[riverbottomkidok]

I grew up in Vian and moved to my husbands home in Sallisaw. A lot of these comments have merit but I have raised three kids since I was sixteen and I have wonderful children that flourished in the Sallisaw school system. It is all in how you live.

[Mattie Jo]

everything is either in tahlequah or muskogee. not sure if either have a walmart, but tahlequah does. chiropractor in tahlequah: dr. barrett.

why either stilwell or sallisaw? i would chose sallisaw over stilwell if those were my only choices--maybe.
at least in sallisaw you are closer to ft. smith, arkansas.

[FutureCntryBumpkin]

Mattie Jo:

I sent you an e-mail.

[riverbottomkidok]

Mattie Jo, Tahlequah, is a college town through and through. It has downtown shops and reputable hospitals. This is also a Cherokee cultural center. Stilwell, has a good Strawberry Festival. Vian, a rural lake and river town. And that leaves Sallisaw. Sallisaw is community oriented. Close to larger towns. We have parks and lakes. Lots of community fairs. If you live right anything you need is right here. Small town living with big town heart. Drugs and violence are everywhere. Not just here.

[Mattie Jo]

true about drugs. just that i have heard so much about that in stilwell. they downplay it here somewhat unless they catch someone.

[riverbottomkidok]

Mattie Jo, Stilwell, Vian and Sallisaw have been riddled with drug activity for years. However, I am happy to say that our county has cleaned up quite nicely. It is still there, but again, careful who you meet and befriend. That is number one.

[e_cuyler]

I lived in Stilwell until age 24, would not live there now. The drug activity is overrated somewhat, might be a bigger deal for someone with kids in school, but even then it is nothing like the drug activity in a "bad" urban school. Probably the main way people might be affected by it is if they fall victim to property crime [can be a big problem if you live in a rural area with few neighbors.]

Biggest problem to me is that so many things, schools, police, courts, hospitals, etc., are very substandard compared to other towns, even other towns of similar size and demographic makeup. Adair county is one of the poorest counties in the state.

Cannot speak to Sallisaw, but it's closer to better hospitals, schools etc. In Stilwell whenever there is any kind of serious medical situation the person is helicoptered elsewhere. One of the big things about Stilwell is that your choices for certain things are extremely limited. I definitely would not live there if I needed regular medical care, services, etc.

Only place in that area I would want to live now would be Tahlequah.