[staceyleah]

I am wanting to relocate as soon as next year. I love northern Arkansas but also Gatlinburg Tennessee. I am looking for an overall safe place with good business growth in a quaint town( i love lamp posts lined streets etc; think Thomas Kinkade setting, I know it may sound silly but the picturesque style is what i yearn for and i know there has to be a quaint place resembling that) and friendly folks and safe for children to ride bikes etc. which i heard Sevier County is great for kids. I was wondering how the temps, compare to my "now" home state Louisiana; cause it is to hot and humid here!! I am wanting some snowfall but not all winter long like more northern areas. I was wondering if anyone could help me with the statistics. I love fall, open fields, rolling hills, and water. I know it is gonna be hard to find ALL these things rolled into one but i am hoping i can get close. Everywhere i research it seems it is worse than here which has none of the setting or statistics i want. I am confused about the data. Eureka Springs was standing out to me but some say no. I work from home so jobs wont be a major issue. Thank you for any and all help you can give!

[Barton/Cox]

Originally Posted by staceyleah

I am wanting to relocate as soon as next year. I love northern Arkansas but also Gatlinburg Tennessee. I am looking for an overall safe place with good business growth in a quaint town( i love lamp posts lined streets etc; think Thomas Kinkade setting, I know it may sound silly but the picturesque style is what i yearn for and i know there has to be a quaint place resembling that) and friendly folks and safe for children to ride bikes etc. which i heard Sevier County is great for kids. I was wondering how the temps, compare to my "now" home state Louisiana; cause it is to hot and humid here!! I am wanting some snowfall but not all winter long like more northern areas. I was wondering if anyone could help me with the statistics. I love fall, open fields, rolling hills, and water. I know it is gonna be hard to find ALL these things rolled into one but i am hoping i can get close. Everywhere i research it seems it is worse than here which has none of the setting or statistics i want. I am confused about the data. Eureka Springs was standing out to me but some say no. I work from home so jobs wont be a major issue. Thank you for any and all help you can give!

I live in the desert so here is definitely not what you are looking for. You mentioned working out of your home. I have been trying to get something going toward that, as well. Do you have any pointers?

[Dr. Foosball]

Eureka Springs is a lovely town, but they do have a lot of homosexuals in the area (not that there is anything wrong with that). Eureka Springs is also a tourist town and it gets anoying after a while. You might want to look at Holiday Island. It is a community north of Eureka Springs. It has two golf courses, a marina, etc. I have family that live there and it is a beautiful place.

Holiday Island, Arkansas

It is humid in Arkansas, but I would think that Louisiana is more humid than Arkansas. The heat index this week is expected to be above 100 most days.

[nmnita]

Both Tenn and NWA are Gods country as far as I am concerned. There are lots of small towns with little squares or if not squares, nice walking areas. Of course Eureka Springs and Hot Springs come to mind, but they are touristy, artsy and on the liberal side. There in nothing wrong with being on the liberal side, that's for sure, I just think this should be pointed out.
Antoher really cute town and very small (no square though) In Huntsville, AR. Gentry and Gravette are two other neat little settlements. There are so many, a lot depends on your price range and what your lifestyle is like.

THough our summers are hot and humid, especially right now, it is nothing like LA and we do have wonderful, cool winters without contant snows like the east or upper mid-west. We have 4 distinct seasons. Hope this helps you. If you have any questions believe me, we all love to give advise. It may not always be right, but we give it anyway..

Nita

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by staceyleah

I think Thomas Kinkade setting, I know it may sound silly but the picturesque style is what i yearn for and i know there has to be a quaint place resembling that) and friendly folks and safe for children to ride bikes etc. which i heard Sevier County is great for kids. I was wondering how the temps, compare to my "now" home state Louisiana; cause it is to hot and humid here!! I am wanting some snowfall but not all winter long like more northern areas. I was wondering if anyone could help me with the statistics. I love fall, open fields, rolling hills, and water.

Thomas Kinkade in Arkansas.... mostly just the touristy places come close to that.
Even then........
Many small towns in Arkansas seemed to throw out the zoning papers during the last half of the 20th century. Poor, chaotic city planning plagues many towns, especially the smaller ones.
Wal-Mart builds on the outskirts, and that's where nearly all of the development happens from there on out. Downtowns crumble.
This happens to a very large percentage of smaller towns. Some are starting to buck the trend, though. A truly thriving downtown is very rare.
The nicest-looking, well-kept and cleanest towns are usually the larger(and faster-growing) ones, with a few exceptions.
Arkansas has some nice natural scenery, but the man-made stuff is very spotty.
People in Arkansas are very individualistic. Civic pride and community aren't always at the top of the list. That situation works well for many who live there.
Snow is rare. The northern parts have more of a tendency to get a small amount once in a while. Once every 5 years or so, they get a decent snow. Ice storms are fairly common. They don't treat the roads to amount to anything, but the good thing is, the affected region literally shuts down, almost entirely. I kind of like that.
Hot and humid is unavoidable. The hilly areas of the north and west seem slightly less so, but the difference is minute.
The crime stats on this website do seem pretty accurate, judging by the places I've lived. It's definitely a good place to start.

I always like Batesville pretty well.

[strumpeace]

Gatlinburg TN is not 'quaint'. It is a tourist trap. It's a very pretty tourist trap with plenty of places to go and spend money -- and it puts the tourist traps around here (Eureka, Branson, etc.) to shame, imo. But it's not a great place to live. The cost of living is high, wages are low, and traffic is a nightmare. That's why--in spite of how busy the town is--it only has about 3,500 residents. In fact, between 1990 and 2000, Gatlinburg actually lost population.

Best wishes.