[dawgy]

hello my family and i are looking to move out of state, and we were wondering about arkansas we have never been there and know very little about it, we don't have money to travel around and visit place's so i figured i would ask people who actually live there, we are looking for a family friendly town with diversity ( i am black wife is white and we have three mixed children ) with friendly people and great scenery..any helpful advice would be appreciated thank you,i look forward to hearing response's..
Corey

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by dawgy

hello my family and i are looking to move out of state, and we were wondering about arkansas we have never been there and know very little about it, we don't have money to travel around and visit place's so i figured i would ask people who actually live there, we are looking for a family friendly town with diversity ( i am black wife is white and we have three mixed children ) with friendly people and great scenery..any helpful advice would be appreciated thank you,i look forward to hearing response's..
Corey

What type of work are you in? Does your wife work? Have you saved some money to get you by until you get jobs? These are questions that would need answering before anyone can recommend a place for you to considering re-location. Why are you thinking AR, just out of curiosity?

Now, I am assuming your are telling us your background expecting suggestions as to where you would fit in: am I right? I don't know the entire state, but knowing what I do, the best choices would be NWA and maybe Little Rock...Little Rock doesn't have the natural beauty you would find in NWA,but it has a lot to offer...

[northbound74]

There is very little diversity in the more scenic parts of the state. Scenic meaning the Ozark hilly parts that most people seem to like.
Northwest Arkansas, home to UofA and Walmart is the only place in that area I would sort-of recommend to a mixed race family. I don't mean to sound rude and I am not remotely racist, but if I were in your situation, I would avoid much of the Ozarks/Ouachitas unless I was brave enough to try and change their world. I don't know that there's a huge safety issue these days, but the headache would still be very much there.
Otherwise, Little Rock. There is plenty of diversity in southern and eastern parts of Arkansas, but Little Rock is just big enough to have a few integrated neighborhoods and just enough sophistication for it not to be that much of a deal. The western parts are hilly and kind of nice to look at.
One reason we left Little Rock was so we wouldn't have to raise a family there, but many people do it and seem to like it well enough. Very few move there just for the sake of raising their families.
If you were to decide on LR, I'd strongly recommend having a very good, stable job lined up first. The job market there is quirky if you're not in the right profession. Another reason we left.

[jim9251]

You really need to visit first. Having lived all over the state, Arkansas offers a great range of diversity from the southern delta to the northern mountains. Personally, Fayetteville would be my first choice. Everything you need is there. Good luck to you.

[dawgy]

Originally Posted by nmnita

What type of work are you in? Does your wife work? Have you saved some money to get you by until you get jobs? These are questions that would need answering before anyone can recommend a place for you to considering re-location. Why are you thinking AR, just out of curiosity?

Now, I am assuming your are telling us your background expecting suggestions as to where you would fit in: am I right? I don't know the entire state, but knowing what I do, the best choices would be NWA and maybe Little Rock...Little Rock doesn't have the natural beauty you would find in NWA,but it has a lot to offer...

sorry i guess i did leave out a lot of details..i work in a slaughter house now i have no real skill just a laborer and hard worker, no my wife doe's not work but she doe's collect ssi, i have almost 60k saved up to start over,and yes you are right,about looking for a place we could fit in..the reason for arkansas is because that's where the dart landed on the map .. i am just asking and getting as much info as possible before deciding we have found a beautiful house in van buren ..but having a beautiful house don't mean anything if we would not be welcome in area, or i could not find work,or if the schools are no good for my kid's 9,10,13... and thank you all for your replies

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by dawgy

sorry i guess i did leave out a lot of details..i work in a slaughter house now i have no real skill just a laborer and hard worker, no my wife doe's not work but she doe's collect ssi, i have almost 60k saved up to start over,and yes you are right,about looking for a place we could fit in..the reason for arkansas is because that's where the dart landed on the map .. i am just asking and getting as much info as possible before deciding we have found a beautiful house in van buren ..but having a beautiful house don't mean anything if we would not be welcome in area, or i could not find work,or if the schools are no good for my kid's 9,10,13... and thank you all for your replies

NWA certainly would be your best bet. You really do need to visit before making any decisions. I really don't think Van Buren would be your best choice. The areas further north, closer to the poultry plants would be best.NWA is becoming more ethnically diverse all the time and we see more interracial families shopping and enyoyingt the restauratns. As for the schools, they will be fine for your kids I am guessing.

[ArkansasTgirl]

Originally Posted by nmnita

NWA certainly would be your best bet. You really do need to visit before making any decisions. I really don't think Van Buren would be your best choice. The areas further north, closer to the poultry plants would be best.NWA is becoming more ethnically diverse all the time and we see more interracial families shopping and enyoyingt the restauratns. As for the schools, they will be fine for your kids I am guessing.

lol@ not choosing Van Buren in order to be somewhere close to poultry plants.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by FriendlyFeller

lol@ not choosing Van Buren in order to be somewhere close to poultry plants.

o
I should have clarified my comments more clearly. I wasn't thinking just because of the poultry plants. It does seem his background places like Tyson's might be a possible place for him to consider working. We all know all of this part of AR has poultry plants.

[ArkansasTgirl]

My cousin has a mixed kid and works at a poultry plant in VB, I haven't heard about any problems.

[Lyndseypresley]

My fiancé and I are also looking Into moving to Arkansas. We are also an interracial couple with a 2 year old son. Is Mountain home a good place? I just don't want to move somewhere we aren't welcome.