[bchris02]

Originally Posted by trauma2005

I dont mind the conservative values. The job opportunities I have are in Fort Smith and in Winston Salem NC. The practice opportunity is better in Fort Smith but I have just seen so much negative feedback on these forums regarding Fort Smith it makes me worry about it being a decent place to raise my family.

I would choose Winston-Salem in a heartbeat if both opportunities were equal since there is SO much more to do there. However, you say the opportunity in Fort Smith is better? If so, is it enough better that you could live somewhere less desirable? Fort Smith isn't horrible by any means, but its in decline and is one of the least desirable places in Arkansas to live. It is also the most conservative place in the state, and by that I don't just mean religious or political conservatism, but also a type of conservatism in which the people are resistent to any kind of change in the community. The Fort Smith area is in my opinion the closest you will get to the 1950s anywhere in America. There is both good and bad with that.

If you do choose Fort Smith, live in Alma or Van Buren, both have excellent school districts.

[trauma2005]

can you elaborate on why Fort Smith is in decline?

[luzianne]

I know nothing about Fort Smith other than my mom was born there - but to the OP, a residency is not forever. Choose the one that you think will be the most beneficial for your career and your kids will be fine whatever you decide; as long as they are with you they will adjust. Whichever place you choose, find the best school district in that area and make sure your kids are in it and you will all be fine. Then 3-4 years down the road you can decide where you really want to be and move there permanently.

[trauma2005]

this move to fort smith would hopefully be permamnent as i am finishing my residency and would be joining a practice there.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by trauma2005

this move to fort smith would hopefully be permamnent as i am finishing my residency and would be joining a practice there.

Hmmmm....well then I would go with the area that you like best. Lots of difference between those two areas; just depends what you like. But you shouldn't rule out the possibility of going elsewhere after your residency, either, if somewhere else suits you better. Lots of residents finish their residency and move on to another place to join a practice.

Here is a link to demographics for Fort Smith, including crime rate: Ft. Smith Profile | Ft. Smith AR

You can put in the name of the other city (you say North Carolina but you don't say where) and compare it with Fort Smith. With kids, I'd want to make sure I was someplace with really low crime.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by luzianne

Hmmmm....well then I would go with the area that you like best. Lots of difference between those two areas; just depends what you like. But you shouldn't rule out the possibility of going elsewhere after your residency, either, if somewhere else suits you better.

True. Does the OP want a slow, small-town pace of life, or does she want a more modernized urban lifestyle. That should be the key question in deciding.

Fort Smith, despite being the state's second largest city is very rural in nature and attitude. The population sign may say 72,000, but the city feels as if it had less than 20,000.

[Stormcrow73]

I'll try to offer a somewhat unbiased but not quite as informed opinion as some others may have. I've never lived in Fort Smith but I've been there plenty. When bchris says Fort Smith is in decline, he's right in a certain manner I think. It used to be, lots of people would travel from Fayetteville and surrounding areas to Fort Smith for some shopping which was not locally available. We used to make that hour long drive from Fayetteville to go to Best Buy and a handful of other places. I think a more reasonable assessment is that Fort Smith has not kept up with growth in other locales and it now appears much less desirable than it did 15-20 years ago compared to other locations.

There are some semi-progressive movements for growth in Fort Smith as evidenced by that very nice and fairly new convention center but there seems to be little opportunities for gaining jobs in non-manufacturing sectors and there's a slow leak in those jobs it seems. The town seems to always be fighting to keep the manufacturing base it has: gain a few jobs here, lose a few more over there.

The town has a LOT of potential! The historic downtown area is very much intact, quite large for a modest size AR city, and actually well kept up in my opinion compared to other areas I've seen. However, I'd liken the city to a swimmer who's been treading water for a long long time and is about to give out. If help doesn't arrive soon, then the slow leak could become a full blown rupture. If that help does arrive, then I think the town could easily blossom because it has good infrastructure and is in a great location.

I would echo other sentiment about the main concern for moving here being lack of entertainment activities. If you're into outdoors activities however, you probably won't notice.

[Bail_Khan]

First off most of NWA is also pretty "red" I just got back from a democrats meeting in lowell and I heard plenty of complaining about it.
Fort Smith does have a lot of potential but as long as Mayor Ray Baker is in office it will never be realized. But heck Fort Smith was already great a hundred years ago, no need to reinvent the wheel, just kick back and relive the past.
Manufacturing is not the future, sure there will be manufacturing jobs in Fort Smith for some time to come but Fort Smith needs to explore other options.
UAFS is growing, they have built on campus student apartments with about 500 beds. The college is going to add another 500 beds by 2010 just to try and keep up with demand. Fraternaties, sororities, off campus dorms and all that kind of stuff are starting to pop up. Right now going to Fayettville is the thing to do and will probably will continue to be but I think it's only a matter of time before we start seeing businesses catering to college students.
Fort Smith is also getting the US Marshals museum, I'm personally not that exited, but it should be good for Fort Smith.
There is a shortage of Doctors in Fort Smith.

[artcorbit]

If I was a young Doctor there is no way I would move the Ft. Smith. I have lived within 25 miles of Ft. Smith all my life and I wouldn't advise it. A few years ago we had some of the best doctors in the US but that isn't the case now. There are a lot of malpractice suits going on. Van Buren is even worse. If I was a doctor I just wouldn't want anyone to know I had practiced in Ft Smith.

Art

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by artcorbit

If I was a young Doctor there is no way I would move the Ft. Smith. I have lived within 25 miles of Ft. Smith all my life and I wouldn't advise it. A few years ago we had some of the best doctors in the US but that isn't the case now. There are a lot of malpractice suits going on. Van Buren is even worse. If I was a doctor I just wouldn't want anyone to know I had practiced in Ft Smith.

Art

True. In Van Buren not long ago, a man went in for an ear infection and they amputated his foot. This was at Summit and I wouldn't advise anybody to use that hospital.