[westwoodrnr]

I have accepted a new job in the Fort Smith area and I am looking for any information I can find.... I have read the "Fort Smith " post on here and although I appreciate the open conversation... it is not really what i am looking for....

Looking for info on places to live within 30 minute drive..
Schools
Activities.
Lifestyle
Do's and Don'ts

I am married with an 8 year old son... we love the outdoors ( fishing, hunting, riding our Harley)..... We are looking to rent for awhile until we can decide on a location to purchase a home...

[linicx]

You need to be careful where you live. The storms in that area can spawn twoisters. Do not be near or in an open field. Tornadoes normally move in a SW to NE direction. You might look in the SE corner - especially if it is heavily wooded and hilly

[Dr. Foosball]

lol. Don't listen to linicx. It doesnt matter where you live; tornadoes can hit anywhere.

If you want to live in Fort Smith, the south side and east side are nice.

Some of the nice smaller towns within 30 miles:
Greenwood (south of Fort Smith)
Alma (east of Fort Smith).
Both of the towns have excellent schools.
Van Buren is also a good option and is the closest of the three.

This area is full of places to fish and hunt. There are also great little highways to ride your Harley; most heading north to Fayetteville.

Activities: Most of the schools offer the same thing. The schools around here seem to spend more money on ahtletic facilities than academic facilities so if the 8-year-old plays sports, any of the schools listed above will be above average. Little league sports go through 5th and school sports start in 6th.

Other than school activities, Fort Smith doesn't have a whole lot to offer. After all, it is a smaller city.

Lifestyle: There are liberal pockets of the area, but this is a conservative area. Don't know what more to say about that.

Dos and don'ts: The only real "don't" I can think of is moving to the north side of Fort Smith or eastern Oklahoma. Those are really the only bad parts of the area.


I have lived in this area for 27 years (20 years in Alma, 7 years in Van Buren), and like any city, it is what you make of it.

I may actually be trying to rent out my 3 bedroom house in Van Buren as I may also have to move for work. What are you looking for in a rental?

[Dr. Foosball]

These web sites can help you get a feel for the area:

The City Wire | Our Community, Online

Times Record, Fort Smith, Arkansas

FortSmithMoms.com > Home

[nmnita]

don't let anyone scare you about tornados, I don't know where you are now living, but the chance of being in the middle of one is highly unlikely. We lived, for 13 years in No Texas (tornado alley) never did we have one, we had several pretty close calls and some horrible winds but heck you can live anywhere and face a natural disaster. I do think the plains areas do get hit harder than the hilly areas with lots of trees, still that isn't a reason to be overly concerned..

good luck, find a nice neighborhood and enjoy your new city.

Nita

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by nmnita

don't let anyone scare you about tornados, I don't know where you are now living, but the chance of being in the middle of one is highly unlikely.

Those in the know just install a shelter and don't worry anymore.

But wait.......there's more!!

The State of Arkansas...simply because it wants to be your bestest buddy in the whole wide world...will reimburse you 1/2 of the cost of a storm shelter up to $1,000.

It must be covered on 3 sides, have a 3 hinged door, and 3 locking lugs.

The most popular modern one in my neighborhood is a 6 X 12 reinforced concrete, about $3,500 installed. Floor is 5" thick, walls are 4". A number of places carry them.