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Sorry to hear that your spot in life is not what it once was. We were looking at Colorado long and hard but that's what we kept hearing, that too many people all at once converged in Colorado. Home prices, cost of living, and arrogance from newly relocated people made us keep looking. NW Arkansas seems to be where we will venture to soon.
We lived in Castle Rock for 16 years before coming here, my business took me all over Colorado, I've seen it all a hundred times. I don't regret the move a bit, the only complaint is this stump dump situation. The traffic, the people, the natural beauty, the trails, the wildlife (the birds are simply amazing), the climate (dehydration issues can be a killer in the high desert, which is the front range), no crime, and oh yeah - you get a hell of a lot of house for the money here..
They're possible, but it wouldn't keep me up at night worrying about it.
If you think you'd like the area, tornadoes should not be the deal breaker.
I'd be more worried it would become a miniature Colorado. Seems like some are trying to hype it up as such, as far fetched as that seems.
We briefly considered CO, but haven't heard much good about it as a place to live.
NWA isn't going to be another Colorado in our lifetime. Most of Colorado's draw is tied to the economic base of Denver, which is a major metropolitan area - 3.5 million CSA - and the state's thriving recreational/tourism industry. No place in Arkansas can come close to matching either. When the masses start accumulating to the point it gets crowded, they go to where there are plentiful good paying jobs first and foremost, and scores of amenities second. Colorado's incredible natural beauty is the cherry on top. Arkansas can't approach any of that right now. The economic bases are still miniscule in comparison, and the average wages still amongst the lowest in the nation. Little Rock especially has to be the most underperforming mid major city in America. So much potential, but there they sit watching other former mid majors like Louisville and Nashville develop into thriving, major cities while they remain stuck in the mud. Right now AR is set up to be more favorable to retire in than to make a living in, which is why you see primarily retirees (current and potential) in this forum, and which is why we're up here buried in snow and freezing our a$$es off, rather than sitting on a long porch with a steaming cup of ridiculously strong coffee looking at an Ozark (or Ouachita) vista like we want to be. Believe me, if anywhere in AR could offer even close to what metro Denver in particular could the place would be in the process of being overrun as I type this, and we would be the first ones in. Not happening anytime soon, so if that type of overcrowding is a concern in correlation with moving anywhere in AR I wouldn't let it stop me.
We lived in Castle Rock for 16 years before coming here, my business took me all over Colorado, I've seen it all a hundred times. I don't regret the move a bit, the only complaint is this stump dump situation. The traffic, the people, the natural beauty, the trails, the wildlife (the birds are simply amazing), the climate (dehydration issues can be a killer in the high desert, which is the front range), no crime, and oh yeah - you get a hell of a lot of house for the money here..
When I was a young boy, an uncle worked for Yellowstone NP. So I was fortunate in that I got to spend a few Summers in Yellowstone NP and Livingston, Montana. From then on I always wanted to live in the mountains. Family issues, and work kept me a flatlander but in retirement I would be free one day to make that move. And now a medical issue has limited my scope of remoteness, and coupled with the huge influx of people moving to Co. along with a high cost of living, and overpriced realty, had us pull back and regroup. But fortunately, I spent a lot of time in 1990's and 2000's paddling the streams and rivers of Mo. and Ark. along with backpacking the Ozarks (mostly around Buffalo River) and the Ouachitas. Thru my wanderings back then I learned from 1st hand experience why Arkansas is called "The Natural State"! It's an unbelievably beautiful place, and with the good Lord willing, it'll be our home very soon.
When we realized Co. wasn't going to work I happened across this site and quite a few folks here in NWA convinced us that our next home was going to be here. Thanks for the kindness, we hope to return it, and look forward to the journey now of finding our "spot"!
We lived in Castle Rock for 16 years before coming here, my business took me all over Colorado, I've seen it all a hundred times. I don't regret the move a bit, the only complaint is this stump dump situation. The traffic, the people, the natural beauty, the trails, the wildlife (the birds are simply amazing), the climate (dehydration issues can be a killer in the high desert, which is the front range), no crime, and oh yeah - you get a hell of a lot of house for the money here..
