family relocating to NWA, best area for kids? (Fayetteville, Rogers: how much, houses)

[duaine2442]

Family of 5 relocating to NWA from Louisiana. We are looking for family friendly neighborhood with possibly community pool under 200,000.Kids are 11 and 6y/o twins. I'm a nurse and husband's a teacher, haven't officially accepted any jobs yet and we are coming to explore the area next week. Just wondering the best places to look. Thanks.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by duaine2442

Family of 5 relocating to NWA from Louisiana. We are looking for family friendly neighborhood with possibly community pool under 200,000.Kids are 11 and 6y/o twins. I'm a nurse and husband's a teacher, haven't officially accepted any jobs yet and we are coming to explore the area next week. Just wondering the best places to look. Thanks.

wow, there are so many possibilities depending on where you will be working. I don't know many with neighborhood pools if that is what you mean, but most cities do have public pools. My suggestion and it only a matter of opinion, based of reputation and schools, as well as family oriented and family activities: probably I would say Bentonville first, then Bella vista on the east side, which is Bentonville schools. Centerton is an up and coming town with lots of young families, but I don't know if they have a community pool. It is in Bentonville school district. Our great grandkids live in a family neighborhood here in Bella Vista. They love it. She is a nurse Practitioner: hubby an accountant.. If the jobs are a little further south, you would want to think Rogers or even Fayetteville, though property in Fayetteville will be a little bit higher. You can't really go wrong with any of these cities. They have amenities, decent to very good schools and all pretty, with lots of greenery. Centerton isn't as pretty, it is pretty flat with one house close to the next unless you can afford the really larger ones, which I think will be out of your housing budget. Good luck and keep us informed.

[gunslinger256]

Plenty of development with pools, but 200k is a bit low for those neighborhoods.

Prices have been going steadily up and the price per square foot is pushing 120.. In once affordable neighborhoods

Even the smallest homes near me are pushing 108/sq ft and they don't have a pool.

There is a community on route 264 off mount Hebron road that still looks affordable for you

[JWG223]

Originally Posted by duaine2442

Family of 5 relocating to NWA from Louisiana. We are looking for family friendly neighborhood with possibly community pool under 200,000.Kids are 11 and 6y/o twins. I'm a nurse and husband's a teacher, haven't officially accepted any jobs yet and we are coming to explore the area next week. Just wondering the best places to look. Thanks.

Bentonville and Centerton seem more kid friendly to me. $200k should be easy, although when you throw the pool thing in there, I dunno. Definitely check out both Northwest and Mercy before you take a job with one or the other. I've worked for both, and the distinctly differ.

Where in LA are you moving from? I unfortunately used to live in Shreveport/Bossier. I am amazed on a daily basis how much better things are, here.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by JWG223

Bentonville and Centerton seem more kid friendly to me. $200k should be easy, although when you throw the pool thing in there, I dunno. Definitely check out both Northwest and Mercy before you take a job with one or the other. I've worked for both, and the distinctly differ.

Where in LA are you moving from? I unfortunately used to live in Shreveport/Bossier. I am amazed on a daily basis how much better things are, here.

I could be wrong but I don't think she is asking for a place with a pool, but a neighborhood that has a community pool. But you are right: either way there are a lot of nice neighborhoods in her price range, but as gunslinger said, the communities with neighborhood pools are going for $100 plus a sq foot. It will have to be a developed neighborhood, which is fine.

You mentioned you have worked at both Mercy and NorthWest. Our granddaughter did her internship at both. She liked each for different reasons. She had her last baby at Northwest because that is where her doctor practiced.
Hubby and I have had surgeries or procedures at both. We are happy with either as well, but slightly prefer Mercy, though the doctors we have liked the best were affiliated with both or Northwest. All except my orthopedist. He is Mercy.

[duaine2442]

moving from West Monroe. Housing is going way up here, but in my opinion, the community/family friendliness is going down.

[JWG223]

Originally Posted by duaine2442

moving from West Monroe. Housing is going way up here, but in my opinion, the community/family friendliness is going down.

You're going to love this area. I used to live in Shreveport, and every time I visited my friends up here, I literally had nightmares about where I lived for a few days after I got back home. Kid you not. And I don't dream.

[Breadmaker1]

For that price and amenities, probably Centerton is best. I'm partial to Rogers/Bentonville (and even Lowell), because it seems like everything is in their downtowns or the Pinnacle Hills area (Fayetteville is fun, but I have seemed to outgrow it after kids). As I mentioned on another board, I think that it is really hard to go wrong up here. All the areas are great, so find what you want. If you want to be close to shopping, dining, amenities - pick Rogers or Bentonville. If you like some seclusion, consider Bella Vista or Beaver Lake.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Breadmaker1

For that price and amenities, probably Centerton is best. I'm partial to Rogers/Bentonville (and even Lowell), because it seems like everything is in their downtowns or the Pinnacle Hills area (Fayetteville is fun, but I have seemed to outgrow it after kids). As I mentioned on another board, I think that it is really hard to go wrong up here. All the areas are great, so find what you want. If you want to be close to shopping, dining, amenities - pick Rogers or Bentonville. If you like some seclusion, consider Bella Vista or Beaver Lake.

and the nice thing: any of those places are within about 10 to 20 minutes to Pinnacle, good shopping or whatever. My only problem with Centerton is there are not the trees we get in many parts of NWA. I think Beaver lake, in the areas that would attract families may be a little pricy.

[Wanderlove]

I don't know if you are at all interested in Fayetteville but the Salem Village neighborhood has a community pool with houses under 2k. Very social, friendly neighborhood in west Fayetteville.