[eric1]

Hillcrest in Little Rock might be the right place for you. Its a nice little neighborhood in the heart of town and is pretty liberal. The way people talk you would think that you cant walk down the street in Little Rock without dodging bullets. Little Rock is a great town, I feel perfectly safe to raise my kids here. Its on the Arkansas river and has mountains and lakes within an easy drive. Population is a little over 180k with about 500k in the metro area.

[Sam I Am]

Originally Posted by eric1

Hillcrest in Little Rock might be the right place for you. Its a nice little neighborhood in the heart of town and is pretty liberal. The way people talk you would think that you cant walk down the street in Little Rock without dodging bullets. Little Rock is a great town, I feel perfectly safe to raise my kids here. Its on the Arkansas river and has mountains and lakes within an easy drive. Population is a little over 180k with about 500k in the metro area.

Yep, if you're going to live in Little Rock and still get the NWA/Eureka feel, go to the Hillcrest area. There's parks and a promenade where people walk and rollerblade - it's just a little bit "funkier" in a good way. Very diverse. The housing prices there are starting to match what is found in the Heights, which is glitzier old houses, but with the stale market maybe things will even out a little. There are lots of neat little shops in Hillcrest....it's a very comfortable place to live.

[eric1]

cost per square foot in Hillcrest runs from $80+- to $130+, the houses have a lot of character, many being 100+ years old. Allsop park is also a bonus with many mountain bike and hiking trails in the heart of downtown Hillcrest.

[Deborah Cross]

I think Northwest AR has everything you need. Eureka is an excellent choice, or if you want a more metro area Bella Vista. Bella Vista is on I 540 corridor so you can get to the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville fairly quickly. Pinnacle Hills and the Promenade in Rogers is a short drive from BV and it has all the restaurants and coffee shops you could ask for, The Crystal Bridges Multi Cultural Museum will open in Bentonville in 2009 . Bentonville Library where I spend a lot of time has a coffe and deli in the same building. There are lots of festivals here through the year and we do have alll 4 seasons.
Send me a msg if you want some websites that might be helpful.
Love Arkansas!

[cmcwilliams]

You may have already moved but I just ahd to jump on here. You should consider Arkadalphia! It is a diamond in the rough. It has a population of about 11,000 and it is one of the best little towns in Arkansas. There are two 4 year universities there HSU AND OBU, but its not what I would consider a college town. The real estate is unbelievable, very affordable. Just had a friend buy a 3b 2ba plus den.fp.hd wood floors on 1 ac for 95,000! It is also VERY close to other "cities" should you want to travel and experience other cultures. Shreveport(2.5h) Dallas(less that 4), Little Rock(1h), Hot Springs(30min), I could go on and on and on! For your shopping pleasure there is of course, a Wal-Mart Supercenter, A Gorcery store, A cpl of Clothing and shoe stores (similar to Dillards) and Major Fast food(McDonalds, Bk, Subway,etc) and restaurants. I lived here my freshman year of college adn my best friend still lives here so I visit often. And unless we wanted something like liquor(dry county) or to go to the theatre(they are in talks to build on) we rarely left on a daily basis, on ly to go home or see other friends on weekends.

But I will add that if I wasn't so infactuated with Big City life(Houston in particular), once I got out of school I would definitely consider Arkadelphia.