Wikitravel Gives Bad Review of Little Rock (North Little Rock, Benton: crime, neighborhoods)

[Timtheman]

"...to be blunt, don't ride around... looking for dope and/or prostitutes..."


That's darn good advice wherever you go!!!!

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by InLondon

I don't get it...

They are being facetious because I said Little Rock basically has no urban culture (which is the truth), so they got mad. Louisville is KILLING Little Rock in urban hipster culture. And while we are at it, strumpeace, Memphis lacks it in comparison too!

[strumpeace]

Originally Posted by stx12499

They are being facetious because I said Little Rock basically has no urban culture (which is the truth), so they got mad. Louisville is KILLING Little Rock in urban hipster culture. And while we are at it, strumpeace, Memphis lacks it in comparison too!

Mad?

Comical is more like it.

It's hard to take anyone who intentionally labels himself an 'urban hipster' seriously enough to get mad.

Maybe one day, though, we'll grow to the 250,000 person metropolis that Louisville is -- complete with sushi bars and plenty of hipsters.

[jenni-b]

As far as I'm concerned, it should be handed over to the gangs, walled up and the Capital be moved to Bryant, where most of the decent people from Little Rock seem to be moving these days.

O REALLY

Saline County is the most corrupt place in Arkansas. you couldn't BEG me to live there.

and I live a block off of Roosevelt, grew up a block off of Baseline, and I'm PERFECTLY decent, thank you.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

Mad?

Comical is more like it.

It's hard to take anyone who intentionally labels himself an 'urban hipster' seriously enough to get mad.

Maybe one day, though, we'll grow to the 250,000 person metropolis that Louisville is -- complete with sushi bars and plenty of hipsters.

I honestly don't think Little Rock will ever have the kind of "urban vibe" places like Louisville and the likes have. Population matters but it isn't everything. Little Rock and Louisville are completely different kinds of towns. Little Rock is very old-South, traditional, conservative, slow-paced, while Louisville is new-South mixed with eastern and Midwestern and is younger and much faster paced, much like a smaller Atlanta. Little Rock is more like a smaller (but more scenic) Tulsa or Oklahoma City. All of the smaller cities in this region suffer from brain drain to Dallas/Ft Worth.

[strumpeace]

Originally Posted by bchris02

I honestly don't think Little Rock will ever have the kind of "urban vibe" places like Louisville and the likes have.

Exactly.

After two threads and ten or twelve pages of posts, somebody finally got it.

Don't come to LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS expecting 'urban vibe'. We don't have it. Why anyone with any sense would think we would have that is beyond me. It's a small city in a rural state, for goodness' sake. Go out to Cheyenne or Butte or Wichita (also small cities in rural states) and tell them they're not 'urban hipster' enough for you.

(BTW, I've been to Louisville many times. I lived for several years in Campbellsville and spent many of my weekends in Louisville. It's a lovely enough town, but it's pretty dull, too. People have been fleeing the city in unprecedented numbers over the last few decades.)

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

Exactly.

After two threads and ten or twelve pages of posts, somebody finally got it.

Don't come to LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS expecting 'urban vibe'. We don't have it. Why anyone with any sense would think we would have that is beyond me. It's a small city in a rural state, for goodness' sake. Go out to Cheyenne or Butte or Wichita (also small cities in rural states) and tell them they're not 'urban hipster' enough for you.

(BTW, I've been to Louisville many times. I lived for several years in Campbellsville and spent many of my weekends in Louisville. It's a lovely enough town, but it's pretty dull, too. People have been fleeing the city in unprecedented numbers over the last few decades.)

It's true that Little Rock will never be a Louisville, but there is no reason it couldn't be a Des Moines. Des Moines is roughly the same size as Little Rock and also in a rural state, but has been much more forward thinking and as a result is decades ahead and has an overall positive perception.

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by bchris02

It's true that Little Rock will never be a Louisville, but there is no reason it couldn't be a Des Moines. Des Moines is roughly the same size as Little Rock and also in a rural state, but has been much more forward thinking and as a result is decades ahead and has an overall positive perception.

Why would Little Rock want to be a Des Moines? The overall positive perception has more to do with Des Moines being in Iowa, than in the qualities of the city. Little Rock is a Southern city. In a rural state. With a mixed political history and composition. Rather than asking Little Rock to try to be more like Des Moines, residents should be asking Little Rock to be a better Little Rock.

[sloth777]

Originally Posted by bchris02

It's true that Little Rock will never be a Louisville, but there is no reason it couldn't be a Des Moines. Des Moines is roughly the same size as Little Rock and also in a rural state, but has been much more forward thinking and as a result is decades ahead and has an overall positive perception.

Yeah, but there is a slight problem. Des Moines is the same size as Little Rock, but it had only 6 murders in 2006, and 4 in 2007. Little Rock had 56 in '06 and 51 in '07. Little Rock will never be anything like it could be unless it's crime crime comes down. Little Rock has as many murders per year as Boston, with has 3 times the pop.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by sloth777

Yeah, but there is a slight problem. Des Moines is the same size as Little Rock, but it had only 6 murders in 2006, and 4 in 2007. Little Rock had 56 in '06 and 51 in '07. Little Rock will never be anything like it could be unless it's crime crime comes down. Little Rock has as many murders per year as Boston, with has 3 times the pop.

Agree. Little Rock's high crime rate is a cancer. If the crime comes down and people are no longer afraid to go into the city, we might be able to support more cultural attractions, have greater economic development leading to a more vibrant nightlife, get the sprawl under control, FINALLY get some good retail in here, etc. Most of my friends are very afraid to go east of I-430, and I can imagine they aren't the only ones. Its sad that places like Chilis and TGI Fridays are more hoppin' on weekend nights than the River Market is. While we can say things like "the crime is localized, people are afraid of nothing" until the cows come home, statistics don't lie.