The Little Rock Culture and Vibe are Booming Right Now... (Austin: high crime, neighborhoods)

[ajsalim123]

I just took a trip back to Little Rock a few days ago to work and see family there, its the city i was born in. I Travel for a living and I had brought with me some Co-Workers from North Carolina, Miami, Philly, and Birmingham to help me take care of some things work related. My Co-Workers were so surprised and shocked (In a Good Way) about the city. They enjoyed every minute in Little Rock and we all agreed that Little Rock is one of the prettiest cities we have seen while traveling through America. The thing that stuck out the most for them and for me was , 'The Culture'. The City is booming with culture. It seems to be following its own tune, and it seems to be working. There are cities out there, twice its size, that dont offer as much culture as Little Rock does. From the Downtown, Midtown, West Little Rock, those new Districts theyre building, etc, the city has done a great job at developing its own unique 'Feel' and 'Vibe'. Little Rock is a Mid-Size City wrapped in a Small body. I here people saying that Little Rock doesnt have much to offer, but the facts are that it offers more than enough for the city its size, plus what some bigger cities wish they had. Little Rock gets compared alittle too much to bigger cities like Dallas or Austin. I live in Memphis now and Little Rock has caught up and in some ways, exceded it in alot of ways. My Co-Workers and I enjoyed our time there, from the Food to the Local Street Side Vibes to the Diversity. I enjoy coming back to Little Rock every time and Seeing it develope into its own unique Cultural Scene and Experience.

[Rock Climber]

I agree with you. I've been preaching the Little Rock gospel since I first visited. I believe it is a highly underrated city right now. The downtown and midtown areas are really popping with some great stuff. I really like the town and see it becoming a real "hip" city in the near future.

[latunafish]

thank you ajsalim123, for the great positive post on little rock! i have to agree with all of it.

we have had a new starbucks and whole foods open within a mile of our residence in west little rock within the last few months. that is a pretty good economic indicator.

[ajsalim123]

Yes, It is very Cool to see the City moving in the Right Direction.

[jeffbase40]

The outlets of Little Rock will be opening in October and that'll be another big boost to the city with lots of shopping options. I'm looking forward to the beef jerky store. lol

[bawac34618]

I lived in Little Rock in the mid-late 2000s and really under-appreciated it. I agree that it definitely feels like a city in the 1-1.5 million population range. The natural scenery and neighborhoods like Hillcrest, the Heights, and Argenta are beautiful, especially compared to the stark scenery here in OKC where I live now. The city has a great riverfront and many awesome parks. It's also surprisingly progressive and is culturally very different than the rest of Arkansas.

I think Little Rock still gets a bad rap because its perception of being high crime, and because its metro population is only 700,000 it doesn't get respected as a major city. I think if it was just a little larger it would be on a lot more people's radar.