Bentonville (Little Rock, Fayetteville, Rogers: credit, house prices, neighborhood)

[frosti]

Hi, we will be moving from UK to AR soon and are considering Fayetteville and Bentonville to live in.
Up until yesterday it was Fayetteville but now i think Bentonville may be better in terms of house prices and commute to work.
Now this is where i need your help(please) can you tell me about Bentonville schools,which neighbourhoods to avoid and so on.
Our main concern is schools,(elementry).
We are an asian muslim family,do you think we will be accepted in the area?
I look forward to any advice.
Thanks

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by frosti

Hi, we will be moving from UK to AR soon and are considering Fayetteville and Bentonville to live in.
Up until yesterday it was Fayetteville but now i think Bentonville may be better in terms of house prices and commute to work.
Now this is where i need your help(please) can you tell me about Bentonville schools,which neighbourhoods to avoid and so on.
Our main concern is schools,(elementry).
We are an asian muslim family,do you think we will be accepted in the area?
I look forward to any advice.
Thanks

I remember you posting not long ago about Fayetteville and asking the same quesions. I don't know if anyone can completely answer your question about acceptance. Of course you will not find a huge influx of muslims anywhere in AR. I am sure you realize that. As for being accepting, my feeling has always been, people who want to be accpected and don't try to say apart from the mainstream usually have few problems. Moving from UK to AR is going to be an adjustment of course. I will tell you here in Bella Vista we have several doctors that are from India, my hairdresser is from Pakastan and we have friends that know couples in the area from the mid east. NWAR is more open than other parts of the state.. Good luck, I am sure someone will help you with the school situation.

Nita

[Stormcrow73]

I remember when I went to school at the university there were a fair number of muslims both in school and living there permanently. I am not, however, aware of any central place of worship. Doesn't mean there isn't one but I don't know of it.

[frosti]

Thanks guys for your help.
As we have children i dont want to leave anything to chance( hence the question again about acceptance),we can cope with racist attitudes but i would not like my children to go through that.
I am sure you can understand.
Thanks again.

[frosti]

Schools anyone?

[arkansasman]

i don't have a first hand info but have heard that Bentonville school district is better than Rogers.

btw- there is a large south asian community here thanks to Wal-mart. You will get enough people to network with.

As pointed out, i too am unaware of any place of worship. There is only one indian restaurant

[frosti]

Originally Posted by arkansasman

i don't have a first hand info but have heard that Bentonville school district is better than Rogers.

btw- there is a large south asian community here thanks to Wal-mart. You will get enough people to network with.

As pointed out, i too am unaware of any place of worship. There is only one indian restaurant

Thanks!
Whereabouts is the restaurant?
The place of worship is not important,so we don't mind.
Thanks again

[bagelw]

I can't speak for Bentonville but I know that the university in Fayetteville has a Muslim Student Association. You might contact them and find out what the area has to offer. As far as being accepted I thought this article was interesting. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/us/06religion.html

I believe the indian restaurant they are talking about is in Rogers. I haven't been there yet. Habibi in Fayetteville has some indian cuisine on the menu but is more of a mix of mediterranean food.

[frosti]

Originally Posted by bagelw

I can't speak for Bentonville but I know that the university in Fayetteville has a Muslim Student Association. You might contact them and find out what the area has to offer. As far as being accepted I thought this article was interesting. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/us/06religion.html

I believe the indian restaurant they are talking about is in Rogers. I haven't been there yet. Habibi in Fayetteville has some indian cuisine on the menu but is more of a mix of mediterranean food.

Hi,thanks for the article,what a lovely story!
We shall have to visit those restaurants when we come to visit next month!
Thanks again

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by bagelw

I can't speak for Bentonville but I know that the university in Fayetteville has a Muslim Student Association. You might contact them and find out what the area has to offer. As far as being accepted I thought this article was interesting. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/us/06religion.html

I believe the indian restaurant they are talking about is in Rogers. I haven't been there yet. Habibi in Fayetteville has some indian cuisine on the menu but is more of a mix of mediterranean food.

Good atachment on a good post.

That article should almost be required reading for the people wanting to know if they'll be accepted here or there.

The majority of acceptance issues that I have seen both from living here and from these posts over time, haven't been, "Will I be accepted?", but actually more "Can I accept my environment?".

People seeking a cosmopoliton <as such> lifestyle in NWA or Little Rock will find that it is there if they seek it. It doesn't fall in one's lap.

It doesn't take much exploration to find that we also have people dressed in cammo and workboots, pick-up trucks, excitement over a new chain saw, takin' Sunday off, huntin'-season-yearning kinda folks.

And that's just at *my* house alone!

Really.....it's a whole lot more diverse here than people give it credit for, and thankfully we have enough good folks on this board from the different areas that will speak up and let people know the lay of the land in their neighborhood.

I know a lot of folks here, but I don't know anybody that won't accept anybody that's come asking questions on these forums.

They make very intelligent, interesting conversation, and most of them will give you a run for your money on formal education.

However, ya gotta get past the cow droppings on their boots, and the wad of kodiak in their cheek, as they fill their truck pulling a trailer of hay, before they can rattle off the places you can get a *real* bagel & lox.

We don't bite, and that growl you *think* you hear is just us tryin' to hum a 'Merle' tune.