I smile when you or anyone talks about CAstle Rock. When I attended Boulder centuries ago, well not quite my aunt and uncle lived in Castle Rock and I would visit the often. At that time, believe it or not the town had 1000 residents and the phone service was the old fashion "call the operator" So much has changed since those days.
NWA isn't going to be another Colorado in our lifetime. Most of Colorado's draw is tied to the economic base of Denver, which is a major metropolitan area - 3.5 million CSA - and the state's thriving recreational/tourism industry. No place in Arkansas can come close to matching either. When the masses start accumulating to the point it gets crowded, they go to where there are plentiful good paying jobs first and foremost, and scores of amenities second. Colorado's incredible natural beauty is the cherry on top. Arkansas can't approach any of that right now. The economic bases are still miniscule in comparison, and the average wages still amongst the lowest in the nation. Little Rock especially has to be the most underperforming mid major city in America. So much potential, but there they sit watching other former mid majors like Louisville and Nashville develop into thriving, major cities while they remain stuck in the mud. Right now AR is set up to be more favorable to retire in than to make a living in, which is why you see primarily retirees (current and potential) in this forum, and which is why we're up here buried in snow and freezing our a$$es off, rather than sitting on a long porch with a steaming cup of ridiculously strong coffee looking at an Ozark (or Ouachita) vista like we want to be. Believe me, if anywhere in AR could offer even close to what metro Denver in particular could the place would be in the process of being overrun as I type this, and we would be the first ones in. Not happening anytime soon, so if that type of overcrowding is a concern in correlation with moving anywhere in AR I wouldn't let it stop me.
It depends on your field and how you leverage your position. Im living very well in NWA even compared to friends in Austin, San Antonio, etc.
It depends on your field and how you leverage your position. Im living very well in NWA even compared to friends in Austin, San Antonio, etc.
Point taken. I'm in direct patient care (imaging) and found the pay for my field in AR to be lower than anywhere I've seen - and not just by a couple hairs, by a country mile. When interviewing in Little Rock I met a nurse who told me she took a $12 an hour cut when she moved there.
Point taken. I'm in direct patient care (imaging) and found the pay for my field in AR to be lower than anywhere I've seen - and not just by a couple hairs, by a country mile. When interviewing in Little Rock I met a nurse who told me she took a $12 an hour cut when she moved there.
No idea why. Hope it changes someday.
I know someone who moved here to NWA from Minnesota, and she took a drop when she first moved. And then she changed jobs and then several more changes, so that she's now receiving more than she was paid in MN, and is approaching the six figures that was her goal. I think that is what the other poster meant by leveraging, but I think it's more a matter of networking. The initial job is entry, and you need to be prepared to move about a bit to get the money you want.
I'm not saying you made a wrong decision. Because there's certainly a risk involved, and some people excel at networking and others don't. Not to mention, each job change is a bit of a risk, and with a family to support, that may not be comfortable.
I know someone who moved here to NWA from Minnesota, and she took a drop when she first moved. And then she changed jobs and then several more changes, so that she's now receiving more than she was paid in MN, and is approaching the six figures that was her goal. I think that is what the other poster meant by leveraging, but I think it's more a matter of networking. The initial job is entry, and you need to be prepared to move about a bit to get the money you want.
I'm not saying you made a wrong decision. Because there's certainly a risk involved, and some people excel at networking and others don't. Not to mention, each job change is a bit of a risk, and with a family to support, that may not be comfortable.
Taxes and housing costs are WAY higher in MN than NWA, have to factor those things in when deciding if she actually took a drop in wages.
I know someone who moved here to NWA from Minnesota, and she took a drop when she first moved. And then she changed jobs and then several more changes, so that she's now receiving more than she was paid in MN, and is approaching the six figures that was her goal. I think that is what the other poster meant by leveraging, but I think it's more a matter of networking. The initial job is entry, and you need to be prepared to move about a bit to get the money you want.
