[dana7]

I came to the USA, 7 years ago from Romania. My husband and I live in New Mexico and we had enough desert, so we are considering moving to AR. My husband is a Registered Nurse and he has over 25 years of experience in Urgent Care. We've spent our 2010 vacation in Mt. Home area and we liked it. I hear all kinds of stories about red necks, uneducated people, lack of opportunities there. We both like small towns, outdoor activities, I would love to do gardening, but still wouldn't like to be in the middle of nowhere with no people to interact with. I would like to hear your insight.

[McDweller]

Arkansas is home to Little Rock Nine.

[Old Fossil]

Give us more info and I'm sure you will get lots of answers. Here is the info which will help us help you. Do you plan to seek work? If yes, in what profession? Do you have kids (do schools mater)? Do you need to be near medical facilities? Do you prefer night life/partying, or do you prefer outside (hiking, biking, fishing, boating, etc.)?

As far as "red necks" are concerned; Yes, there are those but not as bad as our reputation will lead you to believe. You will find them everywhere so I guess up north (after this winter) they may be referred to as "blue necks" . I think you will find that the huge majority of us will treat you as you treat us. If you have any specific, personal type questions that you prefer to not post on this public forum, send me a Direct Message and I'll be happy to help any way I can.

Oops, I didn't read your post closely enough - you did answer some of the questions and added some info. I don't think your husband will have any problem finding a job, maybe not in his specialty at the beginning, but may be able to work into it.

[dana7]

Thank you so much for your response. We don't have any kids. My husband is a Nurse and we both like outdoor activities and gardening. I was a Junior High teacher for 12 years in Romania.

[Old Fossil]

Now that I have gotten my act together; I'm more familiar with central and west Arkansas. There are several small communities (5,000-10,000 population) with good hospitals and near lakes, rivers, hiking, camping, etc., and most of them within an hours drive to a larger town with more amenities. Each of us on this Forum promote our favorite area of the state. I think you can find something you will like and think you are wise to ask questions in advance. Unless you are in a rush to move, I would suggest you narrow down your choices and visit a week or so in the summer. Just a thought.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by dana7

I came to the USA, 7 years ago from Romania. My husband and I live in New Mexico and we had enough desert, so we are considering moving to AR. My husband is a Registered Nurse and he has over 25 years of experience in Urgent Care. We've spent our 2010 vacation in Mt. Home area and we liked it. I hear all kinds of stories about red necks, uneducated people, lack of opportunities there. We both like small towns, outdoor activities, I would love to do gardening, but still wouldn't like to be in the middle of nowhere with no people to interact with. I would like to hear your insight.

ok, coming from someone who lived 7 years in NM, I can give you a pretty good idea or the difference. First of all; people here, depending on where you live are every bit as educated and maybe more so than people in NM> the weather, though we can get a lot of cold winter, is wonderful, except for the humidity in the summer, but even that isn't as bad as some might think.

pros and cons:

pros: we have friendly people.
the state is becoming more diverse all the time
we have a low cost of living
we have great homes at affordable prices
we have good health care (much better than NM)
we have a lot of great outdoor activities
lots of small rural town, but still close to the urban environment if you want a little taste of culture.

the negatives: well, depending on your views, the state is pretty conservative. That can be good or bad.
Some people think of AR as being right in the middle of the Bible belt. Again, good or bad, depending, but I have never seen anyone not involved in a church discriminated against. It is just religion does play a role in many of our lives here. The only other negative: depending on where you settle is the educational system. I don't know if you have young children, I assume you do not, but the schools are not the best. Again, this isn't all schools and the educational system here is certainly as good as NM>

I would suggest you visit AR for about a week, if you have the time. Yes, Mountain Home area is very nice, but you might want to consider some of the areas around NWA (further west) as well. You can get the small town life that you want and still be close to civilization. Plus we have some wonderful medical facilities here.

Dana, I just read the response about not having kids. So the schools should not be an issue. I will add one more thing: I can guarantee you, your being Romanian will not be an issue at all.

[dana7]

Thank you, so much for your kind response. I didn't think being a Romanian will be an issue, because this country is full of people from somewhere else. Like I said earlier, we spent our 2010 summer vacation in Mt. Home area and we liked it, but that is not enough time to know the area, plus at that time we didn't think we might move there. My husband and I are Christians and we know that area is known to be the Bible belt, so that is nice. My concern is finding friends, people to interact with. But as my husband said, I have to trust in the Lord for guidance and provision.

[RogMar]

Plenty of jobs for nurses in Mountain Home. There's BRMC, and a plethora of clinics and Drs. offices.

Once you attend a church, you'll find many like minded people.

Lots to do in Mountain Home, and pretty much everybody is from somewhere else there.

[Teddy52]

con..........2nd highest sales tax in the nation.

However, I have felt what I save in other areas where the cost is lower more than compensates for the high sales tax rate.

[ArkansasTgirl]

Originally Posted by Teddy52

con..........2nd highest sales tax in the nation.

However, I have felt what I save in other areas where the cost is lower more than compensates for the high sales tax rate.

Rates | Sales Tax Institute
DFA - State Tax Rates

Its only 4.5% on grocerys, the alcohol taxes can be pretty high.