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Just as a note of clarification on that, War memorial and the Zoo are actually in a pretty nice place, just on the south border of hillcrest. They border I-630, and a block or two south it starts getting a bit seedy, but not bad enough that you have to worry about anything at the stadium or zoo.
It's been several years since I've been to the fairgrounds, though; isn't that a pretty bad area?
The thing is, though, the crime in little rock is EXTREMELY localized. Whoever said the city is too small to be far away from it most have forgotten how sprawled the city is!! :P
I live in hillcrest, and I know not a single person in this neighborhood who has been broken into in the 8 years we've been here.
By contrast, my sister-in-law lives south of markham just west of downtown (sorry can't remember the neighborhood name), and while it's not a really BAD neighborhood, she got broken into 3 times in 6 months (then she got a dog, alarm system and service, and it seems to have stopped since).
My wife used to work downtown, and her car was broken into several times over a period of 5 years.
At home, though, the only time our cars were touched was when I accidentally left my trunk partially open, the stuff in there got taken - and where we both work now, just north of hillcrest off cantrel, again, it just doesn't happen.
Yes, there are parts of town here that are pretty seedy, but anyone who says it isn't concentrated on specific areas... well, let's just say I won't believe them.
Living in west little rock is fun. People here are friendly, but it is suburban and people are normally transients from other states. The growth here has sped up and slowed down and sped up again. It is a tranquil and peaceful area with a lot of scenery. The commute to downtown LR is about 25-45 minutes, depending on traffic.
These stats are straight from this website. They wouldn't line up properly. Drat.
I'm not certain of the significance of 2001, but even the overall crime index in Little Rock has risen steadily since then.
By the way, I must commend you, Rackensack, for accurately and eloquently explaining the quirks of Arkansas without coming across as condescending. You are a better person than I. My frustration of having been born and some-of-the-time raised in Arkansas (which was not always a pleasant experience), gets in the way of me being nice.
During the time I was in Little Rock, it was by far the biggest city I had ever lived in...with the exception of a large, midwestern town I lived in as a toddler. I had nothing to compare it to, except for possibly Memphis, which was where everyone in my small town went to, in order to go somewhere nice to eat, or to the zoo, the mall..whatever. LR seemed every bit as bad as Memphis, but just on a smaller scale.
I lived on the far westside, downtown, North Little Rock, and Maumelle.
Maumelle was the only place in the whole area that impressed me enough to buy a house there. Maumelle was the only town that I felt like I could let children safely ride down the street on their bikes without too much danger. The lack of retail, however, meant always having to make the 20 minute drive to Little Rock for just about everything. That drove me nuts after a while.
Just for some interesting banter....Here are a couple of SOUTHERN cities in similar size and proximity to Little Rock.....
Shreveport, LA population 198,874
Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Murders 36 44 49 40 39 28
Jackson, MS population 180492
Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Murders 50 49 45 53 38 40
**alot more shocking and astounding compared to those 2 examples given I think maybe my parents should start shaking in their boots over in Park Hill(N Little Rock) now**
LMAO
My rant aside...I realize Little Rock isn't a rose garden but it's certainly MUCH better than what I became used to!! The point of my rant was that MOST people don't ever have any need to go to the parts of town where the crack houses and cart pushers are. In other cities, if you want to get to those things that people consider cultural or unique or fun, you're right next to the crime ridden areas or you drive through it. Well...I guess War Memorial and the zoo aren't exactly beautifully located but that part of town is still a far cry from what's right next door to Camden Yards or Ravens Stadium or the Baltimore Zoo! OMG!! It's thrust upon you anytime you go into the city and there's almost always some inherent risk in going out your front door. No so in LR if you make a decent income! In other cities, if you want to get away from the mess you have to drive an hour (unless you're a 2 X 6 figure income family!)...not the 20 minutes from Maumelle! I'm really VERY happy that things like muggings actually make the news here! In Baltimore (yes my main other city experience) if you get mugged and try to report it, there's a very good chance the police will actually harass you to try to prevent you from filing a report. It hurts their precinct's stats! The same goes for break-ins and burglaries. To me, those are REAL big city problems! So while LR may have more crime than other cities of comparable size, you really can keep yourself and your family safe here relative to other places while still being very close! It's all a matter of perspective and I realize mine is skewed somewhat but I'll stick by my assertion that while LR isn't perfect it does not have "big city problems."
As for the stats...MANY cities have experienced a rapid growth in crime in the past 3-4 years. Expect it to get much worse in the next 5 years with larger more expensive cities getting hit the worst. I have no knowledge of Des Moines, but I'll tell you for sure Springfield has considerably fewer cultural amenities than Little Rock! If you really consider that an important factor. I personally don't but I'd still take LR over Springfield any day.
