Moving to Little Rock (Hot Springs, Texarkana: to rent, how much, house)

[NeedYourAdvice]

My husband and I are planning to re-locate to Little Rock. We presently live in the NW Chicago Suburbs. We are looking for a surburban-type setting. We do not have children and are in our late 40's. Any advice on safe surburban type neighborhoods? We would want a newer home.

Also, I would love to hear about shopping in Little Rock? Any malls? What is the local grocery store chain? Any Costco's? Any Bally's Fitness Centers? Is there a Walmart on every corner? Pet Smarts?

Finally, are there any upscale chains in Little Rock? Like Cheesecake Factory? PF Changs? BennyHana's?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

[northbound74]

Maumelle is the nice suburb. Kroger is the main grocery store, although there's a few others, it's the only one with decent sized stores. There's a couple of medium sized malls. There's Sams Clubs, for sure, but I don't think Costco is there yet. Little Rock has plenty of retail to get by, but it's not spectacular, by any means. People often take trips to Memphis or Dallas for shopping.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by NeedYourAdvice

My husband and I are planning to re-locate to Little Rock. We presently live in the NW Chicago Suburbs. We are looking for a surburban-type setting. We do not have children and are in our late 40's. Any advice on safe surburban type neighborhoods? We would want a newer home.

Also, I would love to hear about shopping in Little Rock? Any malls? What is the local grocery store chain? Any Costco's? Any Bally's Fitness Centers? Is there a Walmart on every corner? Pet Smarts?

Finally, are there any upscale chains in Little Rock? Like Cheesecake Factory? PF Changs? BennyHana's?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

Maumelle or far west Little Rock (Chenal area) would fit your desires perfectly. They are booming suburban areas that cater to the upper/upper-middle class. There is also Benton/Bryant, which are more middle middle class than Chenal or Maumelle. Don't let the naysayers discourage you, Little Rock is one of the nicer cities in its population tier that doesn't get the respect it deserves.

As for chains, we have PF Changs and Benihanas and several others. Copeland's just opened. We were supposed to get a Cheesecake Factory, but they pulled because of the current economic conditions. You might find that many of the locally owned places are better than the chains around here. Little Rock has plenty of local options to choose from. We have one good mall and one mediocre mall. There's a few new "lifestyle" developments going up, rumor has it we are getting an Apple store, so while our retail is definitely nothing on the level of what you have in Chicago, it is getting better. The most notable retailer a city our size should have but are lacking is Macy's. That is because the HQ for Dillard's is here and the powers that be have kept competing department stores out. No Costco, but there is Sam's Club. There is Petsmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Best Buy, and all the typical suburban big box stores you would expect.

Hope that info helps.

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by bchris02

You might find that many of the locally owned places are better than the chains around here.

I left west Little Rock almost 8 years ago and I still miss some of the local restaurants. Faded Rose, Buffalo Grill and the Chinese restaurant all in Bowman curve.

-Robert

[SwinerBock]

I had to laugh when northbound says people often travel to Memphis or Dallas for shopping. We folks in south Arkansas often travel to Little Rock for shopping. Oh well...

NYA, I agree with practically everything everyone else has told you. The Maumelle / Chenal Valley areas west of Little Rock is where all the new development is going on, and west Little Rock is where one of the two major retail centers are. The other retail center is the McCain Mall area on the north / northeast side of Little Rock. Benton and Bryant have some new housing going in as well. If you currently own a house in Chicago, you will probably be surprised at how much house you will be able to buy here in Arkansas.

As for groceries, yes there is Krogers, but then Walmart Supercenters are plentiful as well. Walmart is where I usually do my grocery shopping.

[paramour]

Just to reiterate basically what everyone else has said:

Maumelle, Benton, & Bryant are probably your best bets for 'suburban' living. I travel b/w Maumelle & a NW Chicagoland 'burb myself. Maumelle is safe, well-kempt, and unfortunately (to me) growing. Lots of new housing (a lot of it also not selling). You can even buy a brick house for a decent price there.

