[aknappjr]

I'll be working at Sparks near downtown. Any advice? Probably going to live near downtown (West End Apartments). I realize its going to be a change from where I've lived before (L.A., KC, Chicago, and NYC), but I'm going for my job.

1. Where are the best places to meet people? High-quality women? Keep in mind I know no one here yet.

2. Best places to travel to/do on the weekends? I'm not a hunter/fisher but I like to waterski and travel.

3. Any other advice?

[PurpleLove08]

I'd say make a weekly trip to Little Rock for some real fun. There are more singles but don't expect it to be a singles paradise.
I feel sorry that you have moved from the cities you mentioned to Fort Smith.

[ridicter]

Probably Fayetteville is better to meet young singles. It's an hour north, highly educated college city. It's your best bet for high quality women (i.e., educated and semi-aware of the world)--other than Tulsa or Little Rock. (Check out Fayetteville Flyer for a taste of the city's awesome culture.)

Fort Smith is pretty conservative (socially) and very religious. I know some good folks from the Fort, and it's pretty much unanimous that it's not the best city for up and comers.

What to do (I hope you're into outdoorsy stuff, because cosmopolitan is nonexistent in Fort Baptist):
1) Rock Climbing. Sam's Throne or Horseshoe canyon are the best in middle america.

Canoeing, kayaking. Kayaking's real fun. Great way to meet people. See ArkansasCanoeClub.com - Home. Best (scenic) river is the Buffalo National River.

Hiking. Ozarks or Ouachitas.

2) Wakarusa music festival. Think Bonnaroo. Recently located to Ozark Arkansas, less than an hour from you: Wakarusa :: June 4-7, 2009 Early June.

3) Arts and night life at Dickson Street in Fayetteville (never been to the night life there, personally). Next is Tulsa at 1.75 hours. Then, there's Little Rock, 2.5 hours away in the other direction.

[bagelw]

You're better off to go to Fayetteville. I know several people that work in Ft Smith and commute from Fayetteville everyday. Not to bash the people of Ft Smith but Fayetteville is waaaaaaaaay better for young singles. The two cities couldnt be more different.

[Bail_Khan]

I read an article in the nightflying newsletter, nightflying.com, that there is more happening on Garrison in terms of activity right now than on Dickson street.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by aknappjr

I'll be working at Sparks near downtown. Any advice? Probably going to live near downtown (West End Apartments). I realize its going to be a change from where I've lived before (L.A., KC, Chicago, and NYC), but I'm going for my job.

1. Where are the best places to meet people? High-quality women? Keep in mind I know no one here yet.

2. Best places to travel to/do on the weekends? I'm not a hunter/fisher but I like to waterski and travel.

3. Any other advice?

Wow. Single at 30 in Fort Smith? Most people your age in that town will have 10 year old kids. Seriously, there isn't much for singles in Ft. Smith beyond the ages of 19-20, because most of them are married by that age. Fort Smith is also very conservative, one of the last places still left in the 1950s. The people there are reletively closed off to outsiders as well. You have to live there a while before you will really start making a lot of friends. Being as you don't hunt/fish, its likely that you will have a difficult time making friends period there. I lived in the Fort for six years and hunting, fishing, and the Hogs are about the only things anybody there has any interest in. Traveling isn't real big in that area either - I met several grown people who haven't been any farther than Fayetteville or maybe Tulsa once in a blue moon.

Fayetteville is only 45 minutes to the north and is by far the most progressive (socially) place in Arkansas. Its much more popular with transients as well so you won't suffer the same small town close-knitness you will find in Fort Smith. You should find what you are looking for in Fayetteville.

Originally Posted by Bail_Khan

I read an article in the nightflying newsletter, nightflying.com, that there is more happening on Garrison in terms of activity right now than on Dickson street.

Maybe on pub crawl night or something like that.

[Gallbaro]

To say Fort Smith is stuck in the 50s is a complete lie.

If they were in the 50s:
-That beautiful downtown of theirs would be exciting.
-Less strip malls.
-They would still have that trolley system.
-More Sin.
-Less Religion.

It is fascinating to go there and see what the town once was, but disheartening to realize they like most of America abandoned small town values for strip malls and developments.

I am a elitist New Yorker by the way, born and raised.

But while Fayetteville may seem exciting to Arkansans it really is not that much better. Aside form the university you still have a dead downtown, it is just a bar district now, and a lot of anti growth people who want to "preserve" the town exactly as it is now. Fayetteville's real downtown is a strip mall area as well.

[bagelw]

Originally Posted by Gallbaro

To say Fort Smith is stuck in the 50s is a complete lie.

If they were in the 50s:
-That beautiful downtown of theirs would be exciting.
-Less strip malls.
-They would still have that trolley system.
-More Sin.
-Less Religion.

It is fascinating to go there and see what the town once was, but disheartening to realize they like most of America abandoned small town values for strip malls and developments.

I am a elitist New Yorker by the way, born and raised.

But while Fayetteville may seem exciting to Arkansans it really is not that much better. Aside form the university you still have a dead downtown, it is just a bar district now, and a lot of anti growth people who want to "preserve" the town exactly as it is now. Fayetteville's real downtown is a strip mall area as well.

Northwest Arkansans do have an overbloated sense of pride when it comes to NWA. Nothing in Arkansas is going to compare to NYC but anyone moving here from somewhere like NYC that is wanting some sort of city lifestyle will only find it in Fayetteville or Little Rock. The OP is in for a culture shock either way and I hope that he'll find some kind of pleasure in living in Ft Smith.

[Bull Winkus]

Lessee ... lessee ... Find you a woman... The Mall. WalMart. Church. (Take your pick) Computer dating service. Join a little theatre group, or a computer user's group. Get a part time job in a liquor store or do some bar tending. Become a hairdresser. Extreme? Yes. But effective.

Places to go. Things to do. -- There's a train depot in Van Buren where you can take a train ride into the beautiful hills of the Ozarks. There's vineyards and wineries in Altus, AR with fall festivals. There's Devil's Den State Park just north of Van Buren with hiking trails, caves and geological oddities. There's Mount Nebo down by Russellville with hiking trails and beautiful vistas. There's the Mulberry River for canoeing and swimming. Ozark has a crafts festival once a year. Not sure when. There are lots of 4-wheeling trails in the Ozark National Park area.

People are generally friendly if that is what you expect them to be. The weather is a favorite conversation starter.

[Bail_Khan]

I know people from LA that live in Fort Smith and the concencous seems to be that LA sucks, San Diego is Ok, San Francisco is ok to visit, but Fort Smith is where they want to be.

1. If you figure it out let me know, I'm thinking about trying A California vacation myself

2. I'm not really a hunter/fisher either. Closest place to waterski would be lake tenkiller, 30 minutes. While some people in the Fort might not get out enough, Fort Smith has no travel restrictions so your ok there.

3. Some big city people fall in love and some of them go into withdrawals, I really don't know which type you are.