I'm not even going to bother with the fact that the data you present is quite narrow in focus and I could easily go into the data and pull a similar population of data points to refute the claim but that's somewhat pointless as it's attempting to lie via stats as well. You have your perspective and I have mine.
bchris - as for the notion that you might have difficulty making friends: I find Arkansans in general to typically be very reserved and to me it is harder to make true friendships here. Easterners are much more open and if you were to move out that way you'd rather quickly have a flight of friends...but don't expect them to come to your aid when things get rough and you'd be wise to watch your back, so to speak. An Arkansan who you can call a friend may be a bit harder to come by, but when the chips are down, they'll be there for you. I have no advice as to what things might be like for you down in TX.
It is Thursday and I spent the day in Little Rock looking around, for the purpose of considering a move there.
The River Market was busy, filled with young and business people. Many were very well dressed and even fashionably dressed.
The restaurants were busy, and there seems to be a lot of renovation and construction going on.
I walked over to the Clinton Presidential Library. It's an impressive building and I liked the architecture. There were lots of people heading to a meeting of some sort, political in nature I would assume. Many were dressed in expensive, black clothes, as you would see in New York.
The park next to the library was nice, but when you look in and along the river there is a SEA of garbage floating around. I thought this was a fitting tribute to our country in a way. We have the power and money for such a magnificent structure as this library, but the environment around it is trashed.
I have found this kind of litter everywhere I go in Arkansas. Amazing amounts of fast food garbage in the prettiest places.
I drove around a little. While the downtown is very integrated racially and in class, the neighborhoods seem to be very segregated. There are some very rundown and rough looking places near downtown.
I have been in Arkansas for five months. There does seem to be a cultural need to promote Christianity, overtly. Whether this is true in Little Rock I do not know. But it's been true everywhere else. I did see a Bible verse on a piece of public art near the waterfront, paid for with tax money I'm sure.
I did see a lot of galleries, some with excellent art. There were lots of hip little bars with live music venues. I saw a building with a sign saying it was promoting sustainable culture. So, there's definitely a progressive element here. There is a gay and lesbian community here and they do have an annual event. There are progressive churches and a Buddhist community.
I think Little Rock is trying to get itself into the 21st century. But like much of the USA it's schizophrenic. Bible thumping, anti evolution, family values Christians with racist overtones abound here. But along with it so does a more educated, scientific and artistic crowd looking for sustainable business practices for the future.
There is a study, it's online, that shows that areas with high levels of religious zeal also have high crime rates. I think whoever did that study should go to Little Rock.
I haven't made up my mind yet about Little Rock. I would have to see more of it before I do. I had a pleasant walk around the River area today.
It is Thursday and I spent the day in Little Rock looking around, for the purpose of considering a move there.
The River Market was busy, filled with young and business people. Many were very well dressed and even fashionably dressed.
The restaurants were busy, and there seems to be a lot of renovation and construction going on.
I walked over to the Clinton Presidential Library. It's an impressive building and I liked the architecture. There were lots of people heading to a meeting of some sort, political in nature I would assume. Many were dressed in expensive, black clothes, as you would see in New York.
The park next to the library was nice, but when you look in and along the river there is a SEA of garbage floating around. I thought this was a fitting tribute to our country in a way. We have the power and money for such a magnificent structure as this library, but the environment around it is trashed.
I have found this kind of litter everywhere I go in Arkansas. Amazing amounts of fast food garbage in the prettiest places.
I drove around a little. While the downtown is very integrated racially and in class, the neighborhoods seem to be very segregated. There are some very rundown and rough looking places near downtown.
I have been in Arkansas for five months. There does seem to be a cultural need to promote Christianity, overtly. Whether this is true in Little Rock I do not know. But it's been true everywhere else. I did see a Bible verse on a piece of public art near the waterfront, paid for with tax money I'm sure.
I did see a lot of galleries, some with excellent art. There were lots of hip little bars with live music venues. I saw a building with a sign saying it was promoting sustainable culture. So, there's definitely a progressive element here. There is a gay and lesbian community here and they do have an annual event. There are progressive churches and a Buddhist community.
I think Little Rock is trying to get itself into the 21st century. But like much of the USA it's schizophrenic. Bible thumping, anti evolution, family values Christians with racist overtones abound here. But along with it so does a more educated, scientific and artistic crowd looking for sustainable business practices for the future.
There is a study, it's online, that shows that areas with high levels of religious zeal also have high crime rates. I think whoever did that study should go to Little Rock.
I haven't made up my mind yet about Little Rock. I would have to see more of it before I do. I had a pleasant walk around the River area today.
Great analysis. I've visited Little Rock a few times looking for a place to live. I'm just waiting on my final grades before I commit to anything. If I fail a class, I don't get the job and have to stay here and take that class again.
