[txdave35]

I had a long and interesting conversation about Arkansas culture with a local gal who is a school teacher. I told her about my negative perceptions, and she completely agreed with me 100% and offered some insight and other info:


Pine Bluff - she refered to it as the cesspool of Arkansas, quite possibily one of the dangerous towns in the US. She said is practically all ghetto, 70% black with high crime. Don't hang around the streets if you don't want to get car jacked or worse.


Bryant/Benton - She said Benton is mostly poor redneck type folk which explains why everything seems run down there. Heck even the Kroger looked beat up with cracks in the floor.

Bryant is more high class, but the locals are pretty much stuck up and clichish. The reason being is they don't like the rapid growth of this once small town, and newcomers are not well liked. The traffic alone is enough to make one irritable.

Anything south of 630 is bad territory. I agreed with her when I got lost on 12th street in LR. Baseline, Jacksonville and all East are bad areas as well.

The biggest problem with LR is no one wants to live in the city. So everyone commutes to work and it makes for a traffic nightmare. Arkansas desperately needs to build more roads. The city is designed for decline, not growth.


She also said NWA is a totally different culture, nicer places to live and friendlier people.

[jenni-b]

Well, she sounds like a real bigot. I hope she's not teaching in my kid's school. (Of course, it's south of I-630, so probably not.)

[Dr. Foosball]

It seems pretty accurate to me. I have never been to Benton/Bryant so I won't comment on those, but I know that I was offered a job in Pine Bluff and chose being unemployed in Fort Smith over employed in Pine Bluff.

Pine Bluff is the most dirty, depressing city I have ever been to.

[PurpleLove08]

So because one person from AR thinks it, it MUST be true?

Well let me find someone with all sorts of negative perceptions for Texas. They'll be 100% right too.

[bagelw]

You again?

I was in Dallas one weekend and was robbed at gunpoint and my car was keyed. I lived in Little Rock 10 years before moving to Fayetteville and never had issues like that. I don't blame the entire state of Texas for that bad experience. Maybe I should.

I do agree with you that Arkansas needs better roads. However, you have obviously never driven during rush hour in Texas cities such as DFW or Houston to be complaining about Little Rock traffic.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by jenni-b

Well, she sounds like a real bigot. I hope she's not teaching in my kid's school. (Of course, it's south of I-630, so probably not.)

Jenny, look who we are hearing from AGAIN!!!!

Remember just ask him, there is nothing good about AR. 100 people cound say positive things about AR and one person a negative and guess what he would tell us about?

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by PurpleLove08

So because one person from AR thinks it, it MUST be true?

Well let me find someone with all sorts of negative perceptions for Texas. They'll be 100% right too.

PurpleLove, he comes from East Texas, that is what makes this such an interesting thing for him to be pointing out, I will leave it at that...East Texas is very different from Dallas of Houston as well, of course Pine Bluff is not NWA, his comments or what he is repeating he heard from this wonderful educator about Little Rock is a joke. Again, sure, a lot of people choose the burbs if they live in or near a city, what is new about that? Of course theere is normally less crime in the surrounding areas than the inner city, but that doesn't make the inner city horrible.

At least we know he is still around and kicking.

Bagelw I think many people need to drive in some other places, like NM or even OK to realize our roads are not that bad, yes, they could use some help, and you are right about the traffic. For someone to complain about the traffic during rush hour anywhere in AR is a joke. We have only driven in Little Rock during rush hour once, it was nothing like any major city. We have horrible traffic here during rush hour as well. I guess that is because no one wants to live in the city of Bentonville or Springdale, not even Fayetteville or Rogers, they all live in Tontitown or Gravette or maybe Pea Ridge. LOL
Nita

[marmac]

Surprised nobody is having an issue with his assessment of Pine Bluff.( sarc)
Maybe he hit the nail on the head.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by marmac

Surprised nobody is having an issue with his assessment of Pine Bluff.( sarc)
Maybe he hit the nail on the head.

Probably so, but rest assured there are some crap-hole towns in Texas, too, particularly as you get close to the Mexican border. For every criticism the OP levels at Arkansas, you can find an equivalent in Texas. And since it's Texas, it's probably bigger.

[mountainman51]

1- No. Arkansas does not need more roads. Lets keep it the Natural State.
2- Being poor does not make one a redneck. It makes one poor. Better to be poor in Benton than poor in Pine Bluff.
3- For hating Arkansas so much the OP sure spends alot of time on the Arkansas page doesnt he?