Thinking of moving to Little Rock--- Advise welcome (Conway: lofts, condos)

[Agingwell]

Originally Posted by bchris02

Little Rock has plenty of natural beauty. You might have a problem finding a quaint, older neighborhood in a safe area with good schools though. The Little Rock school district leaves much to be desired...most people who move to Central Arkansas end up living in the suburbs like Benton, Bryant, Cabot, and Conway. Most of Little Rock, outside of a few neighborhoods, is a very cookie cutter mcmansion chain-restaurant lifestyle. Its also very conservative in a religious nature - expect to be asked where you attend church on a regular basis. There are liberal pockets though such as the Quapaw Quarter and Hillcrest. There is an arts scene but remember you are moving to a place thats basically just a large town that thinks its a city, so don't set your expectations too high. What you need to do is decide what it is that's more important to you. Good schools or living in a quaint, charming neighborhood that is socially liberal. In Little Rock its difficult to have both.

This source generally gives negative viewpoints on Little Rock. I'm a fourth generation Little Rock native and when I read his comments I wonder what city is he talking about.

[sheena12]

You know there are people like that EVERYWHERE! They are not crazy about where they live but do not want to venture out to a new local.
They DO however want to keep others from moving there and...OMG ....changing things a bit.
Heaven forbid!
So they perpetuate and expound upon stereotypes so that no newcomers "defile" the area and they can continue to ***** about it forever.
Thanks for yoour perspective Agingwell!

[ArkansasSlim]

Sheena, listen to jenni-b and come on over to The Natural State. I don't think you will be disappointed.

[Agingwell]

[quote=bchris02;14150061]
There is an arts scene but remember you are moving to a place thats basically just a large town that thinks its a city, so don't set your expectations too high.

I must respond to this diatribe. Little Rock does not compare itself to larger metropolitan areas in terms like you do. We don't pretend to be more than what we are. There is a vibrant art community within the twin cities of Little Rock/North Little Rock. There are a number of private art galleries located in the River Market District, Argenta Historic District, Park Hill, Hillcrest and the Heights. Regular “Art Walks” are scheduled. For the city the size of Little Rock, the Arkansas Arts Center possesses a significant collection of unique works on paper (American and European, from the Renaissance to the present). The collection includes sheets by Cézanne, Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alison Saar, Rembrandt and Rubens.

[bchris02]

[quote=Agingwell;14368707]

Originally Posted by bchris02

There is an arts scene but remember you are moving to a place thats basically just a large town that thinks its a city, so don't set your expectations too high.

I must respond to this diatribe. Little Rock does not compare itself to larger metropolitan areas in terms like you do. We don't pretend to be more than what we are. There is a vibrant art community within the twin cities of Little Rock/North Little Rock. There are a number of private art galleries located in the River Market District, Argenta Historic District, Park Hill, Hillcrest and the Heights. Regular “Art Walks” are scheduled. For the city the size of Little Rock, the Arkansas Arts Center possesses a significant collection of unique works on paper (American and European, from the Renaissance to the present). The collection includes sheets by Cézanne, Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alison Saar, Rembrandt and Rubens.

Your right Little Rock doesn't pretend to be bigger than it is (in fact I think its the other way around because Little Rock offers more than what it appears to on first glance), but sometimes posts on this board directed at prospective residents from larger cities are a little misleading as they attempt to paint Little Rock as having most if not all of the cultural amenities the larger cities do. Truth is, they do not, and while there is plenty of stuff, the scale and quality cannot match what a big city offers. You move to Little Rock from a larger city to get away from the rat race and reconnect with nature without having to sacrifice modern amenities. You don't move to Little Rock for any kind of urban living experience.

[chainji]

Originally Posted by bchris02

You don't move to Little Rock for any kind of urban living experience.

People in Hillcrest and The Heights will tend to disagree with you.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by chainji

People in Hillcrest and The Heights will tend to disagree with you.

Seriously? Is this a joke? Hillcrest and the Heights are very nice, historic, walkable neighborhods, but for an "urban paradise", they are very underwhelming.

[chainji]

Now that you have found your Utopia in Charlotte, why do you find a need to return to this forum to knock Arkansas at every opportunity.

I've lived in the Village (Manhattan) for over a decade. You can experience "urban living experience" (your words) in Hillcrest and The Heights. Nowhere did I say that it was an "urban paradise" (again your words). I do not know why you distorted what was said but:
"Methinks that thou doth protest too much.", which leads me to think that there is something else going on here.

I hope that you can resolve your issues with Arkansas, as it is not healthy to continue to dwell negatively on the place.

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by sheena12

Hello Everyone! We had been thinking about moving to PA from Long Island NY mostly due to cost of living issues. The house we thought we had fell through. SO....
A relative of mine a former Long Islander loves Little Rock and is encouraging me to move there.
I really would enjoy a milder climate, longer springs and autumns. The area seems beautiful and I have been told that the people are friendly.
I have no negative conceptions about Little Rock or Arkansas in general. How do Arkansans feel about people from NY?
We have 2 teenage kids and good schools are important to us. I have been told that there are public magnet schools that are quite good. Any recommendations?
I am NOT expecting Little Rock to be like NY - nor would I want it to be. I am moving because I want a change and I expect and welcome change in my life.
What areas of Little Rock would be best suited to a family who likes older homes - mid century to Victorian to craftsman, likes diversity - not into McMansions
We are a little arty not a cookie cutter family and we are very open and accepting of others.
That said , safety and good schools are important.
Thanks in advance for any input!

You might like Little Rock, but safety, good schools and cool old neighborhoods all in one package, might be very difficult to find. Be prepared to pay tuition.

I have a family member that made their home in Little Rock and love it.
I tried it for 4-5 years and never could make the best of it. To me, those nice old neighborhoods (which I did live in) were always too close to the absolute worst Little Rock had to offer (which is worse than many outsiders realize). Yeah, a lot of cities are like that, but LR is too small to offer enough options.

People who live there and like it have their legitimate reasons for liking it.

Just remember: those who do not like Little Rock have equally legitimate reasons for doing so. Of course, they will be ostracized for doing so. Dissent is not usually welcome on the Arkansas forums.

For what it's worth, Hillcrest and the Heights never struck me as being all that urban. In fact, they were originally suburbs of Little Rock... with a nifty little trolley of some sort going to them.

[chainji]

Originally Posted by northbound74

Dissent is not usually welcome on the Arkansas forums.

Dissent is fine and in fact what you said here:

To me, those nice old neighborhoods (which I did live in) were always too close to the absolute worst Little Rock had to offer (which is worse than many outsiders realize).

is something that I would want to know before moving to an area.

But when you have someone who obviously have a chip on their shoulder and skew information about the area (i.e. lie) is just plain wrong.