Only 2 days to visit & decide on move from CA to NWA - advice? (Fayetteville: crime rate, school)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Norcalgirl36

Great information, I appreciate you asking them. We seem to share a lot in common.

School info is really important to me - I've been researching and cannot figure out where I want them to be. I don't know how I feel about year-round, I get the arguments in favor of it, but I do like my kids having a traditional summer break. On the other hand, it would give us more time throughout the year to take a few trips back to CA to visit our families here for a week and still have break back in AR. So that is a plus...

I have always felt the same as you about year round schools: It does make sense to use a facility year around than to have it sit vacant for 2 1/2 months and it does give kids shorter breaks and more of them, but there are draw backs as well. I guess it is just what works for you that will be your deciding factor. Do you what to be in an area with larger lots, more trees, closer to the downtown area you really want, but without the amenities at your finger tips or do you want the more planned community feeling? I bet it will simply come down to that home you find that says: Take me, take me!!!!

[JWG223]

Originally Posted by nmnita

just got back from brunch with our 2 granddaughters and family: I asked them several questions that might be help, especially Norcalgirl:

1-school for Hanover and the area is Elm Street elementary and it is a year round school; one of the few in Bentonville: Our granddaughter, both know families in Shadow Valley; mixed feelings: they all love the facilities but they don't like the lack of space between houses and they say, everyone know what everyone else is doing. They don't feel they have any privacy. Our younger granddaughter was told the same by her realtor. I guess you have to weigh the pros and cons.

As for gyms, apparently there are 2 or 3 World gyms and a new one being built in Bentonville. Yes, one did close down, it was the one I was thinking about.

Walking trails can be found almost everywhere in NWA, but Bentonville is the best according to both girls. They are runners. The older one (32) ran 6 miles this morning.

I hope this is some help; it is coming from 2 young ladies with little children and both in upper mobile situations. One is a stay at home mom; her husband is VP of his company and they have a toddler. The other has 2 girls; 1 just turned 2 and the other is 7. Hubby is an accountant and granddaughter is a Nurse practitioner.

I just dumped my current gym and joined Anytime Fitness. I hope the one in NE Rogers is good...(has lots of freeweights).

[gunslinger256]

Originally Posted by Norcalgirl36

It's pretty funny because I'm sending a realtor homes I like, and most of the ones I prefer are in Pinnacle. I just really want to be near downtown Bentonville, but what is downtown Rogers like? I need to check it out. Any trails linking those 2 towns? Or are they really far from one another?

I did find a few in Shadow Valley as well, beautiful. I think I flagged 3 homes on Fiddlesticks Trail in Pinnacle, the styles of which I liked very much. It is beautiful there, reminds me of home (the nicer area I can't presently afford!)

you should be aware that those 2 gated communities have fairly restrictive HOA rules.

I've heard in shadow valley, you are not allowed to leave your garage door open for longer than 1 hour and also you are not allowed to leave a basket hoop in front of your house. While they are gated, the security is more like a welcoming committee. they take your name, where you are going and your license plate. Not exactly high security but it should avoid the solicitors that we get quite often in hyde park which is not gated but just next door.

Driving around shadow valley/pinnacle, there are always a large number of houses for sale. The residents who can afford to live there tend to get relocated very often.

[JWG223]

Originally Posted by gunslinger256

you should be aware that those 2 gated communities have fairly restrictive HOA rules.

I've heard in shadow valley, you are not allowed to leave your garage door open for longer than 1 hour and also you are not allowed to leave a basket hoop in front of your house. While they are gated, the security is more like a welcoming committee. they take your name, where you are going and your license plate. Not exactly high security but it should avoid the solicitors that we get quite often in hyde park which is not gated but just next door.

Driving around shadow valley/pinnacle, there are always a large number of houses for sale. The residents who can afford to live there tend to get relocated very often.

Hah! Security only matters if the degenerate goes in through the gate as they should and has not thought of lying about where they are going and can't throw a mower in the back of their truck and create some BS about "lawn care service" or something. I wouldn't even bother with caring whether a place had "security" or not.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by JWG223

Hah! Security only matters if the degenerate goes in through the gate as they should and has not thought of lying about where they are going and can't throw a mower in the back of their truck and create some BS about "lawn care service" or something. I wouldn't even bother with caring whether a place had "security" or not.

sorry, it depends on how well it is watched. Do I care if I live in a gated community? Nope, in fact I am glad we do not. We live in one that used to be gated, but apparently they took the gates down years before we moved here. Anyway, if the gates are manned correctly they do help keep the crime down. No, someone can not get past the gates just by saying they are the lawn man, they have to know the name of the owners and they must be registered. it isn't an easy as you think. Will it guarantee no crime? Of course not, but they do add to safety. We have friends in Texas who live in a gated community and our daughter and her husband in Florida do as well. So does my husbands cousins in Scottsdale, AZ. Their's is so gated the property owner has to meet you at the gate.

