[nichon18]

OK, everything I've read talks about how inepensive the living is in Fayetteville. Then when I actually do a little digging it looks like the taxes are very high and the condos in town are $500K. It looks like a great little town though with lots of history and charm. So here are some questions:
-would a 60 year old/40 year old single mother/daughter combo who like to eat out and be active fit in? I know there's a college there but are there older singles??
-What are the restaurants like?
-Can you find condo/townhome within walking distance to town in the 200-300k range?
-Is it really that hard to get into teaching there as I've heard? I teach 2nd grade...
Thanks for your responses!

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by nichon18

OK, everything I've read talks about how inepensive the living is in Fayetteville. Then when I actually do a little digging it looks like the taxes are very high and the condos in town are $500K. It looks like a great little town though with lots of history and charm. So here are some questions:
-would a 60 year old/40 year old single mother/daughter combo who like to eat out and be active fit in? I know there's a college there but are there older singles??
-What are the restaurants like?
-Can you find condo/townhome within walking distance to town in the 200-300k range?
-Is it really that hard to get into teaching there as I've heard? I teach 2nd grade...
Thanks for your responses!

The condo market in Fayetteville looks to me to be awfully strange. It's really catering to wealthy and semi-wealthy alums who will come to town 6-10 times per year for Razorback games and assorted other things rather than regular folks who want a place to really live day to day or at least that's my interpretation based upon some of the prices I've heard about. Also, an attempt to put in a place a historical preservation group for Dickson Street which really looked more like a front for asset preservation for one or two developers with condos sitting vacant was defeated. I don't expect those condo prices can hold up under prevailing market conditions. Just my 2 cents on that....

But more specifically:
-Fayetteville is a lot more diverse in just about every aspect than people give it credit for. There are definitely some active non-college age adults, many of them probably work for the university though.

-Restaurant offerings are equally diverse ranging from burger joints to brew pubs to pizza to mid to upscale italian, sushi joints and Japanese to steak houses to standard American fare and this is all in the Dickson/downtown area.

-I would recommend looking down the way from downtown just a bit to an area called the mill district. It's within walking range of downtown and Dickson even if it is over a pretty sizable hill. I don't know that you can get a condo in that area in your price range but I suspect you'll get much closer. According to this site there are some at the Lofts at Underwood right on Dickson starting at 170k but I doubt they would be big enough for you. Search | Properties « Your Northwest Arkansas Realtor

-Can't really answer that last one.

[HANNU]

Originally Posted by nichon18

-Can you find condo/townhome within walking distance to town in the 200-300k range?
-Is it really that hard to get into teaching there as I've heard? I teach 2nd grade...
Thanks for your responses!

You definitely can pick up a nice sized condo/townhouse in your price range, as long as you are not right on Dickson. I would consider Dickson only if the price drops, as they have a glut of properties there at the moment.

I've heard that it is difficult to get a teaching position in Fayetteville (because it is a desirable place to live), but that depends on what you teach and your flexibility to teach in surrounding areas.

Found out today that the Sales tax was 9% for clothing ...... a little steep.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by HANNU

You definitely can pick up a nice sized condo/townhouse in your price range, as long as you are not right on Dickson. I would consider Dickson only if the price drops, as they have a glut of properties there at the moment.

I've heard that it is difficult to get a teaching position in Fayetteville (because it is a desirable place to live), but that depends on what you teach and your flexibility to teach in surrounding areas.

Found out today that the Sales tax was 9% for clothing ...... a little steep.

yes, it is 9% and yes, that is a bit high, but so many states now have sales taxes in the 8 to 9% range and property taxes in AR are very low.. Overall tax rates in the state are on the high side. It is always hard to judge taxes as each of us pay taxes for certain things that may not apply to others, plus a state can be 10th in overall taxes but that might be only a small percentage higher than the number 25 state..

Nita

[hognoxious]

Originally Posted by nichon18

OK, everything I've read talks about how inepensive the living is in Fayetteville. Then when I actually do a little digging it looks like the taxes are very high and the condos in town are $500K. It looks like a great little town though with lots of history and charm. So here are some questions:
-would a 60 year old/40 year old single mother/daughter combo who like to eat out and be active fit in? I know there's a college there but are there older singles??
-What are the restaurants like?
-Can you find condo/townhome within walking distance to town in the 200-300k range?
-Is it really that hard to get into teaching there as I've heard? I teach 2nd grade...
Thanks for your responses!

You would certainly fit in. Fayetteville is made up of young and old and everywhere in between. Being that it is a college town, fitness / health or just being active is intertwined into the culture of Fayetteville.

Fayetteville has a decent array of locally owned restaurants - tell us what kind of food you like and I'm sure you will get some recos.

For a condo - I would stay away from the high price stuff on Dickson and look at areas around the square or just south in the 'Mill District'. Some locals refer to this as the art district but it is basically just south of the square centered around the junction of 6th / College Avenue.