Shopping will depend upon what you expect/need. Others have mentioned going to Memphis/Dallas, but as Swinerbock pointed out, plenty of folk go to LR for their shopping. (Growing up in south AR, I was one of 'em! Hot Springs was usually the place to shop and LR & sometimes Texarkana were treats! ) Many of the mall stores you get in the 'burbs will be in the LR/NLR malls, albeit on a smaller scale. And, then, again, there will be some stores missing altogether. There are some slightly more upscale boutiques around LR if you're looking for non-mall shopping. People in AR do not run around the streets nekkid, so I suppose that they must be able to find appropriate clothing somewhere.

For groceries, there's Kroger and Walmart, along with a few natural food shops if you're interested. Alas, no Trader Joe's here though.

No Bally's, Lifetime Fitness, etc. Maumelle has a community center, but you'd probably be better off at one of the Athletic Centers in LR/NLR.

No Walmart on every corner, although it may seem like it to some people. LR/NLR does have Pet Smart & Petco.

No Cheesecake Factory unfortunately, but there are the other usual chains: PF Changs, Benihana, Bone Fish, Mimi's, On the Border, Outback, etc. As a PP mentioned, explore some of the local places; you may be pleasantly surprised.

G'luck!

[Bull Winkus]

Need to explore Little Rock without getting out of your computer chair? Do it in Google Maps. Just click on the Street View button and watch as all the streets in Little Rock turn blue. Zoom in enough and you can click on a road to look at the surroundings as though you were standing there. Look around in all directions. Move down the street. Turn the corner. Explore Little Rock from afar.

Sorry if this sounds like a commercial. It is pretty cool though. Has everyone tried this yet?

[paramour]

Originally Posted by Bull Winkus

Need to explore Little Rock without getting out of your computer chair? Do it in Google Maps. Just click on the Street View button and watch as all the streets in Little Rock turn blue. Zoom in enough and you can click on a road to look at the surroundings as though you were standing there. Look around in all directions. Move down the street. Turn the corner. Explore Little Rock from afar.

Sorry if this sounds like a commercial. It is pretty cool though. Has everyone tried this yet?

Give it up! You work for Google, don't you?

I previously used Google Maps when looking for places to rent/buy. I was unfamiliar with the area, so plugged in addresses to take a look at the street view. Greatly reduced the number of places I had to go visit. The outside's not everything, of course, but sometimes one can just tell that you don't want to go any further than the front door.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by Robert_J

I left west Little Rock almost 8 years ago and I still miss some of the local restaurants. Faded Rose, Buffalo Grill and the Chinese restaurant all in Bowman curve.

-Robert

I guess you are talking about Fu Lin? I have to say that is one of the better Chinese buffet style restaurants, which are usually in my experience pretty crappy. Better yet is Fantastic China in the Heights. Its not a buffet style but its priced well and the food is excellent. I would eat at either of those places over PF Changs any day.

I had to laugh when northbound says people often travel to Memphis or Dallas for shopping. We folks in south Arkansas often travel to Little Rock for shopping. Oh well...

northbound has somewhat of a distaste for Little Rock. There is some truth to what he says though. I can understand somebody traveling to Dallas for shopping, especially high end stuff. Memphis on the other hand, while it has a few things LR doesn't have, isn't worth the trip for shopping in my opinion, especially since Little Rock will soon have its own Apple store (hopefully). Most people I know who go to Memphis go for the blues scene and the Beale St. nightlife, not to go shopping.

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by bchris02

I can understand somebody traveling to Dallas for shopping, especially high end stuff. Memphis on the other hand, while it has a few things LR doesn't have, isn't worth the trip for shopping in my opinion, especially since Little Rock will soon have its own Apple store (hopefully). Most people I know who go to Memphis go for the blues scene and the Beale St. nightlife, not to go shopping.

That's pretty much what I meant. I knew a few people who were pretty well off, that wouldn't flinch at driving to Dallas and spend a weekend of shopping there. Others did it for Christmas time, as well. Some people in Little Rock went to Memphis for a day to shop, or for entertainment, but some people in LR didn't even know it existed. People in eastern Arkansas in general, though, often went to Memphis over Little Rock for shopping.
I'm not a shopper, so when I lived in Little Rock, it had plenty for me.