[Ashlie5]

Hello everyone that lives in a very beautiful state! My boyfriend and I are looking to moving to AR around the el dorado area. When I say area I mean only about 20 miles outside of it is as far as we can go. I have explored El Dorado and now I would like to explore the towns that surround it. Any opinons would be greatly appreciated. We come from a small town bordering Wisconsin. We are used to a mostly white town with a conservitive background. Please help me find my next home town!


Thanks

[ArkLvr627]

I am also from Northern Illinois. I would recommend Smackover or Magnolia (:

[Dr. Foosball]

Originally Posted by Ashlie5

We are used to a mostly white town with a conservitive background. Please help me find my next home town!

El Dorado may be less white than you are expecting. I think it is about 50/50.

[Bily Lovec]

Originally Posted by ArkLvr627

...I would recommend Smackover or Magnolia (:

I'll second this. eldo is a very depressed town, sliding downhill.

[SwinerBock]

Now for a word from someone that actually lives in El Do...

First, I would ask why you are moving to the area. If it is to eventually take advantage of the www.eldoradopromise.com, then I must advise you that you have to live within the boundaries of the El Dorado School District.

Next, towns that surround El Dorado are Smackover, Norphlet, Parkers Chapel, Junction City and Strong. If race is truly an issue for you, then Parkers Chapel (and to a lesser extent Norphlet) may be the place for you. That is not to say that these towns are racist. Only that their schools contain a predominantly white student population. I know several folks that live in both communities (as well as the other towns), and they are all nice people. Be that as it may, make your own conclusions.

Finally, the economy here in El Do is hurting a bit, but then what town's economy is not hurting. El Do has been bleeding blue collar jobs for years now. The only things that are keeping the economy afloat right now is the spate of construction going on with the new conference center and the new high school. Prior to that, it was the influx of workers helping perform the turnaround at the Lion Oil refinery. Once the construction projects are over, who knows what will happen.

Anyway, I hope that gives you a little bit of info to chew on. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask. I will try to provide as honest (and balanced) an answer as I can.

[Capt. Dan]

I am always amazed when people want to move to the South and dont want to live near blacks. Maybe you should try Mississippi. I dont think they have any!

[Dr. Foosball]

For what it is worth, she didn't come out and say "I don't want to live around black people." We may be reading too much into what she originally typed.

[Capt. Dan]

Originally Posted by Dr. Foosball

For what it is worth, she didn't come out and say "I don't want to live around black people." We may be reading too much into what she originally typed.

[Ashlie5]

For the record, I did not say I did not want to live near "black" people. I said nothing of any certain race. I said I come from a town that is mainly white. There are more races than just black and white my friends. Thank you for all of your imput. I have had a lot of feedback saying smackover would be a nice choice for me, however when I googled smackover in images the KKK came up and that scared the crap out of me. I do not want to live anywhere near people involved in the KKK. I understand AR is a depressed state, however that doesn't stop you guys from living there does it? That shouldn't be a deal breaker for me. I appreciate everything everyone on here has said and I look forward to visiting in April.

[SwinerBock]

Originally Posted by Ashlie5

For the record, I did not say I did not want to live near "black" people. I said nothing of any certain race. I said I come from a town that is mainly white. There are more races than just black and white my friends. Thank you for all of your imput. I have had a lot of feedback saying smackover would be a nice choice for me, however when I googled smackover in images the KKK came up and that scared the crap out of me. I do not want to live anywhere near people involved in the KKK. I understand AR is a depressed state, however that doesn't stop you guys from living there does it? That shouldn't be a deal breaker for me. I appreciate everything everyone on here has said and I look forward to visiting in April.

With no disrespect being meant, if race is not an issue, why mention it in the first place? And yes, we realize there are more than just black and white. There is a decent Hispanic population down here, as well as some Asian families (Chinese, Indian, etc).

As for the KKK, I've lived here off and on for 20+ years, and have never heard of any instances of the KKK showing their hoods around here. Once every great while you may hear a rumor of a rumor, but an actual newsworthy event? Nada.

Smackover is a great choice. As is Norphlet. As is Parkers Chapel. Mt Holly. Old Union. Lawson. Lisbon. Strong. Marysville. Junction City. And yes, El Dorado too. All wonderful communities of different sizes. All with wonderful people. I've known people from all of those communities, and they were all a joy to know. It all depends on what you are really looking for. Conveniences? Land with few neighbors? Good schools?

Could you explain your comment about "AR is a depressed state"? I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.

Regardless, enjoy your visit to the area. Late March (and into April and May), is about the most wonderful time to be around here. The weather is absolutely wonderful. Daffodils have been blooming for a couple of weeks now, and many of the flowering trees are just now starting to bloom as well.