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Little Rock - Conway area Pulaski, Faulkner, Grant, Lonoke, Perry, and Saline Counties
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Old 11-02-2012, 04:28 AM
 
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I am considering a move to the Conway/LR area for my work. I am a bleeding heart liberal who has lived in NY and CA his whole life and am hesitant that my kind might not be welcomed (based on experiences I've had in rural Alabama and South Carolina). Also, I am young and like to have my fun. Having a range of restaurants, cafes, and cultural amenities is important. I have had very positive visits to the south, noticing how friendly and open people are. But I am also a product of my upbringing and young adult life in active, lefty cities. Anyone have any opinions: would I be happy living in Conway/LR
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Old 11-02-2012, 04:42 AM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado
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No better place than NYC. I just drove through the south. Good luck!
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Old 11-02-2012, 04:49 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
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Quote:
Originally Posted by artisan4 View Post
No better place than NYC. I just drove through the south. Good luck!
I have to ask you, did you drive through the south and spend anytime in a place like Little Rock for instance. Where in the Southe did you stay and for how long?
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Old 11-02-2012, 04:59 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,325,455 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgoodsprings View Post
I am considering a move to the Conway/LR area for my work. I am a bleeding heart liberal who has lived in NY and CA his whole life and am hesitant that my kind might not be welcomed (based on experiences I've had in rural Alabama and South Carolina). Also, I am young and like to have my fun. Having a range of restaurants, cafes, and cultural amenities is important. I have had very positive visits to the south, noticing how friendly and open people are. But I am also a product of my upbringing and young adult life in active, lefty cities. Anyone have any opinions: would I be happy living in Conway/LR
I don't live in Little Rock, so my opinion is more, just what I have seen throughout a lot of AR, specially the more heavily populated areas. Of course you are going to find a slight cultural shock and yes, the area is more conservative, but not all of AR is Bible Belt, as many think and there are liberals living here that are very happy. We have friends that are libs and happy. She worked for years at the Kansas State and he was into theatre arts, obviously the life style that was based on liberalism...Another couple we know are from Minn, just discussing politics with them can be a challenge and I try to stay away from the subject..I have bridge friends that are retired teachers and liberal as HELL. They all appreciate much of what AR has to offer.

Our governor is a Democrat, but not a true liberal I wouldn't say. Our Friday night PBS program "AR week" is as liberal as anything you will see on MSNBC. I can go on and on. You can be happy, if you don't come in and try to change everyone's way of thinking and living.

Remember Little Rock is the state capitol and there are not very many state cap cities that are overly conservative...
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Old 11-02-2012, 05:01 AM
 
Location: Atlanta & NYC
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I'm not all that liberal but I too wonder how a native New Englander who spent a lot of time living in NY (10 years) would do in places like these.
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Old 11-02-2012, 05:43 AM
 
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Originally Posted by nmnita View Post
I don't live in Little Rock, so my opinion is more, just what I have seen throughout a lot of AR, specially the more heavily populated areas. Of course you are going to find a slight cultural shock and yes, the area is more conservative, but not all of AR is Bible Belt, as many think and there are liberals living here that are very happy. We have friends that are libs and happy. She worked for years at the Kansas State and he was into theatre arts, obviously the life style that was based on liberalism...Another couple we know are from Minn, just discussing politics with them can be a challenge and I try to stay away from the subject..I have bridge friends that are retired teachers and liberal as HELL. They all appreciate much of what AR has to offer.

Our governor is a Democrat, but not a true liberal I wouldn't say. Our Friday night PBS program "AR week" is as liberal as anything you will see on MSNBC. I can go on and on. You can be happy, if you don't come in and try to change everyone's way of thinking and living.