As for Little Rock, I find it to be far more progressive than what I am used to in the Ft. Smith area. You don't know conservative until you've been to Ft. Smith or especially Crawford County. Its literally 1957 here.
Little Rock seemed to me like a "happy medium" between small-town Arkansas and large urban centers like Dallas/Houston etc. It has a lot going for it for its size and there is a lot there you won't find in other cities of 180,000. Most of what Little Rock is lacking that big cities have is upscale chain retailers, and that situation will hopefully get better with the new Promenade at Chenal going in West LR.
Overall I was much more impressed with Little Rock than NW Arkansas, although NW Arkansas has its perks. I am looking forward to moving to LR and starting my job. And litter, as sad as it is, is too common in this part of the country. People here don't take pride in their environment like they do on the west coast. Part of that is I think people take it for granted.
It is Thursday and I spent the day in Little Rock looking around, for the purpose of considering a move there.
The River Market was busy, filled with young and business people. Many were very well dressed and even fashionably dressed.
The restaurants were busy, and there seems to be a lot of renovation and construction going on.
I walked over to the Clinton Presidential Library. It's an impressive building and I liked the architecture. There were lots of people heading to a meeting of some sort, political in nature I would assume. Many were dressed in expensive, black clothes, as you would see in New York.
The park next to the library was nice, but when you look in and along the river there is a SEA of garbage floating around. I thought this was a fitting tribute to our country in a way. We have the power and money for such a magnificent structure as this library, but the environment around it is trashed.
I have found this kind of litter everywhere I go in Arkansas. Amazing amounts of fast food garbage in the prettiest places.
I drove around a little. While the downtown is very integrated racially and in class, the neighborhoods seem to be very segregated. There are some very rundown and rough looking places near downtown.
I have been in Arkansas for five months. There does seem to be a cultural need to promote Christianity, overtly. Whether this is true in Little Rock I do not know. But it's been true everywhere else. I did see a Bible verse on a piece of public art near the waterfront, paid for with tax money I'm sure.
I did see a lot of galleries, some with excellent art. There were lots of hip little bars with live music venues. I saw a building with a sign saying it was promoting sustainable culture. So, there's definitely a progressive element here. There is a gay and lesbian community here and they do have an annual event. There are progressive churches and a Buddhist community.
I think Little Rock is trying to get itself into the 21st century. But like much of the USA it's schizophrenic. Bible thumping, anti evolution, family values Christians with racist overtones abound here. But along with it so does a more educated, scientific and artistic crowd looking for sustainable business practices for the future.
There is a study, it's online, that shows that areas with high levels of religious zeal also have high crime rates. I think whoever did that study should go to Little Rock.
I haven't made up my mind yet about Little Rock. I would have to see more of it before I do. I had a pleasant walk around the River area today.
I think you've got a pretty good evaluation here. The only thing I'd challenge is the garbage. Not that I don't think you've not found a lot, I just don't think it's all that different here from most everywhere else in the country except maybe parts of Pac NW or Colorado.
I'd say you're pretty spot on with the religious aspect. There's a very vocal, very pushy segment who like to try to put it in your face every chance they get. But I do feel like these people are a minority here. They occassionally get some of the moderates swept up with them though. However, the vast majority of Arkansas have more religious tolerance. We're mainly moderates who would be content to let people go to any church and practice or not practice however they want. The real problem lies in the fact that the norm of beliefs happen to run parallel with the pushy evangelicals so lots of people would have a hard time telling them to not be so narrow minded about things.
I walked over to the Clinton Presidential Library. It's an impressive building and I liked the architecture. There were lots of people heading to a meeting of some sort, political in nature I would assume. Many were dressed in expensive, black clothes, as you would see in New York.
I appreciate the architecture of the Presidential library as well ... I think the unique design will become more appreciated with time. Who knows, someday it may be coveted just like many of us do today with the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.
I think you would love Little Rock, and the downtown area is exploding with fun nightlife. My 23 year old daughter and her friends love Willy D's dueling piano bar, as well as the newer restaurants "The Flying Saucer", "The Flying Fish", "Sticky Fingers" and "Boscos". Try Riverpark Apartments, they are just minutes from downtown or apartment locators and see where that leads you. I would agree with other posts that Little Rock would be a better option than Dallas, but then I am a bit biased Good luck!
I appreciate the architecture of the Presidential library as well ... I think the unique design will become more appreciated with time. Who knows, someday it may be coveted just like many of us do today with the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Or a 1977 Fleetwood Home...or appreciated by the Shoebox Manufacturers of America.
I think that's the ugliest building on the outside I've ever seen - the inside is beautiful, but outside...it looks like a cargo container.
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West Little Rock
Good luck!