[ccoutofsc]

I wonder if anyone can help me. My husbands company has a plant in Ft Smith, he works for Mars, and we are considering a transfer there. We currently live in Columbia, SC but I am from California. I see so much good about Fayetville but don't want hubby to have a major commute. So my question is are there any cities between the two where we could live that would make driving to either city not as hard. We are a family of seven with kids ages 11, 9, 5, and 5mth old twins. Our boys play travel baseball and our 5 yr old is in gymnastics now but being that I danced my whole life I want good dance also. Of course good schools is necessary. This is just a little about us. Any city info would greatly help.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by ccoutofsc

I wonder if anyone can help me. My husbands company has a plant in Ft Smith, he works for Mars, and we are considering a transfer there. We currently live in Columbia, SC but I am from California. I see so much good about Fayetville but don't want hubby to have a major commute. So my question is are there any cities between the two where we could live that would make driving to either city not as hard. We are a family of seven with kids ages 11, 9, 5, and 5mth old twins. Our boys play travel baseball and our 5 yr old is in gymnastics now but being that I danced my whole life I want good dance also. Of course good schools is necessary. This is just a little about us. Any city info would greatly help.

There really isn't a lot between the 2 cities: Farmington and West Fork are slightly south, but not enough to make much difference in the commute to Ft Smith. I don't know what you consider a long commute. Actually, the commute from Fayetteville would be a little long but very easy and Fayetteville would have everything you would want in the way of family life. Maybe someone living in the Fayetteville area could give you some suggestions.

I don't know much about Ft Smith, but I do know, if I had a young family I just think I would rather raise them in Fayetteville; maybe I am being unfair to Ft Smith. We did some house hunting when we decided to relocate to NWA and we were not impressed at all. I am, of course, judging this on only a couple of days of research.

[ccoutofsc]

Originally Posted by nmnita

There really isn't a lot between the 2 cities: Farmington and West Fork are slightly south, but not enough to make much difference in the commute to Ft Smith. I don't know what you consider a long commute. Actually, the commute from Fayetteville would be a little long but very easy and Fayetteville would have everything you would want in the way of family life. Maybe someone living in the Fayetteville area could give you some suggestions.

I don't know much about Ft Smith, but I do know, if I had a young family I just think I would rather raise them in Fayetteville; maybe I am being unfair to Ft Smith. We did some house hunting when we decided to relocate to NWA and we were not impressed at all. I am, of course, judging this on only a couple of days of research.

Thanks. I am hoping that more people will chime in. Hubby had an hour commute in Ca. and 20 min here so he has done it I was just hoping to not have to do it but if he has to he will. Are there people who make that commute? We want this to be our last move so we nee to make a good choice.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by ccoutofsc

Thanks. I am hoping that more people will chime in. Hubby had an hour commute in Ca. and 20 min here so he has done it I was just hoping to not have to do it but if he has to he will. Are there people who make that commute? We want this to be our last move so we nee to make a good choice.

Our granddauther did it when she was in Dental Hygiene school, but I think she only had to do it about 3 times a week.

[JWG223]

Originally Posted by nmnita

sorry, it depends on how well it is watched. Do I care if I live in a gated community? Nope, in fact I am glad we do not. We live in one that used to be gated, but apparently they took the gates down years before we moved here. Anyway, if the gates are manned correctly they do help keep the crime down. No, someone can not get past the gates just by saying they are the lawn man, they have to know the name of the owners and they must be registered. it isn't an easy as you think. Will it guarantee no crime? Of course not, but they do add to safety. We have friends in Texas who live in a gated community and our daughter and her husband in Florida do as well. So does my husbands cousins in Scottsdale, AZ. Their's is so gated the property owner has to meet you at the gate.

A guy in a BMW threw a bottle at me while jogging one time, and promptly turned into a subdivision. I walked up to the security gate and simply proceeded in. When stopped, I looked directly at the woman, told her what I just said here, and said I was going to go have a word with him about it, and turned and continued in. I was bigger than her by a considerable margin, obviously lifted, and was determined to march into that subdivision and was doing it without being threatening about it, but was indeed determined to do so. She could have shot me in the back (Maybe? I don't think she was armed. Low-level rent-a-cop), or done nothing. Those were basically her options at that point. However, kudos to her, she refused to tell me where the guy lived/who he was, which was what I asked her before I walked on in, without being challenged physically or verbally this time.

...sadly, it seemed every prick in that neighborhood had a black 3-series, and I gave up on it and walked out the way I came. Again, unchallenged. There were some nice houses and after about an hour of looking for that BMW, I began finding myself staring at the architecture, losing my immediate desire to smash someone's face in, and left.

After that, I have had zero faith in manned gates. They are like locks. Worthless to even a half-hearted attempt.

Now...East Gate on BAFB is different. They would have gunned me down like a dog. Literally. Some private probably itching for the chance to do it, too.