wife says. I love the Razorbacks and the fanmania that surrounds them. I love the familiarity that I have with Central Arkansas having lived here all my years. I love my college, the University of Central Arkansas; sure it may not wow many other folks, but it is a nice sized smaller school with a beautiful campus and great staff (and ya gotta love the Purple Bear). My wife who is from the North (damn yankee as we call them..LOL), was sold on the people here when one time not long after she moved here and we were dating, we went to eat at the Quitman Catfish Barn. The place was unbelievably busy and all tables were full. As we looked around contemplating whther to stay or go, a couple sitting at a table for four asked us if we would like to share their table. My wife was hesitant (they just didnt do that up North apparently), but I accepted their offer. We had a great time talking with the folks and enjoyed our evening. Thats Arkansas for you.

I do wish we had a lottery (and looks like we may get one now) and I wish that we weren't seen as near the bottom in many economic/educational categories (although we are near the top in the area of corporal punishment in schools...LOL). Things will get better in all areas, its just a matter of getting more and more progressive thinkers in leadership positions of the state/cities.

I could live anywhere I want. I choose Arkansas. It is my home. There my be times that I am frustrated with it or critical of it, but like a member of my family, I will always love Arkansas.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by johncronejr

Arkansas has been my home for 43 years (all of my life). I have tried out a few other places like FL(Orlando), KY(Lexington), and TX(Austin). No doubt, there were some things I really enjoyed about the other areas, especially Austin, but it was just not HOME. I know of no state that is more beautiful than Arkansas, some may have an equal but different beauty, but none MORE beautiful. I like the mixture of woodlands, lakes, rivers, mountains and delta. I like the country folks, yes even the LR folks are country compared to Minneapolis so my wife says. I love the Razorbacks and the fanmania that surrounds them. I love the familiarity that I have with Central Arkansas having lived here all my years. I love my college, the University of Central Arkansas; sure it may not wow many other folks, but it is a nice sized smaller school with a beautiful campus and great staff (and ya gotta love the Purple Bear). My wife who is from the North (damn yankee as we call them..LOL), was sold on the people here when one time not long after she moved here and we were dating, we went to eat at the Quitman Catfish Barn. The place was unbelievably busy and all tables were full. As we looked around contemplating whther to stay or go, a couple sitting at a table for four asked us if we would like to share their table. My wife was hesitant (they just didnt do that up North apparently), but I accepted their offer. We had a great time talking with the folks and enjoyed our evening. Thats Arkansas for you.

I do wish we had a lottery (and looks like we may get one now) and I wish that we weren't seen as near the bottom in many economic/educational categories (although we are near the top in the area of corporal punishment in schools...LOL). Things will get better in all areas, its just a matter of getting more and more progressive thinkers in leadership positions of the state/cities.

I could live anywhere I want. I choose Arkansas. It is my home. There my be times that I am frustrated with it or critical of it, but like a member of my family, I will always love Arkansas.

so true, nothing is perfect and even after only 6 months here, there are things I am not totally excited about, but it is home for us and we wish we had made the move years ago. Of course, I can say thet, but in all reality everyplace has been an experience. Had we chosen AR sooner we wouldn't have had those experiences.

Nita

[fancygal]

Arkansas is just terrible. really, really, really bad. you absolutely do not want to live here ever, ever. it is just awful. (wink, wink)
stay far, far away from this horrid, horrible place. (wink, wink again)

[Fasder]

I miss living in Arkansas, as it was my home for 30 plus years, and core to my values/family life/education/friends.

However, it's a hard place to make a living in the computer industry, and certainly when I started out ... nothing was available for me. Dallas though, had wide open industry in computer field, lots of jobs, and was close to home/family/friends.

But back on the point,

On the scenery: Arkansas is a state of contrasts, between the forest hills (not really mountains), River plains, and Farm land delta's ... every section of the state has something to offer either as a hidden gem, tourist trap, or backwoods hideaway.

On the job front: See my personnel comments above but I can say that 75% of high school class left the state.

On the family front: mixed feelings here as my family as DEEP roots in the state and my offspring continue to call Arkansas their home. To them, there is no other place to live ... in the world.


As I have stated, I followed my dreams for work, and continue to love what I am doing though I would truly like to be doing it in Arkansas.
Maybe someday, I'll have the cash or things will catch up, in Arkansas.

If I could telecommute, with certainty in my field, I would highly consider moving back. Time will tell ...

[weaverar]

Originally Posted by Fasder

I miss living in Arkansas, as it was my home for 30 plus years, and core to my values/family life/education/friends. You don't say what part of AR you are from here but look to the NW.

However, it's a hard place to make a living in the computer industry, and certainly when I started out ... nothing was available for me. Dallas though, had wide open industry in computer field, lots of jobs, and was close to home/family/friends. The times are a changing. We have lived in AR 3x and what a difference a couple of decades have made!

But back on the point,

On the scenery: Arkansas is a state of contrasts, between the forest hills (not really mountains), River plains, and Farm land delta's ... every section of the state has something to offer either as a hidden gem, tourist trap, or backwoods hideaway.

On the job front: See my personnel comments above but I can say that 75% of high school class left the state. I don't know when you left but again I say what a difference a decade or two can make in NW AR.

On the family front: mixed feelings here as my family as DEEP roots in the state and my offspring continue to call Arkansas their home. To them, there is no other place to live ... in the world. If the offspring are for it this will make it a lot easier.


As I have stated, I followed my dreams for work, and continue to love what I am doing though I would truly like to be doing it in Arkansas.
Maybe someday, I'll have the cash or things will catch up, in Arkansas. Try these links:
Job Search Alerts | Indeed.com
http://jobsearch.monster.com/interstitial_js.aspx
What are you worth? Salary and cost of living information for Arkansas


I especially like the indeed.com as you can set it up to send you an e-mail when jobs that are based on your criteria are posted. ou can set up as many customized searches as you like and are able to label them. It also searches an immense variety of web pages.

If I could telecommute, with certainty in my field, I would highly consider moving back. Time will tell ...

There are a lot of job postings on the internet for telecommute computer jobs. It would depend on your expertise. You can customize the indeed searches to include the word telecomute.
Maybe there is a way to come home to AR! I hope that this helps and gives you food for thought.

[AllenKarber]

I love my family,but I wish I had left Arkansas a long time ago. It kills me to come back from vacation every year after seeing what is going on in other parts of the country. It's not all our fault,but Arkansas has been left behind in lots of things.

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by AllenKarber

I love my family,but I wish I had left Arkansas a long time ago. It kills me to come back from vacation every year after seeing what is going on in other parts of the country. It's not all our fault,but Arkansas has been left behind in lots of things.

You're totally right, we have. But it's up to us to change that situation. If we don't, no one else will.