Little Rock, a review. (Fort Smith, Augusta: transplants, median income, taxes)

[ridicter]

You're right. I apologize.

Must've been irritable that day.

[feyleona13]

This is my first post here and I just want to say a couple of things. My family and I are being relocated to LR, with no choice in the matter. However, coming from where we have lived for the last seven years, and having done quite a bit of research over the last few weeks (online) about LR, all of the complaining about lack of retail makes me laugh. We, as Americans, tend to be so insistent about having everything at our fingertips.

Let me give you a quick run-down on why we are so excited to be moving to LR: where we live (in a rural part of the UK) there is no Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, not a single mall, no real movie theater, most things (clothing, shoes, home entertainment, many household items, even our vitamins!!) have to be ordered online and the online retailers don't always ship to our area. We don't get UPS or FedEx here. Yes, we can shop in London, but the prices are extortionist high and it is a two hour drive to get there!! Our internet connection is Dark Ages slow. The average 3 BR house is less than 900sqf. Now, I'm reading the OP's review and chuckling. It really must be nice to have so many options (no sarcasm here), but LR is looking pretty good from where we stand. I'm from the South originally, but have lived all over the world. I am personally looking forward to living in the South again. I'm sure that LR could use some improvement...I've never lived anywhere that doesn't need something.

To sum up: people tend to take things for granted. If the OP had lived as we have for several years, he would be jumping for joy at the chance to live in a place where he could drive half an hour to get whatever he needed or wanted (except, evidently, his need for the hipster vibe!). I understand that everyone needs different things from the places they live, I just wish that people wouldn't take the simpler things for granted. We have loved being able to live in the UK and count ourselves very lucky. However, we personally are excited to be coming back to the States and are very sure we are going to love LR!

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by feyleona13

This is my first post here and I just want to say a couple of things. My family and I are being relocated to LR, with no choice in the matter. However, coming from where we have lived for the last seven years, and having done quite a bit of research over the last few weeks (online) about LR, all of the complaining about lack of retail makes me laugh. We, as Americans, tend to be so insistent about having everything at our fingertips.

Let me give you a quick run-down on why we are so excited to be moving to LR: where we live (in a rural part of the UK) there is no Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, not a single mall, no real movie theater, most things (clothing, shoes, home entertainment, many household items, even our vitamins!!) have to be ordered online and the online retailers don't always ship to our area. We don't get UPS or FedEx here. Yes, we can shop in London, but the prices are extortionist high and it is a two hour drive to get there!! Our internet connection is Dark Ages slow. The average 3 BR house is less than 900sqf. Now, I'm reading the OP's review and chuckling. It really must be nice to have so many options (no sarcasm here), but LR is looking pretty good from where we stand. I'm from the South originally, but have lived all over the world. I am personally looking forward to living in the South again. I'm sure that LR could use some improvement...I've never lived anywhere that doesn't need something.

To sum up: people tend to take things for granted. If the OP had lived as we have for several years, he would be jumping for joy at the chance to live in a place where he could drive half an hour to get whatever he needed or wanted (except, evidently, his need for the hipster vibe!). I understand that everyone needs different things from the places they live, I just wish that people wouldn't take the simpler things for granted. We have loved being able to live in the UK and count ourselves very lucky. However, we personally are excited to be coming back to the States and are very sure we are going to love LR!

You hit the nail on the head.

Yes, you'll read a lot of the "more..more..more" here, and that's fine, people can always wish. I think a lot of times, more will never be enough.

London???

My son has an apt in london.

A new definition of "expensive".

I especially like the "television police" that come around, electronically measure how many TV's you have, and then make sure you pay the $300 a year tax on *each* of them.

[feyleona13]

RogMar~

Yes, that great TV tax...along with paying to have every vehicle inspected every year, hundreds of dollars every year in road tax (per vehicle!), 17+% VAT (value added tax...tax added to EVERYTHING retail)...man, they just wipe you out here! Even with the pound rate dropping, everything ends up being nearly twice the price. And still, nothing is convenient. And I'm sounding like a complaining American, again. We do love it here for many reasons, but Little Rock is looking mighty appealing!!

