[Dr. Foosball]

I have read all of the horror stories about Pine Bluff on here, but there is a possibility that I may have to move my family (wife and two girls who are still too young for school) there to stay in my preferred profession.

Every horrible city has a few nice things about them, so I was wondering if anyone could say something nice about the place to counterbalance all of the horrible things about Pine Bluff.

[I live in NW Arkansas right now]

[Luvvarkansas]

There is a nice little stretch of road south of Pine Bluff that goes to Warren. It's labeled 15 on my map, but the map is old and I don't think it's called 15 on the actual road signs, but I can't remember. Anyway, it's pretty country, and the road goes through tiny towns with names like Pinebergen, Calmer, Friendship, Pansy. There is actually a little school at one on those tiny towns and it looks very nice and neat. If you could find a place to buy out there and drive into Pine Bluff, it wouldn't be too bad, especially if your kids could go to the little school when they're old enough. There is a Wal-Mart right where this road hits the edge of PB, and there is a little strip mall, can't remember the stores, a convenience store, Burger King and maybe another fast food joint, can't remember, but there are more on up the road toward town. It's also not far from Monticello, which is nicer than Pine Bluff, although smaller with no mall. There are also many other small country highways like that going out from PB all around, and I'm sure they are nice, too.....I've just driven 15 (?) many times on my way up to our cabin and so I am familiar with it. I always put my book down when we drive through there and gaze at all the neat homes and fields. It's very peaceful looking.

That's about the only nice thing I can think of to say about PB, that there are plenty of places surrounding it to live in so you don't have to actually live in PB even if you have to work there. Most people who ask about Pine Bluff here end up getting told by locals to live in White Hall.

[Charles22]

It's three thousand miles from California.

[Dr. Foosball]

OK. So someone just told me that PB has an effing paper mill. Please tell me that Pine Bluff doesn't smell as bad as Ashdown.

[jenni-b]

I haven't been to Ashdown but sometimes there is a smell from Pine Bluff's paper mill, yes.

I also haven't spent much time in Pine Bluff but as I mentioned in another thread, my ex-SIL's family is from there for several generations, and her grandmother is one of my favorite people in the world, and she is very proud of her heritage.

[rackensack]

Originally Posted by Dr. Foosball

OK. So someone just told me that PB has an effing paper mill. Please tell me that Pine Bluff doesn't smell as bad as Ashdown.

When I was kid in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the wind was right we could smell it from Clarendon, 60 miles to the northeast. I assume there've been updates to papermaking technology that will have mitigated that somewhat by now. Then again, maybe not.

Other positives? Well, it's not Somalia or Kenya or Myanmar/Burma. It doesn't require a passport to leave it for someplace better. Beyond that, I got nothin'.

[Dr. Foosball]

I have already thought of another positive: It is 3 hours away from my wife's family.

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by Dr. Foosball

Every horrible city has a few nice things about them, so I was wondering if anyone could say something nice about the place to counterbalance all of the horrible things about Pine Bluff.

[I live in NW Arkansas right now]

According to Bull Winkus's maps he just put in the 'pictutres' section, it doesn't have as many homicides as Little Rock!

[hotair2]

They don't have many hurricanes or earthquakes there. You can buy a home for cheap because so many people are leaving or losing their homes.

[marmac]

something nice ?

Pine Bluff's crime index is only 3 times the national average------972.1

It could be worse , like maybe 4 times the national average.


Another positive is that city-data states their population declined by 6% from 200-2007

that is good news--------if the criminals are the ones who are leaving