I'm not saying you made a wrong decision. Because there's certainly a risk involved, and some people excel at networking and others don't. Not to mention, each job change is a bit of a risk, and with a family to support, that may not be comfortable.
DC, in 2016 we came within the blink of an eye of doing just that. I had an offer from Northwest in Bentonville that was about 8 bucks an hour less than where I was working in TX. We wanted to be there so bad that we spent days crunching numbers and plotting cuts so that we could take the job. I was going to just jump in and do what I had to do to make it work, including getting my feet wet and then scoping out the job scene as a local. In the end it just didn't seem like a safe thing to do with 4 little kids to bring up. Obviously others have taken the leap and made it work. I applaud them.....it simply wasn't the right time for us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by duke944
Taxes and housing costs are WAY higher in MN than NWA, have to factor those things in when deciding if she actually took a drop in wages.
duke, I think you'd be at least a bit surprised at the COL here in MN in comparison to AR. Housing is not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be. We just bought a nice, 15 year old 4BR 2BA home with half an acre 40 miles north of Minneapolis for 220K. I doubt you'd get this house for a whole lot less at least close to the I-49 corridor in NWA from the research I've done. Property taxes are higher, I'll give you that......but AR is not favorably looked upon nationally for its tax burden as a whole. MN, of course, is infamous for taxes, but the wages here are so high it balances out and man do you get a lot for them. The park systems, the schools and even most of the roads are all superior to other places I've lived. For a place with such brutal winters the roads here are actually excellent.......and they do a good job of keeping them clear when the snow and ice hit.
It would actually be a no brainer for us to just stay put here - except for the aforementioned winters. We've been back in the upper Midwest for 2 years and I'm already going nuts between Jan and May. I don't mind snow during the holidays, but after that I want nothing to do with it, and that's always when the worst comes. I'm just about to turn 50, but no way am I going to be pushing a snowblower and using a roof rake to drag snow off of my house into my old age. No way am I trudging through all this slop for months on end as an old man. I don't want to look at a white landscape half the year the rest of my life. We came here because it made good sense at this juncture of our lives, but 4 to 5 years from now I'm selling this place and we're headed back south for good!
DC, in 2016 we came within the blink of an eye of doing just that. I had an offer from Northwest in Bentonville that was about 8 bucks an hour less than where I was working in TX. We wanted to be there so bad that we spent days crunching numbers and plotting cuts so that we could take the job. I was going to just jump in and do what I had to do to make it work, including getting my feet wet and then scoping out the job scene as a local. In the end it just didn't seem like a safe thing to do with 4 little kids to bring up. Obviously others have taken the leap and made it work. I applaud them.....it simply wasn't the right time for us.
duke, I think you'd be at least a bit surprised at the COL here in MN in comparison to AR. Housing is not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be. We just bought a nice, 15 year old 4BR 2BA home with half an acre 40 miles north of Minneapolis for 220K. I doubt you'd get this house for a whole lot less at least close to the I-49 corridor in NWA from the research I've done. Property taxes are higher, I'll give you that......but AR is not favorably looked upon nationally for its tax burden as a whole. MN, of course, is infamous for taxes, but the wages here are so high it balances out and man do you get a lot for them. The park systems, the schools and even most of the roads are all superior to other places I've lived. For a place with such brutal winters the roads here are actually excellent.......and they do a good job of keeping them clear when the snow and ice hit.
It would actually be a no brainer for us to just stay put here - except for the aforementioned winters. We've been back in the upper Midwest for 2 years and I'm already going nuts between Jan and May. I don't mind snow during the holidays, but after that I want nothing to do with it, and that's always when the worst comes. I'm just about to turn 50, but no way am I going to be pushing a snowblower and using a roof rake to drag snow off of my house into my old age. No way am I trudging through all this slop for months on end as an old man. I don't want to look at a white landscape half the year the rest of my life. We came here because it made good sense at this juncture of our lives, but 4 to 5 years from now I'm selling this place and we're headed back south for good!
I lived the first 24 years of my life in the twin cities and you couldn't pay me enough to move back. I'm about the same age as you.
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