Just a few more weeks...

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by feyleona13

To sum up: people tend to take things for granted. If the OP had lived as we have for several years, he would be jumping for joy at the chance to live in a place where he could drive half an hour to get whatever he needed or wanted (except, evidently, his need for the hipster vibe!).

To be fair, I believe the OP would compare LR to other U.S. cities, particularly of comparable size, and I believe that to be a more appropriate measure.

But, alas, Forbes has ranked LR as one of America's "most liveable" cities, so the debate rages on!

In Depth: America's Most Livable Cities - Forbes.com

[jenni-b]

cool!

[feyleona13]

grmasterb~

In no way was I expecting that the OP should use cities outside the US in a comparison with Little Rock. I was only stating our situation to highlight what a sense of entitlement most Americans have. There are lots of cities in the US that are comparable to London and the surrounding rural areas. But since I haven't lived in the US in almost a decade, it would be dishonest of me to use one of those as a comparison. I was not trying to compare where we live to anywhere else, only attempting to make the point that everyone needs different things from where they live and that we shouldn't take so much for granted. Living the way I have all of my life, I've learned to make the very best of anywhere I have been set down. I stated specifically that I thought the OP was very lucky to have the choices he did. If you read back through my post, I state very pointedly, "if the OP had lived *as we have* for the past several years", not *where* we have. I was only using our situation to underline my point, not compare Little Rock to our tiny, rural farming community in the UK.

[northbound74]

I think the thinking behind "lack of retail" is that Little Rock stacks up poorly against other U.S. cities it's size in some areas. I've complained about it myself. If you're going to have to deal with all the issues in a town like Little Rock, might as well have some conveniences to make it worthwhile.
No, I'm not a bigger, better, faster, more, more, more person.
In fact, I'd rather live out in the boondocks and just make due, than to live in any more places like Little Rock.

By the way, those Forbes lists are a joke. Did you see where Baltimore ended up? Number 8? Baltimore?
Okee Dokee.
Anyway, they put Portland, Maine as #1, which seems about right.
To me.
See? It's all relative.

To fayleona13, if you're all excited about Little Rock, and want to live there, you'll probably like it. Maybe for just a little while, maybe for longer. Good luck.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by northbound74

I think the thinking behind "lack of retail" is that Little Rock stacks up poorly against other U.S. cities it's size in some areas. I've complained about it myself. If you're going to have to deal with all the issues in a town like Little Rock, might as well have some conveniences to make it worthwhile.
No, I'm not a bigger, better, faster, more, more, more person.
In fact, I'd rather live out in the boondocks and just make due, than to live in any more places like Little Rock.

Agree. Cities like Des Moines, Jackson, and Springfield WIPE THE FLOOR with Little Rock in the area of retail offerings. Its not that Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, and Target aren't good, its just a city of almost 200,000 should offer more. Little Rock's retail isn't much better than Fort Smith's retail. For those who aren't familiar with Fort Smith, it is a town of only 72,000 and its entire metro is only 200,000.

[strumpeace]

Hi, feyleona13. We're looking forward to having you.

If you've been away from the US for a while, you'll be stunned at how ridiculously consumerist a nation we've become. I think the posts here by our resident 'urban hipsters' are quite telling. I feel sad for them. I've always been able to find things to entertain me no matter where I am. My goodness, rather than spending my Saturday griping about how limited our sushi bar selection is, I run up to Pinnacle and hike or jump in my car and drive a short distance to a river I can float.

To those who complain about retail in LR -- Here's what I can tell you...LR is open to whatever, whenever. Restrictions are few. The simple fact is that this is Wal-Mart and Dillards' back yard. That makes some retailers hesitant to come here. The LR area's demographics and income composition are also reasons for our perceived lack of retail. There's nothing the City of LR can do to make retailers come here -- besides waive property taxes and such -- but if the City does that, that means you and I have to pay the retailers' share of taxes. I'm not willing to do that just so the 'urban hipsters' can have another cheesy corporate shopping option.