Remember Little Rock is the state capitol and there are not very many state cap cities that are overly conservative...
------------
Thanks for your thoughtful reply! You're right about state capitals -- they always contain a good mix of people. Is Conway a true college town or is it more like a country town with some colleges?
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Old 11-02-2012, 07:37 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,325,455 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jgoodsprings View Post
------------
Thanks for your thoughtful reply! You're right about state capitals -- they always contain a good mix of people. Is Conway a true college town or is it more like a country town with some colleges?
It is certainly not a college town like, say, Fayetteville, so I would say it is more a combination...We have a poster on here, SamAm that will probably be better able to answer your question than I am...I am sure she will be responding...
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Old 11-02-2012, 07:43 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,325,455 times
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Originally Posted by ja1myn View Post
I'm not all that liberal but I too wonder how a native New Englander who spent a lot of time living in NY (10 years) would do in places like these.
When I see comments like this, I have to wonder, how much time you have spent in the city being discussed and how much do you know about the overall area. Like most mid sized and larger cities, Little Rock is very diverse. Yes, it is still very much the south but there are a lot of people, from all over the country who live in the sity for various reasons. When one of the top Childrens hospitals in the country is located in the city, plus a very good cancer center, as well as the state cap, it isn't just some backwards rural, southern town...It has a lot to offer, regardless. It may not be for you and it may not even be for me, but there are people who have lived on both coasts that have chosen Little Rock as their home. I think the OP mentioned a job opportunity, that, in itself it worth considering.
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Old 11-02-2012, 07:48 AM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado
1,975 posts, read 2,346,146 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nmnita View Post
I have to ask you, did you drive through the south and spend anytime in a place like Little Rock for instance. Where in the Southe did you stay and for how long?
I drove through Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. I've been through Little Rock before. I saw a lot of Romney, anti-Obama and anti-Choice billboards and bumper stickers. Also, Arkansas is an anti-labor /right to work for less state.
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Old 11-02-2012, 08:06 AM
 
Location: The Great State of Arkansas
5,981 posts, read 18,229,193 times
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I'm here and I'm commenting. I don't consider Conway to be a true college town, even though there are multiple colleges there. It just doesn't have that feel, not like Fayetteville does. I don't know that I consider it a country town either - it's just a little bit more of Little Rock a little further down the road. Little Rock has a couple of colleges too, but no one would call it a college town. That's just my opinion, I don't live in Conway but am there frequently. I am in Little Rock more frequently.

Can you find happiness in Little Rock? Welp, I guess much of that depends on your definition of happiness. If you are looking for NYC or SF-O type amenities as far as a club and trendy bistro on every single corner that's open all night you are going to be sadly disappointed. Sorry - we don't have the population to support that. There's little to no public transportation, there's nothing going on 'round the clock like in NYC, there's not the strange mixture of folks like SF-O although there is diversity. There's as much natural beauty as you will find in either state, I think, just not the same as you are used to. There are friendly people, there are not-so-friendly, there are Dems and Reps and everything in between. But if you are looking for that fast-paced feeling you're gonna think you died and went to a very bad place. Even at warp speed, it's the South and we just don't get crazy unless there's a football game going on :-) But Nita is right - Little Rock has a lot going for it that people just don't recognize on first glance.

All that being said - I have a son who is 35. Born and raised in Arkansas, never knew anything else, and y'all would get along great, your hearts could bleed together, LOL! Arkansas cannot hold him now. He went to NYC and fell in love with SF-O. Money/COL kept him out of both places, but he loved the pace and loved the culture. He's now in Atlanta, which is his best compromise so far (he couldn't take the Chi-town weather). The COL there is higher than Arkansas, to be sure, but it's a good compromise on speedy living. The other son wouldn't leave AR for love nor money, his heart doesn't bleed, and he'd be the one yawning in the fast lane out of sheer boredom. That type lifestyle doesn't appeal to him.

Some people are meant to live the fast life - some aren't. If you want to slow down then I'd encourage you to come and stay for a couple of weeks before making a move - but I'd do that if you were moving to Timbuktu. I'm not sure what "your kind" are - if you're young and a bleeding heart you'll be okay...it's sort of the face of change in many ways in Arkansas as a whole.
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